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Model number for Freshman mini tombstone
#1

This is the radio I picked up at the car show yesterday. Looking it over, I can find no model number or identification of any kind, other than the name Freshman Products on the escutcheon. Can anyone identify this 4 tube set so I can find a schematic (or point me to a schematic online)? Thanks!

   

   

   

   

Greg V.
West Bend, WI
Member WARCI.org
#2

Cool tubes very unique, nice set.  Icon_smile

Not seen one of those.

Paul

Tubetalk1
#3

2X 35, 47, and 80??

When my pals were reading comic books
I was down in the basement in my dad's
workshop. Perusing his Sam's Photofoacts
Vol 1-50 admiring the old set and trying to
figure out what all those squiggly meant.
Circa 1966
Now I think I've got!

Terry
#4

I know the globe tube is an 80 but will have to pull the other 3 out tomorrow night and look what they are.

Greg V.
West Bend, WI
Member WARCI.org
#5

The chassis, and possibly the whole set, was manufactured by Ozarka Radio (or Belmont), according to the green plate, but they don't give the model number. The extra control above the dial does not belong there so ignore that in your search. Freshman didn't have anything to do with this set, obviously someone bought the rights to use the Freshman name, or the escutcheon came off of a later model Freshman set made after they merged with Freed-Eisemann, those sets were built in a plant in New Jersey, not Chicago which was where Ozarka was based.
Regards
Arran
#6

It's a Belmont, who mostly made sets for hardware stores, catalogs, Western Auto, department stores, Montgomery Ward, etc. Belmont used the Freshman name on a number of their radios, but I'm not sure who they were intended for, maybe catalog order or a long-gone department store chain. Wings-branded radios went to Goodyear tire shops, TrueTone went to Western Auto, Airline was Montgomery Ward (obviously).

Here's another Freshman-branded Belmont.
http://www.radiophile.com/belfm675.htm

Greg

"We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us."
#7

This is the only Belmont I could find with four tubes, one of them being an 80. Thoughts?

http://www.nostalgiaair.org/pagesbymodel...002053.pdf

Greg

"We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us."
#8

I think you came up with a winner, Greg. I just removed the tubes and, handily, the tube sockets have the tube numbers right on them. It does indeed have 80 , 47, 24, and 35/51 tubes. I agree with Arran that someone added what looks like a tone control above the escutcheon. This will, of course, be removed and the hole in the cabinet filled. Thanks to everyone for helping solve the mystery.

Greg V.
West Bend, WI
Member WARCI.org
#9

Try looking under the Ozarka models as well as Belmont, the green plate has the stylized O-R logo as an Ozarka would have.
Regards
Arran
#10

The only 4-tube Ozarkas I could find were circa 1925-26, probably too old for this model. Of course, that doesn't mean there isn't one out there I didn't see.

Greg

"We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us."
#11

It's a simple enough set that you could probably use one of the schematics you found as a guide, if it hasn't been tampered with too much underneath.
Regards
Arran
#12

I'm finding the initial schematic that Greg found http://www.nostalgiaair.org/pagesbymodel...002053.pdf is the basic layout of this set. However what I thought was a tone control added appears to be a short wave band switch. There are several extra coils under the chassis that don't belong but look like they have been there for almost as long as the radio has been around. I'm torn between recapping / new resistors and trying it as is or trying to remove all of the short wave (or could be police band?) extras and wiring it per the sch linked to above.

Greg V.
West Bend, WI
Member WARCI.org
#13

I would suspect that the extra coils are for the old police band, as you go higher in frequency w/a trf set the selectivity drops off. You don't really see very many trf sw sets most are regenerative or superhets. I have several Simplex sets that are very similar to yours electrically that are two band sets. The second band isn't calibrated or noted on the dial. These use a 58,57,47, and an 80. Simplex model N it's kinda strange in that there is an ac model that is a trf and a dc model that is a superhet.Perhaps a year or so new than your set.
http://www.nostalgiaair.org/pagesbymodel...043257.pdf

When my pals were reading comic books
I was down in the basement in my dad's
workshop. Perusing his Sam's Photofoacts
Vol 1-50 admiring the old set and trying to
figure out what all those squiggly meant.
Circa 1966
Now I think I've got!

Terry




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