Time Capsule Radio--RCA BP10 Personal Radio

[batterymaker]

I've had many of these little RCA radios come and go in my collection, but this one's a keeper. This is one of the first "personal" radios, smallest that anyone could build at the time. It's also one of the first to use miniature tubes.

Here's what arrived in the mail:

Original 1940 vintage box.

Original 1940 vintage Minimax 467 B battery--one of the first ever made.

Original instruction sheet.

And one barely used BP-10, built on August 10, 1940. Aside from some leatherette wear here and there, the set's near new.

Only major flaw--the 467 was still inside the set, and the positive clip has some verdigris on it.

Never have seen one this complete, and probably never will again!

 

[63getelevision]

I have that radio in storage! Fantastic find, Batterymaker! I thought of it before I saw the picture!

 

[bundtboy]

working

That's a very cool radio. I don't think I've ever seen one like it and had no idea RCA had such a thing so early. It looks like very advanced styling for 1940.

Will you be able to get it working again?

B

 

[tolivac]

Very nice portable battery radio-the tubed battery radios are interesting-and effective!Just hope the old style "B" batteries are still available!Years and years ago someone gave me a battery tube radio-had to build a power supply to run it.It was in a bright red plastic cabinet-got lost in a flood.Worked great for DXing.

 

[batterymaker]

Not aiming to restore this one--I want to leave it as is.

They're not hard to restore--just replace the electrolytic and paper caps. They fire right up, provided the output transformer's not open.

You can still get batteries for this set--but I prefer to roll my own, as it's my sideline...

Like these:

 

[tomturbomatic]

What a beautiful radio. The front looks 20 years newer in styling. Congratulations. Tom

 

[fa_f3_20]

Styling

When I saw the first photo, I assumed it was a model from the '60s!