Recently acquired a working Kriesler 11-99 valve radio, here is a pic :... I could pick up 1 station on it, everything's going digital...!

The 11-99 is a great performer and was manufactured for many years.

It would be good if you could let us know some data about yours, namely: its serial number, the date stamped on the mains transformer, whether the diode is a 6V4 valve or a silicon diode, the ARTS&P sticker number (if present), if it has paper of mustard capacitors and the value of the electrolytic capacitors in the power supply.

Photo uploaded.

What station could you hear? At night time there should be dozens.

There's a thread somewhere listing all the serial numbers and other info on the 11-99 that other members have.

The 11-99 was made in a corner of the Caringbah factory for many years. It kept older workers occupied while everything else had gone to PCBs and solid state and was probably the last valve mantle radio made anywhere in the world.

The unusual choice of a 6GV8 was made to use up stocks of this valve that had been rejected as a vertical osc-OP from the TV line!
HT voltage is low and everything is under-run.

I don't think I've ever seen one of those radios that did NOT still work!

I made comments about the Kriesler 11-99 on the US forums about a year ago (I think) and asked when the US made its last valve radio. I didn't get a conclusive response though a few offered their own thoughts on when.

I'm not certain but I suspect the last 11-99 was made not long after the introduction of the all solid state 49-7 TV chassis. No more low-spec 6GV8s to use up! That would put it at about 1973.

We have one recorded as dated 2 July 1974.

Wow that's late! They were tooling up for the 59-01 (colour) by then. Major disruption as you'd understand.

They MUST have stopped when they ran out of 6GV8s!

We have one recorded as dated 2 July 1974

That one would be mine, I have three, the other two being from 1968, the '74 one has only 3 valves, silicon rectifier. I have a great deal of affection for these little radios, they are extremely reliable and have a very good sound for a little radio and are also quite loud if turned up. I have been told they were still on shelves for sale as late as late 1975! All I can say is your lucky to have one of these, they are a damn good radio!

Re the reliability, you'd have to expect that. By the time this radio was made, no paper caps, no carbon composition resistors, polyester transformer winding wire and a very simple circuit with all parts under-run. And built by people who took pride in their work.

As I mentioned previously, I've never seen one of these that didn't work.

If the OP ever comes back, here's the thread where details of 11-99 go:

https://vintage-radio.com.au/default.asp?f=3&th=537&offset=7