I was directed to you in hopes you could help me identify an antique radio I recently acquired . Please see pictures. I cannot find any information on this and there is no tags or model numbers on it.

It works great and is in very good condition and I'd like to know more about it and possibly the value of it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The pictures are of the front,back, and inside. There is a handle that flips up on top.

If it's a common set then the pictures (when posted) may be all we need for identification purposes, but if you let us know the radio's valve/tube line-up that can help, too.

Pre Photo: If it's what I think it is its a late fifties to end of valve era GE.

Marc

Photos uploaded.

Ah, a battery portable. The valves will be 1 volt types such as 3V4, 1T4, 1R5 etc.

I can't see the rectifier in those photos so it may be a solid-state diode rather than the usual 6V4.

Hopefully the photos will enable the experts to identify the model number.

How about model 646/647/648 from 1955? :

http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/general_el_646.html

http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/general_el_647.html

http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/general_el_648.html

I would be looking to see what was done if it's 240V & treat it with kid gloves if its running on the mains. It looks typical of the Americans & I see no transformer.

That normally means the chassis is liable to be ALIVE, or if its floating mains (doubt) there will be a leaky capacitor, not conforming to modern specs. and some times a resistor, from the mains to the chassis, just to liven things up.

Don't use it in the bathroom if you want to live. If I am right.

Marc

Did you check the links I gave above Marcc?

Looks closest to the Model 648 in my opinion.

No transformer, so touching the metalwork would give a nasty jolt. At least, being in the U.S., the 110v is not so likely to kill you.

Battery portables are historically the least valuable of valve radios, but many of them still look almost brand new.

So, while your radio isn't going to make you rich, it should look nice for a long time to come.

Great information from all of you. Thanks so much for taking the time to help me out. It does appear
from the links that it's is the model 648.

If you're interested in obtaining the schematic, a member of Radiomuseum can access it, or you can purchase it here:

http://www.antiqueradioschematics.org/ge.htm

It may be in Riders.

GTC: Looked at photos & looked at circuit & layout. I see nothing to suggest that the 115V of the US mains goes straight into that Selenium rectifier, That would result in the highest probability of a "Hot chassis" & America made a lot of hot chassis radios.

So if that one is a 240V radio (not stated) there has to be a big resistor somewhere, or its on the wrong voltage & that should have killed it.

Marc

Wouldn’t it be a battery radio with the back made to swing open like that?
It looks like the 9V battery snap has been used to provide one supply from one of the AB batteries,
and an external supply been used to provide the higher voltage supply side of the original battery.

Is the photo upside down or are the valves actually hanging from the top? I have never seen this before.

Looks like an inverted chassis to me. AWA and Gulbransen did something similar with their portables of the same era. The valve side of the chassis faces the battery packs but in a manner that keeps the batteries from bumping the valves.