• Power: 105 - 125VAC - 50/60Hz

• Wavebands: tuneable from 540KHz to 31MHz across 4 switched bands
  • 0.550 - 1.65MHz
  • 1.7 - 5.1MHz
  • 5.0 - 14.5MHz
  • 13.0 - 31.0MHz
• Sensitivity: not known

• Valve lineup: 5 total
  • 12BE6(converter);
  • 12BA6(IF amplifier);
  • 12AV6(detector/AVC);
  • 50C5 (audio output);
  • 35W4 (rectifier)

• Released: 1957 - 1961

• Original price: c.$50

This was the sixth and final version of the S-38 family and the also featured the 'slide-rule' type dial, larger than the design used on the previous 'D' variant and in marked contrast to the original two half-round dial shape designed by Raymond Loewy.

The 'E' suffix also denoted a grey hammer finish case as this set was also offered in 'EM' (mahogany) and 'EB' (beige) variants.

Additionally, this set featured 9-pin 'miniature' tubes rather than the traditional octal based firebottles. However, there are no significant electrical differences.

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In common with the other family variants, there are separate tuning scales for 'Bandspread' and 'Tuning' - giving the set an excellent selectivity when band cruising. This set has the two distinctive 'CD' markers (example shown above) at 640KHz and 1240KHz to show where the listener should tune for 'official civil defense news, instructions and information' as the manual puts it. In hindsight, given the Soviet dominance of space in the late 1950's and the Cuban Missile Crisis in the early '60's, this would have appeared to make sense.

Last updated 7th March 2005