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December 1947 Radio-Craft
 [Table
of Contents]
Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics.
See articles from Radio-Craft,
published 1929 - 1953. All copyrights are hereby acknowledged.
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 This Air-King Radio-Camera Model A410 might be the world's first
production camera-phone. The primary purpose for developing the unit could have been for wartime field
correspondents or forward reconnaissance. I found two examples on the Internet. The one with the reddish-brown
case is from the EarlyPhotography.org
website; it appears to be more for personal or commercial use. The on
RadioMuseum.org is an
green color that would have been best for military use. A schematic is posted on the RadioMuseum.org
page.
New Portable Radio Takes Pictures
 A new development in portable radios is this combination of
a radio. and a small camera, making a single unit interesting to amateur photographers and radio enthusiasts
alike.
 Known as the Air-King Radio-Camera Model A410, it is a superheterodyne
radio with a 1R5, 1T4, 1S5 and 3Q4 as tube complement. Batteries are a 67 1/2-volt B and two 1 1/2-volt
flashlight cells, No.2 size.
The camera occupies the top 2 1/2 inches of the 9 1/2-inch case (which is 4 7/8 inches wide and 3
5/8 inches deep). It is of the common miniature box type, using No. 828 film (picture size roughly 1
x 1 1/2 inch). A 50-mm fixed-focus meniscus lens is used, with a single stop and provision for both
time and instantaneous exposures. The view-finder is direct, mounted on top of the case, with the film-winding
knob beside it.
  The
loop is so mounted in the lid that it does not depend on the hinges for contact. One heavy lead soldered
to a contact in the middle of the door acts to prevent it from swinging too widely open. The other,
a wiping contact, "makes" when the door is closed.
Volume, quality and sensitivity appear to be average or above the average for this type of receiver,
and the workmanship on the radio is excellent. Total weight of the radio-camera is less than 4 pounds,
with batteries.
Posted March 27, 2017
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