# Old Time Radios
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radios/357048
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 17, 2006, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radios/357048 "2006-05-17T00:24:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radios/357048/1 "2006-05-17T00:24:37Z")
You know that stereotypical look of old fashion radios? Did that style have a name? - Jinx
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### Author:  [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radios/357048/2 "2006-05-17T00:25:49Z")
[Cathedral radio](http://antiqueradio.org/philc08.htm)
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### Author:  [@marginal\_prophet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marginal_prophet)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radios/357048/3 "2006-05-17T00:28:58Z")
What about the ones with the giant horn on top, that looked like a Victrola?
I think those were just called Radio Sets.
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### Author:  [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radios/357048/4 "2006-05-17T00:43:39Z")
> [@marginal prophet](#):
>
> What about the ones with the giant horn on top, that looked like a Victrola?
> I think those were just called Radio Sets.
No, those were called ‘Victrola’'s
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### Author:  [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radios/357048/5 "2006-05-17T00:45:55Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#):
>
> [Cathedral radio](http://antiqueradio.org/philc08.htm)
However, a cathedral with a squared-off top is called a [tombstone](http://www.midtod.com/9710/zenithtombstone.gif). There were also longer-than-they-were-tall [table models](http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~postr/MRT/Zenit601.JPG) and great big floor model [consoles](http://www.pastperfectbiz.com/images/otheritems/radio/radio.jpg).
All the above were housed in veneered wood cabinets. Plastic radios also existed in smaller sizes. These are known by the tradenames of the plastics, such as the brown or white [Bakelite](http://www.plasticsmuseum.org/images/c-ge-radio.jpg) and [Plaskon](http://home.earthlink.net/~adamrobertg/radio/Pics/mantola.JPG), and the much-prized colored [Catalin](http://members.shaw.ca/carads/wanted/radios1.JPG).
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### Author:  [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radios/357048/6 "2006-05-17T01:21:54Z")
> [@postcards](#):
>
> No, those were called ‘Victrola’'s
Do you have a cite? Are you sure you’r enot confused with a Victorla record player? The horn (speaker) was attached directly to the needle/tone arm.
- Jinx
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### Author:  [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radios/357048/7 "2006-05-17T03:58:44Z")
> [@Jinx](#):
>
> Do you have a cite? Are you sure you’r enot confused with a Victorla record player? The horn (speaker) was attached directly to the needle/tone arm.
>
> - Jinx
I’m sure I’ve seen pictures of old radios that had big horn speakers similar to a Victrola phonograph as described above, but I don’t think they were called Victrolas. The earliest radios from the beginning of the broadcast era, required headphones; the Victrola-speaker equipped models were the first ones that didn’t.
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### Author:  [@Helix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helix)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radios/357048/8 "2006-05-17T04:23:45Z")
One of the best examples of radios that used the Victrola type horns are the Atwater-Kent “breadboards” - for an example, take a look at:
[http://www.yesterdaysradios.com/forsale/forsale19.html](http://www.yesterdaysradios.com/forsale/forsale19.html)
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radios/357048/9 "2006-05-17T12:15:31Z")
I’ve seen the styling of old-fashioned radios generally referred to as _Art Deco_; I’m not sure if it’s correct to use this term in that context, but lots of people do.
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### Author:  [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radios/357048/10 "2006-05-17T12:54:53Z")
Semi-Hijack—
There are reproduction copies of all of these.
I own 2.
[HERE’S MY PRIDE & JOY!](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006J05M/sr=1-49/qid=1147870378/ref=sr_1_49/002-8187859-2944823?%5Fencoding=UTF8&s=electronics)
Wooden speaker cabinets really do give great sound.
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### Author:  [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radios/357048/11 "2006-05-17T13:33:58Z")
To repeat and reinforce what **Spectre** said, Victrolas were the first widely available phonographs that _did **not** have the giant horn on top_.
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### Author:  [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radios/357048/12 "2006-05-17T15:47:06Z")
I have a great big floor console-type model at home (no picture, but I could take one if someone’s interested). The inner workings are totally shot, but it just looks so neat that I keep it around. Someday, I plan to gut it, buy a modern radio, and fit it into the cabinet so I have a working model. Won’t that just be the _most_?
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### Author:  [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radios/357048/13 "2006-05-17T17:42:18Z")
> [@Max Torque](#):
>
> I have a great big floor console-type model at home (no picture, but I could take one if someone’s interested). The inner workings are totally shot, but it just looks so neat that I keep it around. Someday, I plan to gut it, buy a modern radio, and fit it into the cabinet so I have a working model. Won’t that just be the _most_?
Hell no.
Restore it!
You can buy the necessary tubes online.
Once restored, it can be sold for much money. And remember-
> [@](#):
>
> Homer: Aw, twenty dollars! I wanted a peanut!
> Homer’s Brain: Twenty dollars can buy many peanuts!
> Homer: Explain how!
> Homer’s Brain: Money can be exchanged for goods and services!
> Homer: Woo-hoo!
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### Author:  [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radios/357048/14 "2006-05-17T17:46:22Z")
> [@Max Torque](#):
>
> I have a great big floor console-type model at home (no picture, but I could take one if someone’s interested). The inner workings are totally shot, but it just looks so neat that I keep it around. Someday, I plan to gut it, buy a modern radio, and fit it into the cabinet so I have a working model. Won’t that just be the _most_?
No it won’t.
Contact Jonathon Winter of the [American Museum of Radio](http://www.americanradiomuseum.org/). He can tell you how to either restore it yourself, or point you in the direction of a professional restorer.
Besides, he’s one hell of a nice guy and fun to talk to about radios.
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### Author:  [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radios/357048/15 "2006-05-17T20:31:05Z")
> [@acsenray](#):
>
> To repeat and reinforce what **Spectre** said, Victrolas were the first widely available phonographs that _did **not** have the giant horn on top_.
But RCA – back before they bought Victor and got into the Victrola business! – _did_ make something called a [Radiola](http://www.cedmagic.com/history/radiola.jpg). And early Radiolas, like a lot of other first-generation speaker equipped radios, had horns.