1928 United American Bosch Model 28

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Most old radios are covered with a nice wooden veneer, walnut, cherry, mahogany, etc, but this one, my friends, is solid Honduras Mahogany. I guarantee that it'll be here long after you and I are pushing up daisies. This is nicely set off by the oval ivory inlay that graces the front panel. But, like so many sets in one's collection, this thing is heavy.

Robert Bosch had an interesting history. A German national, all his property was siezed by US authorities when WWI broke out. Coming back to the US after the war, he was rather cautious about having the same thing happen again, so, despite the fact that the plate on the inside cover reading "Made in Mass.", there are those that think the set MAY have been made in Germany. The company changed, evolved, and is still around today making spark plugs, among other things.

The looks of the set belie it's capabilities, even for a TRF: It's stable, selective, and VERY sensitive; here in Southern California I have no problems hearing stations all over the west and into Canada with only 25' of wire strung along the ceiling.

According to a former executive at Bosch (who we are very grateful to for writing), "The company ran a major worldwide advertising campaign based on the artwork of a famous (Dutch?) poster artist, who created a new marketing symbol to represent Bosch to its customers. It was 'Mefisto', an intentionally, slightly comical charicature of the devil, with broad smile and prominent goatee (horns too, when shown in proper view). He was usually garbed in the correct driving clothing of the day with a duster, close fitting cap and driving goggles. The image may have been intended as an allusion to the famous early twentieth century race car driver, Camille Jenatzy, who was nicknamed the 'Red Devil', as he was also one of the first celebrities to endorse Bosch products back in 1903." If you look at the brass dial plate closely (you have to use a magnifying glass), you can see him grinning wildly at you .

On the right is a 1926 Atwater Kent Model M horn speaker.

General Specifications
Design Type Tuning Range Number of Tubes Weight Power Consumption Original Selling Price Permanent Collection
TRF .540-1600 Khz 8 55 Pounds 70 Watts (approx) unknown Yes

Tube Complement and Types
Rectifier RF Stages Detector Audio Stages
280 226 (3) 227 227 (1), 171A (2)

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