1939 Zenith CHAIRSIDE

[Dj3928]

1939 Zenith “CHAIRSIDE” Radio Unboxing a Future Restoration
https://youtu.be/UwOrZrBceA0

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Dj3928

1939 Zenith “CHAIRSIDE” Radio Unboxing a Future Restoration
https://youtu.be/UwOrZrBceA0

I generally avoid radios that need cabinet restoration!
I have a Zenith chairside, model 8S531, chassis 8A01.
It has six tone and six station presets, also has 6AC5 triode output.

[DavGoodlin]

I have a Magnavox chairside, 1947 I think. Zenith made some really good ones, not so much other makers.

Not many in the wild - a single Stromberg-Carlson model could be the grandest one of this genre.

[jr_tech]

Originally Posted by DavGoodlin

Not many in the wild - a single Stromberg-Carlson model could be the grandest one of this genre.

S-C 231 R ?...is this the model you are thinking of, or is there a even more attractive model?

https://radioattic.com/item.htm?radio=1600072

jr

[Jeffhs]

I wonder how many of those radios were in use in 1939. After all, two years later, the United States entered World War II, at which time Americans were forbidden to listen to shortwave radio. In fact, many radio repair shops of the period disabled the shortwave bands in any radio designed to receive anything above the broadcast band.

As well, amateur radio was suspended in the United States for the duration of the war, and many if not most amateurs licensed at that time were ordered by the US Government to sell their gear to the military. I am reminded of an article I saw in an electronics magazine (I forget which one or what year, although I think it must have been late 1980s or early '90s) which told the story of a ham who, shortly after WWII began, was in contact with another amateur. The contact went on for a few minutes, then a third amateur broke in and said, "Get the hell off the air. We are at war!"

Both stations fell silent at that point and, of course, were never heard from again for the duration of World War II, again by order of the U. S. Government; in fact, it wouldn't have surprised me if the operators of both stations were drafted into the military, along with untold numbers of American men, amateurs or not.

[old_tv_nut]

The ban on listening had to be a bit more complicated.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_Radio_Heroes
At first , the NY Times listed the times of Axis broadcast of POW messages, and some in the US who had radios with SW bands forwarded the messages by mail to US families. Eventually the government decried the practice and went after a few practitioners. Of course, they could not actually stop listening without a program of confiscating radios, but could repress the spreading of the likely false info.

[old_tv_nut]

This brings a question to my mind: do radio collectors find US sets of that vintage today that had the shortwave bands intentionally disabled? I'm pretty sure my grandmother's set had functioning shortwave bands. Edit: though maybe not a proper antenna.

[Electronic M]

The radio tech that got me started working on the electronics says he has found pre-war radios with intentionally disabled SW. He thought it was done to German and Japanese families suspected of being enemy sympathizers.

I could see it being applied in both cases... Though nothing was preventing those people from obtaining another used radio with functioning SW.

[old_tv_nut]

All very interesting.
The US had strong anti-Axis propaganda during WWII, of course, but we had learned a lesson from WWI and helped them rebuild after WWII. MacArthur became a hero to the Japanese. I have seen a picture of the Japanese flag at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair at half-staff on the occasion of his death.