The E H Scott Radio Collector's Guide, 2nd.. Edition

[Joseph W Strickland]

Many thanks to Jim Clark, Kent King and Dave Poland for their efforts in researching the various models of E H Scott radios and presenting it in this nice book. I received my copy yesterday and wasted no time - I had to read it cover to cover!

It is sad that E H Scott was pushed out of control of his company after he and his wife made a trip to New Zealand. I suspect that the events that took place after he returned eventually broke his spirit and led to his death. E H Armstrong also went through a deception and betrayal and was destroyed. Two pioneers of excellence in radio suffered. We are still enjoying the benefits of their work today.

Joe

[Joseph W Strickland]

In looking through this guide, I noticed a reference to and E H Scott 'Beam of Light' feature. Can someone elaborate on this?

Joe

[Thomas Day]

The 'beam of light' feature was one of the versions of the 30 tube Philharmonic. Instead of a dial pointer, lights behind the dial indicated its position. One light for each band. 

[Joseph W Strickland]

I assume this was a moving point of light to indicate the frequency tuned to? At first I thought this was like the Philco Beam of Light phonograph pickup. Zenith offered a remote control for some of their televisions in 1955/56 and called it a Beam of Light remote control (turned out not to be practical). In more recent years I have seen tome AM/FM tuners with lighted dial pointers etc. Various manufacturers have produced innovative dials and frequency displays over the years.

[David C. Poland]

Philly dials:

The Pointer Dial was the original version dial when the Philharmonic was announced Spring 1937, and was used for more than a year. The main 6 1/2 inch white metal pointer spanned the  8 inch dial. A secondary small 1 1/4 inch pointer acted as a 1 to 100 logging scale in the center of the dial, similar to the Zenith dials of 1935 and 36. The dial graphics are screen printed on clear glass and the green color is provided by a green translucent plastic 8 inch backer.  A big, dial sized metal disk behind the green backer turns with the pointer and carries a stack of 6 panel lamps, one for each BC and SW band. The appropriate traveling lamp behind the dial pointer appears as a circle of green light on the BC or SW band selected.

Scott also produced special pointer dials for  Chicago, West Coast or East Coast  with a 7th "band" above the broadcast band containing the local station call letters. Thus, an additional 7th lamp on the stack is aligned with this 7th band, but shows through the dial only through a small circle by the call letters at that station's AM frequency. (My Pointer Philly has the Chicago dial.) The Ultra High band runs to 80 MC.

This 7th call letter band  squeezed the other bands on the top half of the dial. Last I checked, RadioDaze had repo Philly screen print dial glass for the standard, West and East coast variants, but not the Chicago version. The standard pointer dial is not a replacement for the optional dials with call letters, because the traveling lamps won't align with the dial calibration graphics. Nor are the 3 special dials interchangeable, because I believe there is a separate mask behind the 7th band unique to the local stations shown.

*

The BOL dial, without logging scale:  Dial revision November 1938.  The metal pointer and the logging pointer scale are both discontinued.  The stack of traveling lamps behind the green dial becomes the only dial indicator.  The green circle becomes a narrow green mark that both mimics the pointer and also indicates the BC or SW band selected. This BOL dial sports the new Stradivarius violin graphic in the middle of the dial where the logging scale had been. The station call letter optional "7th band" feature was also discontinued  (and I suspect was a production and replacement nightmare).

The 7 control configuration continued for some months with the BOL dial model before the change to a 9 control configuration of later Philharmonics. 

The BOL with logging scale  appears about January 1940. The logging scale reappears as a 1 1/2 inch window at the top of the dial just above the broadcast dial.  A large 0-100 disk is added behind the green dial, and passes past the window as the dial knob is turned.  The Ultra High band now only goes just past 60 Mc,  is renamed the Television and Ultra High,  sometimes in red paint while the rest of the graphics are white. The 33 tube FM version Philly is introduced August 1940 and uses the same BOL arrangement, with the FM band graphics replacing the TV Ultra High graphics.

[Joseph W Strickland]

David;

Thanks for this detailed explanation of the Philharmonic tuning dial designs that existed over the life of the product. It is an interesting variation on station tuning indication. In combination with the tuning eye tubes this green dial background must look especially nice. Has anyone taken pictures at night or in low light conditions showing the unit in operation?

Joe