| Zenith
Stratosphere Model 16-A-61, 1936. This
the entry level 16-tube Stratosphere which was
available for 1936 and 1937 model years. While
not as intricately designed as the 16-A-63, the
16-A-61 has a very bold and commanding stature. The
hand carved pilasters phenomenally frame the
concave grille area which has a pleated draped
cloth, void of any wood. When looking at
the 12-A-58 console from 1936, it is very apparent
that many styling cues were taken from the 16-A-61. Or,
was it the other way around? In fact, a
recently published guide to console radios has
the pictures of these two radios juxtaposed. Another
mystery which has been uncovered is that the
final production version of the 16-A-61 varies
from all published literature. In brochures,
you will notice that the dial and escutcheon
are smaller and the control knobs are fewer,
and laid out differently than the actual radio. All
other aspects of the cabinet remain the same. Click
on the red "See Ad Here" button to
compare the 1936 catalog picture with the photos
above. This radio has one of those "great
lucky catch" stories! A friend of
mine, also an antique radio collector, was hounded
by one of his customers (for over a year) to
look at a "big old radio" that she
wanted to be removed from her house. When
he finally arrived at her house, his jaw dropped...it
was the 16-A-61 Zenith Stratosphere! She
wanted $300 for the "hunk of junk!" I
purchased this radio from him in December 2000. He
was happy with his profit and I was extremely
happy with my purchase price. A 16-A-61
from the Midwest was recently sold to a California
collector for over $15,000! I got a very
good deal on my piece!
The
16-A-61 and 16-A-63 both use the same chassis
complement: 1601-C for the main chassis
and the 1601-P power pack chassis. The
16-A-61 has two extra swing-out "U" clamps
to fasten the chassis to the cabinet that my
16-A-63 does not have. Other features
include: 1- 12-inch Auditorium dynamic
speaker and 1- 6-inch high frequency reproducer
(Dimensional Tone), Micro-Harmonic reception,
high fidelity, Tuning range of 6 wave bands
on 4 simplified dial ranges, Black Magnavision
Dial, individual band illumination in colors,
Split-second and shadowgraph tuning, Overtone
Amplifier and Dual chassis. In 1936,
this set originally retailed for $375.00 and
was reduced to $295.00 in 1937.
ZENITH
STRATOSPHERE MODEL 16-A-61 Specifications
from the 1937 dealer catalog:
CIRCUIT: 16-tube
superheterodyne. Triple Filtering.
TUBES: 1--6K7
R.F.; 1--6A8 1st detector oscillator; 2--6K7
I.F.; 1--6H6 2nd detector and A.V.C.;
1--6F5 1st audio; 1--6F6 2nd audio; 4--6F6
output; 4--5Y3 rectifier; 1--6C5 shadowgraph.
CABINET: Matching
and combining a variety of woods in an extraordinary
example of modern design, this console model
will stand as a tribute to the owner's good
taste. Top and ends are of sliced walnut. Decorative
strips are of richly grained burl walnut,
the curved panels of Carpathian elm burl
are inlaid with imported marquetry, and the
front panels are of matched figured butt
walnut. Fluted pilasters and hand carved
columns guard the grill of draped cloth.
DIMENSIONS: 47
inches high; 28 inches wide; 16 inches deep.
SPEAKERS: 1--12-inch
auditorium dynamic; 1--6-inch high frequency
reproducer.
CONTROLS: Tuning;
Variable Selectivity; Band Switch; Tone;
Volume and Power Switch.
CONDENSER: 3-gang
(floated freely on rubber).
WAVE
BANDS: Tuning
range of 6 wave bands on 4 simplified dial
ranges covering 550-1,780 K.C.; 2,100-7,000
K.C.; 7,000-23,000 K.C.; 141-375 K.C. (545.4-168.5;
142.7-42.8; 42.8-13; 2,127.6-800 meters.)
OTHER
FEATURES: 7
1/4-inch black, glass dial with individual
band illumination in colors; Split-Second and
Shadowgraph Tuning; Dual Tuning Ratio 99:1
and 18:1; Overtone Amplifier; Dimensional Tone;
Dual Chassis; Chassis completely floated on
rubber.
Designed
to use metal tubes if desired.
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