A ROUND RADIO TRINKET THAT ISN'T AN EKCO NOR A RADIO EITHER!
Posted by STEVE M on
Has there ever been a more iconic radio than the 'Round Ekco' so called. because of its shape, sure Telefunken Barcelona did a round radio in limited numbers for the indigenous market but we can excuse that. Below, I list a few technical specifications for the five round Ekco models: -
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EKCO REFERENCE
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SPECIFICATION
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AD36
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A LW/MW tuned radio frequency, TRF with 4 valves, introduced 1935
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AD65
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A LW/MW superhet with 4 valves, introduced 1934
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AD75
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A LW/MW superhet with 5 valves, introduced 1940
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AC76
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An AC mains LW/MW superhet with 5 valves, introduced 1935
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A22
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An AC mains LW/MW/SW superhet with 5 valves, introduced 1945 - the last round Ekco.
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As you can see, the Round Radio concept was extant for an 11 year period from 1934 right up to 1945. Obviously, tooling costs to make round casings was expensive - unless you were a saucepan manufacturer and Ekco didn't want to faff around with an aluminium case - unlike Eveready but the Saucepan Special is a story for another day!
However, just take a look at this:-
In 1937, it appeared that an enterprising manufacturer called Farrex Radio Ltd decided to cash in on the round concept by inviting you not to buy a new radio but to buy a pre-selector amplifier instead to pull in more stations. I wonder if this was a commercial success for I have never seen one of their products in the flesh and I am not sure of the aesthetics of a round add on to a rectangular radio.
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- Tags: EKCO, farrex radio ltd, preselector, ROUND EKCO