| With
black plastic cabinet (top picture),
wite plastic cabinet (lower picture) and gold coloured
front.
At the top is an
on/off/volume knob;
the tuning knob is on the right.
An additional antenna connection is arranged on the upper side
of the cabinet, on the left is a
connection for an earplug. |
 |
|
The little radio was
launched in 1957 and was made until
1965. The radio was very successful at
that time and was of pretty good
quality.
It takes its name from the brightest star in the constellation
of Virgo. |
|
Transistors in the black radio: |
|
Hitachi
2SA84, 2SA13 (2x), 2SB76, 2SB78 (2x) and
the germanium diode 1N34A |
|
Transistors in the white
radio: |
|
Hitachi 2SA15, 2SA12
(2x), 2SB75, 2SB77 (2x) and the
germanium diode 1S80. |
|
It uses 4 1.5 volt
penlight batteries. |
|
The radio receives medium wave only.
The two red triangles behind the transparent
tuning knob recall the period of the
Cold War. They mark the wavelengths of
US radio stations that would be used to
inform the people in case of a Russian
atomic atack.
(Listen to a Conelrad test broadcast
from the 1950s
here). The frequencies 640 and 1240 kHz were
specially designated for this purpose by
the
United States Civil Defence
Administration in the
period 1953-1963.
|
|
The receiver was made in
a number of colours.
Variants are the vertical 608, the Spica Super 7
with 7 transistors
and models with type names like "Holiday", "Spiket DeLuxe"
and "Impala". |
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