car radio - invented by chevrolet in 1920?

[31 LaSalle]

It was a surprised { to me at least }to read an article in a uk national newspaper

that car radios were invented by chevrolet in 1920

cant imagine my chrysler 72 with a radio

does anyone have a 1920s car with a factory radio fitted

 

[edinmass]

I have never seen any reference to Chevy and early radios. A portable set in 1922 would have cost twenty times the cost of the car. I am aware of a Springfield Rolls Ghost with a set in 1922 and the cost of the unit was said to be two grand plus. And it was enormous. Duesenberg had them installed in late 1928 for the Model J’s. Very few were sold. It was a Philco unit. 

[31 LaSalle]

43 minutes ago, edinmass said:

I have never seen any reference to Chevy and early radios. A portable set in 1922 would have cost twenty times the cost of the car. I am aware of a Springfield Rolls Ghost with a set in 1922 and the cost of the unit was said to be two grand plus. And it was enormous. Duesenberg had them installed in late 1928 for the Model J’s. Very few were sold. It was a Philco unit. 

After searching google it states chevrolet installed a westinghouse radio in 1922

which as you point out was very bulky and very expensive

 

[edinmass]

And as I expected, it wasn’t Chevrolet that did it. Westinghouse was experimenting and chose to use a small cheap car. I think the implication is people wanna know who actually install the car radio for a customer in that case the earliest vehicle I am aware of is the 1922 Rolls-Royce silver ghost, and the earliest known factory installed radio as an option that I am aware of was December 1928 on a model J Duesenberg . Cadillac actually was the first company that had dealer promotional item paperwork for installing in 1930. The sets were not very good and we’re discontinued partway into the year. 

Edited April 20, 2023 by edinmass (see edit history)

[Bloo]

There are a whole bunch of reasons that putting a radio in a car would have been wildly impractical in 1922, almost to the point of absurdity. In 1930 it was a whole different game, but I'm still not surprised it didn't go terribly well.

[Stude Light]

This was your typical car radio in the 1920s. It took up your entire back seat - radio and battery and maybe a convertor depending on the equipment you had.

"Before in-car radios, companies sold portable storage batteries. “Hooray! The team’s just made another touchdown” says R.M. Brower, sales promotion manager of the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company as he sits on the running board of a new REO Flying Cloud."
 

Then there is the whole story with Bill Lear and Elmer Wavering being hired by Paul and Joseph Galvin (Galvin Manufacturing) and creating the 5T71 in-vehicle radio around 1930 which was renamed the Motorola radio and Galvin Manufacturing eventually changed their name to Motorola. It cost about $150 to have Galvin install a Motorola radio in your car in the early 1930s when a new Chevy was $500. 

Scott

Edited April 20, 2023 by Stude Light (see edit history)

[Buffalowed Bill]

Interesting article that has been around for a few years.

Paul Galvin | Hemmings

[Frank DuVal]

4 hours ago, Stude Light said:

Philadelphia Storage Battery Company

BTW, that is later known as Philco!

[Frank DuVal]

4 hours ago, Stude Light said:

This was your typical car radio in the 1920s.

Nope, the Cathedral style of radio came out in 1930. So no way can that be considered a typical 1920s radio setup.

[31 LaSalle]

5 minutes ago, Frank DuVal said:

Nope, the Cathedral style of radio came out in 1930. So no way can that be considered a typical 1920s radio setup. one

If anybody has a picture of a late 1920 one please post it I would love to see one

cant believe the size of that one or the cost

[8E45E]

32 minutes ago, 31 LaSalle said:

If anybody has a picture of a late 1920 one please post it I would love to see one

cant believe the size of that one or the cost

Atwater-Kent-1929-Catalog.pdf (worldradiohistory.com)

 

A mid-twenties radio receiver was about the size of a late 70's VCR (and about the same weight).   It was the batteries to power the radio that took up a lot of space, though had it been used in an automotive application, they would have been stored under the hood or inside the trunk.

 

It was when the tuning head was able to be packaged separately from the amplifier when radio became practical for automotive use.

 

Craig.

[edinmass]

49 minutes ago, Frank DuVal said:

Nope, the Cathedral style of radio came out in 1930. So no way can that be considered a typical 1920s radio setup.

 

 

It came out in 1928.........fairly early in the year. I have one here. I bought a 1932 Pierce parts car, and it had a 1928 Cathedral big head unit in it. That was what Duesenberg installed new........

[Stude Light]

1 hour ago, Frank DuVal said:

Nope, the Cathedral style of radio came out in 1930. So no way can that be considered a typical 1920s radio setup.

Yes, that is an early 30s Flying Cloud in the picture. My point was that you used a household radio and the bulky batteries that powered it. Most of the early and mid 20s radios were breadbox shaped and used batteries to power them. Galvin Manufacturing was selling systems that would convert your household voltage into the DC voltage required to run your radio. The problem was that by the late 20s, the radio manufacturers started building units that would plug in the wall and Galvin was looking for a new product line as his power converter sales were drying up.

[8E45E]

1 hour ago, Stude Light said:

Galvin Manufacturing was selling systems that would convert your household voltage into the DC voltage required to run your radio. The problem was that by the late 20s, the radio manufacturers started building units that would plug in the wall and Galvin was looking for a new product line as his power converter sales were drying up.

It was the invention of the Superheterodyne tube that made radio practical to operate on AC without the 'hum' associated with it.  That is correct most radio manufacturers started to produce AC operated units, but there was still a huge rural market for battery powered radios until well after the second world war.  Farm electrification didn't get underway until after the war, and there were still lots of farms without electricity into the 1960's.   It was when the transistor came out in 1947, and by the mid-fifties its use in portable radios brought down the cost, and bulk.  By the 1963 model year, all car radios were solid state.   I believe there is an SAE paper on this.

 

Craig

[Frank DuVal]

3 hours ago, edinmass said:

It came out in 1928.........fairly early in the year. I have one here. I bought a 1932 Pierce parts car, and it had a 1928 Cathedral big head unit in it. That was what Duesenberg installed new........

The picture is of a Philco model 20 home receiver. I know because I own one. Dad bought it new. 

 

You are describing the actual automobile receiver of the time period, which, yes, is earlier than 1930.

[Frank DuVal]

31 minutes ago, 8E45E said:

It was the invention of the Superheterodyne tube that made radio practical to operate on AC without the 'hum' associated with it.

??? This makes no sense. I built regenerative receivers while learning electronics. One tube, two tube, etc. No issue with hum. Maybe you were thinking filter capacitors? That is part of making a DC supply from AC with low ripple. And the manufacturers also used the electrodynamic speaker coil to produce magnetism while also acting as a filter choke.

[28 Chrysler]

Many battery operated "farm sets" used 3V., 6V. and 90V. batteries (the 3V. were 2 dry-cell 1 1/2V.)

I still have a 1925 Thermodyne radio to restore. It is battery powered and used a set of head phones and not a loud speaker.

[Bryan G]

Among other things, I would think any radio available in 1920 would be challenged to produce enough volume to be heard while the engine was running, let alone overcoming wind noise. 

 

Philco (Philadelphia Storage Battery) was in the same sort of position as Galvin/Motorola in that they were watching the demand for batteries and battery converters about to dry up. Good, stylish, fairly low cost sets introduced just as the depression hit, turned out to be real winner. Lots of parallels between radio and the automobile business in the depression era. Fortunes made, fortunes lost. 

[JV Puleo]

Years ago I saw a 20HP RR (about 1925) at Frank Cook's in Mass. with a two-way radio built into the dash...except it was so big that there was only room for the driver. The entire passenger side was taken up by the radio. The car had belonged to Guglielmo Marconi.

Edited April 22, 2023 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[TAKerry]

10 hours ago, Bryan G said:

Among other things, I would think any radio available in 1920 would be challenged to produce enough volume to be heard while the engine was running, let alone overcoming wind noise. 

 

Philco (Philadelphia Storage Battery) was in the same sort of position as Galvin/Motorola in that they were watching the demand for batteries and battery converters about to dry up. Good, stylish, fairly low cost sets introduced just as the depression hit, turned out to be real winner. Lots of parallels between radio and the automobile business in the depression era. Fortunes made, fortunes lost. 

Problem I have with my 77 Trans Am, LOL.

[arcticbuicks]

a model Toutfitted with a car radio......and this was the antena required,picture is 1920

Edited April 22, 2023 by arcticbuicks (see edit history)

[edinmass]

White built radio cars for WWI……..half car, half truck…….and as a backup? Carrier Pidgins were also housed in the roof…….