SKYSCRAPER MODEL FA (1941)

The Skyscraper model FA was manufactured for Bond & Bond Ltd by Radio (1936) Ltd in 1941.

Other radios based on the same chassis:

6-valve plus magic eye, 5-band bandspread radio. 

Available in both table and console cabinets.

Internally almost the same as the model FJ, which is a 5-valve version

These radios perform and sound excellent when restored.

Was the following newspaper clipping a subtle dig at Columbus radios?  Columbus (By Radio Corporation of New Zealand - probably Radio Ltd's principal competitor in the market at that time), of course, invented (or refined, depending how you see it) the domestic bandspread receiver almost 2 years earlier.  Their model 75 pioneered the bandspeading principal.  This model (FA) by Radio 1936 Ltd and the model 75 by RCNZ are both spectacular performers with incredibly good sound.

1941 Skyscraper FA

Technical Information

Valves (6 + magic eye): 6K7G, 6K8, 6K7G, 6Q7G, 6F6G, 80 and 6U5 Magic Eye

Intermediate Frequency: 460kc/s

Frequency Bands: 5

Chassis Notes(most schematics can be clicked to download a full size version)

FJ is the 5-valve version, same basic circuit minus the RF 6K7G.

1941 Ultimate FA

1941 Ultimate FA

General Construction Notes for Radio (1936) Ltd:

Early Radio Ltd. schematics did not show the models, just the year, valves and bands, so some sleuthing is required to find the right one.

Early 30's Ultimate models with three digit model numbers indicated both the number of valves in the set, and the price it retailed for - for example, the model 856 was an 8-valve radio which retailed for $56 pounds. The equivalent Courier models were reversed, so an Ultimate 856 was a Courier 568 (theoretically, at least). This was the Auckland price though, and often the sets would retail for 1 or 2 pounds more in other centres, presumably to cover the freight cost of moving them around the country from the Auckland factory.

Note the use of old resistance terminology on older schematics: ω means ohms and Ω means megohms.

Some 1936-onward 3-letter chassis codes vary the last letter between brands, for example:
BBU - Ultimate model BB
BBR - Rolls (and Golden Knight) model BB
BBC - Courier model BB
All use the same chassis.

Golden Knight, Courier and Rolls appear to use the same copper-painted chassis while Ultimate chassis' are painted silver

After the war a new model code system was introduced, whereby radio models all began with R - the first model being the RA, a dual-wave 5-valve set commonly released in a pressed tin cabinet.

Other documented models using this chassis (3 in total)

YEARMODEL NAME
1941 Ultimate model FA
1941 Golden Knight model FA 'Spread-Band'