Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeffhs
I cannot for the life of me imagine how a 2-tube radio could work, even as a TRF set. My grandmother had a 1948 GE TRF clock radio, but that set had four tubes, which makes more sense to me for a TRF radio. The only problem, at least with my grandmother's set and a 1936 Silvertone table set she had, was that these radios would pick up extremely strong stations on at least two points on the dial. Her radios were at her summer cottage, which was located five miles from a 50kW station, so you can imagine how strong that station was at that location -- it came in like gangbusters.
BTW, what is a pin-drive loudspeaker? I am familiar with PM speakers and field-coil ones, but pin-drive speakers are new to me. (Shows my age -- I am 56 years old and hadn't even been thought of when TRF radios and pin-drive speakers were new.)
BTW (2): Thank goodness resistance line cords (aka "curtain burners") are no longer used, having been replaced many decades ago (before tube-type radios were phased out in favor of transistor sets) by actual dropping resistors on the radio's chassis. I hate to think of how many house fires may have been caused by resistance cords which were too close to very flammable curtains.  
Thanks much. |
The radio in my entry was a two tube radio, but the tubes were the early dual purpose tubes. The RF amp and power detector was a 12B8GT. The rectifier and output tube was a 32L7GT. IIRC, the tubes were sourced by Tung-sol.
Basically it was a typical TRF of the day.
Re: the resistance line cords. Like everything else that can be misused and abused, the cords were no more of a hazard, than any other heat producing product of the day. The higher wattage ones were insulated better. They looked like iron or toaster cords of the day. If in good condition, they only got warm to the touch. Not hot enough to cause a fire.