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Pye A39JH

Shown here is the 7 valve plus rectifier Pye A39J/H from 1947. This is a massive receiver that is about 2 foot long, and includes a 10" loudspeaker. Other features that make this a top-of-the-range receiver from Pye include Push-Pull output using a pair of EL33 output valves and 11 wavebands, with all the short wave bands appearing band-spread. Such was the number of wavebands selectable that a mechanical indicator at the bottom of the tuning scale informs the user of the waveband currently selected. The wavebands available are as follows: LW, MW, MSW, 49m, 41m, 31m, 25m, 19m, 16m, 13m, 11m. Therefore we have a receiver for the short-wave enthusiast, and also for the high sound quality connoisseur, as the EL33's in push-pull provide plenty of high power un-distorted output. Clearly this receiver was near the top of the domestic radio price-range, but more examples survive than might be expected, probably because the A39J/H had very little competition at this position in the market. Therefore buyers who required excellent short-wave reception together with high-quality output were left with few other choices apart from this receiver at that time. I have seen it in two versions, as shown with the matt black wooden slats forming a speaker grille, and also with a cloth equivalent. I'd say the wooden slats look the more stylish, though the cloth may well have been better acoustically. This receiver could perhaps be considered a forerunner to the "International" receivers such as the PE80 that appeared in the early 1950's. Valve line-up was EF39, EF22, EBC33, ECH35, ECC35, EL33, EL33, AZ31.

The final picture is of the dust build-up on the chassis. Later in the year I will be adding sections to the site about buying vintage radios, and one thing most collectors like to see is a good layer of dust on a prospective purchase. This photo will be used to illustrate that. I've brushed back some of it on the chassis surface so the dust depth can be seen - it must be about 5mm (1/8") deep!

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