serial number 3106
Unknown French radio Table top AC only mains operated radio. Cream thermoplastic case with gold trim. Valve line up: 6AJ8/ECH81, 6BA6, 6AV6, 6AQ5, 6V4/EZ80 plus magic eye. 3 waveband plus band spread, pickup and external loudspeaker sockets. Rotating ferrite aerial via knob on right hand side. This set was purchased in France in 2001 and is working. France 1954 (estimate)
No indication of the manufacturer!
close up view of dial and pushbutton switches
Underside of chassis - all components seem to be original.
Mechanism for rotating ferrite aerial and switch to enable external aerial to be connected.
Various people have suggested that the manufacturer may be SOCRADEL, CONTINENTAL EDISON or SONOLOR. Pierre Abeille (F1BLF) suggested the following french website to help identify this radio: http://doctsf.com/grandlivre/ and wondered if it could be a LIRAR Model:"Manille" Year: 1954 On the other hand perhaps it is a SOCRADEL Model: "Sanary" Year: 1958
More recently Ray Berry thinks my radio is more like a L.G.R. Emeraude (although it seems to have a few more decorations than mine). The picture of the rear of this radio shows that it was made in Malakoff [Paris].
When I searched on the internet for 'LGR Malakoff' I found a French forum which indicates that the case and chassis were used by several makers and that Malakoff was apparently an area for several radio manufacturers. One contributor has an LGR with the same valve line-up as mine.
The latter suggestion has prompted me to dust of the set and to look inside it more closely. In the photograph below one can see that the thermoplastic casing has been designed to accommodate radio chassis with 4 knobs on the front, a varying number of pushbuttons (by removing small sections of the surround to the dial) and has openings for dial lamps. The central section with the speaker grille and openings for magic eye and controls is a separate moulding. It would seem that this versatile case was used by a number of manufacturers. I have found no indication of the maker of this radio, though the loudspeaker (labelled 'Bandfunk lautsprecher') appears to be the same as that in the L.G.R. 'Emeraude' model mentioned above. The electrolytic capacitor 24+16mFd labelled 'Helgo' has no date.
