The Philips 2514 early mains radio

This set was intoduced in 1928 and marketed for over two years as one of a family of similarly styled models. This example of the 2514 was made in Holland and designed for use on AC mains, 40/100 Hz and 225 volts. The 2524 was the DC mains version and the 2502 was designed for battery use. The model 2511 was the upmarket version employing an additional valve and a rather jazzy case design instead of the utilitarian version that came with the others. Advertisements of the set (below) did not show any means of reproducing sound which was a bit remiss as the set was designed for use with an external speaker, neither did the first show a mains lead although this could be the battery version (in which case where are the batteries?) If one looks at the illustrations in the following pages, it is evident that the designers were obviously given the job of making the set as compact as possible. Valves are squashed in underneath the chassis and considering the amount of heat produced it is odd that there is no provision for ventilation. When one had finished an evenings listening the set would have made a nice hot water bottle.

Advertisements from Wireless World in 1928 and 1929

And now over 70 years later, below are views of my Philips 2514 showing the windows through which can be seen the scales for the aerial tuning and amplifier tuning controls. In the centre is the three position wavechange switch. Tuning ranges are 200-400; 300-700 and 600-1500 metres. The set was one of the last to have this type of tuning scale. In 1932 an agreement was reached which set out the frequency plan for European broadcast stations. After this date all new receivers carried dials marked with station names. The set was also one of the last to employ TRF or "straight" design. Superheterodyne receivers took over and offered the luxury of single knob tuning instead of the old method of fiddling with three or more controls. With the old TRF sets it was convenient to use the reaction control to set the audio volume level. When this was done it often resulted in a howling noise in neighbours receivers if they were listening to the same station as you. Depending on the design of the receiver and the type of aerial being employed, the interference could extend over a considerable area.....even measured in miles.

The centre picture shows the end of the set from which protrudes the end of its old mains lead. It also carries the volume control at the bottom and the aerial, or RF amplifier grid, tuning control which is the little knob on the right. The set may not have been designed in England as the rotation of the knob turns the dial in the logical direction. At the top left are three aerial sockets. You were given a choice of senstivity versus selectivity. Choosing the wrong one with a big aerial, as with a crystal set, would result in more than one station being received at the same time

The other end of the set has the reaction control in the centre and the detector tuning control above the twin sockets which are provided for the external loudspeaker or headphones.

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