Hi All

I have a friend who is after a mantle set (or table top set) that has a magic round Magic eye tube installed. It doesn't have to be restored that is something I can do, Just mostly all there. 1940 or 50's Prefer Bakelite but a wooden set would also be considered.

Putting this out to see whats out there so let me know.

Dan

Just on the topic of magic eyes in radios, I have never seen the need for them myself. I find that my ear is the best indicator of optimal tuning. I feel that magic eyes were more a gimmick than a tuning aid.

They came from the days when users were used to tuning for max volume, before AGC was introduced.

Not everyone has a good ear for distortion caused by asymetrical sidebands. Particularly when the "tone" control was used to lop off ALL the top end to make a "mellow" sound.

Then, of course, after one maker introduced a magic eye, everyone had to have one.

Then, of course, after one maker introduced a magic eye, everyone had to have one.

And it added to the tube count, another marketing "feature".

before AGC was introduced

They are normally driven by the AGC voltage.


Personally, I love magic eyes in my radios. It's just a pity that the older types (6E5, 6U5, 6U5G etc) wore out so quickly.

Yes, AGC made magic eyes possible, and one could say necessary at the same time because AGC makes a radio harder to tune by ear.

I don't recall ever seeing a magic eye in an Australian mantle radio. The only radio that comes to mind are the Philips battery portables from the 50s. But that was not a round "magic eye" tube.

There were some other idea's kicked around using basically, meter principles & globes.

If you look up some of the early American Midwest's. Their monsters of the thirties had some very different ideas. At least one has amplified AGC and that leads to one of few sets that attempt tell you how much signal to shove down it throat to set & align it. It is a pity they did not declare if that was PP. I used an attenuator & left one oscilloscope probe on it.

The one that is interesting & nothing to do with catching fish is their "Tuna light"

Marc

Many European sets had magic eyes, anything from the tiny DM71 to the UM4 and everything in between.

Australian sets only sometimes had them, some Radiola consoles, the Radiola 7-valve wooden radio with shortwave had it.
And of course my 10-valve radio (subject of another thread) has a EM84.

If you need an Australian radio then you might need to search awhile. But if you're happy with a European one, then it shouldn't be a problem - and you may get the FM and long-wave bands as a bonus.

Hi all

Still on the look for a radio with a Magic Eye. I would settle for a smaller European set as well. The person wants it just to have one. I guess its a status symbol thing