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Murphy Radio Model U124 From 1948

Shown above is the model U124, which along with its AC mains counterpart and the '128 series were the only new introductions by Murphy in 1948. The A124 cost £16.10.0 plus p.t. and the U124 cost £16.17.6d plus p.t. Is is usual for the Universal version to cost a little more, though in this case the extra amount in fact includes an extra valve. This is because the AC version utilises the PEN45DD valve which incorporates two diodes as well as performing the output valve functionality. The U124 utilises a 10LD11 which is just a double diode, whilst the output valve functionality is taken care of by a 10P14 which was intended for use in Universal receivers. At that time there was no suitable modern output valve available from Mazda which also included two diodes in the same envelope.

The U124 again follows "baffle board" design principles, and the clever design of the cabinet and card back makes for exceptionally easy servicing. As can be seen in the two pictures below, removal of the angular card back provides access to top of chassis, along with equally good access to the underside of the chassis. Somewhat unusually, the chassis is also of a stepped design along the its length. This design involved significant extra chassis metalwork bending. The extra under-chassis space generated towards the front of the cabinet does allow the location of the output transformer under the chassis, but it must be said there is plenty of space available generally within the cabinet so it is not too obvious why the dual-height chassis was considered to be worth the extra tooling and resultant costs.

The receiver is comparatively light at just 17 1/4 lbs, and Murphy have made the receiver easy to transport by providing a finger slot at the top of the cabinet to help, this finger slot can be clearly seen in the pictures below. The perspex tuning scale is also noteworthy, which allows the scale to appear to "float" across the nicely veneered front panel. Although not featured on this page, it should be noted that the AC version is fitted with an autotransformer rather than a conventional mains transformer, so it is possible for the chassis of even the mains AC version to be live. Valve line-up for U124: SP181, TH233, VP133, HL1333DD, PEN383, U403.

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