286
Item nr.
AA5 converted to European.
| Production | USA, 1948. |
|---|---|
| Bands | AM (530-1700kHz). |
| Tubes | 12BE6, 12BA6, 12AT6, 35A5, 35W4. |
| Cabinet | Wood. Size 29x18x17 cm. |
| Power | AC 110V, converted to 230V (23W). |
| Documents | Schema, Slide deck. |
Yet, the reception performance of these simplest American radios is often very good. A few differences with European radios jump to mind. American radios often have the loudspeaker mounted on the chassis (while European radios have them fixed inside the cabinet), which makes it very convenient to pull the chassis. And loop antennas are very common; I've seen them on almost all my American radios, including this RCA Victor from about the same era. In European radios one would more likely find a ferrite rod. Most loop antennas are parallel to the radio's back, but this one is perpendicular to the back. Remember, to receive a station, the plane of the loop should point to the transmitter. So with most radios with loop aerials, you receive the stations left and right of the radio, but with this one you receive the stations in front of and behind the radio. This would also be common with a ferrite rod, placed in the length of the radio.
| Obtained | 9/2006 from A. Visser. |
|---|---|
| Condition | 7; cabinet woodwork is a bit smudgy. |
| Value (est.) | 15€. |
| Sound sample | PLAY SOUND Singing in Taizé style. |
The inside picture (left) shows how the tiny chassis with the loop antenna on it, just barely fits in the wood case. I didn't trust the replaced filter caps (Italian jobs with paper coating, photo right) and replaced another five capacitors.
In March 2018 I modified the power supply again in a different rewiring to make the set suitable for 230V operation. Like in the Sanshin, I connected the two main loads (Heater string and plate supply) in series, with a 2uF capacitor over the B+ supply. This reduces power consumption from 38 to 23Watt. A capacitor is also very cheap. The radio plays like a charm and is very sensitive.
