This is a picture of a nice old Philco I saw at a yard sale. What's interesting about old radio dial presets is that you can use them to determine where the radio came from, and how old it is even without the model number of the radio. The stations listed here are WOR, WEEU, KYW, WHUM and WRAW.
From even that short list we can limit our time line. 710 WOR-AM signed on in 1922, and is still on air so that's not useful. They encompass the entire consumer-grade history of radio. KYW-AM is in the same bucket. At first I thought WHUM was actually WHOM, but there was actually a WHUM in reading, PA. WHUM-AM changed calls to WAGO-AM in late 1986 and then WIOV-AM in about 1990. So we know this device had to have been set up prior to at least the mid 1980s. Seems late but you'd be surprised.
The real deal closers are WEEU and WRAW. There is a 1340 WRAW-AM in Reading today; where they have been since before 1950. WEEU has a tenure in reading just as long. So what we have here are two clear channels stations audible anywhere in the north east (KYW, and WOR) and three much smaller AM stations providing local service to the Reading area. I'm pretty confident this radio spend most of it's life on a kitchen table in Reading probably prior to 1960.
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I think you can even further date it to before 1956. From 1956-1965, the KYW calls were moved to the Westinghouse affiliate in Cleveland. They returned to Philly in 1965.
ReplyDeleteWell played! Since the radio isn't post-1965, then it must be pre-1956.
ReplyDeleteAnd post-1934, which is when KYW moved from Chicago to Philadelphia.
ReplyDeleteThis radio is no older than 1934.
ReplyDeleteKYW originally signed on from Chicago. It didn't move to Philadelphia until 1934.
Yes, once you accept that the radio isn't from Chicago (implausible) it has to antedate the 1934 Philly sign on of KYW-AM.
ReplyDeleteThat is a 1939/1940 Philco. Probably uses 5 tubes and no power transformer. $30 - $50 at any antique radio swap meet.
ReplyDeleteYes.. but we were trying not to do that.
ReplyDelete