RETRO RECEIVER REVIEW #15
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| Click on each photo for an enlarged view |
STROMBERG CARLSON AWP-8
by Craig Seager VK2HBT
In what was a classic example of one-upmanship, several major manufacturers in the 1950s and 60s offered large “portatop” receivers in a type of suitcase arrangement, usually latchable at the front and covered in either leatherette or vinyl, and at the premium end, sometimes actual leather.
Zenith Corporation in the United States was probably the pioneer of the format, and models such as its Transoceanic 7G605 “Clipper” actually appeared as early as World War Two, with a fold-down front and sporting a woven aeroplane motif on the speaker cloth. Post-war, the iconic U.S. manufacturer followed up with the 8G005Y, and in 1949 the G500. The H500 “Super Trans Oceanic” came along in 1951 with a new look, but the brand didn’t have the styling to itself for much longer.
Rival Hallicrafters launched its Trans World model in the mid-1950s, quickly followed by RCA with the “Strato-World”. Both were pretty much “cookie-cutter” efforts that in turn prompted Zenith to bring out the H600 and subsequent variants, taking the company through until portable tube sets became completely supplanted by transistor models at the beginning of the 60’s.
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| The attractive and unique tuning display |
Meanwhile, in Rochester, NY, a recently acquired subsidiary of General Dynamics was developing a set using the same group of low voltage tubes, that would eclipse all “suitcases” that had gone before. Released in 1956, the Stromberg Carlson AWP-8, had a sexy frosted glass-look grille at the front, and beneath it, two unique Taylor weather instruments, with gold painted trim to match the control knobs. In common with others of the genre, these radios were the province of the wealthy professional or diplomat, and though portable/battery capable, I suspect that not too many people entrusted them to the salt spray of the beach or the grime of the vegetable patch!
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| The Stromberg Carlson AWP-8, a radio in a suitcase! |
Retail price in 1956 was approximately USD $180 (around $1750 adjusted by inflation to 2020), and the set came in no less than five different colours.
Alfred Stromberg and Androv Carlson were two employees of the Bell Telephone Company who put in some venture capital in order to successfully manufacture telephone equipment in Chicago. To protect itself from hostile takeover bids, the company reincorporated in New York, where it did in fact soon fall prey to the larger Home Telephone Company, later branching out into components and then consumer electronics such as radios and televisions.
Stromberg Carlson also had an Australian operation, including local manufacture of domestic mantle sets and consoles, which were highly regarded, and some of their art deco styled models have proved quite collectible.
The defence contractor General Dynamics, which took over in 1955, eventually re-focused Stromberg Carlson back into telephone equipment, but not before the AWP-8 was conceived as the company’s own version of the Trans Oceanic style in 1956, with only relatively small numbers manufactured.
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| Compliance plate with tube layout |
The AWP-8 is a superheterodyne design, and its eight-band range is switched by a robust turret arrangement. Coverage includes longwave down to 150 kHz, mediumwave, with the shortwave span topping out at 18400 kHz. There are plenty of gaps, and modern bands such as 22 metres are not catered for at all. The set can be powered by 110V AC, or alternatively battery (1.5, 9 and 90V). There is also provision for a plug-in ballast to facilitate 220V operation; handy for us in the antipodes, but in effect very hard to find. Some diligent research online will turn one up, but quite honestly, anybody with multiple U.S. sets is better off with a step-down transformer, feeding a multi-outlet adaptor.
Audio is excellent, by virtue of twin speakers, and there is also a ¼ inch headphone jack at the rear, which the operating manual helpfully suggests might be useful for listening in dormitories, barracks, schools, trains and airplanes (these things are large enough to warrant their own airplane seat, if indeed they were ever a practical cabin accessory)!
The tube line-up in the AWP-8 is 1U4 (RF), 1L6 (mixer), 1U4 (IF), 1U5 (2nd detector), 3V4 (audio) and 50A1 (regulator), some of which are now hard to obtain cost effectively, though substitutes are available.
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| Rear view – the compartment at the bottom houses optional batteries |
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| Twin speakers for room-filling sound |
In addition to external antenna and earth connections, a substantial telescopic whip is unleashed if one pushes a small button on the side of the receiver, or alternatively, there is a ferrite loop “Wave Wizard” on board, which attaches by suction cup to a nearby surface (no doubt an answer to Zenith’s “Wave Magnet”), and offers directivity.
A large world map resides under the flip-up front cover, and some helpful reception advice and meter band/frequency conversions on the smaller bottom flap. The pièce de résistance, however, is the built-in thermometer/hygrometer and barometer, which make this model so unique – even if, like my example, they no longer work. Several pages of the user manual are devoted to setting up these devices, and how to hear weather broadcasts and warnings.
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| Setting it apart – the coveted weather instruments |
I first saw the AWP-8 “in the flesh”, as it were, at a Historical Radio Society of Australia (HRSA) convention in Melbourne a few years back, but alas they are generally only obtainable here as expensive imports from the U.S. Mostly the cosmetic condition is not great, unless a significant premium is paid. Scuffed and torn leatherette is often an issue, along with corrosion and worn out capacitors. They are, however, from a period where serviceability still trumped disposability, and accordingly, electronic restoration is usually very possible.
A link to the schematic: https://bruce.edebris.com/manuals/stromberg-carlson/awp-8/
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| Location of the optional 240V ballast |
An advertising blurb of the day touted this receiver as “just about the most fascinating personal possession a man could want.” Effusive, indeed, and for some perhaps even manifestly true.
From the moment I first saw an AWP-8 on eBay, I had to have one. They are an enchanting set and perform quite well. The radio equivalent of a 1950s Cadillac!
(This article first appeared in the Jan/Feb 2016 issue of the Australian DX News)
Once again, many thanks to Craig Seager for contributing this retro review to the MEDXR blog, and helping to keep the memories of radio alive!
Missed the other Retro Reviews? Check them all out by clicking below:
Retro Receiver Review # 1 - The DANSK RX4000
Retro Receiver Review # 2 - The HITACHI KH-3800W
Retro Receiver Review # 3 - The SCHAUB LORENZ ITT TOURING T104A RECEIVER
Retro Receiver Review # 4 - The RACAL RA6790/GM
Retro Receiver Review # 5 - The REALISTIC (RADIO SHACK) DX160
Retro Receiver Review # 6 - The KENWOOD QR 666
Retro Receiver Review # 7 - The RODHE & SCHWARZ EK890
Retro Receiver Review # 8 - The YAESU FR101S
Retro Receiver Review # 9 - The SELENA VEGA B206
Retro Receiver Review # 10 - The DRAKE SPR-4
Retro Receiver Review # 11 - The NATIONAL RF-5000
Retro Receiver Review # 12 - The YAESU FRG-100
Retro Receiver Review # 13 - The MARC NR-82 F1
Retro Receiver Review # 14 - The MURPHY B40
Retro Receiver Review # 15 - The STROMBERG CARLSON AWP-8
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