Hi All
I am new to any type of Forum so please bare with me.
Back in 1984 I puchased an AWA Radiola from a second hand store, primarily because I really liked the look of it. It was working at the time although I have not turned it on in quite a few years.

I want to find out more about it so here goes.
The outside cabinet...
It is a freestanding cabinet approximately 89cm high, 58cm wide and 31 cm deep.
The cabinet looks like a veneer/ply construction and is painted black inside.
The speaker area has what looks like a hessian fabric across the cabinet.
There are 6 bakelite knobs across the front for tuning etc.

The display is rectangular with a slightly convex clear (now sllightly yellowed) plastic type cover.
The top line reads across USA,London,Berlin Japan Japan USA,Java,London,Berlin Rome,Moscow,London,Paris,Fiji Berlin,USA,London,Paris.
The next line down shows M the 50 45 40...to 20 M
The next line "Australasian Stations"
Qld and Tas below
then Vic and SA.WA below
then NSW with NZ below
and final across the bottom KC 560 600 ....to 1500 KC

The inside...
I can locate the ARTS&P label - light blue (No5) and bottom left corners states C20788
There is also another metal plate with A0040546 engraved into it along the same panel as the sticker but on the right hand lower corner.
The base of the cabinet has 59 stamped into the wood on the back base.
The speaker is the same blue colour as most of the metal parts of the radiola and is about 20cm diametre. It also has numbers engraved TA-13X.

I have taken some pics with my phone and these are below.

If any one can shed some light on this, it would be greatly appreciated.

G'day Kylie,

If you e-mail the photos to the address on my profile page I will upload them for you.

Going by your description the receiver was built in 1936. Blue was a colour favoured by AWA for their chassis around this time.

Hello Kylie

It looks like you have a 1936 radio given the C prefix on the ARTS&P sticker.
So your radio should be one of those denoted Con. (console) from 1936 listed in

http://www.hws.org.au/RadioHistory/manufacturers/awa.htm

If you can't find a model number anywhere you will need to take out the valves and find the valve numbers. Be careful - the numbers rub off very easily - don't try to clean them.

Don't turn it on - after 25 years or so some components are bound to have deteriorated. At the very least the high tension electrolytics will need reforming.

Good luck

Thanks Brad and Thanks STC830.

I have taken Brad up on the offer to post images of my Radiola.
I took them on my mobile - so apologies...

And no, I won't be firing it up again.

As I said before, I bought this back in '84 because I liked the look of it.
When I first plugged it, it took ages to warm up, then softly start to whisper, then a hum, then full on beautiful full solid sound.

When I bought it I was told that it was fitted with a bayonet plug (which I have also) which was brown bakelite. The remnant wires still connected to the bayonet fitting match the brown twisted wire of the power cord - so I am unsure..

Any information is great!

Thanks for your help, both of you.

When I bought it I was told that it was fitted with a bayonet plug (which I have also) which was brown bakelite. The remnant wires still connected to the bayonet fitting match the brown twisted wire of the power cord

The bayonet plug is not surprising. Back in the 30s and into the 40s, electricity was for lighting only -- there were no electrical appliances in most houses, so there were no power points as such. The first appliances most people bought -- radios and shavers to name two -- were plugged into light sockets, hence the bayonet plugs.

As a young kid poking around in my grandfather's garage I found some very old electrical appliances with wooden bayonet plugs on them and the wire was twisted brown cotton-covered stuff which had gone quite brittle. I'm guessing the power cord on your radio is similar.

As stated above, it would help to know the valve line-up in your set. We should be able to zero in on actual model possibilities from that.

There are some guys in the greater Sydney area who can look over your set for you and get it to a safe condition to use again.

As it turns out, I have one of the same model and yes they do sound great. At the same time mine is also awaiting its turn for restoration so it currently resides in my garage in a nice dry location with a blanket over it to stop dust accumulating.

I am fairly sure I bought mine from Burning Mountain Antique Centre on the New England Highway just out of Wingen in NSW back in the mid-1990's.

As it turns out, I have one of the same model

So, what model is it?

From what I can make out of the valve line up from the photo it's 6A7, 6D6, 6B7, 42 and 80 rectifier, so I guess it's dual wave console model 248 (1936)?

To be honest, I am not sure of the model number. My set is stacked behind others though if I get desperate I am prepared to move things around to get at it.

As far as I have seen from pictures, AWA made a few variations of this cabinet with the speaker grille being the common feature.

I also note from Kylie's pictures that there is room on the chassis for a sixth valve and coil - perhaps for a more upmarket receiver with stronger short wave or long distance medium wave reception.

Update: I just trawled through some of the pages I set up for the original version of this site back in 2003 and found this. The first featured photo is of my example of this set. Aside from the missing knob, which I am still yet to find in the correct colour, it is more or less the same as Kylie's.

I purchased mine from a second had "St Vinnies" type store back in Newcastle.

The dial knob on mine has "1620" on the underside if that helps, however, I don't have any spares. They are very dark brown almost black.

The bayonet plug has the following markings as well.
BRITISH MADE. U.K.PAT. 310620", it is a dark chocolate type brown.

The three pin power plug has "Ring Grip" 10A 250V (add on???)

I tried going over it again for more info/numbers etc so here goes.

The glass bulb labelled 80 (on the left hand side bottom) has markings on its collar - some I can't get to.
There is an A over a W
1/4 in a circle.
There is also 80 in a circle stamped onto the bulb.

The glass bulb labelled 42 (the right hand side lower corner) has markings on the collar as well.
"Philips" then
"Minuett" (guessing because its obscured)
1/4 in a circle
There is also 42 in a circle stamped onto the bulb.

Also along the bottom right hand of the casing it has R248/ and then the "A0040546" The numbers are pressed into the metal not applied like a transfer.

It is great to see another! I was beginning to think I had an orphan....

Ring Grip is a brand of electrical accessories that goes way back to the beginning of electrical supply. The brand, along with Wilco and Clipsal is owned by Schneider Electric these days and most manufacturing is done in China now though I think the Clipsal factory in SA still has a small operation going.

Minuett = Miniwatt, a Philips trademark.

I know of around ten receivers of this model to still exist though there may be many more. By console standards, this one looks as if it was fairly simple to make and this gives the indication that AWA made quite a few, including the variations to the design that I mentioned before.

The glass bulbs you refer to are the radio valves. An 80 is a rectifier valve and the 42 is the power amplifier valve. The other markings have meanings but I have forgotten them.

Be intersted in seeing a schematic of your R248, I have a R155 which is in the same cabinet with a different coloured speaker cloth.
Mine has only four dials instead of the 5 as pictured on yours. Diagrams for mine & yours listed as being in RT Annual? does anyone know anything of this publication? Has someone put it onto CD?

Diagrams for mine & yours listed as being in RT Annual? does anyone know anything of this publication?

I think that was Radio Trade Annual and Service Manual, one of Ossie Mingay's many publications. I believe Mingay Publishing was also responsible for the AORSM.

Ossie Mingay was quite a remarkable individual:

http://www.qsl.net/vk2dym/radio/Mingay.htm.