Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adi, who writes:
Hi Thomas, I browsed a Video stock library when I thought about checking it’s Radio collection.
Among the usual mics and mixer sliders there where these shots/
I’m sure it won’t take long for the spotters to tell us more about these sets.
Image 1
Image 2
Image 3
Image 4
Image 5
Readers, if you can ID these radios for Adi, please comment! Not much context in some of these beside a beautiful dial–a proper challenge.
After sleuthing around for a couple of hours, I believe I’ve found, at least, the manufacturer of image #5. This looks to be a late 1930s or maybe early 40s RCA Victor. The dial matches the style of the 86T1 or 87T1 models. Here’s a 87T1 example: https://radioattic.com/item.htm?radio=1390316
I’m just not sure what exact RCA model that is. but if you look closely at that image you can clearly see the dial style of RCA matches well!
I could keep searching all day but have to move on to other things. Maybe someone will find the final answer. That was an enjoyable hunt!
I found a better shots of the third one
https://www.storyblocks.com/video/stock/tuning-the-old-radio-adhpzvf
https://www.storyblocks.com/video/stock/macro-of-a-man-tuning-an-antique-radio-4k-rpvd-s6iiqea79mm
What’s intriguing is that the left scale is MW (KHz) but the right one is linear 0-100 with marking for police/amateur/aircraft no broadcast section.
**Google images didn’t find the model
OOPS , nearly messed up here . my previous post refered to the first photo , I am not certain about the other photos .
That’s OK, it’s pretty unambiguous anyway. I mean, what factory in the western world would use wavelengths instead of frequencies on the dial (in the 1980s!), forcing the owners to do mental math wavelength to frequency conversions and turn them into math geniuses anyway?
I remember having tried one of those for a night, a bouquet of oddities giving me impressions between “Oh wow, that’s pretty good” and “Oh my word holy Gulag, Batman!”. 🙂
The ” fishing ” hasn’t been good!
Image 1 – Perhaps RADIO OCEAN 214 OKEAN 214 URSS
Image 2 – Perhaps Nikko Model NR-1221 Vintage 12 Transistor AM FM JAPAN
Image 3 – Old radio 1940 … What else?
Image 4 – Aradio transmitter indicating that Morse Code is being sent
Image 5 – Here, but no more info !
Nevertheless, for a very gloomy Sunday afternoon – grey and cloudy – it was a pleasant pastime.
I had one of these radios in the 1980s , and my one was marked as a — VEGA SELENA — USSR MANUFACTURE , and it was built to last . It had band change knob on the right hand side and you had to use some force to change bands . It used 6 D CELL batteries and they would run the radio for 1-2 years .