Atwater Kent Model 649 All-Wave 9 Metal Tube Superheterodyne
Radio Service Data Sheet
November 1935 Radio-Craft

November 1935 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.

For more than a decade, I have been posting these Radio Service Data Sheets for radios and various other audio and visual electronics sets that appeared in vintage electronics magazines. This one for the Atwater Kent Model 649 all-wave, 9 metal tube, superheterodyne console radio set was published in the November 1935 issue of Radio Craft magazine. "All-Wave" radios were popular at the time because they provided access to shortwave bands so listeners could tune in foreign broadband stations - often with the rudimentary built-in antenna. Short wave listening was actually a worldwide sport that had its own cadre of enthusiastic participants, including a dedicated magazine entitled Short Wave Listener. Tuning into the audio portion of television broadcasts was a big deal as well. Although not as popular today, there are still a few adherents remaining.

Atwater Kent Model 649 All-Wave 9 Metal Tube Superhet. Set

The airplane dial of this set changes illumination as the bands are shifted. Both halves are lighted on the broadcast band. the upper half on the S.-W. band, and the lower half on the police band. The tuning ratio is 60-to-1 on the high position. The selectivity control makes possible true high-fidelity when in the low selectivity position. In addition, a 4-position tone control is used. Correct tuning is shown. by observing the shadow tuning meter, which is operated by the plate current of V2 and V3. The set draws 120 W. from the line. The range switch has 3 sections, each of which changes 3 separate circuits.