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  #1  
Old 06-04-2017, 09:54 AM
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decojoe67 decojoe67 is offline
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A depression era 4-tube "Auburn" cathedral

If anyone has any information on this set I'd appreciate it. It's a medium sized 4-tube cathedral radio from circa 1931. It has the typical unmarked shallow chassis and Rola speaker. Likely when I do research on it I'll find the same cabinet with a slew of different names. I like the deco "AUBURN" name on this one. This example was found in nearly mint original condition with a clean chassis and a globe tube still in place. I didn't check under the chassis, but it plays perfectly as-is with a long antenna. These lower-cost radios are classic relics of the depression and appealed to those on a budget at the time!
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Old 06-14-2017, 11:05 AM
ZenithDude88 ZenithDude88 is offline
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That looks a lot like my cathedral radio I have which was made by the United States Radio and Television Company of Marion, Indiana, which was aptly called U.S. Gloritone on the front of the Brass Bezel, and mine dates from about 1931 as well. Mine however wasn't in mint condition and needs to be restored, the previous owner of the unit put his hand through the speaker and the grille cloth which I was already able to repair the speaker using unbleached coffee filter paper and diluted elmer's glue, but I still need to refinish the solid walnut cabinet and get some new grille cloth for the speaker. By the way, my radio has a Utah speaker in it which sounds really nice for how old it is.
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Old 06-17-2017, 06:17 AM
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decojoe67 decojoe67 is offline
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Originally Posted by ZenithDude88 View Post
That looks a lot like my cathedral radio I have which was made by the United States Radio and Television Company of Marion, Indiana, which was aptly called U.S. Gloritone on the front of the Brass Bezel, and mine dates from about 1931 as well. Mine however wasn't in mint condition and needs to be restored, the previous owner of the unit put his hand through the speaker and the grille cloth which I was already able to repair the speaker using unbleached coffee filter paper and diluted elmer's glue, but I still need to refinish the solid walnut cabinet and get some new grille cloth for the speaker. By the way, my radio has a Utah speaker in it which sounds really nice for how old it is.
After many years in the hobby I've seen a tremendous number of these 4-tube cathedrals produced with identical chassis' and very similiar cabinets. They usually have no labels or tags other than the name on the dial bezel. It would be interesting to know what companies assembled these sets and added all the unique names to them. One thing for sure, they do play very well with a strong signal and long antenna. Good luck with yours!
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Old 06-18-2017, 08:03 PM
ZenithDude88 ZenithDude88 is offline
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Originally Posted by decojoe67 View Post
After many years in the hobby I've seen a tremendous number of these 4-tube cathedrals produced with identical chassis' and very similiar cabinets. They usually have no labels or tags other than the name on the dial bezel. It would be interesting to know what companies assembled these sets and added all the unique names to them. One thing for sure, they do play very well with a strong signal and long antenna. Good luck with yours!
Thanks, what's interesting about mine is that mine does say who made mine on a paper label inside the cabinet along with the tube location chart, but the U. S. Gloritone designation on mine was apparently the name that U.S Television and Radio Company used for their Radio Division since they made both TVs (experimental) and Radios. My radio is actually a 5 tube radio and not 4 like yours is, and mine is a cold chassis radio (it has a power transformer in it and a rather beefy one at that) and isn't a hot chassis unit like some of them were (curtain-burners).
My unit thankfully was already electronically restored already but the person who did the restoration work on the electronics must of been somewhat of an amateur who was still learning seeing as he was stupid enough to put his hand through the speaker by mishandling the radio (he grabbed the radio with one hand by the top of the radio and the radio slipped in his hand and when he went to regrab it his hand ended up in the speaker).

But either way at least the repair was fairly simple and the damage wasn't any worse than it was. Mine is AM Only with a frequency spread of 550-1650kC and I was able to pick up a lot of stations on it with just a 3 foot length of speaker wire that had been made into an antenna by the prevoius owner.

Also do you have a picture of the guts of your radio? Just curious because after looking over the front bezel/knob arrangement and even the tuning dial on yours its exactly like mine except different name on the bezel and the bezel on yours isn't as ornate as mine is, other than that its is an exact copy of what mine looks like. Are you sure yours doesn't actually have 5 tubes in it? Because on mine they had 3 tubes hiding under a rather large shield cover and then the output tube and the rectifier tube are sitting on the chassis above where the power cord goes into the radio out in the open, if your radio's chassis is indeed an exact match to mine (like I think it is based upon the appearance of the dial/bezel and knob layout) it would actually be a 5 tube cold chassis set.

Last edited by ZenithDude88; 06-18-2017 at 08:13 PM.
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Old 06-19-2017, 07:06 AM
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Originally Posted by ZenithDude88 View Post
Thanks, what's interesting about mine is that mine does say who made mine on a paper label inside the cabinet along with the tube location chart, but the U. S. Gloritone designation on mine was apparently the name that U.S Television and Radio Company used for their Radio Division since they made both TVs (experimental) and Radios. My radio is actually a 5 tube radio and not 4 like yours is, and mine is a cold chassis radio (it has a power transformer in it and a rather beefy one at that) and isn't a hot chassis unit like some of them were (curtain-burners).
My unit thankfully was already electronically restored already but the person who did the restoration work on the electronics must of been somewhat of an amateur who was still learning seeing as he was stupid enough to put his hand through the speaker by mishandling the radio (he grabbed the radio with one hand by the top of the radio and the radio slipped in his hand and when he went to regrab it his hand ended up in the speaker).

But either way at least the repair was fairly simple and the damage wasn't any worse than it was. Mine is AM Only with a frequency spread of 550-1650kC and I was able to pick up a lot of stations on it with just a 3 foot length of speaker wire that had been made into an antenna by the prevoius owner.

Also do you have a picture of the guts of your radio? Just curious because after looking over the front bezel/knob arrangement and even the tuning dial on yours its exactly like mine except different name on the bezel and the bezel on yours isn't as ornate as mine is, other than that its is an exact copy of what mine looks like. Are you sure yours doesn't actually have 5 tubes in it? Because on mine they had 3 tubes hiding under a rather large shield cover and then the output tube and the rectifier tube are sitting on the chassis above where the power cord goes into the radio out in the open, if your radio's chassis is indeed an exact match to mine (like I think it is based upon the appearance of the dial/bezel and knob layout) it would actually be a 5 tube cold chassis set.
It seems your set is a notch up from my set because mine is a very bare-bones 4-tube chassis. I took another look just to be sure. It also is a "cold chassis" with a fairly large power transformer. It has the same exact chassis as this set: http://www.oldradiosnstuff.com/aubur...e-radio-4-tube In the pic looking straight-on at the chassis, the transformer is directly behind the large component to the left.
It seems my set is unrestored or maybe service was done a long time ago on it. The set was such a clean original that I didn't even bother to remove the chassis when I got it to peak under the chassis.

Last edited by decojoe67; 06-19-2017 at 07:09 AM.
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Old 06-19-2017, 10:29 AM
ZenithDude88 ZenithDude88 is offline
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Originally Posted by decojoe67 View Post
It seems your set is a notch up from my set because mine is a very bare-bones 4-tube chassis. I took another look just to be sure. It also is a "cold chassis" with a fairly large power transformer. It has the same exact chassis as this set: http://www.oldradiosnstuff.com/aubur...e-radio-4-tube In the pic looking straight-on at the chassis, the transformer is directly behind the large component to the left.
It seems my set is unrestored or maybe service was done a long time ago on it. The set was such a clean original that I didn't even bother to remove the chassis when I got it to peak under the chassis.
If yours is indeed anything like the one in the link you posted, it might of been a rebadged Magnavox because the one I see in the pictures in the link you posted has Magnavox parts in it including a Magnavox Speaker.
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Old 06-19-2017, 12:38 PM
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If yours is indeed anything like the one in the link you posted, it might of been a rebadged Magnavox because the one I see in the pictures in the link you posted has Magnavox parts in it including a Magnavox Speaker.
Actually mine has a Rola speaker, but other than that it's exactly that chassis in the photo. That Rola name, besides the various tube names, are the only labeling anywhere on the chassis/components. The speaker looks like it was always with the set. I remember other collectors often identifying these generic chassis' by a plant number in Chicago. They likely churned these and similar chassis' out by the millions and were simply assembled with a generic cabinet by them or another company. The name molded on the bezel was likely of any stores choosing.
Over the years I've seen a lot of these low-cost 4-tube cathedrals and they usually share the same basic chassis and cabinets with other sets.
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Old 06-19-2017, 01:39 PM
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Sandy G Sandy G is offline
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These guys typically ALWAYS do better than expoected ... OK. , so it AIN'T an R-390A, & won't pull in Radio Nibi-Nibi at high noon here in Greater downtown Bugtussle., but my example is a pre-war Arvin 2 tuber... Its 80 yrs old, , & if whoever gets it after I'm gone will give it just a tiny bit of TLC now & then, betcha it'll still be "Radioing" nearly 100 yrs from now...
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Old 06-19-2017, 01:48 PM
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decojoe67 decojoe67 is offline
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These guys typically ALWAYS do better than expoected ... OK. , so it AIN'T an R-390A, & won't pull in Radio Nibi-Nibi at high noon here in Greater downtown Bugtussle., but my example is a pre-war Arvin 2 tuber... Its 80 yrs old, , & if whoever gets it after I'm gone will give it just a tiny bit of TLC now & then, betcha it'll still be "Radioing" nearly 100 yrs from now...
You're so right. Those little midget radios play so well with a long antenna and strong signal. They also seem to work forever without fail! I was told a long time ago that a 6-8 tube set is all you need to have an excellent performing radio. More than that may offer better sensitivity, but, generally speaking, it is overkill.
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Old 06-19-2017, 05:04 PM
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Sandy G Sandy G is offline
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They're analogous to a Porta Potty TV... GE came out w/them in late 1965. They were the 1st PORTABLE color TV. They took out anything/.everything that wasn't absolutely necessary to the receipt/display of a color signal. & GE was able to sell 'em for right at $200. My Dad got one of the 1st ones in NE Tennessee. It :"Lived" til 1973, on virtually 20 hrs a day .In that time, I think it only needed 2-4 tubes.NOBODY told Porta-Potties that they were cheap & nasty, so they typically just kept working. I dunno what ever happened to ours-My Dad might have sold/gave it away. It could easily be stuffed in a junk hole closet somewhere, awaiting its turn to be given a new lease on life....
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Old 06-19-2017, 05:12 PM
ZenithDude88 ZenithDude88 is offline
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Actually mine has a Rola speaker, but other than that it's exactly that chassis in the photo. That Rola name, besides the various tube names, are the only labeling anywhere on the chassis/components. The speaker looks like it was always with the set. I remember other collectors often identifying these generic chassis' by a plant number in Chicago. They likely churned these and similar chassis' out by the millions and were simply assembled with a generic cabinet by them or another company. The name molded on the bezel was likely of any stores choosing.
Over the years I've seen a lot of these low-cost 4-tube cathedrals and they usually share the same basic chassis and cabinets with other sets.
OK, well I guess there goes that theory. But either way its kind of impressive that your radio made it 75+ years later in that good of shape. By the way the name Auburn is actually the name of a town in Indiana where they made the Auburn, Cord and Dusenburg cars back when that radio was made, this is just a theory but possibly the Auburn Car company expanded into selling radios for a while, or possibly they gave away radios with their name on them as a promotional gift when you bought an Auburn car back in the 1930s? Just a guess.
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Old 06-19-2017, 05:34 PM
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decojoe67 decojoe67 is offline
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OK, well I guess there goes that theory. But either way its kind of impressive that your radio made it 75+ years later in that good of shape. By the way the name Auburn is actually the name of a town in Indiana where they made the Auburn, Cord and Dusenburg cars back when that radio was made, this is just a theory but possibly the Auburn Car company expanded into selling radios for a while, or possibly they gave away radios with their name on them as a promotional gift when you bought an Auburn car back in the 1930s? Just a guess.
Thank you. Being the car buff that I am I know all about the Auburn automobile. True classics. Anything is possible as far as the radio goes and it also could be connected with Auburn New York. Likely there wasn't a whole lot of thought as to choosing that name. Someone was possibly thinking of the car because it evoked something up-scale. I've seen slews of interesting names molded in similar bezels for these sets and I highly doubt that they point to the origins of the sets. In the day these were very low-end $10 radios likely sold in small department stores.
PS - Interestingly enough the "Auburn" spelling on the radio is done in the style of the automobile's logo!
http://auto-logo.info/logo/auburn6.jpg

Last edited by decojoe67; 06-19-2017 at 05:40 PM.
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Old 06-19-2017, 06:43 PM
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Like that Philco console. Have one just like it in excellent condition I restored. Sits in my kitchen and matches my cabinets perfectly.
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Old 06-19-2017, 06:47 PM
ZenithDude88 ZenithDude88 is offline
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Thank you. Being the car buff that I am I know all about the Auburn automobile. True classics. Anything is possible as far as the radio goes and it also could be connected with Auburn New York. Likely there wasn't a whole lot of thought as to choosing that name. Someone was possibly thinking of the car because it evoked something up-scale. I've seen slews of interesting names molded in similar bezels for these sets and I highly doubt that they point to the origins of the sets. In the day these were very low-end $10 radios likely sold in small department stores.
PS - Interestingly enough the "Auburn" spelling on the radio is done in the style of the automobile's logo!
http://auto-logo.info/logo/auburn6.jpg
Well There we go, all the more reason to suspect that the radio might have a connection with the Auburn car company, by the way, I have family that lived in the Auburn and Garrett area of Indiana and I just thought it was kind of interesting that the radio said Auburn on it.

Another interesting thing is that my cathedral radio I have was made in Indiana which is where I live and it uses parts that were made by CTS here in Elkhart, Indiana where I live and I just thought that was rather interesting that the radio was made in Indiana and has managed to stay in Indiana all its life.
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Old 06-19-2017, 09:11 PM
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Like that Philco console. Have one just like it in excellent condition I restored. Sits in my kitchen and matches my cabinets perfectly.
Thanks, That's a 118H Philco model from 1935. It's interesting how Philco resold that same exact 1932 model 3 years later when it looked rather dated. It's one of my best players and has that true warm "tube sound".
ZenithDude88: It is amazing how, at this point in time, you find a radio that's from the local area. I like when there's a service tag on the chassis from a long-gone repair shop.
Either the "Auburn" name was connected to the automaker or it was just written that way to appear like it. Likely it was the latter as the automaker would've chosen a more high-end unique set to use as a promotion.
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