Echophone S-4 "Bantham"

Echophone S-4 "Bantham"

1930

Bands: AM

Tube Lineup: 24, 24, 24, 27, 45, 80

The Echophone S-4 was one of the earliest radios made available in a single compact cabinet form containing both the radio chassis and speaker at an original price of $59.95. It is unique compared to many cathedrals of the era in that it uses a thumbwheel dial with a scale from 0 to 100 for tuning the AM stations. The knob below the thumbwheel was the volume control. The on/off switch is located on the back of the chassis.

By 1934, Echophone faced financial difficulties and William Halligan bought out the company primarily to acquire their RCA license for selling radios so Halligan could go on to build the Hallicrafters Company and manufacture quality ham radio equipment for another few decades.

This particular example was acquired in the May 2015 VRPS swap meet in a literal swap for another radio. The electronics had already been repaired but the cabinet was in poor condition. The front was stripped and veneer was repaired in various areas and then the wood was refinished. To achieve the signature black fade-in effect on the corners, black spray paint was lightly used on the outer edges while the inner areas were just stained wood.

Echophone S-4 "Bantham"


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