Other radios based on the same chassis:
The Fleetwood variant of the very popular Philips NZ 7-transistor portable radio.
Available in several colours, tan being the most popular.
Cabinets (among other locations no doubt) were produced in Christchurch in a cabinetmakers shop in Ferry Rd - A lady who's father owned the shop recalled making the tan cabinets and covering them as an after-school job in the 60's. Does anyone recall the shop name?
There is a similar-looking model (FW373T ?) which has a gram input (switched using the local reception button) on the back for playing records.
Valves (7 transistors, 1 diode): OC44, OC45, OC45, OA79 Diode, OC71, OC71, ( OC72, OC72 Output Pair)
Intermediate Frequency: 455kc/s
Frequency Bands: 1
General Construction Notes for Philips Electrical Industries of N.Z. Ltd:
Model codes are explained on the Philips brand page. Philips early-mid century were probably the Google of their time - they had branches in many countries and a global brand that everyone knew - and were apparently happy to let engineers come up with new ideas and implement them. Construction is often overly complex but very well engineered - although repairs can also take a complex path. They used time-in-motion studies to find the most cost effective way to asemble sets and sometimes this means repairs can be nightmarish (if you've ever worked on a V7A Theaterette this will be all too aparent). U suffix model numbers are transformerless (hot chassis) sets and great care should be taken, or the sets avoided altogether.
YEAR | MODEL NAME |
---|---|
1961 | Philips L3Z74T 'Transistor Ace' |
1961 | HMV HM374T |