These wireless sets were very popular in the mid to late 1930’s. There were many variations on the chassis as used in the set shown. They were branded as Marconiphone, HMV.
The chassis was used in table models and radiograms alike. AC and DC only versions were made, depending on the area in which they were to be used. Good quality HT energised speakers were used with hum bucking.
If you are lucky, the set you have to be restored will be an open wired version where all the components are wired on tag and therefore can easily be replaced. If you are unlucky, the chassis will be fitted with a “condenser block”. This is a block measuring about 4 X 3 X 2 inches and contains all the coupling and decoupling capacitors. This was designed to ensure servicing was a nightmare to anyone who did not have a diagram or was an authorised service agent. Restoring this chassis version is very hard work and if done properly, results in a high man hour charge.
When restored, these sets work well, providing good results. There are some cleaver features such as silent tuning. This is where one of the controls on the front could be pulled out which would cause the RF amplifier stage to be biased off slightly. This meant that when tuning between stations, you only heard the loud ones rather than the noise and tram crackles in between.
