45
Item nr.
American plastic set, designed like an automobile dashboard.
| Production | USA, 1954. |
|---|---|
| Bands | MW (540-1600kHz), IF 455kHz. |
| Tubes | 12BE6, 12BA6, 12AV6, 50C5, 35W4. |
| Cabinet | Plastic. Size 32x20x15 cm. Weight 2.7 kg. |
| Power | ACDC 115V, converted to 230V, 24W. |
| Documents | Schema. |
As the radio is American, it uses 110V power (both AC and DC) and has the Conelrad markings at 640kc and 1240kc on the dial. Compared to European sets, the cabinet is rather empty. In most of my sets, the parts are cramped much more together. Note the missing power transformer, as this is an ACDC set. But also it looks more empty because some parts are under the chassis, like the filter caps.
Can be used with a step down converter, even if this gives 50Hz. Line frequency is not critical for operation. Type designation is 5-X-560, but named Greenwich. Was available in black as well.
How to pull the chassis: (1) Remove the three knobs by pulling; (2) Remove the dial glass by taking out three screws at the bottom; (3) Remover the dial pointer by unscrewing the little screws near its base a few turns, don't take out these screws completely; (4) Remove two clamps and two bolts in the back panel; (5) Take out chassis; (6) To get underneath, also unscrew the shield with four screws in the chassis corners.
| Obtained | 7/1996 from Esther Jennings; sn=U448012014. |
|---|---|
| Condition | 9; works, complete, some scratches, capactors replaced, modified for 230V. |
| Disposed | Sold 3/2024. |
| Sound sample | PLAY SOUND The fifties were the haydays of the private detective stories, like those of Perry Mason. My favorite detective is Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe, who had an NBC radio show in the early fifties. The Nero Wolfe books still missing from my collection are Not quite dead enough, Three at Wolfe's door, The doorbell rang, Corsage, and Death times three (Sept. 2006). (Sound recorded from audio jack.) |
American radios often have a mini manual on the bottom: a sticker with tube layout, some technical data, sometimes a schema and alignment instructions, and warranty. This paper sheet is quite vulnerable in this position.
In May 2018 I converted the radio to 230V/50Hz with a 2.2uF capacitor. The startup current in an All American 5 can be quite high (over 1 Amp) but because the initial current is prevented by the capacitor, the radio takes longer to warm up. Before the conversion, the sound came up 24 seconds after switch on, but after conversion this takes 40s. I measure 143mA current draw from the mains and 24W of power consumption.