I don't know if this has been ever discussed before.Was there ever a Philco model that had one?
Was there a reason for them not using the concept? With such a wide range of models and spanning
many years of production. Just surfing through Radioattic and RM I don't see a single one. Although I
could be wrong.
Your thoughts or observations,or facts as to why or why not.
Thanks, Doug
I believe this came up quite awhile back and I think the response I seen said that Philco did not ever use eye tube.
Philco used the shadow meter. I don't know reason why they never used eye tube.
I think there was at least one 1950s Philco, made in the UK, that had a European tuning eye tube. No, no domestic (USA) Philco models used them. Philco had shadowmeters from 1932 through 1938. RCA was a hated enemy as far as Philco was concerned.
Ever surf through the Philco radio gallery?
(10-17-2015, 09:08 PM)Ron Ramirez Wrote: [ -> ]I think there was at least one 1950s Philco, made in the UK, that had a European tuning eye tube. No, no domestic (USA) Philco models used them. Philco had shadowmeters from 1932 through 1938. RCA was a hated enemy as far as Philco was concerned.
Ever surf through the Philco radio gallery?
Hi Ron,
Yes I have many times from top to bottom. Stupid me for not referring to the Gallery
That would be the most likely
place to have gone. Working on my Monster 16B cathedral and replacing all the bakelite caps and resistors, love that tar.
7 out of 13 done.Wouldn't know what to do without the 2 page service bulletin #289 for the cross reference.
Already replaced the electrolytics and it is surely sounding better with every cap change.
I was just about to say that if a Philco model even used a magic eye tube it wasn't a U.S or Canadian made model, though some Canadian models may have had a tuning light since some of the Tropic models did, other then that it was shadow meters from 1932-38. I don't know if it had anything to do with RCA since Allan B. DuMont was the guy who invented them or if it was because they came out in 1935 and Philco was already equipped to produce shadow meters in house and couldn't see the point in switching to magic eye tubes that did the same job? Philco was a company that liked generating economy of scale, so maybe it was less expensive to use in house built shadow meters then it was to buy magic eye sockets, and tubes, and royalties to use them?
Regards
Arran
Arran - RCA produced the tuning eye tubes, and promoted the heck out of them.
There is no doubt that Philco knew how to pinch pennies wherever it could. You can thank Jim Skinner for that.
Brand Z also used shadowmeters in the early 1930s as did a few others, including Atwater Kent, I believe. I find it interesting that Zenith came out with "Target Tuning" for the 1937 season which, if I'm not mistaken, was a variation of a shadowmeter? And then for the 1938 season, they used the 6T5 eye tube made by Sylvania to Brand Z's specs. I am sure the 6T5 was an expensive endeavor which is why they ultimately switched to the standardized 6U5.
Yes, Ron, I have an old Z brand highboy console, a 410 from 1933, like this,
http://www.radioatticarchives.com/radio.htm?radio=6019 , that uses a shadow type tuning meter. It has a solenoid type set up with a coil, and a center slug that is drawn inward as the current through the coil increases and increases its magnetism. This internal slug is in turn connected to a little metal vane that turns and causes light to shine in a wider or narrower band on a translucent screen, much like Philco's set up.