Got Scott

[William Abbott]

     Hi Folks:  I got the tuner part of a 1940 Philharmonic in 1992.  I got some paperwork too, had to make a power supply (including -150 volts) but I got it going.  I am still an active SWL, haven't used the Phil since 1993, but reviewing my log I see that I DXed the AM band and logged a station almost every 10Kc.  Of course that's an exaggeration but I got about half of them.  With a 60 foot long wire, here in the densely populated East.  I remember well my DX record, one night I tuned in 850 AM and waited and after about half an hour KOA Denver floated in and stayed for 15 minutes.  I DX the AM band a lot, it's getting tougher with local interference.  I don't use the Scott anymore, it's been getting dusty for 18 years.  It was the top performing radio I can remember having.  A little inconvenient for size, weight, and needing my clumsy power supply and an outboard audio amp.  I have some printed material too: (copied),  a history of E.H. Scott , with a bunch of photos; some Scott advertising pamphlets, one is dated 1942, glossy, surprises me because other Scott publications implied in 1940-41 that due to defense department needs, they couldn't make radios for the public.  Some of the copied stuff is from Scott Transformer Co. radios of the 20's.  As a tech/engineer type, I have always scoffed at the claims of the advertising, and the Scott ads are fun because they are such B.S.!  But the radios were excellent - at least mine has been.  

     It's time to sell it, let somebody else get some good out of it.  It's just the main chassis, with finished front wood rectangle, AM-FM,  light bulb dial indicators, all the knobs, glass not cracked.  I have no idea if the FM works.  It seems to have a hot spot on the RF gain control when it's about 1/4 turn up, but actually it's kind of handy having screaming high gain in the RF sometimes.  Whaddya think it's worth?  Anybody interested?  If I could figure out how to work this new-fangled computer I would send you the printed stuff.  Lemme know.

[Norman S Braithwaite]

The value will depend to a very great extent on the condition of the chrome.  It could be worth as little as $100 or as much as around $750.  Scott's DX reception and selectivity claims in the 1920s were backed up by reception reports.  They were not falsified.