Shallow upright cabinet, walnut
veneered. The front is decorated with a glass panel,
with shows four etched swallows and the planet Earth.
The panel can be illuminated by a 220 V, 15 W bulb that
can be switched on and off, using a switch in the side
of the radio.
The big glass
station scale is illuminated from above by a scale lamp. The pointer is made
of metal.
The radio has a number of controls in
the sides. On the right hand side, the tuning knob and the wave
length switch can be found. On the left, tone control,
on/off/volume and the switch for the illumination of the
glass panel. Sockets for antenna and earth
can be found at the back of the radio.
The radio is part of the "Diamant" series
(the 46B "Kristal"
and the "Robijn"
are also part of this series). Frequencies: short wave (16,5-51 meters), medium wave
(200-575 meters) and long wave (750-1910 meters).
Voltages: 125 and 220 AC/DC.
The design of the radio reflects the optimistic
attitude that existed shortly after World War II. The
swallows and the earth globe symbolise peace and hope.
The
post-war shortages can be seen in the materials used.
The wood used in some segments is recycled wood from
crates and boxes. The radio is sometimes called "Tulip",
because of its shape.
The first model
appeared in 1946 and had three swallows and a small half
moon etched on the glass panel (picture right). The model shown
above was made in 1947 and is different in a number of
details. For swallows instead of three, the station
scale has brass rims, the loudspeaker is bigger (19 cm
instead of 17 cm). The shape of the cabinet is also
different: rounded edges below and straight sides at the
top of the side panels. In this later model the round Waldorp medallion is replaced by the name "Waldorp"
above the station scale.
The original price was f
370,-
The cabinet was restored by furniture
restorer Ruben Spelbos, Utrecht.
Listen to "Midnight Song"
by the AVRO Dance Orchestra "The Skymasters",
leader Pi Scheffer,
recorded in 1947.
Back
The
cabinet houses a Philips 209U chassis. It
uses the "four-tube" system conceived in 1941.
Waldorp added a tone control unit, seen on the right
and a separate antenna/earth connection on the left of
the chassis. The black lamp is used in series with the
lamp used to illuminate the glass panel.
The Philips
9696-05 loudspeaker
(19 cm, ohms) with tilted sound diffuser
is visible below. In earlier
models the smaller 17 cm Philips 9678 loudspeaker was
used.
Station scale
The
Waldorp 46A by night
The station scale has a brass rim in
the 1947 version of the radio. The scale is illuminated by a
scale lamp, situated above the scale. Below on the scale,
four small elephants carrying the Waldorp logo and a
howdah (elephant chair) are
visible as well as the text "Waldorp Diamant Serie".
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