RCA AR88 Series Loudspeakers

[David Dunlop]

I thought this might make an interesting topic in it's own right since there seems to be quite a few variations of the basic speaker for the AR88 series of receivers.

My AR88LF came with a few parts of an all black loudspeaker that was set up for a rear cover plate, but the data plate on the bottom of it is missing, so I do not know what model number it was, or it's year of manufacture.

A second speaker I recently purchased, is shown below. It is a 1944 item, identified as a Model MI-22201 and is unusual in that it is fitted on the front for a pocket watch holder, and has an optional output hole on the lower right corner of the rear cover for the speaker cable to exit, if needed.

The RCA Manual for the CR91 receiver uses the same photos of the loudspeaker as all other AR88 manuals do (the nickel plated grill speaker), but it references the speaker model number as being MI-8303D, which suggests at least three others models preceded it.

Perhaps, there are enough surviving, complete RCA AR88 loudspeakers among us all that we could post photos of them with their data plates and get a better idea of how these speakers actually evolved over time.

David

[David Dunlop]

Thought I might as well copy a couple of photos over from my AR88LF thread showing my other RCA speaker. It looks to be a slightly earlier production version of the one above, so might be 1944 or late 1943 production. There is no provision on the front of it for the bakelite pocket watch holder, somebody added a phone jack to the lower front and the rear cover with the two columns of louvers is missing.

David

[David Dunlop]

I was browsing on the net this afternoon, looking for any other variations in design for these RCA speakers and ran across one that has just been posted for sale on eBay UK. Only one photo of the front was posted and I do not want to copy the photo over to our forum and step on eBay's toes, but the noticeable difference in this speaker is that instead of the four internal threaded posts to mount the speaker assembly inside the housing, this unit appears to have four machine screws visible that accomplish this task.

The fact a phone plug assembly is peeking out from the back of the speaker suggests this particular item may have been extensively reworked in it's lifetime, but I am not certain of that fact. If anyone has ever seen one of these AR88 Series speakers with factory original machine screw mounts for the speaker, please let us know and we can add this variation to the list.

David

[Nickthedentist]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

... I do not want to copy the photo over to our forum and step on eBay's toes...

Personally speaking, I'd have no hesitation in doing this, so long as the photo were removed if someone objected (which is v. unlikely especially if you say where it's come from as opposed to simply nicking it).

[David Dunlop]

Fair enough point, so with due acknowledgement to eBay UK, here is what this RCA speaker looks like, from the front at least.

David


I think I also ran across a couple of other variations (possibly on this site) so I will take a look this week and copy them forward as well, if I can find them.

[turretslug]

I'm just a casual onlooker to this sort of thing but I've noticed a couple of occasions recently where an AR88 speaker has actually sold for more than a concurrently offered receiver! And I passed up the opportunity of an NOS speaker for a song in the late 'seventies. Not that I'm a mercenary or venal sort of chap but it goes to show that they're worth bothering to look after.

[David Dunlop]

Case in point on value of these speakers recently, is this one that has just showed up in the USA on eBay. As per the photos attached, it is also a 1944 production from RCA Montreal, with a Canadian Serial Number C-00413. That would put is some 2500 units earlier up the line than mine. This USA speaker also has the mounting screws in the upper left front for the bakelite pocket watch holder, but the rear cover plate does not have the second speaker cable outlet in the lower right corner, and the original speaker cable has been replaced.

Interesting to see the speaker mounting on this one is four machine screws again. I wonder if the original factory screw posts were prone to corrosion/failure? The other possibility might be that RCA used some form of locktite or lacquer on the hardware to prevent things from loosening up. I know RCA did this with the hardware installed in the Wireless Set No. 19. If somebody was not expecting that and put too much effort into removing the nuts holding the speaker element in place, I could see them being sheared off quite easily.


David

[David Dunlop]

While I think of it, I tracked down the photos Ian had posted some time ago of his AR88 Speaker. He was kind enough to spec out the details of his rear cover for me so I can replicate it on my second speaker. Thanks again, Ian.

I forgot to ask Ian if the data plate survives on his speaker, but it is interesting to note it also has the pocket watch holder holes on the front and lacks the secondary speaker cable outlet on the rear cover. And it definitely has the original speaker mounting studs undamaged. What is also very interesting with Ian's speaker is the presence of the four wall mounting brackets fitted to the rear corners of the assembly. I have not seen that nice little touch before.

David

[David Dunlop]

I have now tracked down a very nice bakelite pocket watch holder for the front of my RCA AR88 Speaker. Of course that now means the hunt for an appropriate wartime, military pocket watch must be put into effect.

I am thinking that of all the variations for these pocket watches, the one that will likely look the best with the AR88 Communications Receiver set up will be the watch with the all black dial, white numbers and white second sweep hand. Might be a bit hard to find one with luminous paint that still works, but who knows what might turn up down the road.

David

[David Dunlop]

While rehabing at home recently, I ran across this interesting RCA Speaker on eBay from the USA. The look, and the dimensions the seller provided, are identical to the RCA AR88 series of speakers. What you will note as unusual, however, is the round red phenolic knob in the lower front right corner. There are traces near the upper portion of the knob of three locations stencilled ' 1 2 3 ' which suggests this control was not fully variable, but three position selective. Set up for listening for thee fixed volumes or three different sources perhaps?

I am curious if this is indeed another variation in RCA's series of speakers for the AR88 Comm Receivers, or a speaker for something totally unrelated.

I will post a photo of the back of it in a moment. Working with a new iPad Air at the moment and posting multiple photos at once is proving a challenge!

David

[David Dunlop]

Here is the back of this speaker as promised. There does not appear to be the usual exit hole in the lower right hand side of the cabinet (could just be the angle of the photos, so I am assuming the speaker lines just exited the open back. The two mounting straps across the top and bottom is different from other AR88 speakers I have seen to date and I just noticed what appears to be three separate coils of wire tucked inside the box. Three separate sources, perhaps for the switch on the front to choose from?

David

[Mans Veldman]

Here are some pictures of my AR-88 speaker. It has a black wrinkle finish and the rear cover is missing, I always thought it was supposed to be without a rear cover but from David's post I learned there should be one with louvres. On the speaker there is a small plug mounted to connect the cord. I do have the original, cotton woven, cord but it's not on the photographs.

The speaker has a small RCA decal and there is a datestamp. I am not shure how to read this format with the year in the middle. It could be either March 5th 1944 or May 3rd 1944. Has anyone a clue about the date?

[David Dunlop]

Hello Mans.

The lack of a rear cover on your particular speaker is very likely correct at the time it was made.

What we are beginning to discover is the design of these speakers definitely was not constant. I evolved with a number of variations showing up.

RCA production records have probably long since disappeared, so the only means we have today to understand the manufacture of these speakers is from looking at the survivors like yours, and if lucky, being able to match them up with production dates to try and see how and when changes took place.

Thanks so much for taking the time to post.

David

[David Dunlop]

Mans.

Sorry, I should have thought of this earlier. Is there by any chance a set of small holes on the bottom of your speaker in a rectangular pattern? This is where RCA usually mounted the speaker data plate.

I have not run across a speaker so far with these holes missing. Either the data plate is present, it is missing, but one can see a shadow of where it had been, or the holes show no sign at all of ever having been used.

David

[Mans Veldman]

I took a quick look David. There is no data plate and there are no holes indicating it has been removed earlier.

There are also no holes on the back indicating en rear plate has been mounted once. So I presume this speaker is original without a rear plate.

[David Dunlop]

Well, it has been a while, but things have finally settled down a bit I have been able to start looking at things Wireless once again.

Just seen another RCA AR88 Speaker for sale in California. Looks like an RCA Montreal product as the serial number is prefixed by the letter 'C' and the remains of a C Broad Arrow yellow stamp can be seen close to the ID Plate on the bottom. Rear cover plate is still there. interior wiring looks like it may have been redone and possibly the speaker element replaced.

Interestingly, the serial number is C-00413, dated 1944 and it has no hardware in place on the upper front left corner for mounting a pocket watch holder. My speaker has this hardware in place, is dated 1944 and has SN C-02608. So that means for some portion of 1944, RCA Montreal produced 2,195 of these speakers and somewhere in that run the mod for the pocket watch holder came into effect.

Thought I would pass this all along.

Cheers for now,


David

[gm0ekm cecil]

The R1556A receiver (AR88D) in my collection has this accompanying loudspeaker. The actual speaker was made by the Rola Company England.

[DangerMan]

I also have an original AR88 speaker, identical to the one shown above by Mans.

It was bought new in its original unopened packing box from a surplus store in Manchester about 1965, and did not have a back panel from new.
It has no holes either for attaching a back plate or for a data plate, and there is no plate anywhere.
Sadly the lead has gone AWOL, along with the 3 pin plug that plugs onto the speaker unit.

(Does anyone have such a lead that they would sell?)

David, if you would like photo's or details of any markings I will gladly dig it out and post them here... just let me know if it's of interest.

[David Dunlop]

No rush, but photos of any stamps or markings would be of interest. I wonder if your speaker might have been RCA production from their American, Camden, New Jersey plant? You didn't happen to save the original packing box by any chance?

David

[ms660]

Loudspeaker for my AR88, 'scuse fuzzy pics.

S/No: C-1576

D.O.M: 1944.

Lawrence.