general-ho: Ch= 15-W; Grunow 1541 Teledial
general-ho: Ch= 15-W; Grunow 1541 Teledial
The model Grunow 1541 Teledial with chassis 15-W is the top of the line model of "General Household Utilites Co." As we can read on top right of "Radio Retailing, March, 1937 on page 50, there was anounced 9 models for 1937, which we call 1936/37. On each of those models you can see the scan with the following information for "General Household":
3 table sets:
Model 566, 5 tubes, 540-4000 kc.;
Model 590, 5 tubes, ac-dc, broadcast and police bands (see the picture in the scan);
Model 654, upright, 6 tubes, standard, police, amateur, foreign.
6 consoles:
Model 755, 7 tubes, incl. electric eye, 12 inch speaker;
Model 1191, 11 metal tubes, 540-18'000 kc., super-chassis, push-pull high fidelity autio system, clock type dial, automatic antenna tuning;
Model 1193, 11 tubes, super-chassis, 540-18'000 kc., electric eye, fidelity control:
Model 1291, 12 tubes, Teledial tuning, metal tubes, 540-18'000 kc.;
Model 1297, 12 metal tubes, 540-18'000 kc., Teledial, "beam" type power tube;
Model 1541, 15 metal tubes, 540-70'000 kc, high fidelity, Teledial, triple speakers.
Konrad Birkner has written a good comment for model 1291:
"This 1937 model must have been released in (late) 1936 to get the X-mas sales. It was advertised with Shirley Temple promoting the Radio with reference to her motion picture "The Bowery Princess" of 1936. Further: the schematic is found in Rider's Perpetual, vol.7, which covers End 1935 to End 1936, not later. All that justifies the dating 1936/37
Beitman shows Grunow chassis: 12B, 12W for models: 1291, 1297 for the same schematic. The same is for Rider's page 7-35 for General Household. One might think both chassis are used for both models but we believe it is meant only that the Grunow chassis 12B is used for model 1291 and the 12W chassis for model 1297. Therefore we show two models, not 4 as other sources."
We will have to clear which variants were possible, for instance like the
Model 1191B with chassis 11-G with speaker 12G3-1 and the same tubes.
See also other Grunow models with Teledial:
Model 1081, chassis 10-G; Model 663, chassis 6-E: Model 585 and Model 588 with chassis 5-W, a chair side model; Model 1185, chassis 11-H as also Model 1181 and Model 1183 with it; Model 1091 with chassis 10-G; Model 1067 with chassis 10-D.
The scan of "Radio Retailing" June 1937 shows the consoles 663, 1067, 1081, 1091, 1181 and 1183 for the Grunow 1938 line", which we present for 1937/38.
In June 1937 also table models were offered by Grunow for 1938: The console 589 with Teledial plus first table models with this feature. models 622, 624 and 632,
Grunow model 586, 1293 and 588 are also a Teledial model - as is model 653. We also show a console Grunow 623 with Teledial, but I doubt a bit if this is correct (Stein).
The Teledial
Konrad has also given a short notice of what we beleive the Teledial functions. This because we found pictures where the device was not fitted the right way: "Hypothesis: By "dialling" like an old telephone you put the finger in the hole showing the desired (and programmed) station, rotate down to center (to illuminated scale pointer) and release." It is a combination of settable mechanical stops and an AFC circuit to get a "fast preset tuning".
Other brands with different Teledials:
One can find several models outside of Grunow, like
Airline Model 62-475 in black, 62-445 in white; 62-455 in brown, but also 62-355, 62-365, 62-375 from Montgomery Ward. Or the console Airline 448.
Truetone D-697 from Western Auto Supply could be something similar.
even in other countries, like in the UK:
Cossor model 397 and Cossor model 3952 (where a scan from "The Wireless & Electrical Trader" from May 28, 1938 shows a perspective sketch of the Teledial. Or Model Teledial 400 of Ultra Electric Ltd.
or in Canada:
Rogers-Majestic model 12-126 with chassis 7R1232 seems to be a Teledial model.
I still have to gather together the Canadian RCA models like the model 85-TA table model. Nobody created the model page yet.
Some other special tuning concepts of that time:
Philco has its "Magnetic Tuning" like for models 37-675X or model 37-10X .
And what system shows this Allied Knight 5B10507? An owner could tell us - there are several models.
Also Emerson offers later something similar, like this model AT170.
I will try to complete this list a bit - hopefully I will find time for that in the future. You are welcome to add more.
To thank the Author because you find the post helpful or well done.
Teledial in Germany
![Konrad Birkner † 12.08.2014](https://www.radiomuseum.org/image.cfm?image=kobi_23.1.14_pass~~1.jpg&width=120&height=140)
The Hagenuk Super W
I think it is worth to mention, that in Germany for the 1935/36 season also kind of "Teledial" radio was introduced. But other than the American type it allowed real dialing of a station by a two digit “phone number“.
How did it work? A ceramic disc had both sides coated with silver, thus making a capacitor. One side was separated into 10 sections of different capacities. A slider contact would connect the desired capacity.
Two discs made a set. One disc bore the “coarse tuning“ capacities and the other one the “fine tuning“ caps. uch 100 different values were available.
The Telephone dial actuated a normal bank-and-wiper switch (two motion selector, as used in automatic telephone exchange).
To select a certain capacity combination of two numbers had to be dialed: first number for coarse and second number for fine. A little knob permitted a shift of ±5 kHz if the station was slightly off.
Besides of the dial the station names are listed with their corresponding number.
The reproducibility of a station was excellent, but there was no variable tuning cap to allow manual tuning.
Although highly praised it and well selling at the Berlin Radio Show 1935 was not a good seller during the following season.
Two versions were offered: high profile and low profile
To thank the Author because you find the post helpful or well done.
Philco Mystery Control
A real "wireless" remote and a "telephone dial" interface. Actually I didn't realise some sets had a rotary dial on the actual radio, I only knew of the Philco.
"The Mystery Control is a wireless remote control unit for one of 11 different Philco console radios and radio-phonos manufactured from 1939 through 1942."
Michele Denber's Article and More
Roy Johnson's links
Mystery Maintenance. (PDF link)
To thank the Author because you find the post helpful or well done.