Gerard's Philips L4X71AB

40
Item nr.

Philips L4X71AB Tube Portable

Among the more luxereous tube portables. And among the last.

**Data for Philips L4X71AB**
Production	The Netherlands, 1957.
Bands	LW MW FM.
Tubes	DF97 DF96 DF96 DK96 DF96 DAF96 DL96.
Semi- conductors	WE35889 (rectifier), 2x OA72 (FM detector).
Cabinet	Wood with leatherette. Size 33x23x12 cm. Weight 4.8 kg inc batteries.
Power	AC (110/125/145/220V) 8W, or Batteries 1.5V @ 200mA and 90V @ 10mA.
Documents	Service Documentation.

The Design

While most of these battery tube radios receive only AM bands (MW and sometimes LW) and are equipped with four tubes, this one receives FM also and has seven tubes. It can be supplied from AC mains and has the possibility to charge the batteries from the mains a little bit. This does not really refill the dry cells used at the time, but applying a little bit of reverse current from time to time extends their life span.

This is also one of the last Philips tubed portables. The years 1957/58 marked the change from tubes to transistors for portable Philips radios. In 1957 Philips made its first transistor portable, the L3X71T. Actually, three transistorized models came out that year. The next year, 1958, was the year of the last tubed portable, and in 1959 only transistorized portables were made, while tubes were used in home equipement until the late sixties.

Obtained	3/1996 from NVHR Swap Meet.
Condition	6.
Disposed	Sold 6/2000.

This Object

I changed some tubes, then it had a terrible hum until I discovered that the rechargeable filament battery is also needed when the set is fed from the mains: it filters the 50Hz ripple. The hum was solved with a 3000uF capacitor taking the place of the battery. Altogether the repair was not very difficult.

The condition of the radio is not very good. Some of the decals are broken and the whip antennas are missing. Yet, it plays and it is nice to be able to show to my visitors was portable radio was like in the fifties, and what it sounded like. In my opinion, the sound of the tubed portables of the fifties is better than that of the transistorized ones.

I exchanged it for an EAK Super 64 set.

Part of Gerard's Radio Corner.
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