Follow up video on remote control section repair by new owner. https://youtu.be/6MoYD28PYr8

That remote set up would have been jaw dropping in 1940. The whole neighborhood would have come over to witness it.

Best Shango comment ever, “WENR. OK, I’ll just leave that one alone.”

Those are Chicagoland stations. The radio was home in the Midwest back in the day.

I’m sure this radio will be adopted very quickly. It has a beautiful Art Deco design.
Philco was very advanced for its time! Not only did they have a model with their unique “Beam of Light” changer,but the Mystery Remote control system was also revolutionary.  You were able to turn the unit on/off,raise and lower the volume,mute the volume,change radio stations,change to the record player,and even change the records,all wirelessly from the comfort of your chair!

16:39 It is Art Deco at its finest. That was the  fashion at that point in time.

I bought one of these with the remote off of eBay for $0.01 several years ago. That was the minimum bid and I was the only bidder. I had to drive about 6 hours to Ohio to pick it up.  I felt sorry for the guy so gave him $20 anyway. I still have not restored it although I later picked up another remote box that was in better shape. The remote boxes used to show up on eBay from time to time for a reasonable price. This was the very first remote controlled anything sold commercially and as such is a keeper for anyone's collection.

It's supposed to look like a spinet piano! When the cover is open, it looks like a music stand, and the "teeth" thing represents the lyre-shaped support for the pedals. A wild creation from the hay-day of radio! Love the Chicago stations on the presets. WBBM and WGN are of course still around. WMBI is the Moody Bible Institute station, 90.1 FM now (a 100,000 watt station, btw - the AM station was sold off only last year and is now WXES). And I remember listening to a revived WJJD playing genuine "oldies" (from the '40s and '50s) at work in the '90s.

"Philco Mystery Control Demonstration", here on YouTube - - shows you that exact remote control you are missing. Plus, this is the phono-less model. Dial it in, man!

Shang's Tibetan Prayer Wheel moment 😌

There's a listing on etsy for the remote control, if you want to go all in.

I have an old Philco 39-45 I've had since I was 16 (1966).  It was part of a rummage sale at my church.  The parish priest told me I could have it.  It didn't work. But I got it working that afternoon.  Beautiful sound.

As prev mentioned, the callsigns are all Chicago area stations.  Also, the "Television Sound" was to receive the prewar TV audio for use with the Philco's prewar "Vision Only" television attachment, which never made it to market

We’ll you answered a mystery for me. Back in the early 70’s my dad brought home a huge radio. Huge to me. He played with it. The gutted it and kept the cabinet to store paint cans in.

But I remembered it had the vertical wheels on either side of the dial.   Now I know it was a Philco.   I do remember it played.

Also IF you want to use the sets own manual volume control, all you have to do is push directly in on the volume control and then turn the control up or down while pushing IN on the control.
This control only operates a set of switch contacts that engages the little motor clockwise or counter clockwise.

THIS IS ONLY A TEST
THIS IS A TEST THIS IS A TEST

That was a VERY expensive radio in it's day!!!!!! VERY COOL!

I have a 1942 philco console that my grandfather bought.  Has had one new rectifier tube and NO work under the chassis.  Still works LOUD with  very little hum.  No doubt needs caps, but still blasts out the audio.  When I was young, I used the phono input so the thing was one half of my stereo.  I am 67 now and the thing still works.  Don't always dis Philco they were the most popular radio builder of the time and you got what you paid for.

Holy shit, even nowadays modern remotes use RF. Thats impressive!

It reminded me of an old pin ball machine when you opened it up.