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#1
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'39 Motorola "Picnic" portable
Some call these sets that. I call them "luggage-style" portables. In the pre-war years these sets had nice big chassis' and very often tweed cloth covering with multi-colored or brown stripes. Those are my favorites. The post-war models often had wimpier chassis' and non-striped tolex covering. This 1939 Motorola 41D has an unusual dial. Off, you see a decorative "Batteries Off" plate. When you turn it on that plate swiftly springs to the left revealing the numbered dial plate behind it. Someone killed all 4 tubes sometime in it's past, but with the help of a friend and modern batteries it lives again! It's one of the best playing battery-only portables I've ever heard too. Very sensitive with plenty of volume.
Last edited by Celt; 11-24-2018 at 05:16 PM. |
#2
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very nice!
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#3
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#4
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Back when radios were cool!
__________________
Let me live in the house beside the road and be a friend to man. |
#5
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Oh yes. That's the whole reason to be in this hobby - cool styling. When you get one of these portables, you'll soon have another. That have a warm yellowish/beige tint and a warm sound to match!
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Audiokarma |
#6
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These are so inexpensive and fun that I got another one. This is a cute cube-shape stlyed 1939 Emerson CT-275. Again, it has the old "luggage-style" striped tweed case, and is battery only. With modern batteries and a friend going over the chassis, it is an excellent little performer. Sensitive, clear, and with a nice mellow tone. The red mark on the left side bottom of the dial designates that it is on. When you turn it off it's gold.
Last edited by Celt; 12-02-2018 at 06:58 AM. |
#7
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I be liking that two band!
__________________
Let me live in the house beside the road and be a friend to man. |
#8
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#9
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Thanks. Yes, that one's my favorite so far. It plays as good as it looks too. It's only a single band though showing both Kilocycles and Meters.
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#10
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These are great fun!
I have always wondered why they don’t seem to be more popular among radio collectors. I’m guessing that many are avoided because of the batteries, but it is really easy to make a workable battery pack, and with more effort, duplicate the appearance of the original pack. Could you post a picture of the Motorola “turned on”, so that we might see the dial markings after the dial changes? jr |
Audiokarma |
#11
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Quote:
I still have to build one up like that. For a power transformer, I use a transformer from a scrap VTVM or other obsolete, worthless test equipment. Total line isolation! |
#12
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I love battery tube sets! all mine are post war though. I've got a funky red Motorola one that does three way power and a battery only bakelite Emerson. I also have a "recipe" for homemade 67 1/2 volt batteries.
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#13
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Quote:
I don't concern myself with the look of the batteries. A single "D" and a series of 10 9V's is easy to tuck into the back of these early sets. With limited collector use, the batteries last for a good long time. Here's the Motorola turned-on with the "Batteries Off" plate out of the way. It's really cool how it springs back and forth! Last edited by Celt; 12-02-2018 at 05:28 PM. |
#14
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Ah, gotcha.
__________________
Let me live in the house beside the road and be a friend to man. |
#15
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Very nice... thanks for posting! Still scratching my head trying to figure out where the other plate goes.
jr |
Audiokarma |
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