Volks Empfanger

[Horst]

Not all that exotic but unique a third Reich Volks Empfanger which still works. There is a switch on the back that changes the voltage from 220 to 110, the housing is made out of a bakelite type material.

Horst

[Mike Peters]

Damm Horst …there must be something out there that you and I don’t share an interest in.

Ok here we go ---there were several different models of these People’s Radios . The earliest did not have the Eagle and Swastika on the front , it only had an Eagle’s Head with “sound waves” coming from it.
Televisions were just coming in BUT , Joey (Goebbels) and Adolf realized that not every Home had or could afford a Radio which was still “King”.
Now , I can’t remember exactly where but I read somewhere that the Nazi’s actually subsidized the Radio Manufacturers (that would explain the Eagle & Swas on the front) ..that would also give a boost to that Industry providing jobs AND keep the prices low so every German Home could finally afford to buy a Radio. In that way …they could also get their “message” to everyone and the BS would flow faster.
Even though these radios were Regenerative (Regenerative circuit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ) and can’t even come close to todays designs …they were very well made (and nicely marked with the collector in mind).
There was also a plug-in module you could buy to get better reception as these were notorious for having a limited reception range. But ..they didn’t want you listening to the BBC anyway so …

To own a Radio in your TR Home …you had to get a permit or License from the Post Office (who regulated them) this way the Gov could charge a Tax and also keep track of who had them.
(I heard the German Gov still charges this Tax today)
Here’s a Permit --

[Mike Peters]

To help promote the new "Peoples Radio"
Goebbels handed out 500 of them to Berliners for FREE on his 41st Birthday
..what a guy ..people pushing and shoving , looks like Wally Mart on Black Friday huh ?

[Mike Peters]

Here are my 3 examples ...someone at some point replaced the Grill Cloth on the one in the middle , other than that they are 100 % original.

[Mike Peters]

The same way we hold "Home Shows" or Fairs open to the public today ...they held Radio Shows in Germany to promote them back then.
Here's a Postcard from a show.
As well as the postmark --

(I cropped it so it wouldn't end up copied on some site ..)

[Mike Peters]

Another Card featuring the 1938 model ...and the postmark

[Mike Peters]

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[Mike Peters]

Here's a fantastic site that covers the Radios in depth ...interesting to note how he shows these were more than capable of recieving "enemy " broadcasts . He covers the models well.

Volksempfaenger. Radio Wumpus

[Horst]

Mike - Great stuff you have relative to the Radio - the ironic thing is when I was living in Germany I used to listen to AFN(US Armed Forces Network) on the Volksempfanger.

Horst

[Mike Peters]

Thanks Horst ..I see you also have a License , we don't see many of them around. But then again , most collectors ignore Documents unless they are Award related . There's no doubt about it ..the Radio was a powerful Tool (and in many cases even a Weapon) Look at the reaction ...just from the sound of his voice !