Table Models A-M

For all the glory of the consoles, they do tend to eat up a lot of space. It's nice, therefore, to see the compact designs of a lot of the table models. Even though there is still some dead space in a lot of them, compressing the innards of a console into a space 1/3 the volume is still something of a feat. (Smaller sets are also a LOT easier to force into the Honda.)  On this page, I am going to focus on the horizontal table radios.  The second radio I ever bought was one of these.
 
 

 
Make: Addison 
Model: MTW4 - 1 (chassis #) 
Year: ? 
Tubes: 1A7G, 1C5G, 1H5G, 1N5G 
Power: Battery 
Schematic: Unavailable 
Acquired: Aberfoyle, 1992 
Made in: Toronto
 
Addison is the only Canadian manufacturer to be mentioned in the Bunis guides, mainly on the strength of a couple of very nice catalin productions.  This, obviously, is not one of them, though it's a nice design all the same.  I can't tell what the actual model number of this set is.  The number I have listed is the chassis number (built by Mohawk Radio, also of Toronto).  Still lacking the schematic for this, we have never tried running it.  The chassis is immaculate, though, and given the fact that all the tubes check out, it should be OK once we determine the proper voltages for it.


 
 
 
Make: CGE 
Model: F62 
Year: 1937 
Tubes: 5Y3GT, 6F6G, 6F5, 6H6, 6K7, 6A8 
Power: 25-cycle 
Schematic: Available 
Acquired: Aberfoyle, 1994 
Made in: Canada (Toronto?)
 
 
Somebody tried to strip the varnish off this set with a BBQ grille scraper and really butchered it. I was able to sand out a lot of the marks, but I had to completely re-veneer the top. I've got a french polish on this set, which is about as close as I can get to the original lacquer. This set has a phono input on the back (a favourite feature, since a CD-player fits rather well into it. It looks a little incongruous, but sounds pretty good).

 
 
Make: CGE 
Model: H-70 
Year: c.1936-37 
Tubes:  
Power: 25-cycle 
Schematic: Unavailable 
Acquired: Aberfoyle, 1992 
Made in: Canada (Toronto?)
 
This radio is a set that, if we had bought it recently, would never have been refinished.  The original finish was pretty dull, and had some scratches in it, but given what we now know, we could have brought it a long way back.  It's not bad, in any case.  A friend of ours rejected this one the first time he saw it because he said it was "too fifties" for him.  That has always irritated me to no end, seeing as it was the oldest of the radios he was looking at at the time.  This is maybe the earliest radio I've seen that has the TV/Phono input at the back. 

 

Make: CGE 
Model: JK-70 
Year: c.1940 
Tubes: 6SK7 (2), 6SA7, 6SQ7, 6F6G, 5Y4G, 6U5  
Power: 60-cycle 
Schematic: Available 
Acquired: Jordan Hollow, 1984 
Made in: Canada (Toronto?)
 
This is the second wooden radio I ever bought.  It has a very neat adjustable antenna buried in behind the speaker.  It has a pin on top and bottom that allows it to be rotated to bring in the signal a little better.  The grille cloth is not original and is the wrong colour, but I think it matches up fairly well.  It picks up the colour of the dial backing.  Lesson:  If you're going to screw something up, at least make it match something else.  It was this radio that taught us that refinishing can be a very rewarding process. 

 

Make: CGE 
Model: KL-50 
Year: c.1940 
Tubes: 5Y4G, 6K6G, 6SA7, 6SK7, 6SQ7 
Power: 60-cycle 
Schematic: Unavailable 
Acquired: Circle M,  
        Clappison's Corners, 1994 
Made in: Toronto
 
This is a nice little set that I originally bought to give away, but ended up liking enough that I've kept it, at least for now.  I refinished this one with a brushing lacquer that gives a nice finish, but scratches a little too easily.  Got great big blue sparks out of the back of this one the first time I turned it on, which is always exciting. 

 

 
Make: Crosley 
Model: 24-AJ 
Year: 1940 
Tubes: 6A8, 6SK7, 6SQ7, 6J5, 6K6 (2), 5Y4G 
Power: 60-cycle 
Schematic: Available 
Acquired: Aberfoyle, 1995 
Made in:
 
 
This set worked really well until I started scamming tubes from it for other sets.  I have 1 1/2 of the original knobs, which I will eventually try to cast.  For the meantime, these ones don't look too unreasonable.  I did a lot of experimenting with this finish.  I left the original finish in place, despite it being pretty much a mess, and then built it up with French polish until it was even.  The result isn't bad, but I don't think I will try it again.  It just took too long and too much polish.

 

 
Make: Deforest-Crosley 
Model: 7D933 'Belle Isle' 
Year: 1937 
Tubes: 2X3 (2), 6F6M, 6F5M, 86M, 6K7M (2), 6A7M, 6X6 
Power: 25/60-cycle 
Schematic: Not available 
Acquired: eBay auction, 1999 
Made in: Toronto
 
 
This is a Rogers-made radio that somehow made it down to the States.  I decided to bring it home so that it could live out its days in its natural habitat.  In the short term, I will give it a good cleaning and see just how well the finish comes back to life.  The top surface looks as though it will have to be totally redone, though.  I will also look at getting a full set of Rogers tubes for it.  That could get a little pricey, given that only three of nine are of the correct type.  We'll see what I can find.  It'll be a challenge, anyway.  One unusual feature (what would a Rogers set be without something abnormal?) is a 'voltage regulator' tube that resembles a globular dial lamp blown up about 300 percent.  I will have to find out just what it is doing.


 

Make: Emerson 
Model: EC-853 
Year: 1946 (?) 
Tubes: 12SA7, 12SK7, 12SQ7, 35Z5GT, 50L6GT 
Power: 60-cycle 
Schematic: Available 
Acquired: Mail, 1992 
Made in:
 
Very odd story behind this set.  Somebody that my dad did business with in the States found out that we fixed old radios and sent us this thing in the mail.  We found out about it from the customs agent who phoned us, having no real idea what to declare it as or what its value was.  Given its state, the value wasn't likely too much, anyway.  This set is supposed to have a handle and roll-down screen.  We have a piece of the handle, and I've bought the dowells to make the roll-top with, but have yet to get around to it.  This should be quite a nice piece once it's done. 

 
 
Make: Imcaradio (Italy) 
Model: Pangamma 
Year: mid-50's (?) 
Tubes: 
Power: Adjustable (A/C) 
Schematic: Unavailable 
Acquired: Ottawa Antique Mkt, 
                  1996 
Made in: Italy (for export)
 
I seem to be the only person in my family who thinks this radio is really cool, as opposed to just plain butt-ugly.  That dial is mirrored, with a tuning eye in the centre.  It is also the first set I bought that has FM on it, a big consideration given the radio in this area.  The original transformer had a plug in it that could be moved around in order to allow for different voltages (anything from 60 to 240+ V).  This, unfortunately, had melted, but I saved it for future reference, just in case I find another one.  A standard transformer is making do.  Traded a Marconi 100 to get this.



 
 
Make: Juwel (Germany) 
Model: 2 (?) 
Year: mid-50's (?) 
Tubes: 
Power: 60-cycle 
Schematic: Unavailable 
Acquired: Globe Electronics, 
                  Toronto, 1996 
Made in: Germany (for export)
 
I bought this set from one of my tube suppliers.  I'd always wanted one of those German sets with the great construction, and this is a nice example of one of them.  It is running at present, but is a little ragged around the edges.  Two of the three speakers are not wired in, and the FM band is not receiving at all.  For all that, the sound is still amazing, and those weighted knobs are a pleasure to adjust.  This thing is a real Mercedes.  It's hard to tell from this shot, but the cabinet is actually navy blue. 

 
 
Make: Marconi 
Model: 100 
Year: 1937 
Tubes: 5Y4G, 6F6, 6Q7, 6K7, 6A8 
Power: 60-cycle 
Schematic: Unavailable 
Acquired: Ottawa Antique Mkt, 
                1996 
Made in: Montreal
 
 I can't say a tremendous amout about this set because I only owned it for about an hour.  I traded it for the Imcaradio.  The choice came down to the dial.  It might not have been the greatest move, since this one ran, and the other was nowhere near.  Marconi made some beautiful sets, particularly consoles, but a lot of them seem overpriced.

 

Make: Marconi 
Model: 115 
Year: 1937 
Tubes: 5Y4G, 6A8, 6F5, 6H6, 6L6G, 6K7, 6G5 
Power: 60-cycle 
Schematic: Available 
Acquired: Ottawa Antique Mkt, 
                1996 
Made in: Montreal
 
This is an interesting set with a top-mounted speaker and a tuning eye on the left side.  Someone had slathered it with a red varnish that, much to my surprise, came off with a light brushing of lacquer thinner, leaving the original finish untouched.  (I'm not actually going to try that again, though.)  The sides were bad enough that they had to be stripped, but I'm going to try and get away with recoating the top.  I'll see what I get, anyway.

Table Models N-Se
Table Models Sp-Z
 
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