1934 Grunow Model 902 - A 9 Tube Console Radio with Si-Lec-Trol Tuning

Grunow Model 902
1934

Virtual Tour

Company History § The World of 1934 § Radio in 1934 § Schematic § Links § Advertisements § More Pictures

Cabinet Style: Console
Tube Count: 9
Circuit Type: Superheterodyne
Power: AC w/ transformer
Bands: Broadcast, Police
Tubes: (3) 78, 37, 85, 6B7, (2) 45, 80
Speaker: 12" Dynamic
Original Cost: ?

About the radio: This is a 9 tube superheterodyne console radio with broadcast and police bands and an interesting feature Grunow called “Si-lec-trol”.

grunow902-silectrol2.jpg (24736 bytes)
"The Saturday Evening Post" 10/21/1933

As the broadcast band filled with more and more stations, radio manufacturers looked for ways to simplify the tuning process. The "Si-lec-trol" tuning (Silent-select-control?) system (used exclusively by Grunow) is actually a station blanking circuit.

To set up your Si-lec-trol system:
1. With the band switch in the broadcast position, tune a favorite station.
2. From the back of the radio, use a screwdriver to adjust one of the tuning "fingers" on the back of the tuning capacitor to coincide with a contact point.
3. Remove the access cover from the front of the dial escutcheon and insert a station identification tab.
4. Repeat for up to 9 additional favorites.

To use Si-Lec-Trol tuning:
1. Set the bandswitch to the center position. This illuminates the lower half of the dial in which station identifiers have been placed and also activates the tuning fingers.
2. Rotate the tuning dial until a favorite station is displayed.
The radio will be silent until a preset "finger" aligns with a contact

Normal tuning is done with the bandswitch in the rightmost position which bypasses the Si-Lec-Trol "fingers".
To listen to police calls, the bandswitch knob is pulled out and rotated to the left.

Company History

William C. Grunow (1893-1951), along with Bertram Grigsby and William Hinds, formed the Grigsby-Grunow company in 1921 making auto accessories. In 1924 they began making horn speakers (marketed under the "GGH" trade name). In 1925 they marketed battery eliminator's under the name "Majestic". Radio production began in 1928 and they added tube production in 1929. William Grunow left the company in 1931 and formed the General Household Utilities corporation marketing radios under the "Grunow" name. The company ceased radio production in 1937 after which Grunow moved to Wisconsin and started a poultry farm named "Val-Lo-Will Farms" after his three children: Valerie, Lois, and William.

~~~~~~~~~~ Radio Almanac ~~~~~~~~~~

The World Of 1934

Radio in 1934

· President:Franklin D. Roosevelt
· Population: 126,373,773
· Cost of a first class stamp: $0.03
· Unemployment: 22.0%

Headlines

· Hitler becomes Führer.
· Dionne sisters, first quintuplets to survive beyond infancy, born in Canada.
· Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker killed.
· John Dillinger is shot outside Chicago movie theater.
· Dust storms ruin millions of acres of cropland in Kansas, Texas, Colorado, and Oklahoma.

Oscars:

· Outstanding Production: "It Happened One Night"
· Best Actor: Clark Gable, "It Happened One Night"
· Best Actress: Claudette Colbert, "It Happened One Night"

World Series:

· St. Louis Cardinals d. Detroit (4 - 3)

--------------------------------
Historical Data From InfoPlease.com

What's New In Radio

· "The Aldrich Family " premiers on NBC radio
· "A Christmas Carol" with Lionel Barrymore is 1st broadcast.
· First radio network show to originate from Hollywood is Hollywood Hotel on CBS
· WLW increases to a half million Watts of power.
· The FCC is created by congress to replace the Federal Radio Commission (1927).
· An interesting article: Radio in 1934

Listening to the Radio in 1934

Top 10 Radio Shows in 1934
(CAB ratings*)

1. Chase & Sanborn Hour ( Eddie Cantor )
2. Maxwell House Show Boat (variety)
3. Fleischmann Hour ( Rudy Vallee , variety)
4. Bakers' Broadcast ( Joe Penner )
5. Texaco Fire Chief Program ( Ed Wynn )
6. Lowell Thomas (news)
7. Amos 'n' Andy (serial)
8. White Owl Program (Burns & Allen, Guy Lombardo)
9. Kraft Program (Paul Whiteman Orchestra., Al Jolson)
10. First Nighter Program (dramatic anthology

(*The Cooperative Analysis of Broadcasting rated radio program popularity from 1929 through 1935)

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Top Ten Shows from "A Thirty Year History of Radio Programs 1926-1956" by Harrison B. Summers

Grunow Links

Radio Attic's Grunow Picture Page
Any other Grunow Links? Please Email Me !

From a 1934 Sales Brochure

Grunow Brochure 1
Grunow Brochure 2

Other models pictured in the brochure:
Table: 450 "Minuet", 550, 650 "Classic", 750 "World Cruiser"
Consoles: 651, 751, 752, 1101

If you have an advertisement for this radio, Please email me!

Chassis

Grunow Chassis Front

Rear View
Showing the "Si-Lec-Trol" tuning fingers on the back of the tuner

Grunow Chassis Rear