VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Radios, Tools, Accessories 1950's radio tool?

While doing my daily check on Ebay I came across this device. Supposed to be some type of tool for servicing radios. Does anyone have an idea what it's used for or how to use it?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1872331167
Thanks in advance, Bill

Initially, Chevrolet thought that the line mechanics would be the source of the repair and installation work on the many radios they sold. Special schools were set up in various areas and line mechanics sent to these schools for training in radio repair. About 1936 all GM branches were equipped with a United Motors Radio Test Panel. This panel contained all the instruments necessary to repair all GM radios. With this panel came instructions on repairing any radio. After full production of automobiles was resumed after the war it became obvious this was not the solution. In 1949 Chevrolet required every agency to obtain the latest test equipment. This consisted of a Signal Generator, Tube Tester and Volt-Ohm Milliammeter. Also included was a book: Merchandising and Maintenance of Genuine Chevrolet Radios. Included in this book were schematics for every Chevrolet radio from 1932 through 1949. The three instruments were labeled BOES Sustained Accuracy. However, several of these instruments actually contained the Chevrolet Bow tie. (I have a complete set so labeled). Now it was assumed by Chevrolet every agency could complete all repair and installation of their car radios. In actual practice these ”˜kits’ were in fact given to local radio shops which became the outsource of the agencies repair activity. (The radio shop where I worked in those days received the ”˜kit’ from our local dealer. As the youngest and most flexible technician in our shop I became the car radio expert). Sometime in 1950 the device you see listed on eBay along with a larger tube tester were made available to the agencies. Repair instructions at that time became yearly stand-alone publications geared directly to these special pieces of test equipment.

That is quite an interesting piece of history that you related. Did that box shown on Ebay have a voltmeter, RF injection ? I guess management kind of got it wrong on their expectations with that one.

I thought it might be interesting to see pictures of the Chevrolet equipment used to repair the very early car radios. As mentioned in an earlier post some of these test instruments had the BOES logo on them. All these instruments have the Chevrolet logo. Everything shown is from my collection, which also includes some 550 Chevrolet car radios from 1931 through 1964.



This is the UMS (United Motors Service) Radio Test Panel. From left to right it includes a frequency generator, voltage/ohm test unit, and a speaker test unit. At the lower left and lower right is located the power supply connections for the test radios. Two repairmen could work on radios at one time. The test panel comes complete with an instruction book and a wiring harness to fit each radio in the GM family from 1931 through 1936. The instruments are operated by 120 V/AC, however a wet cell battery supplied the radio power. This unit was provided in 1936.



These three instruments were the “set” that was provided to Chevrolet dealers in the late 40’s. From the left are a Signal Generator, a Tube Tester, and a VOA Meter (Volt, Ohm, and Amp). As noted earlier this set sports the Chevrolet logo. These instruments were powered by 120 V/AC. Not carrying the Chevrolet logo, but included in the set, was a Mallory Power Supply for the radios and a Mallory Vibrator Tester.



Added to the equipment already furnished are these two pieces of test equipment. On the left is a Signal Tracer/Speaker Unit and on the right is a Tube Tester. The Signal Tracer was added based on convince of such a tester. The tube tester was added because of the increase from 6-volt tubes used originally, to the 12-volt tubes that were used in the car radios starting in 1955.



This is the Merchandising and Maintenance of Genuine Chevrolet Radios book that contained 6 sections: 1-Price List, 2-Parts Catalog, 3-Service Bulletins, 4-Installation and Service Flashes, 5-Test Equipment, and 6-Warranty and Policies. This book was added to each year by the issuance of the necessary bulletins for the new radios introduced. At any time the book would include all information to service any Chevrolet radio from 1932 to the current year. This method was discontinued in 1949 and in 1950 a stand-alone-book was issued each year that covered all radios produced that year. In these books specific instructions were included that were tied to the three instruments shown previously.

N E A T !

What a fantastic display and explanation of some very rare equipment. Would it be possible to post larger pictures ? It would be great to see some of your old radios, the older the better.

Hey guys,

There should be no problem with the pictures now. The problem has been solved.

It there is no objection, in the next 24 hours I will remove several of the posts in this string that are in reference to the pictures. That should make the string more readable.

Antique Mechanic,
Thankyou for the repost, that is awesome!

I now have another question:
When I have worked on old plugin type radios, they always had a license sticker on the back indicating that in those days, you got dinged for a fee just to own a radio. Did they do this with trucks and cars too ?

Hi old216,

If you have access to the older G&Ds, go back to about 1985 and every month for 5 years or so I wrote an article on a Chevrolet car radio. Each article was complete with several pictures of the radios.

I am not aware of any license stickers that you speak of. In any case they were not on the car radios.

Antique Mechanic,
thanks for your reply. What publication are you referring to because there may be a reference library that I can go to. It sounds like I really missed out on a great series. I guess the licenses that I am referring to must have been a Canadian thing. They used to have a cryptic note about requiring a license to operate the radio! If I can find one, I will send you a copy.

Ray, What change did you make to make the images appear as we would expect them ?

old216,
Referance the radios you are refering to, were they transmitters/ receivers, or just recievers?
I would understand needing a license to operate a transmitter, but needing a license to use a receiver doesn't make sense to me. Of course as you said, it may have been a Canadian thing.

Dan.

K1dan,
this was just for an ordinary receiver. I will try and see if I have one and post it. Again, it sounds like it was just a Canadian thing.

MrMack,

We discovered that you only get what you paid for. I had attempted to use a FREE method of posting pictures. It appears that the service had it programmed so that you had to access their site first, for the commercials I assume, before the picture would appear, if at all. Have returned to my original method of posting pictures and don't anticipate any more problems.

Ray, That has been my experiance posting images also, the free photo site at MSN is a good example, Even tho I pay a monthly fee for their Internet connection the images don't transfer, the one consistant place I have found is ebay, their images usually work fine. The way that your first postings here worked were kinda spooky, first the square with the red x then when I went to the URL found in the properties and returned they were visable. It may be a good thing that images are not easyly posted, we would soon run out of storage space.

Hi old216,

It appears that I overlooked your comment about the G&D, which is the Generator and Distributor. This is the monthly member magazine published by the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America. Since you are not familiar with it I assume you are not a member of the VCCA. It is highly recommended that you go to http://vcca.org/ and download a membership application. The monthly magazine is worth the price of admission alone.

Unless you know someone in your area, who was a member back in '85-90, it would be difficult to find those old copies that my articles were in.

old216,If your in no hurry I will make copys of the articles Ray is refering to and send them to you.They were a real piece of work and have refered to them many times....also ,yes join the VCCA ,I'm sure you wll enjoy the benefits.

Antique Mechanic,
thankyou and I will do that! I am finding all this information fascinating. I did some television and radio repair in the sixties as a hobby. I also did the usual engine work that young males got into in those days! Now that I have some time, I am really enjoying getting back into both aspects of the hobby.

Chev Nut,
thankyou, that would be great. I will send you my address.

Hi Chev Nut,

I have observed vendors at several swap meets that have copied ALL of the articles I wrote in the G&D '85-'90 on Chevrolet car radios. They have them in bound folders and if they have a radio for sale they sometimes refer to the article that I wrote as proof of the year of the radio.

Have considered featuring a radio or device here in the Chevy Chat occasionally. As time (HA!) is available I will give it a shot.