Elmer G. Osterhoudt and The Modern Radio Laboratories Catalog

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OLDEST KNOWN MRL NO. 2 CRYSTAL SET

A Modern Radio Laboratories No. 2 crystal set, made between 1934 and 1938.

This early version was built before the circuit and panel layout were finalized by Elmer, but it does closely resemble the layout of the later versions. (The Fahnestock clips are not original.) Missing is the "Broad/Selective" switch in the center. Describing this set in Handbook 2, MRL No. 2 Long Distance Crystal Set, Elmer wrote, "It was very similar to our present No. 2. Then we added the SEL-BRD switch for more selectivity."

Rear view.

This perfectly preserved label with the serial number and address was found inside the lid. The address gives the approximate date the set was made (1934 - 1938). Is it possible that Elmer made 2085 of these sets, or did the serial number follow another format?

A look inside. Notice the coil is mounted perpendicular to the front panel.

This set survives to this day only because of a serendipitous event. MRL fan Vic Rodiguez was on ebay in 2022 looking for some antique variable capacitors, when he found a set of two from 1930. He asked the seller what the value was (in picofarads, not dollars) and the seller wrote that he didn't know, but was parting out an MRL crystal set he had gotten at an estate sale. Vic then offered to buy all the parts. The history of the radio was lost when the owner of the "estate" passed away, and the radio itself was almost lost to history.

This photo was supplied by the ebay seller.

The set had already been partially disassembled and the coil had been cut out.

The wires were reconnected with some radio surgery.

Did Elmer write these numbers on the panel? The numbers and dots were written with a fountain pen. Compare the handwriting with the MRL dial scale on the right.

A No. 2 CRYSTAL SET FROM 1938

A Modern Radio Laboratories No. 2 crystal set built in 1938 or 1939. This one is owned by Quentin Schiltz of Champlin, MN.

Rear view.

The address on the label dates this to 1938 or 1939. Once again the serial number is a mystery. Did Elmer make 4007 more sets since the one shown at the top of the page, almost three a day? Did he make 92 sets in 1936? Does it mean something else entirely? Notice Elmer's distinctively shaped number 9. Also notice that "Detail Print No. 30" was once called "Data Print No. 30."

The two labels side by side. More fountain pen ink. (the ballpoint pen wasn't invented till 1943). These labels are one of the few examples found where Elmer used the full name of the company, without shortening the word "Laboratories."

The coil is pristine!

From the bottom.

Built by Elmer Osterhoudt!

MRL used to sell cabinets like this one. Except for the factory made rotary switch, all later model No. 2 sets follow this design. The final design change occurred in 1952 when Elmer invented his own switches. Click on the image for a full size version.

END OF THE MODERN RADIO LABS RADIO SHOP

In 1938 and 1939 the address for Modern Radio Labs was 7700 East 14th Street in Oakland, CA. From 1940 to 1943 the address was 1406 77th Avenue, both of which are in this building at the corner of 14th and 77th. The entrance to 1406 77th Avenue is behind the pickup truck and utility pole. The storefront faces 14th Street. The actual address of the building (in the year 2022) is 7700 International Blvd.

1939 Oakland Yellow Pages ad.

Why did the MRL address change in 1940? The 1940 US Census shows they did indeed have a radio store here. Perhaps the Osterhoudt's just switched the MRL mailing address for convenience. Maybe the days of the radio store were coming to an end. A lack of inventory during the rationing of WWII would have put them nearly out of business, anyway. In 1942 the production of consumer radios, as well as nearly every other appliance, was halted by the US government due to the war.

1940 phone book entry. 7700 E 14th was the storefront.

1940 and '41 entry, but the phone number is not the same as the MRL number in 1939.

1941 phone book entry. The store is no longer listed, but Elmer is a salesman. There is no listing in the 1940 or 1941 Yellow Pages for the store name or either address.

Elmer wrote that he worked at the Navy base as a Radio Mechanic during two years of the war (Radio Builder and Hobbyist No. 25). His draft card shows that in 1942 he was employed by the US Navy at the US Naval Air Base in Alameda, CA. If this was the case, the shop may have been closed for the duration, and never reopened. Modern Radio Labs did carry on during the war, as evidenced by advertisements in Radio World and Popular Mechanics in 1943. However, an ad in the March 1944 edition of Radio Craft has the MRL address in Hayward, CA, so the Osterhoudt's had moved out of this building by then. Hayward is about 10 miles south of Alameda.

1406 77th Avenue entrance.

The building is a "2-Story Mixed Use Commercial/Residential situated on a ±3556 Square Foot Lot." The street level section is zoned "Commercial - Retail/Office." Upstairs is zoned "Urban Residential" and has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It was built in 1923. Every other year it gets a new paint job, which then gets ruined.

According to the 1940 census, Elmer and Mabel Osterhoudt owned this property, lived here and operated a radio store. This is how it looked 80 years later, in 2020.

A year after the Osterhoudt's moved to Hayward, they moved to San Francisco, to this house at 2610 18th Avenue. According to ads placed in Popular Science, they were here from May to December 1945. A note on Elmer's draft card says they had actually moved out by November 1945 to San Carlos, California. The house above was built in 1931.

In late 1945 the Osterhoudt's moved to this house in San Carlos, CA. and lived here until 1950. The house is much larger than it appears from the street.

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