SKYSCRAPER MODEL RBG 'TINY' (1951)

The Skyscraper model RBG was manufactured for Bond & Bond Ltd by Radio (1936) Ltd in 1951.

Other radios based on the same chassis:

4 valve broadcast band mantle radio, plastic case available in white or brown.

Badge engineering at its finest, available with several different brand stickers on the front but otherwise identical.

Skyscraper version of the Ultimate RBG 'Broadcast Minor'

Skyscraper RBG Tiny

Technical Information

Valves (4): ECH21, EF22, EBL21, 7Y4

Intermediate Frequency: 460kc/s

Frequency Bands: 1

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

1951 Ultimate model RBG Schematic

1951 Ultimate RBG Dial String

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
1951 Ultimate model RBG 'Minor'
1951 Golden Knight model RBG 'Starlet'