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Vintage Radio (domestic) Domestic vintage radio (wireless) receivers only.

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Old 1st Nov 2018, 7:11 pm   #1
credible58
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Default Unknown Portable Valve Radio - Green Bakelite - RCA Victor?

Hi,

When I was about 5 years (1963), I had this faded green portable radio I used to lug around. It was valve with batteries - I remember because my Mum and Dad would moan when I ran the battery out because you couldn't get fresh ones easily.

I have been trying to find the model online. I think it was an RCA Victor like this - https://www.etsy.com/listing/1982482...e-radio-6-bx-6 but there's a problem. This seems to be a US model only.

To make it slightly more strange, we had two of these; both green but one slightly lighter than the other.

Was the 6BX6 available in the UK?

Thanks and regards...Paul
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Old 1st Nov 2018, 7:55 pm   #2
paulsherwin
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Default Re: Unknown Portable Valve Radio - Green Bakerlite - RCA Victor?

If it's a battery radio it won't have a 6BX6 inside it.

http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aaa0429.htm

[Later] Sorry, I've just read the link properly and I see that 6BX6 is supposedly the model number, which seems unlikely but not impossible. That radio would only turn up in the UK as a personal import, so it's odd that you had two of them unless you had family links to the US or a US military base in Britain.
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Old 1st Nov 2018, 7:58 pm   #3
Paul_RK
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Default Re: Unknown Portable Valve Radio - Green Bakelite - RCA Victor?

6BX6 is the model number of the radio in the link.

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/rca_6b..._1149_rc1.html

I don't think it would have been generally sold here, but a few may have come over chiefly with US services personnel.

Paul
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Old 1st Nov 2018, 9:14 pm   #4
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Default Re: Unknown Portable Valve Radio - Green Bakerlite - RCA Victor?

Quote:
Originally Posted by paulsherwin View Post
...6BX6 is supposedly the model number, which seems unlikely but not impossible....
Just seems to have been the kind of model number RCA's chosen system would generate: glancing down a list of their radios a 5X4, a 6BK6 and a 6Q7 also feature.
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Old 3rd Nov 2018, 1:49 pm   #5
credible58
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Default Re: Unknown Portable Valve Radio - Green Bakelite - RCA Victor?

Thanks everyone.

My Dad and my Grandad were barbers, and I know they cut the hair for American servicemen. I guess there's a possibility that they were given two sets. I'll keep looking to see if I can see anything else that looks familiar.
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Old 3rd Nov 2018, 2:00 pm   #6
paulsherwin
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Default Re: Unknown Portable Valve Radio - Green Bakelite - RCA Victor?

The big USAF bases were like small towns with huge PXs like American supermarkets. British civilian employees and even friends of service personnel were allowed on base and could shop in the PX. It's perfectly possible the radios were bought there. The base power was US style 120V and electrical equipment would be designed to use that, but that wouldn't matter with battery powered radios.
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