Tag Archives: Mystery radio

Help Ed identify this mystery radio in “The Last Man on Earth”

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ed, who writes:

Recently I’ve been watching some pandemic-themed movies and found “The Last Man on Earth”, a pretty good 1964 post-apocalyptic science fiction horror film (which was remade in 1971 and 2007 with different titles.) In this film, the main character (well played by Vincent
Price) uses an HF transceiver in a fruitless effort to find other survivors of a global plague. It was shot in Italy, and the transceiver doesn’t look like any American radio I’ve ever seen. Perhaps some of your SWLing Post readers can identify it?

BTW: SWLing Post readers might also be interested in knowing this film can be downloaded for free from The Internet Archive.  https://archive.org/details/lastmanonearth-1964

What do you say, SWLing Post Community? Is this radio a fabricated stage prop, or a real model?  Please comment!

In the meantime, I’ll add this post to our ever growing archive of radios in film!

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Can you help Adi identify the radios in this video?

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adi, who writes:

i just finished watching this BBC piece:

In the background are two “blurred” receivers, they are unrelated to the story as far as being told or shown.

They look as top $$$$ type but what are they?

Post Readers: Can you ID the commercial-grade rigs in the background?  Please comment!

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Mystery Radio: Can you help Ray ID this solid-state radio from the film “Ford v Ferrari”–?

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ray Robinson, who writes:

Hi, Thomas. In the 2019 movie Ford v. Ferrari, a battered old shortwave radio is used in California to listen to commentary on the 1966 Le Mans race from France.

I’ve attached a few stills from the movie (which I highly recommend, by the way). Might any of your subscribers know the model of the radio?

Post Readers: Please comment with links if you can ID the make and model of this radio. It looks very familiar, but then again the design is similar to so many other models of the era. Ray, I look forward to checking out the film, too!

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Can you identify Elvis’ radio?

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Bud Glass, who writes:

I am attempting to find out more information about this particular radio [see above]. The photo is from around 1959–no idea how old the radio is.

Thanks, Bud. I did a little research and it appears this photo was taken of Elvis while he was traveling in Germany. The radio has a familiar design from the era with a large speaker and round, front-facing tuning dial. I can’t make out the manufacturer’s name in the image.

Post readers: Please comment if you can help Bud ID this portable radio!

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Can you identify this mystery radio?

Yesterday, at the marché aux puces de Sainte-Foy (Sainte-Foy flea market) in Québec City, I stumbled across the little receiver above in a box of junk under a vendor’s table.

I’ve actually worked up a short post about this radio and will publish it tomorrow, but first I’m curious if any Post readers can identify it based only on the photo above.

I’ve purposely cropped the image so it’s slightly more challenging. Still, there are so many radio enthusiasts here on the SWLing Post, no doubt someone will quickly ID this radio.

Please comment with the make/model and type of receiver if you think you’ve got the answer to this radio challenge!

Here’s a hint: I haven’t seen a receiver like this in decades. Good luck!

UPDATE: Click here to read our follow-up post.

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“Prison Break”: Can you identify this device?

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Aaron Kuhn, who offers up this challenge:

Here’s a fun challenge for the SWLing Post readers. On the Fox show Prison Break Season 5 Episode 7, they show this “Marine Notification System” printing out a wanted message as the captain sits in his ship and looks on.

What is this gadget?

Thanks for the fun challenge, Aaron.

So I guess we first have to decide if this is truly a device that’s in service in the real world, or simply a prop made for the episode.

I’m willing to bet that someone in the SWLing Post community can ID this device!

Please comment!

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Paul reviews the mystery radio

Many thanks to Paul for providing this review of his mystery radio (see previous posts):

MysteryRadio2This is a basic AM/FM radio with clock and alarm functions. It runs off three AA batteries (for the radio) or a 1.5 V small cell battery (for the clock). There is also the option of powering it with an AC adapter (4.5 V DC, center positive). The speaker is 8 ohm, 0.5 W. As Ulli pointed out the three AA batteries are a very tight fit. Besides radio and alarm, there is also a headphone jack.

The SET and DIS buttons on the radio are for setting the clock and alarm. In absence of a manual it took a little time to figure out how to do this. The clock LCD tilts up as shown in the photos. Needless to say the viewing angles leave much to be desired. This radio is meant to be used laying on a table; it has a curved bottom and cannot stand up on its own.

MysteryRadio1In terms of performance, it’s good for powerhouse AM and FM stations. DXing is very limited or next to impossible due to the stiff tuning knob (you need two fingers to move it around; the dimple is not helpful) and the short circular tuning range. It’s hard to tell whether the radio has below average built-in selectivity with the Sony CXA1191S chip, or are problems zeroing in on stations due to the poorly designed knob. In my unit the volume knob was scratchy; this was easily fixed with a little DeoxIt spray.

MysteryRadio3Among other curious things about this radio is its antenna, which goes out only at a fixed angle – not straight up. It can be moved from left to right at this angle and extended.

Overall this is a basic AM FM clock radio, measuring small (6.25 x 3 x 1.25 inches), and honestly, nothing really special!

Paul, thanks for the review and great photos of your radio. It might not be a performance machine, but it was fun solving the mystery and reading your review of this obscure little radio! -Thomas

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