| Zenith
Stratosphere Model 16-A-63, 1936. This
is the more elaborately designed cabinet of the
two 16-tube Stratospheres available for the 1936
and 1937 model years. The “Baby
Strat," as it’s called has a main chassis
(1601-C) and a power pack chassis (1601-P). The
16-A-63 features all-wave radio reception on 6
wave bands with 4 simplified dial ranges, large
multi-colored dial, shadowgraph tuning and 2 speakers.
The tube line-up includes: (3)
6K7, (1) 6A8, (1) 6H6, (1) 6F5, (5) 6F6, (1) 6C6,
(4) 5Y3. This
piece remained in the same New Jersey house for
almost 63 years before it was found. When
this set was first introduced in the 1936 model
line-up it was priced at $450.00. The
following year the price dropped to $295.00, obviously
to move unsold units. Using serial number
data from Volume 3 of the Zenith Service Manual,
it appears that there were 499 16-tube Stratosphere
chassis made for USA domestic sales and an additional
74 units made for export. There is no delineation
of cabinet style production numbers, although it
has been speculated that the production was equally
split between the 16-A-61 and 16-A-63.. Click on
all the pictures for a larger view.
ZENITH
STRATOSPHERE MODEL 16-A-63 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: In
this magnificent console,
woodworking craftsmanship reaches its highest
expression. Explicitly grained rare woods
are skillfully combined to achieve eye-arresting
color harmony in varying shades tan and brown. The
panels on either side of the sliding doors
are sliced American walnut, decorated with
an intricate festoon of inlaid marquetry. The
massive base is of polished hardwood. The
pilasters supporting the upper cabinet are
a continuation of the recessed speaker grille. The
cabinet is solid walnut and the sides sliced
walnut. A luxurious piece of furniture
by any standard.
DIMENSIONS: 43
inches high; 30 inches wide; 18 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.
Designed
to use metal tubes if desired.
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