Other radios based on the same chassis:
Very popular 7-transistor portable radio from Philips NZ.
This was the first release of the Transistor Ace with a later version dropping the gram input and associated switch - a local/distant reception switch taking its place.
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?
Several different dial designs have been noted.
The primary New Zealand electronics industry trade magazine, Radio and Electrical Review, featured this model on the cover of their October 1958 issue.
Radio and Electrical Review October 1958
Valves (7 transistors, 1 diode): OC44, OC45, OC45, OA79 Diode, OC71, OC71, ( OC72, OC72 Output Pair)
Intermediate Frequency: 455kc/s
Frequency Bands: 1
Chassis Notes(most schematics can be clicked to download a full size version)
General Construction Notes for Philips Electrical Industries of N.Z. Ltd:
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.
Philips model codes are complex - they are explained in-depth on the Philips brand page.
Mullard codes: The model codes from Mullard sets (unlike their Philips counterparts) appear to contain valve count and date information. For example, the model 525 is a 5-valve 1945 design. The 2 appears to just be an identifier (most likely in case there were two models in 1945 with 5 valves, which there was - the 515 is the small 'Meteor' mantle set).
Fleetwood codes are often just a rearranged version of the Philips code. For example, the FL374T transistor radio is a rearrangement of the Philips model L3Z74T. Early Fleetwood codes were numeric with F on the end. From about 1959 onwards the codes were much more like their Philips counterparts. They start with F or FL (or sometimes FZ for larger consoles)... These later codes also tend to end in a Philips-style identifier for the power source (A for mains, B for battery, T for transistor battery, etc - see the Philips brand page for more info on that).
| YEAR | MODEL NAME |
|---|---|
| 1957 | Fleetwood model 373 'Commuter' |
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