HOME ENTERTAINMENT -  MODEL 'C' Set

Frequency range: 180 to 600 metres  (1666 to 500 KHz)
Circa: March 1922
Comment: The 'C' set was probably the first popular Marconi broadcast receiver in Canada..
 

cset_01_100_1091.jpg
The 'C" set consisted of (L-R) an ST1 tuner, VD1 detector and type AA1 audio amplifier. The wooden box is the battery enclosure for the dry cell  'B' battery and this case was made specifically for the 'C' set.  A six volt lead acid car battery was used to power the filaments and it was placed under the table holding the receiver. This example is held in the collection at the Hammond Radio Museum, Guelph Ontario.. 
cset_02_100_1092.jpg
Internal view of the ST1 tuner. From the factory, the  set did not come with a flip top. Hinges were added by a previous owner of the set. The tuner  contains only passive components. (Photo by Lewis Bodkin)
cset_nameplate_100_1110.jpg
The name plates on the 'C' series  have confused a lot of people.  The letters " S. E." are for the name of the Marconi owned retail store called the Scientific Experimenter.  It means  Shortwave Tuner  number One.  Type" S. T. 1 " appears on the wiring diagram, under the name " Short Wave Tuner ". This follows the earlier commercial tradition of naming the components of a receiver separately . Marconi never marketed the three components with the component names of this set. The Installing and Operating Instructions call it the Model C Receiving set, dated March 1922. In 1923 ,they began calling it the Marconi Long Range Receiver. No explanation for this  ever been found  for the letter  "C". (Photo by Lewis Bodkin)
t/cset_05_100_1233_rear.jpg
Rear view of the ST1 tuner
ST1 schematic
cset_detector_rear_100_3212.jpg
Rear view of 'the VD1 detector. It employs a Radio Valve Company (Canadian General Electric) type 200 tube. 
VD1 schematic.
se_series_namp3.jpg
Detector nameplate..VD1 probably means Valve Detector number One. (Photo by Tom Pamula)
cset_amplifier_rear_100_3215.jpg
Rear view of the AA!  audio amplifier. A pair of RVC  201 tubes were used in this audio amplifier, In October 1922, the 201 was discontinued, and replaced by the 201A .The filament of the 201A  drew 0.25 amp. at 5 volts.   The 200 and 201 drew one amp. They then recommended 201A`s for the detector and amplifier. 
AA1 audio amplifier schematic
home_ent/se_series_namp2.jpg
AA1 amplifier nameplate. AA1 probably means Audio Amplifier number )ne. (Photo by Tom Pamula)
cset_fil_batt_100_3217.jpg
Placement of the wet cell filament battery. Since radios were usually located in the living room, it must have been a bit disconcerting to the lady of the house to have battery acid so close by! The battery in the photo is a Prestolite. The company  was originally founded under the name of Electric Autolite in 1911.
On their visit to Montreal on October 2, 1922  husband Douglas Fairbanks and wife Mary Pickford visited the studio of radio station CKAC, Montreal  Here ,they are posing next to a 'C" set.  They are listening to an address of welcome from Mr. A. H. Morse of the Canadian Marconi Company. The broadcast was originating from radio station CFCF. Note the horn spearker atop the 'C" set . (From Canadian Wireless Magazine, October 1922)

CKAC La Presse received its license  on May 1922,  but it  did not transmit before September 1922.  CFCF did not exist before May 1922.

CLICK ON ANY THUMBNAIL TO ENLARGE

cset_03_100_1106_s.jpg Figure 6 shows the external connections for a complete  'C' set . Figure 7 applies to only a Detector/Amplifier configuration only. 
cset_june_1922.jpg 'C' set ad from Canadian Wireless Magazine.1922, page 16. (Provided by Daniel Labelle)  
cset_04_100_2576_s.jpg 'C" set ad from Canadian Wireless Magazine.placed by Scientific Experimenter.  
cset_amp_description_100_1105_s.jpg C" set amplifier description. 
cset_pticing_dscf4152_s.jpg C" set  pricing and components. 



Credits and References:

1) Lewis Bodkin <05bodkin555(at)gmail.com>
2) Extracts  from C set Installations and Operating Manual
3) Tom Pamula <radiokid1(at)verizon.net>
4) Daniel Labelle <dlabelle54(at)yahoo.ca>
 
 
 

Back to Home Entertainment
Apr 10/21