The New Radio Receivers
September 1945 Radio-Craft

September 1945 Radio-Craft

September 1945 Radio Craft Cover - RF Cafe[Table of Contents]

Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics. See articles from Radio-Craft, published 1929 - 1953. All copyrights are hereby acknowledged.

World War II came to an end in Europe in May of 1945, and in the South Pacific in September of the year. By the end of 1944, Americans were becoming confident that their fathers, sons, and husbands would soon finally be home. Manufacturers began advertising the eminent return and availability of consumer products that had gone out of production due to material shortages during the war years. Advertisements ran in trade and hobby magazines as early as 1944 promising lines of goods that in many cases had not even been designed yet or production planned. Some products being promised, however, were merely models that were already in production before the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, which brought the U.S. officially into the War and the subsequent shortage and conversion of consumer product production lines into war machine production lines.

A few publishers refused to accept such advertisements until there was more concrete evidence that victory was assured. In fact, Hugo Gernsback, editor and publisher of Radio-Craft magazine, wrote a scathing piece in early 1945 admonishing manufacturers for their overenthusiastic (to put it mildly) promise and promotion of consumer electronics prematurely. Doing so, in his estimation, had detrimental psychological effects on the citizens who were already weary of the war and ready to move on, but whose efforts and dedication needed to be maintained at a high level to assure quality products for the fighting men. This article appeared in September 1945, after Germany already surrendered and Japan had just suffered a death blow. 

The New Radio Receivers

... New radio sets-the first since 1942 - are now definitely in sight according to the latest official information .... While few civilian sets will be available during 1945, it seems certain that the first quarter of 1946 will see a fair quantity of radio receivers on the market ...

Hugo Gernsback

As everyone knows the year 1942 saw the end of the manufacture of radio sets for civilian consumption. All radio manufacturers converted for war work and practically no sets have been manufactured since that time.

It is quite true that small amounts of radio receivers were manufactured illegally for black market consumption by so-called bedroom manufacturers, but the quantity produced by them was necessarily small. Such receivers were manufactured mainly from surplus and other spare parts and carried no guarantee, because no maker's nameplate could be put on such sets. The sets also sold at a preposterously high price as do most black market commodities.

It would appear that radio sets for civilian consumption are now definitely in sight and, it is quite possible that a modest number of new radios will be manufactured in 1945. There is even a possibility that a few such receivers may be available for the Christmas trade. This is not an over-optimistic view, but it is based upon Government facts. While it is impossible to state in what quantities such sets will be manufactured during the balance of this year, the larger cities probably will have some receivers for sale.

Last month the War Production Board, through its Radio and Radar Division, announced a "Spot Authorization" plan for radio manufacturers to resume the manufacture of radio sets for the civilian trade. This does not mean a general green light for all radio manufacturers to produce sets in unlimited quantities. The new rules for manufacturers issued under the "Spot Authorization" plan means largely that where a manufacturer has on hand idle and excess inventory, such inventory may be used for civilian production of receivers.

If a manufacturer does not have all the material necessary to manufacture sets and if a second manufacturer has an inventory of certain parts which he cannot use himself, the first manufacturer can make application through the War Production Board to use part of the other manufacturer's excess inventory, but he still must make application for it to the War Production Board.

Tech-themed comic - RF CafeHedged with such obstacles it seems obvious that no very large amounts of parts can be found to manufacture an unlimited amount of radios. It will be a slow beginning, which will gradually increase in volume and some time in the first or second quarter of 1946 it is quite possible that other restrictions will be lifted. Then an increasing flow of civilian radio sets can be manufactured.

It is interesting to note that General Electric Company predicts the manufacture of fifteen million radio sets, which will be sold in the first full year, following reconversion. This, of course, does not refer to 1946, as it is almost certain that full reconversion will not be effected during that year. A survey made by General Electric Company indicates that the average price of these new fifteen million sets will be around $30.35. This means there will be a total expenditure by the public of $455,250,000.00.

According to the same survey, the radio industry sold 13,750,000 radio sets at an average price to the consumer of about $37.50 in 1941, the last year of full civilian radio production. General Electric based its figures on twenty different surveys and estimates.

It is quite possible that the fifteen million radio receiver figure will fall short of the actual sales because in its survey General Electric considered only regulation home sets.

Many other radio sets, which are already being tooled up for, will be sold. Notable in this category, are the new vest-pocket radio sets, first and exclusively announced in Radio-Craft in its September, 1944, issue. It appears that several manufacturers are now working up their production on such sets. As we go to press, one manufacturer has announced his line, samples of which have already been produced. That many millions of such new type vest-pocket radio sets will be produced right after reconversion seems a reasonable prediction.

Then there will be "in-between sets," not strictly of the vest-pocket variety, sets which may be somewhat larger. These may be termed "pocket radio sets" and camera type radios which started to become so popular when the war caused a shut-down in their production.

The camera types of radios are in for a complete overhauling. They will be much smaller, more compact, and many of them will be housed in plastic cases. They will be much lighter and more efficient than the pre-war types. They will be more sensitive, give better volume and reproduction.

How many additional millions of these small "personal type" radio sets will be manufactured in the first full year after reconversion is anyone's guess. Production certainly will run into many millions because these receivers fill a very important demand. They will in all probability be as popular as the regulation home radio receivers.

 

 

Posted October 15, 2020
(updated from original post on 6/27/2014)