Promotional photo of an idealized German working-class family. Mother does her knitting, Father reads the paper, and the smiling children cuddle a kitten while everyone listens to the Volksempfänger.
Below - the Volksempfänger VE301W. The letters VE were an abbreviation for Volksempfänger and the number 301 represented January 30, 1933 – the day Adolf Hitler rose to power. The "W" signifies the AC version. The distinctive Bakelite cabinet was the work of the architect and industrial designer Walter Maria Kersting. The chassis was designed by Otto Griessing, the chief engineer for the electronics company Seibt. The Volksempfänger had Medium Wave (MW) 500-1500 KHz and Long Wave (LW) 150-500 KHz but no Short Wave.
Volksempfänger VE301W (Image - Wikipedia Creative Commons)
As the Hitler Government swept into power in Germany in 1933, their newly formed Ministry of Propaganda took over control of broadcasting from the Post Office. Anxious to get the Party message into every German home it was realised that very cheap radio receivers must be made available (at that time, the average price of a radio receiver was about 400 Reichsmarks). The Heinrich Hertz Institute of Berlin was given the task of designing suitable radios with Professor Leithauser responsible for developing the circuit to be used. It was necessary, he said later, that the receiver should be selective and powerful enough to guarantee reception at all times of the day. The receiver must not, however, be "too good", otherwise the listener might hesitate to buy a more expensive receiver even if he could afford it, thus alienating the receiver manufacturing industry.
The 1933 Berlin Radio Show, the 10th consecutive exhibition since Germany began broadcasting, received greater publicity and provoked more interest than any previous exhibition with the introduction of the People's Radio being the most spectacular feature. The receivers were of three types - one for AC line operation (VE301W), one for DC line operation (VE301G) and one for battery operation (VE301B, later VE301B2). The AC version was housed in a bakelite cabinet, the DC and battery versions were housed in wooden cabinets. Produced by 28 different manufacturers, all using the same specifications and components, the design of the cabinets were also the same. The price of one of these new radio receivers was about 76 Reichsmarks (about £4.00 in English money).
The 1933 Berlin Radio Show, the 10th consecutive exhibition since Germany began broadcasting, received greater publicity and provoked more interest than any previous exhibition with the introduction of the People's Radio being the most spectacular feature. The receivers were of three types - one for AC line operation (VE301W), one for DC line operation (VE301G) and one for battery operation (VE301B, later VE301B2). The AC version was housed in a bakelite cabinet, the DC and battery versions were housed in wooden cabinets. Produced by 28 different manufacturers, all using the same specifications and components, the design of the cabinets were also the same. The price of one of these new radio receivers was about 76 Reichsmarks (about £4.00 in English money).
Volksempfänger VE301B2 battery model made by Wega-Radio, Stuttgart
Volksempfänger VE301B2 battery model with the back removed
Some 30,000 People's Radios had been sold before the 1933 Berlin Radio Show and during the first three days demand was so heavy that a further 100,000 had to be ordered.
The AC line operation model was the most popular and the battery version the least popular making it harder to find today. The battery operated version was designed by Herr Nestel of the RRG (State Broadcasting Corp.) labs and used three 2 volt filament valves. The receiver in its wooden cabinet stood on a wooden box which housed the batteries. The battery manufacturers co-operated by making low-priced batteries available.
In 1934 the price was reduced to 64 Reichmarks and sales increased to 811,619 units. In 1935 the Government supported a program for a fixed trade-in allowance on every pre-1930 receiver traded in. Some 373,000 older units were traded in and destroyed by the Ministry. An AC/DC version (VE301GW) was shown at the 1935 Berlin Radio Show as well as a converter unit by Korting for changing the People's receiver into a superheterodyne receiver.
To cut costs even further, the German Government dropped the Telefunken licence - equivalent to the Marconi licence in England. This licence, which had to be renewed every year, applied to everybody who owned a radio receiver. In England the wireless licence was issued by the Post Office and cost 10 shillings.
Many powerful receivers were being manufactured in Germany during this period for those who could afford them. Telefunken, for example, showing some 40 different models in 1936. However, listening to transmissions from other countries, where comments unfavourable to the new regime were broadcast, could result in 2 year prison sentences for "contemplated high treason."
Goebbels announced details of an improved Volks in 1937, the VE301Wn, and it was introduced in that year's Radio Show. Externally the same, except for the dial being re-calibrated with station names instead of arbitrary numbers, the chassis now had a Pentode A.F.7 as detector for better sensitivity and a re-worked loudspeaker. Total sales now reached 2,652,223.
This set was quite capable of picking up the BBC's German language broadcasts, especially late at night.
A whole industry soon developed around the production of accessories for People's Receivers. Such as - devices to block interference from strong local transmitters, 8 pin antenna selectors, backlights to illuminate the dial, converter units to change the People's receiver into a Superheterodyne receiver and filters to reduce electrical noise.
A number of other countries either planned or put into production small standard receivers but only in a totalitarian country could the manufacturers be directed to make such large production volume possible.
The 1938 Berlin Radio Show produced another variation with a moving-coil loudspeaker known as the VE301 Dyn. The Dyn stands for dynamische, i.e., electrodynamic. This new receiver had a redesigned cabinet.
This radio operates on AC current. On the back panel, to the left is a diagram showing that you can select 110-volt, 130-volt, or 220-volt current by moving a wire on the power transformer.
At the lower right, you can see connectors E, A1, A2, and A3. The water tap symbol indicates that E stands for Erde, earth, a ground connection. The three antenna jacks are for antennas of different lengths. When changing to different bands, you could also change the antenna for best reception.
The valves from left to right, are of the type RGN 1064, RES 164, and AF7. The gold colour on the AF7 valve is a metallic shield coating. The lampshade-like hood on the top is the connector for the valve's grid cap.
Also visible is the large electrodynamic speaker, with output transformer mounted to one side. This was a great improvement over earlier reed speakers.
Mounted near the bottom of the speaker frame is the pilot lamp for the dial.
Inside the cabinet there is another eagle and swastika imprint and the words Reichs Rundfunk (National Broadcasting).
This is a two-band radio. The first band is LW (Lange Welle, long wave), covering 150-350 kilohertz. Germans of the day could tune in a Deutschlandsender, or national station, on LW. This band is still used for general broadcasting in Europe.
The second band is MW (Mittel Welle, medium wave) from 550-1700 kilohertz. In the Germany of the 1930s, MW was used to tune in a nearby Reichssender, or regional station.
These radios were priced at 65 Reichsmarks. Most of the manufacturers of these radios have long since disappeared but some well known names remain including: Telefunken, AEG, Blaupunkt, Siemens and Philips (Deutsche Philips).
Also introduced at the 1938 Berlin Radio Show was the Kleinempfanger DKE 38. This will be covered in part two of this article.
In 1934 the price was reduced to 64 Reichmarks and sales increased to 811,619 units. In 1935 the Government supported a program for a fixed trade-in allowance on every pre-1930 receiver traded in. Some 373,000 older units were traded in and destroyed by the Ministry. An AC/DC version (VE301GW) was shown at the 1935 Berlin Radio Show as well as a converter unit by Korting for changing the People's receiver into a superheterodyne receiver.
To cut costs even further, the German Government dropped the Telefunken licence - equivalent to the Marconi licence in England. This licence, which had to be renewed every year, applied to everybody who owned a radio receiver. In England the wireless licence was issued by the Post Office and cost 10 shillings.
Many powerful receivers were being manufactured in Germany during this period for those who could afford them. Telefunken, for example, showing some 40 different models in 1936. However, listening to transmissions from other countries, where comments unfavourable to the new regime were broadcast, could result in 2 year prison sentences for "contemplated high treason."
Goebbels announced details of an improved Volks in 1937, the VE301Wn, and it was introduced in that year's Radio Show. Externally the same, except for the dial being re-calibrated with station names instead of arbitrary numbers, the chassis now had a Pentode A.F.7 as detector for better sensitivity and a re-worked loudspeaker. Total sales now reached 2,652,223.
The 1937 VE301Wn with station names on the dial
This set was quite capable of picking up the BBC's German language broadcasts, especially late at night.
A whole industry soon developed around the production of accessories for People's Receivers. Such as - devices to block interference from strong local transmitters, 8 pin antenna selectors, backlights to illuminate the dial, converter units to change the People's receiver into a Superheterodyne receiver and filters to reduce electrical noise.
Antenna Selector (rejection circuit) made by Luxor
The Antenna Selector plugged into the sockets on the side of the cabinet
and the knobs were adjusted to get the best reception.
A number of other countries either planned or put into production small standard receivers but only in a totalitarian country could the manufacturers be directed to make such large production volume possible.
The 1938 Berlin Radio Show produced another variation with a moving-coil loudspeaker known as the VE301 Dyn. The Dyn stands for dynamische, i.e., electrodynamic. This new receiver had a redesigned cabinet.
VE301 Dyn, this example made by Tefag
This radio operates on AC current. On the back panel, to the left is a diagram showing that you can select 110-volt, 130-volt, or 220-volt current by moving a wire on the power transformer.
At the lower right, you can see connectors E, A1, A2, and A3. The water tap symbol indicates that E stands for Erde, earth, a ground connection. The three antenna jacks are for antennas of different lengths. When changing to different bands, you could also change the antenna for best reception.
The valves from left to right, are of the type RGN 1064, RES 164, and AF7. The gold colour on the AF7 valve is a metallic shield coating. The lampshade-like hood on the top is the connector for the valve's grid cap.
Also visible is the large electrodynamic speaker, with output transformer mounted to one side. This was a great improvement over earlier reed speakers.
Mounted near the bottom of the speaker frame is the pilot lamp for the dial.
The rectangular dial has an eagle and swastika at each end
Printed on the glass dial are the names of cities in Germany and Austria: Dresden, Salzburg, Berlin, and so on. As to be expected, stations from other countries do not appear.
Inside the cabinet there is another eagle and swastika imprint and the words Reichs Rundfunk (National Broadcasting).
This is a two-band radio. The first band is LW (Lange Welle, long wave), covering 150-350 kilohertz. Germans of the day could tune in a Deutschlandsender, or national station, on LW. This band is still used for general broadcasting in Europe.
The second band is MW (Mittel Welle, medium wave) from 550-1700 kilohertz. In the Germany of the 1930s, MW was used to tune in a nearby Reichssender, or regional station.
These radios were priced at 65 Reichsmarks. Most of the manufacturers of these radios have long since disappeared but some well known names remain including: Telefunken, AEG, Blaupunkt, Siemens and Philips (Deutsche Philips).
Also introduced at the 1938 Berlin Radio Show was the Kleinempfanger DKE 38. This will be covered in part two of this article.
