Description
BUY WITH CONFIDENCE. GUARANTEED AUTHENTIC AND AS DESCRIBED OR YOUR MONEY BACK! Best-of-class and and absolutely pristine model which was a centerpiece in the extensive antique collection of a prominent local radio collector! Today we are excited to offer for sale a wonderful, all-original antique Grebe Synchrophase MU-1 chain drive radio! A bit of info on the Grebe Radio Company: Alfred H. Grebe (1895-1935) was a pioneer in the radio broadcasting field. He was born in Richmond Hill in the borough of Queens, in New York City. At the age of 9 he was given a radio set by his father, and soon came to be such an expert that his science teacher at Public School 88 in Jamaica said Alfred knew more than he did. From public school, he went to a training school in Jamaica, and a commercial radio school in Manhattan, New York City, where he conducted his own experiments. By age 15, he became a licensed commercial operator, and went to work as a ship’s radio operator. After three years onboard he returned to Long Island, where the first commercial station on the island was being built at Sayville. He got a job as an operator there. Later, because there was currently a radio craze, some friends had him make receivers for them. After making a few sets, he decided to go into commercial production. In 1914 he issued his first catalog, and set up a factory in Richmond Hill on the same property where his home was located, which soon became able to produce all the components needed to assemble a radio, and which contained research laboratories as well. By 1922 he tore down his home to build a larger factory on the site. To stimulate public interest, he set up several radio stations: one (WAHG) was identified with his own initials; another (WBOQ) had call letters standing for Borough of Queens. (His WAHG is, through several call letter changes, now WCBS, still a major radio station in New York City.) He set up a broadcasting company called the “Atlantic Broadcasting Corporation” (changing WAHG to WABC on November 1, 1926) which operated his stations until he sold them to CBS in January 1929. Grebe’s publicity manager, Bill Schudt, Jr., stayed with CBS after the sale of WABC. When television station W2XAB began experiments in 1931, Schudt became CBS’ first television director. He retired from the network in 1966 as director of affiliate relations. Alfred Grebe’s manufacturing company, A. H. Grebe and Co. Inc., was renamed Grebe Radio and Television Corporation and moved from Richmond Hill to Manhattan in 1933. In 1935 Grebe underwent a stomach operation at Post-Graduate Hospital in Manhattan. He became ill after the operation and died after 10 days. The Synchrophase MU-1 chain drive table top radio is finely crafted and constructed. This model, serial number NCSO, from 1925 has a sophisticated Art Deco look and is highly sought after. The model MU-1 was regarded as the best performing 5-tube TRF battery set made in the 1920’s. The circuit design is a neutrodyne circuit using capacitive feedback in the RF amplifiers to prevent oscillations in these amplifiers. In addition, the radio incorporates uniquely-designed RF coils to further reduce the tendency to oscillate.The radio has a unique design of the tuning condensers (capacitors) that makes the tuning quite linear across the dial. With this design, the spacing between radio stations is approximately equal from the low end to the high end of the dial which makes it easier to tune in stations. Tuning of the radio is divided into two bands for the Standard AM Broadcast band to spread out the tuning. This radio is quite sensitive easily receiving many stations with modest antennas. The radio has a “high-low range switch” coupled to the center “Master Dial”. Located on the inside back panel of the radio are instructions for operating the radio. Another instruction sheet is attached to the bottom of the radio. The radio presents beautifully and is in very good antique condition, with minor wear and patina commensurate with age and use. The case has minimal wear and scuffing. The wires coming out the bottom have wear and minor fragmentation. To our limited knowledge it appears all components are intact. We have not tested the radio as it needs an external speaker as well as an external antenna and batteries which we do not have. We do believe the radio is in working condition as it belonged to a radio guy who took great care of his collection of almost all working antique radios. This is a great opportunity to acquire a very rare and near-mint Synchrophase MU-1 radio which would make a crowning addition to any fine antique radio collection. Buyer, please let it us know how it sounds once you get it to work, we are curious (no doubt it will sound wonderful!). Fresh to the market from a Rhode Island estate! Dimensions: 12″ in height, 7-1/4″ in width, 5-3/4″ in depth NOTE: Shipping cost includes full insurance. We do not mark up shipping. 20GW/599/K/F