Lafayette Radio Catalog 1930 - Wholesale Radio Service Co.

Overview

Klick here for "all" Lafayette models.
Use the "Advanced search" for limiting by years - to get the later models.

Lafayette is known as a mail-order catalog business with sales outlets in different cities.See company description and the text about these catalogs.

See also the next main catalog, the Lafayette Radio Catalog 1931 without number (for the season 1930/31) and the main catalog before - if there was one. At the moment we have not seen one for before.

Lafayette Radio Catalog 1930
for season 1929/30.

At the moment this is the only catalog I know with a person named.
On the first page after the cover page there is a picture of J. W. Shortland, Mgr.:

Since I have no earlier catalog from Wholesale Radio Service Co., Inc. I can not tell if this is really the first time a person is featured or named - at least it is the last time. This opens very much room for speculations ...
Since I live in Switzerland, I have no chance to check any register in New York to find out more about early Lafayette members etc. If a member or guest knows more or can find out for us I would be very glad to receive a contact form. Thank you.

The "top" Lafayette model in this season
Both, "Radios Collector's Guide 1921-1932" (McMahon) and Rider's Perpetual volume 1 show this model under "Wholesale" instead of "Lafayette". See also "Duo Symphonic 1931" with dual volume control (antenna and AF stage) and "Great Duo Symphonic". According to McMahon, the Duo Symphonics have one untuned RF circuit and 3 tuned RF circuits - but Rider's shows clearly that it has 4 tuned circuits (4 gang tuning condenser) and two stages AF with push-pull output. CX tubes are from Cunningham. Detector tube is the only screen grid tube C324 or a 224.

The Lafayette Duo Symphonic is in fact using the Wells-Gardner & Co chassis model C or CG, first type.
You see this clearly by comparing the Rider's schematic Wells-Gard. page 1-1 and 1-2 (see versions) with the schematic "Wholesale" page 1-2. It is the "Old Type" schematic. It can also have Cunningham tubes like CX326 (as variant).

Nevertheless, Lafayette (Wholesale Radio Service Co.Inc.) describes this the following way: "The problems of our engineers was not only to build a receiver that would outperform anything in the world, but to build the dame receiver at a price that would bring it within reach of the average home."

The catalog 1930 for season 1929/30 names this 9 tube TRF chassis a "Screen-Grid Neutrodyne Neutrodyne-Beers Double Primary". The Lafayette Duo-Symphonic Screen-Grid has a "special Utah Stadium Dynamic-Speaker chassis" producing from 30 to 5000 cycles. There is a linear power detection and local distance switch. Tubes 245 for push-pull operation. The same chassis is used for Lafayette Duo-Symphonic models 342, 316, 324, 370, 343, 300, 362, 357, 325, 329, 350 and 352, a Phono-Radio Combination.

The other Lafayette models in this catalog:
This catalog shows only 3 different chassis for the 25 models offered:
Starting with Lafayette Challenger, a true 8 tube TRF with Screen-Grid tubes and the models Challenger 40, 18, 30, 10, 85 and 20 (two knobs), followed by an other 8 tube Screen-Grid TRF, called TRIO with 3 knobs and the following models: Trio 210, 285, 218, 200, 260 and Trio Phonograph Combination. The "top model" with 9 tubes is a Neutrodyne, a technique which has then be overcome with the Screen-Grid tubes (of the two other models). It shows 3 knobs plus a local-distance switch right beside them. This model is only "top" by the tube count - but Wells-Gardner did offer it also in the next season.

Who made those two chassis Challenger and Trio?
"Wholesale Radio Service Co. Inc." writes: "Super-Efficient Circuit --- Lafayette-Designed", going on with: "In our research laboratories, where we have available every conceivable type of testing apparatus, Lafayette engineers have developed this amazing new receiver. It is a distinctly new circuit design that gives the Challenger a tremendous advantage over all other receivers that may appear to be the same.".
For me this is not yet the right answer ... I hope to find facts.

Screen-Grid tubes = state of the art!:
Already 1916 screen grid tubes were patented in Germany by Schottky and its first use as tube SSI they were used in 1917 for telephone repeaters (see for instance Tyne, "The Saga of the vacuum tube).

In 1924 A.W. Hull at General Electric (GE) began to develop a screen-grid tetrode for battery radios only. It was presented to RCA in 1926 and released as UX222 in October 1927 - as the last battery tube for many years. For AC mains radios RCA can present the UY224 as first US screen grid tetrode for mains operation in April 1929. 

The two 8 tube TRF can be called then "state of the art" because 1929 was the introduction of the screen grid tube in the USA, whereas the Duo Symphonic uses it only for detection.
 

Content of this catalog - 96 pages:
Up to page 31 are the main radio models. Page 32 offers cabinets only. Page 33 starts with the "Speed" tubes 224 and 245 but offers also 201-A, 200-AA, 112-A, 171-A, 171-AC, 210-H, 250, 226, 227, 280, 281, 224-AC and 199-UV. The cheapest is the 201-A for $ 1.25 and the most expensive the power amplifying tube 250 for $ 11.00. On the following two pages Lafayette offers those tubes under its own brand, the 201-A for $ 0.63 and the 250 for $ 5.50 - generally half price.

This is followed by some other brands, the Supreme Diagnometer Model 400-B and the Trav-Ler "New Portable Radio Sets" DeLuxe and Aristocrat. Page 38 through 42 offers different loudspeakers. Different brands are offered like Wright-DeCoster, B-B-L, Celotex Baffle Horne, Utah models, Farrand Inductor, Best, Public Address Exponential Air column Horns and Racon 4320 exponential horn. There is also a Yaxley Electric Pick-up Fader. Page 43 offers a model 9-5 stage public address system with 250 push-pull amplifier for $ 377.75 including tubes and a "Dual Electric Phonograph Amplifier.

Page 44 offers microphones from General Industries and others like the "Two-Button Broadcast type KK and BB or a model CC.

Page 45-49 show a "Centralized Radio Equipment" for Hotels, Schools etc. model 30-9, 200-525 and 100-525 and the Magnavox speakers "The Carillon", "The Aristocrat", the "X-core dynamic", "The Stratford" and "The Campanile".

The next 37 pages show very different offers - from Samson PAM amplifiers, General amplifiers like GA-15, GA-30 and GA-20, Silver Marshall 690, 679, 678PD and 677, Phonograph motors, Pick-up's, Power packs like Pilot ABC eliminator, batteries, measurement instruments, Counter tube checker model 533, Hammarlund HiQ-30-Screen Grid 9 tube AC receivers and amplifiers and  the SW converter., National Screen Grid Short Wave 4-tube Thrill Box type SW-4, the National MB-29 five tube tuner, National Velvetone Power Amplifier, SM 722 Band-Selector Seven receiver, Silver-Marshall-712 tuner (development of Sargent Rayment Seven), Silver-Marshall 735 "Round the World Six", Aero SW kits, Pilot Super-Wasp Kit 14 to 500 meters, REL SW receivers, George W. Walter Multi-Unit, Amateur radios and transmitters, also as kits - and pages with parts.

Page 80 shows a 6 tube "Pierce-Airo-Hamilton" battery receiver for $ 59.50, folowed by deVry moving pictures camera and projectors, new Remler 111 Screen Grid components. Only from page 87 follow some appliances, Lionel trains, a Victor electric adjustable washing machine for $ 69.50 as well as exercising machines and health lamps plus some sporting articles.

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