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Atwater Kent Mfg. Co.; Philadelphia, USA

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Name: Atwater Kent Mfg. Co.; Philadelphia, USA    (USA)  
Abbreviation: atwater
Products: Model types Tube manufacturer
Summary:

Atwater Kent Mfg. Co.; 4939 Stenton Ave., Philadelphia, USA.

Founded: 1919
Closed: 1936
Production: 1922 - 1936
Documents about this manufacturer/brand
  General Pages, scanned and prepared with OCR recognition by Mike Meek and Joe Souza, USA. 4602 KB
History:
Already in 1895 Arthur Atwater Kent founded the Kent Electric Manufacturing Co. in the back room of his fathers machine shop. He designed, made, and sold small electric motors and fans.
In 1902 the Atwater Kent Mfg. Works were founded in Philadelphia, which later (1919) became the Atwater Kent Manufacturing Company.
Having invented the Unisparker, an improved ignition system which gave a single hot spark at once, Atwater Kent received in 1914 the John Scott Legacy medal. The Unisparker consisted of contact points, centrifugal advancing mechanism, distributor, and condenser in a single unit, to work with a spark coil. This system was used for more than half a century, until electronic ignition took over.
In 1919 Atwater Kent had already 25 U.S. patents (he eventually held 93). In 1921 he started to engage in radio, and the following year 1922 saw him advertising for Radio parts and units, and end of 1922 he offered the first breadboards, the 39xx types.
Atwater Kent became the leading radio manufacturer. The production figures are impressive: from 1923 to 1927 not less than 1,317,766 sets have been produced.
In 1936 Arthur Atwater Kent, being fed up from struggling cheap competition and unions, closed down the factory.
Being rich enough, he retired to Hollywood and enjoyed to live among movie stars and high society. He died in 1949. Ref.: A.Douglas, Radio Manufacturers of the 1920's, vol.1
After quitting radio making in 1936 he ran a real-estate business in Florida, then moved to Bel-Air in the Los Angeles area.
He built on top of the highest hill in L.A. "Cappo di Monti"(=Mountains head), a palace-like mansion in Italian style with 32 rooms.
Famous as Mr.Host he ran extravagant parties, with a regular guest list of over 800 people. He invited scores of Hollywood luminaries, and he would frequently dress as the "Mad Hatter" (Alice in Wonderland) while he fed them choice wine and foods. He would mingle with the guests for a few hours and then go to bed while the party went on. He never dined with his guests - he was a vegetarian.

Ref.: "A.Atwater Kent, The Man, the Manufacturer and his Radios", by Ralph Williams and John P.Wolkonowicz.


Some models:
Country Year Name 1st Tube Notes
USA  31 74    
USA  32 480 58  4 bands: BC, Police, 2xSW; 
USA  31 84D 84-D 36 
USA  34 206 58  Type 2 changed some parts values. No Riders schematic  for this type. 80 watts based on... 
USA  33 96 Tonebeam Chassis 35  Used in Highboy or Lowboy consoles. Tonebeam = Neon tuning indicator. Riders includes four... 
USA  35 625Q 1C6  Farm Radio; 
USA  34 559-N Ch= 559 58  bands: BC / Police / 2xSW; 
USA  31 Compact   [3331428B] 
USA  32/33 137 European Compact 58  Export model. Model 137 also available as Console (33 GBP), radiogram (48 GBP)and radiogr... 
USA  34 667D 78  modern style console on a runner base and feet; 
USA  32 469Q Lowboy, 469Q 58  This page is for Photos where the chassis type is not known. Stretcher base; Choice of cha... 
USA  33/34 510 Ch= 10 58  The Atwater-Kent model 310 and 510 (modern form) share the same schematic and chassis numb... 

[rmxhdet-en]

Further details for this manufacturer by the members (rmfiorg):

Firmen-Logo: Atwater Kent, USA.tbn_us_atwater_firmenlogo_33pct.jpg
tbn_ak.jpg
tbn_usa_atwaterkent_ad_front.jpg
tbn_usa_atwaterkent_ad1_front.jpg
tbn_usa_atwaterkent_ad2_front.jpg
tbn_us_atwater_kent_radio.jpg
Atwater-Kent, full page add in "Radio Retailing, July 1932, page 41 for the new models with the "Tonebeam" tuning help.tbn_atwater_kent_year1932_4colors.png
Atwater Kent Corner in Radiomuseum Bellinghamtbn_usa_atwater_kent_collection.jpg
Adverttbn_us_atwaterkent_screengrid_advert.jpg
Frank Aiken & Atwater Kent.tbn_atwater_kent_13.jpg
Atwater Kent im Test Labor.tbn_atwater_kent_1.jpg
tbn_atwater_kent_firma.jpg
tbn_atwater_kent_manufacturing.jpg
to see in American Museum of Radio and Electricity, Bellingham.tbn_usa_atwater_kent_breadboard.jpg
Atwater Kent Radio - 1925 adtbn_us_atwater_kent_1925ad.jpg
Werbung aus 1929tbn_usa_atwater_kent_1929.jpg
Vintage Adtbn_usa_atwater_kent_ad.jpg
Radio Broadcast, Dec. 1925, p. 221tbn_usa_atwater_kent.jpg
Scanned from the Atwater Kent Folder No. 920 for 1930.tbn_atwaterkent_folder_1930_p1.jpg
Scanned from the Atwater Kent Folder No. 920 for 1930.tbn_atwaterkent_folder_1930_p2.jpg
Scanned from the Atwater Kent Folder No. 421 for 1935.tbn_atwaterkent_folder_1935_p1.jpg
Scanned from the Atwater Kent Folder No. 421 for 1935.tbn_atwaterkent_folder_1935_p2.jpg
Scanned from the Atwater Kent Folder No. 103, 7-1931.tbn_atwaterkent_folder103_1931_p1.jpg
Scanned from the Atwater Kent Folder No. 103, 7-1931.tbn_atwaterkent_folder103_1931_p2.jpg
Atwater Kent - advertisement for models 20, 30, 32, 35tbn_us_atwater_35_30_20_32.jpg
Radio Broadcast, Apr. 1926, p. 707tbn_usa_atwater_kent_2.jpg
Ebay Item number: 300878985110 - June 1925 magazine advertisementtbn_usa_atwaterkent_20d_4920_june1925ad.jpg
tbn_usa_atwaterkent_brochure1924.jpg
Australian advertisment for Atwater Kent Radios for sale buy wholesale distributors A.G.Healing Ltd. From "Wireless Weekly" 29 July, 1927.tbn_us_atwater_kent_ad_australia.jpg
tbn_usa_atwater_kent_am_tuner_tc32_anno1963.jpg
tbn_usa_atwaterkent_print_ad.jpg
tbn_usa_atwaterkent_print_prom.jpg
tbn_usa_atwater_kent_screengrid_print_ad.jpg
Worthpoint phototbn_atwater_kent_shipping_box.jpg
Worthpoint phototbn_atwater_kent_power_supply_1.jpg
Worthpoint phototbn_atwater_kent_power_supply_2.jpg
Model brochure 1928, 29 pages.tbn_atwater_kent_advertisement.jpg
tbn_usa_atwater_kent_print_ad.jpg

Forum contributions about this manufacturer/brand
Atwater Kent Mfg. Co.; Philadelphia, USA
Threads: 2 | Posts: 2
Hits: 2682     Replies: 0
Ein kurzer Streifzug durch die Entwicklung der AK Breadboard
Reinhard Bittner
07.Apr.04
  1 Atwater Kent ist bekannt für seine Breadboard-Radios aus den frühen 1920ern. Das erste AK Modell war das Modell 1 Typennummer 3925 und wurde 1922 auf den Markt gebracht. Es folgte das Modell 2 (Typ 3945), dann der Typ 3975 (keine "Modellnummer"), schließlich das erste AK 5-Röhrengerät, der Typ 4066. Inwischen schreiben wir das Jahr 1923 (Frühjahr). 9 Monate später kam das Modell 5 und nahezu parallel dazu das Modell 8 (3955) heraus. Bis dahin hatten alle AK Breadboards Variometerabstimmung. Etwa zur gleichen Zeit kam das Modell 10 heraus, das erste AK Modell mit Kondensatorabstimung. Vom Modell 10 gab es 4 Varianten, Modell 10, 10A, 10B und 10C, wobei letztere "Nachfolger" des 10 sind und aus 1924 stammen. Kurz nach dem Modell 5 (also noch 1923) gab es ein Modell 9 und davon eine Variante, den Typ 4445, beide mit Variometerabstimmung. 1924 folgte (neben den Varianten des Modells 10) ein Modell 9C (Typ 4660) mit Kondensatorabstimmung und etwa parallel das Modell 12 mit 6 Röhren. Damit endete die AK Breadboardlinie.
Der Typ 5 gilt als das seltenste AK Breadboard, die Typen 10 (inklusive Varianten) sind die häufigsten und auch in Europa in erklecklichen Stückzahlen anzutreffen. Die Zwischentypen sind in Europa kaum zu finden und ein Fall für Spezialisten. Modell 10x Breadboards sind de facto kontinuierlich über ebay.com ersteigerbar, es vergeht kein Monat, in dem nicht eines angeboten würde.

Grüße

Reinhard

(Quellen: Alan Douglas, Band 1; www.sparkmuseum.com -> ein Besuch lohnt sich!)
 
Hits: 3252     Replies: 0
Atwater Kent
Konrad Birkner † 12.08.2014
22.Feb.04
  1

A-K´s erste Firma geht auf das Jahr 1895 zurück. Er war ein außerordentlich erfolgreicher Erfinder. Das begann 1905, als er die prinzipielle Hochspannungszündung für Automotoren (mit Unterbrecher und Zündspule) erfand, den Unisparker. 1919 hatte er bereits 25 Patente (im Lauf seines Lebens brachte er es auf 93!) und er formte die Atwater Kent Manufacturing Company 1919 als Aktiengesellschaft, mit einem Personalstand von 125 Arbeitern.

 Im Juni 1922 begann er Variometer, NF-Trafos, Detektor-/Audion- und Verstärkermodule anzubieten. Bald folgten die sogenannten Breadboards. Die Firma wurde zum größten Radiohersteller: Allein von 1923 bis 1927 wurden 1.317.766 Geräte gefertigt.

 1936 war Arthur Atwater Kent die billige Konkurrenz und den wachsenden Gewerkschaftseinfluß satt und er schloß die Firma, um die restlichen 13 Jahre seines Lebens in Hollywoods Gesellschaft zu genießen.

Quelle: (287)Erb

 
Atwater Kent Mfg. Co.; Philadelphia, USA
End of forum contributions about this manufacturer/brand

  

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