Colin Wright GM4HWO & Peter Dick GM4DTH
At a most enjoyable meeting of the LRS on 14th March Colin Wright GM4HWO described the “Utility Radios” that were manufactured by a number of companies as affordable broadcast receivers for the home during World War II. Then Peter Dick GM4DTH showed film footage of broadcasting during the war and played recordings of BBC radio programmes of that era.
In the 1930s the Germans produced the Volksempfaenger or “People’s Radio” which could only be tuned to government stations (or else)! It was manufactured by 32 companies. Unfortunately, it was too large to be installed in a Volksvagen (“People’s Car”)!
In the UK the Utility Radio was manufactured from 1944 to 1945 by 44 companies, all to the same design by Dr. G.D. Reynolds of Murphy Radio. Of these manufacturers, only Bush and Roberts remain today. The sets were sold at a price of £12 3s 4d.
The Utility Radio received only the Medium Waveband. The simple wavelength dial displayed only the UK stations. For security reasons the only two BBC programmes – “Home” and “Forces” – were broadcast at high power principally on 2 wavelengths each with local “filler” transmitters which were switched off during German bombing raids to prevent their use as target beacons.
Rear view of the Utility Radio which had only 4 valves – 3 octal base and one British UX4 base (the rectifier). It was powered from the AC mains but a few battery-operated sets were also produced.
The simple superhet design used a 6K8G triode-hexode oscillator-mixer, 6K7G vari-mu pentode IF amplifier, Westector copper oxide detector, EL33 pentode audio amplifier giving an audio output of 4 watts and a double-diode power rectifier.
STILLS FROM THE FILM MATERIAL:
“Listener”
“Motor Generators”
“Aerial Masts”
“2-Mast Station”