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1954 Portable 45 rpm Phonograph AM Radio Combo Babyphon K49/0, built by Metz Germany, distributed by Majestic under "Port-O-Fone", powered by AC or batteries, in Near Mint, Serviced and Working Condition
In a Nutshell
Summer is coming, here is a unique radio-phono portable you would like to show off with on the Beach. This very rare combo plays the radio and it plays your favorite 45 records. It was developed and built in 1954 by Metz, Germany, distributed by Majestic and is powered by an original Majestic AC power pack.
Introduction:
Between 1949 and 1955 an explosion in radio design happened. Mini sets, mostly portables, started to appear in the hundreds, using the low power low voltage tube set 1R5, 1U4(1T4), 1U5(1S5), 3V4(3S4,3Q4), first as battery sets only, but later also with AC options. For the first 3 tubes also tubes with half the heater current were used: 1AB6(=DK96), 1AJ4(=DF96), 1AH5(=DAF96). The battery only radios are today obsolete because of the lack or too high prices for the high voltage batteries used for the plate voltages of these tubes. AC sets used Selenium rectifiers, extra tubes like a 35W4, or a 45Z3 in combination with a resistive line cord, or a 117Z3, or used external power supplies. More see under technical historians below.
Additional information:
ref.1: http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/metz_babyphon.html
ref.2: http://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=86886
ref.3: http://www.radiomuseum.org/forum/50_jahre_nsf_als_hersteller_elektrischer_bauelemente.html
About my radio-gram:
The cabinet is made from wood, covered with red leatherette. It is in remarkably good, almost as new condition. The ivory plastic insert for the chassis is near mint too. The chassis itself is free from rust and was thoroughly cleaned. All hinges (one had to be replaced) and locks work as designed. The radio-gram has been electronically serviced, all tubes tested, one weak one replaced by a NOS one, no condenser had to be replaced, all contacts have been sprayed. The radio works with excellent sensitivity, selectivity and volume. The cartridge with needle has been replaced by a modern ceramic system (pict.s 16, 17), which has an extra 78 rpm needle, that can be used as a back-up needle. The phonograph plays loud and clear too (click on last thumbnail).
Note added in proof:
The power pack included supplies 1.5V, 6V, and 90V DC and can be used as a battery eliminator for many other similar portable sets produced around 1950.
For the technical historians only:
Transformator- und Apparatebau Metz (TAM) was founded in 1938 by Paul Metz (1911-93) in Fürth, Germany. Starting in WWII and shortly after Metz built innovative radios.
The 1949 radio explosion in USA and Great Britain motivated Metz in 1950 to build "Metz-Baby", the first and smallest "Kofferempfänger" world-wide.
For their first innovative Babyphon (there were more to come) in the early 1950's they entered a contract with Majestic USA, to build 50'000 units within one year. That was only shortly after introduction of the 45 rpm record system by RCA. Metz also built photoflashs ("Meca-Blitz") and TV's.
The Metz Babyphon K49/0 came with two power packs, one battery powered and an AC power pack, model 130 (see pict.21). The unit presented here comes with a power pack built by Majestic Radio & Television (Div. of Wilcox-Gay)(pict.s 21, 29, 30), but built in Germany too (see spelling errors in pict.21). It uses capacitors labeled NSF, which stands for "Nürnberger Schraubenfabrik und Facondreherei" (merged in 1958 to AEG-Telefunken, liquidated in 1996), which are electronics collectibles by themselves (more NSF history in ref.3 above, in German though). The power pack was possibly also used for a "Music Mate", which when googled, didn't ring any bells.
Here are the specifications:
| Technical Description of Item |
| Manufacturer |
Metz Transformatoren- und Apparatefabrik, Fürth, Germany |
| US Distributor |
Majestic Radio & Television, Div. of Wilcox-Gay Co., N.Y. USA |
| Model |
Metz Babyphon K49/0, Majestic Port-O-Fone |
| Type |
4-tube AM/BC portable radio with Se rectifier for AC |
| Production Year |
1954/55 |
| Serial Number |
37458 |
| Price in first year |
218 DM + 39 DM for power pack, (500 US$ today with 1954 exchange rate 4.2DM/$) |
| Cabinet |
Tomato red leatherette covered wood with ivory plastic insert |
| Dials and knobs |
Reverse painted plastic dial concentric with turntable platter, 2 original ivory plastic knobs |
| Frequency Range |
AM 510-1620 kc |
| Controls |
45 rpm pitch and volume controls, push-buttons for On/off, Radio, Phono, power Save |
| Tube line-up |
AC power pack, 1AB6 (=DK96,RF), 1AJ4 (=DF96,IF), 1AH5 (=DAF96,Det.), 3V4 (=DL94,Audio) |
| Size (WxDxH) |
14" x 10" x 5", PM speaker 7" x 4½" |
| Weight |
11 lbs |
| Comment |
Very rare and beautiful ivory-red beach radio-phono portable, serviced and perfectly working |
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