simonsen: 31/1; Sweetheart: where produced?

The "sweetheart" radio was developed by  the Norwegian engineer Willy Christian Simonsen (1913-2003) when he was working in the 'Radio Production Unit of the British War Office'.

Following that, the "swetheart" was not manuactured by his own company "Simonsen Radio A/S" (Oslo) which he has founded in 1947.

It has to be precised where in the UK the about 50.000 units (from 1942 to 1944) was manufactured, and by whom.

Thank you very much in advance for any enlightment.

Best Regards,

GR

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My understanding is a that a range of sets were produced for the "Goverment". The RCA B7G valves were not even available for UK domestic use till maybe 1946.

Many new factories and "shadow" Factories were set up in the UK for military / Government production and staff may not even have known which company they worked for. Plessy, Pye, GEC, Cossor etc all produced equipment under these programs.

Since these "Norwegian", "Polish", Durch and "French" destination sets were for "covert reception" and dropped by the RAF and probably paid for by Government we may never know exactly where they were made. Take the largely Pye designed R1155 set as an example. Who made it and where? Certainly not all in UK, nor all by Pye.

The Polish one is intersting too being a Superhet in a similar package but much like the 1940 USA "Personal" sets. I think even dual band. I haven't researched any of the other "covert receivers" (as they don't transmit I don't count them exactly as "spy" sets, but then the Spies using number stations only use normal commercial models).

I have them all saved in a folder called Radio_clandestine with the transmitter sets too and saved web pages in case they go... The Wayback Machine often lacks photos.

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Michael,

thank you very much for interesting details.

According to military beeing inviolved and manucfaturing plant(s) unknown the model in question shall be moved from Norwegian Simonsen company to   MILITARY U.K. (different makers for same model)    (GB) ?

The model page then shall get additional details.

Best Regards,

GR

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Unless it's a post war replica, it's nothing to do with his company even though he designed it.

 MILITARY U.K. (different makers for same model)    (GB)

Is the logical solution.

Of course it wasn't for British army use.

The Polish one the Miniature Receiver OP-3 Type 30/1 is already on this category of maker and it too was a covert receiver dropped by RAF, but in Poland, made perhaps in UK (some might have been made in USA or Canada for "the war effort", we don't know).

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