Philco 16B Cathedral Radio

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Philco Model 16B Baby Grand Cathedral Radio (June 1933)

The model 16 Baby Grand (16B) radio was one of three Philco
model 16 sets introduced in June of 1933, the other two being
the 16L lowboy and the 16X inclined sounding board model (see
ad this column, below right). The 16RX Lazy-Boy model seen in
the ad was introduced a few weeks later. The 16B was one of the
largest Philco Baby Grands ever manufactured and was their top
of the line table set through June of the following year. It had an
introductory price in the Eastern and Central USA of $75, though
within just a few months it was being advertised at $85.

The 16B uses an 11-tube all-wave chassis covering 5 bands:-
520-1500kc, 1.5-4.0mc, 3.2-6.0mc, 5.8-12.0mc and 11.0-23.0
mc. The schematic may be found here. For further details, see
my 16L, 16RX, 16B, 16B and 16X (early '34) and 16X (late '34)
pages.

The 16B uses the code 121 chassis instead of the code 122
chassis used in the 16L and 16X floor models. These differ only
to the extent that the code 121 delivers a more table-top friendly
10W into an 8" speaker in contrast to 15W into a 12" speaker
for the code 122. The tube line-up is:- 77 (mixer), 76 (LO), 78
(1st IF), 78 (2nd IF), 37 (2nd detector diode-connected triode),
77 (inter-station noise suppression), 77 (1st AF), 42 (AF driver),
42 * 2 (triode connected class A push-pull output) and 80 (recti-
fier). Because of its reduced power output, the 16B uses a type
80 rectifier in place of a 5Z3 used by the other sets.

I bought this radio at the NEARC show in 2003. It had been
partially stripped of its finish and was missing two knobs. I
completed the stripping and re-finished it with several coats of
lacquer. I then gave it a full electrical restoration.

all wave coverage in five bands. including ultra
short wave as used by British Empire broadcasts
exclusive Philco balanced power "Class A" audio
system providing 10W undistorted output
new and improved automatic inter-station noise
suppression which counteracts the usual noisiness
between stations when tuning
shadow meter tuning, which allows the listener to
tune stations by sight rather than by ear.
Bass-compensated tone control for better tone
illuminated station recording dial
improved automatic volume control
patented Philco full-floating chassis
8" electrodynamic speaker
11 Philco high-efficiency tubes

"Philco has revolutionized short-wave tuning of foreign
stations with such exclusive improvements as 1) Waveband
switch with 5 distinct scales for clearly separating
short-wave stations, 2) Two tuning ratios - an 8 to 1 ratio
for regular broadcasts and a 60 to 1 for accurately tuning
foreign stations"

"Full patented full-floating chassis. Prevents transmission
of vibration from speaker to vital parts of the chassis,
preventing tone distortion"

"Bass Compensating tone control...giving that pleasing depth
and mellowness with the desirable crispness and clarity
only possible through correct balance of bass and treble"

"Enjoy worldwide reception with these new PHILCO "16"
radios. Listen to the truest and most perfect reproduction
of American, Canadian, Cuban and Mexican stations. Then go
venturing in the fascinating realm of the short-waves -
perhaps experience the thrill of picking up Rome, London,
Paris, Berlin or Buenos Aries, and even the ultra-short
wave British Empire Station broadcasts. Also police and
airplane calls, amateur and marine communications!"

The greatest of all Baby Grands... outperforming larger sets at twice
the price.

5-band early chassis

Philco 16B Baby Grand Features

PHILCO MODEL 16 SERIES