WW II German Army Air Force Kleinempfänger VE301 dyn – PEOPLE'S RADIO – RARE!

Volksempfänger “people’s receiver” was a range of radio receivers developed by engineer Otto Griessing.  The purpose of the Volksempfänger-program was to make radio reception technology affordable to the general public. 

The Volksempfänger was designed to be produced as cheaply as possible, as a consequence they generally lacked shortwave bands and did not follow the practice, common at the time, of marking the approximate dial positions of major European stations on its tuning scale. Only German and Austrian stations were marked and cheaper models only listed arbitrary numbers. Sensitivity was limited to reduce production costs further, so long as the set could receive Deutschlandsender and the local Reichssender it was considered sensitive enough, although foreign stations could be received after dark with an external antenna.particularly as stations such as the BBC European service increased transmission power during the course of the war.

The VE 301 dyn GW was one of two final models of VE 301 “People’s Receivers” (Volks-Empfänger) that was introduced in 1938. LW and MW broadcast bands. More compact bakelite cabinet. Powered by AC and DC. The other model, VE 301 dyn W powered by AC only, was quite similar in appearance.

To the contrast with the other VE 301 models, there was a dynamic loudspeaker implemented in VE 301 dyn making the receiver more compact in appearance. Tuning dial was quite different from any other VE 301 models making the receiver more comfortable to use.

The VE 301 dyn GW was manufactured by AEG, Braun, Blaupunkt, Brandt, DeTeWe, Emud, Graetz, Grassmann, Hagenuk, Körting, Lorenz, Lumophon, Mende, Nora, Philips, Saba, Sachsenwerk, Schaleco, Schaub, Seibt, Siemens, Stassfurt, Tefag, TeKaDe, Telefunken, Valvo, Wega (all from Germany), Eumig, Hornyphon, Ingelen, Kapsch, Minerva, Radione (all from Austria). Manufacturer’s name could be found only at the rear wall of a VE 301 receiver.

Made in 1940, this Volks-Empfänger VE301 dyn radio was manufactured by Körting, and is in VERY NICE used condition!  Made of bakelite, it is a simple box with a large rectangular speaker grille. Small in size, it measuring about 15″ tall and only 6″ deep.  The controls consist of two knobs and a tuning dial marked with numeric scales from 0-100 in opposite directions.  Complete internally with the original plug and cord!  I have not tested it for function, but I suspect it would work correctly when attached to the correct power source.  One of the dial is cracked (see photo), and some of the cord insulation is fraying…but otherwise a SUPERB item for any collection or display!