Radio Products Corporation

Radio Products Corporation

"He had more curiosity than fourteen cats!” That’s the way Ernest W. House, inventor and maker of the Superflex radio, is described. He was a true entrepreneur and inventor. An energetic man, House was noted for his mechanical and electronic genius. A person of immense talent, he was known to do everything from raising chickens to building a motorcycle in his mother's kitchen. He invented, then manufactured the Superflex radio in a factory in north Birmingham, the only known production faculty of its type in the deep south. House came to Birmingham from Nashville at the young age of ten. Prior to going into the radio business he operated a typewriter firm, Typewriter Exchange, in downtown Birmingham. He tinkered with crystal radio sets. One set he made used an oatmeal box and a galena crystal. He enjoyed exploring new ways of doing things, examining paths not undertaken by others, still, it was said that people did not know exactly why he started to delve into radio. The wonders of old crystal radio sets apparently gave him momentum to become more deeply immersed in the mystery of radio. In 1925, the most common radio sets with the highest sales were three dial receivers which offered the greatest sensitivity an d selectivity. This type of receiver was, however difficult to tune so that most manufacturers were opting for a single dial. Improvements in this area were generally mechanical, in nature, employing techniques such as connecting all three tuners together with belts, mounting them on a single shaft or using a rack and pinion system. The radio design of Ernest House took a different approach. His design accomplished the tuning electrically. The Superflex radio used a basic regenerative circuit, except House's design used a capacitor to provide feedback from the detector to the RF stage. The effect of this innovative feedback technique was the operator did not need to tune the front end of the RF circuit...it automatically tuned itself. The results of his efforts was a radio that used only one dial to tune for desired radio stations. In its day, this circuitry was, unique and unprecedented. Mr. House started Radio Products Corporation. with W. T. Estes and Jelk Cabiness. The corporations’ organizers empowered him to move forward with his ideas about the Superflex circuitry. On September 20, 1927, almost two and out-half year after the corporation was organized in Birmingham, the patent was awarded by the U.S. Patent Office. It is unknown to what extent the Superflex radio was marketed and how many were in the hands of the public. Efforts to locate some of the early experimental models has been unsuccessful. The only existing copy of a Superflex radio was restored and is owned by the Alabama Historical Radio Society. The Society also has photographs, and other documents relating to Radio Products Corporation. With the patent pending. the Radio Products Corporation Base proceeded to manufacture the Superflex. Each Superflex radio receiver was individually made. Coils were hand-wound in the factory and many parts were riveted to a chassis made of a non-conductive material like Bakelite. One '12A output tube and three 01A tubes were used in the set. Circuitry consisted of four stages: an RF amplifier, a detector plus two stages of audio amplification. It used two tubes in the front-end with output fed into a standard transformer-coupled audio system. According to his son. Ernest House, Jr., one of the selling points used by House for his radios was, “You haven't got all them blamed tubes to have to buy!" This was an apparent reference to the large number of tubes found in some sets made by competitors. Initially Superflex sets sold for $80. The Superflex also distinguished itself from other radios by the unique design of the front panel. The panel had a curtain painted on it denoting a theater stage . Also, painted in each lower corner was an outline of a decorative plant which you might see on the sides of a real stage, the outside appearance of the Superflex was marked by a polished wooden cabinet with somewhat standard box shape and form. All Superflex radios were made in a small factory located at 3814 N. 28th Street in north Birmingham. After the initial building was constructed, a speaker system was mounted on the roof which was used to entertain the neighbors and anyone else who gathered to listen. One special event was the famous Dempsey-Tunney boxing match, when hundreds of people gathered outside the factory to hear the live coverage. No sales records for the Superflex are known to exist, however it is known sales were negatively impacted by the economic condition caused by the Great Depression and later by technologically advanced superheterodyne sets. House contemplated redesigning his radios to incorporate the new technology, but was forced to close the business when the bottom fell out of the radio market. The company filed for bankruptcy and all the assets were liquidated. Ernest House was a uniquely talented man. He accomplished much: from building a motorcycle , racing at the fairgrounds, energetically devoting himself to mechanical and electrical pursuits, installing a radio in a city police car and even teaching his son to play the harmonica. He was the epitome of American ingenuity and inventiveness. His own brand of making things happen helped create the " Magic City" of Birmingham.