C. S. Baty & Co.
561 Wellington Street Perth WA (1917 - 1920)
Munster House, 357 Murray Street, Perth (1931)
782 Hay Street, Perth WA (1935)
890 Hay St., Perth (1942 - 1952)

Brand: Batyphone

Batyphones were manufactured from 1923 through to 1953. They were sold direct to the public, but radios were also advertised by resellers and agents. From 1923 to 1940’s the radios were handmade in Perth Western Australia. From 1946 till 1953 they used an AWA chassis.

Batyphones were aimed at a niche market - the farming community. Most farms did not have A.C. electricity. Thus most Batyphones made were battery sets or AC/DC sets. Only a few AC sets were manufactured.

Note: documentation about the listed radios is sparse and incomplete. There seems to have been no strict seasonal production, and it is possible that tube line-up, battery equipment or other details have changed over the course of production of one model.

C.S. Baty & Co was founded by Charles Stanley (Stan) Baty around 1917[1]. The company started selling and installing the Knight Lighting System (hollow wire) [2] in the rural towns in the South West of Western Australia.

In 1923 the company sold radios made by The Wireless Supplies Co. [3] in Perth and labeled them “Batyphones”. The company started to manufacture their own sets in the late 20’s but the exact date is unknown.

The early Batyphones from the mid 1920's used horn speakers. There were several models of this type. Later models (after about 1930) had cardboard cone speakers built into large cabinets. The cabinets were usually quality pieces of furniture. There were many models and designs manufactured [3].

1931 the firm offered all-electric models for the city, with Batyphones ranging "from £15 to £100". The components came from Airzone Ltd. for the chassis and from Electric Meter Manufacturing Co. (Emmco) for parts. Advertisements in 1932 claim 1,000 Batyphones having been manufactured, end of 1933 over 2,000 sets were said to be in use [3].

In 1933 Baty also distributed ESM sets for clients who preferred mains operated radios.

At one stage the company was making 15 to 25 sets per week and had 12 salesmen on the road, travelling around the country. It is estimated that about 7,000 battery Batyphones and about 1,000 AC & AC-DC Batyphones were manufactured in Western Australia [3].

In December 1951, C.S. Baty & Co. floated on the Stock Exchange [4]. In August 1952 the company was bought out by Carlyle & Co. [5]. A subsidiary of Carlyle & Co, Leeds Auto Supplies, sold the radio stock of C.S.Baty over a period of a few years.

Newspaper article from the “Sunday Times” January 3, 1937:

"For many years the manufacturers of the Batyphone Custom Built Radios have upheld their claim of always being abreast with all the latest developments in radio. The C. S. Baty and Co’s output for the year 1936 definitely proves that the first statement is not merely a boast set up on the part of the manufacturer. It is claimed as a significant fact that one-third of the total battery models in operation in the country districts of this state are Batyphones and that their range for 1937 is the largest and most complete range of battery models in the country. Since C. S. Baty and Co. first set out upon the radio field they have placed many magnificient examples of radio craftsmanship upon the market, and it, to their credit that throughout their years of steady advancement they have continually kept in view the welfare of their country clients, for whom they specially cater. The Baty service employs as many as nine vehicles which cover the largest area of any service area in the Commonwealth. It should be borne in mind also that the Batyphone Radios are built in Western Australia by Western Australians By this the public are assured not only of Batyphones being specially built to suit local conditions, but also of the creation of employment in this State. For each purchase of a Batyphone Custom Built Radio means State prosperity as well as individual profit and entertainment. Batyphone Radios are available in models priced from 25 to 40 guineas."

[1] The Moora Herald and Midland Districts Advocate (WA), Fri 14 Sep 1917, Page 3
[2] The Murchison Times and Day Dawn Gazette (WA), 15 Mar 1918, Page 3
[3] Encyclopaedia of Western Australian Wirelesses and Gramophones, 2012
[4] The West Australian (WA), 7 Dec 1951, Page 16
[5] Sunday Times ( WA), Sun 31 Aug 1952, Page 6