Car Radio Chronology

[Jeff Maltby #4194]

1. 1922-first home radio sets installed integrally in cars. Can be played only with engine turned off.
2. 1926- Heinahone produces first radios intended strictly for automobiles.
3. 1927- A.A Leonard of Automobile radio Corp develops ignition suppressors.
4. 1929- Several auto manufactures equip new models with roof antennas and "B" battery boxes. This year is considered the year of the auto radio industry.
5. 1930- 34,000 car radio sets produced this year.
6. 1932-"B" eliminator (dynomotor)developed. First RPO radios offered by a few automakers. Production 145,000 sets.
7. 1933- Vibrator replaces "B" eliminator. Production 250,000 sets.
8. 1934- Most detroit manufactures now offer optional radios. Dashboards tailored to accept tuning heads, and sets are built to specific cars. Gm Turret top spurs search for new antenna locations.
9. 1936- Whip antenna developed.
10. 1937- First one piece radio sets introduced.
11. 1939- Pushbutton tuning introduced.
12. 1940- Optional vacuum-powered antennas introduced-Pontiac
13. 1954- First transistor radios available for cars.

Special Interest Autos Mag June-July 1972 issue.

:<_

[Eric Maypother CLC #15104]

Hi,
Interesting, Ive seen ads in I think 1950s car were you could have record players in cars, I would imaging they would scratch/skip alot going over a bumpy road.
Eric

[Robt.Vonheck -via SunDiego Calif.]

Jeffo:   -that 40-Pontiac Vac.-operated Antenna really surprised me, -as always thought of it as a Caddy-innovation, about that era;  thus, does anyone know the earliest Cadillac usage?...   ~Bob vH

[David #19063]

Eric,

A couple years ago, I saw a very nice 60 Plymouth Fury convertible with a factory record player.  It was mounted under the dash just above the hump...if I remembor correctly.

David

[Doug Houston]

All of which shows to go ya....SIA did make some mistakes.

First Push Button Auto Radio: 1938 Chevrolet. First PB set on Cadillac: 1939.

First 1 piece auto radio Chevrolet 600566 1932 or 1933.

Vacuum antenna first used on Cadillac 1939

Now, to qualify the "one piece radio", The first one piece set completely behind the dash was the 37 Buick. HOWEVER, the 33 Chevy set was also a one piece design, cantilevered off of the firewall to the left of the steering column, with the control head protruding out from under the dash panel. Theres a couple of them laying around here. The Chevrolet 600565 was similar to the 600566, but had an external firewall mounted speaker.

 And on the Phonograph; Chrysler did offer a 16 2/3 RPM record player starting in 1956, if I recall correctly. The records were unlike any other, and they were expensive. It was called: Highway Hi-Fi. In 1960, RCA Victor supplied a 45 RPM player (changer)to Chrysler that  would play conventional 45 RPM discs. the player deck was softly mounted, and stylus p[ressure on the record was a bit high, to prevent skipping. I bought one that year and had it in my 56 Cadillac. The pickup played into the radios audio channel. I installed a connector for the phono in the radio, and  it worked very well. The phono was not sold with the car, and now that I have another 56 ragtop, itll go into this car.

[John Tozer #7946]

Doug,

What can you tell me about the 37 cadillac standard and master radios? I have one that was sold to me as a 37 and the unit containing the valve sets etc. is the same as those I have seen mounted under the dash against the firewall in US 37 75s. It cant really be described as "one piece" because it has a series of cables and rods up to the dash mounted horizontal dial. It also came with something called a "genomotor" that appears to have been monted either under the dash or on the firewall in the engine bay.

Any comments or assistance?


Regards,



JOHN TOZER

[Doug Houston]

Ill have to look up the exact model number, but I believe that the 37 sets no longer had the Genemotor. This is also known in the radio world as a Dynamotor. Its actually a little motor-generator that runs off of the 6 Volt battery, and has an ouput of about 250 Volts DC to operate the tubes. As a rule, the dynamotors are shot, partially from age, and partially because they mounted on the firewall in the engine compartment (They make a lot of noise). You generally have to make up a vibrator power supply to replace them. the set you describe is probably a 35 or 36.

Some radios came with an internal speaker, and were called a single unit set, and others, with more audio output, had a separate speaker, mounted on the firewall, usually in the center of it. Those were called two unit radios. They didnt count the control head as a "unit", as the radio had a control head, regardless of how many boxes it had.

In 1935, RCA launched their new metal tubes, which were smaller than the previous glass ones, and it was a big help toward compactness. The 37 Buick had a speaker grille in the dash, and the entire radio mounted behind the speaker grille. this was truly, a one-piece radio. Buick continued this in 38 with a similar set, some models with an additional firewall speaker. The 38 Cadillac "Standard" radio was actually the Buick set with the little "caboose" on it for the tuning dial. Like the Buick sets, that one was made by RCA.The38 Cadillac Master and Fleetwood models were by Wells-Gardner.  All Cadillac radios from 1932 through 1939, were supplied by Wells-Gardner (Chicago), and that one 38 set was done by RCA.

[Robert Koch 21150]

http://www.jalopnik.com/cars/retro/incar-audio-then-and-now-023543.php TARGET=_blank>http://www.jalopnik.com/cars/retro/incar-audio-then-and-now-023543.php
I remember repairing one in the early seventies. Needed some cleaning and some grease. As for the 16 rpm records, they were small versions of 33 rpm records, half speed, half size. They tracked at about seven grams (home players below one gram). I have a turntable in the attic that plays 16, 33, 45, 78, with a neutral position for "scratching". Neutral was for cueing the records in a radio studio. The platter is 16" and ways about ten pounds. "Gates" is the best studio gear. If you still live in the 1960s.
Norelco made 45s in the sixties for aftermarket, we sold them as late as 1971 at Lafayette Radio in Pennsauken, NJ. Norelco is known as Phillips these days. Sony put them out of that business with their cassette player, which was invented by Phillips!

[densie]

  What kept the tone arm from flying all over the place when you hit a bump, or were they only for use when parked?


-densie

[Doug Houston]

In all cases, the player chassis was softly mounted to the case. In the RCA players, the stylus pressure on the record was more than on a stationary player would be. The original Chrysler players were manual players, while the RCA phonographs were upside down record changers. In the event of a real good jolt, yes, the stylus would skip, but surprisingly, it worked quite well.