[fdspokane]

I bought my daughter a radio for Christmas, except kids don't call them radios today. I guess they're boom boxes or ghetto blasters. It's got AM/FM, dual tape decks, lots of black plastic and chrome knobs, and speakers that you can take off and place about 15 feet apart so you can break dance while you're waiting for the bus. I read the manual and tried out all the features, and thought it was pretty nifty, until I remembered my Grandfather's radio downstairs in the basement.

I turned on the light in the corner where its sat unused for many years. Nothing lit up when I pressed the off/on button. Unplugged, of course. The cord is stiff, and almost broken in places, but I heard the familiar humm when I plugged it in. You know, I haven't listened to this since college.

It's a Philco, and it's big, about 4 feet by 3 feet, and it probably weighs close to a hundred pounds. Really fine wood, with some inlay work. 9 vertical wood slats protect the speaker cabinet, which is covered with a handsome mat material. The control panel has buttons that you push for automatic frequency selection, and there's the call letters of 8 Seattle radio stations, one for each button, some still broadcasting today, others long forgotten. 2 wheels on the left let you adjust the tone and the volume. There's 2 on the right also. One for tuning, and one for the 4 Broadcast band selections, regular broadcast, police, and 2 overseas bands. The dial panel is real glass, with the frequencies calibrated , and the names of foreign countries written at different places on the bands; Geneva, Rome, London, Berlin, Japan, South America. My grandfather had a trading post in Ruby, Alaska, and strung the first telegraph lines in the territory. He bought this radio when he moved down to Seattle in 1940.

I pulled it away from the wall, and turned it, so I could look in the back. It has a directional loop aerial that you can turn by hand for better reception. A round cardboard sign built into the aerial has a picture of the globe with the Philco name on it. American and Overseas Aerial System. Yellowed stickers inside reveal the story. Philco. Model 41 295. This was inspected by an American craftsman of the day and judged good enough to ship. There's a tag hanging from the huge 15 inch speaker. It's the inventory tag from the store where my grandfather bought it, and it has his name on it. Tom De Vane. Advertising slogans that seem strangely out of place today. "Built for television sound and FM - the wireless way !" "A unit of the Philco. Look for this emblem in your neighborhood."

This is powered by early electronics and a mechanical labyrinth of pulleys, wires, wheels, sliders and levers. There's a schematic that shows all the tubes. And these are real tubes, all made in the USA, by Philco and a company called National Electric, that has a lightning bolt going through the name. They light up, and you can put your hands up to them for warmth. You can turn all the lights off in the room, and this radio illuminates with its own soft glow, and the powerful deep sound soothes you as you explore the airwaves .................

From another time of radio, this is Frank Delaney

( Aired on KPBX-FM 91.1 as a Short Feature on Radio History