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KevinFernandesX authored Dec 17, 2023
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Expand Up @@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ The Philips 156 UBV was produced since 1942 in the dutch Philips factories that

**1. Prologue**

I do not know much about the device, which was called Philips 156 UBV.[^1] He disappeared as suddenly as he appeared. One morning, the radio stood with us other radios in the back of the warehouse, exactly on the opposite shelf, and introduced itself, but without going into detail about his past. The appearance was immediately striking, he was almost spectacularly unspectacular. Made of wood and painted with gray paint. The corners were reinforced with metal. On the front you could see the volume control, as well as the power switch, the tone control, and the wavelength switch. Actually, it was just a wooden box with buttons and cutouts for the sound and for the dial. This effect was even enhanced by a flap that could be used to cover the front. Closed, it was not even possible to see that it was a radio. There was also a handle on the top for carrying. Due to the rather pragmatic and not very aesthetic appearance, one could quite quickly conclude that this would not be an ordinary radio, which stands in a living room, but a device, which relied on compactness, robustness, and mobility. In addition, he exuded a certain flexibility, as he could be powered by electricity or a rechargeable battery. He had 5 tubes and was able to receive longwave, mediumwave, and shortwave. About his origin and function he was not willing to reveal much. The only information one could get from him was that he was manufactured in the Philips factories in Eindhoven from about 1942 and that his main function was entertaining people. So, in that respect, he was like us. However, this still did not explain why he looked the way he did. I shouldn't care, with his looks it was clear that he wasn't beautiful enough to be displayed in the front of the store in the display case, no one would buy one of these to put in their living room. So, in that respect, he was no competition. During the short time he spent here with us at the warehouse, he was rather reserved and shy, often appearing apathetic and disinterested. The competition between all the radios to see which one would be the next to be put in the display window and sold seemed to completely pass him by. If he hadn't been placed directly in my field of vision, I probably wouldn't have even noticed his presence. At times it seemed as if he came from a completely different world, living for himself. After a while, rumors started to circulate that he was a radio of the Wehrmacht, which had served at the front during the war. Used as a troop-support receiver to keep the soldiers happy. This was a red flag to many radios here in the warehouse. Some radios distanced themselves from this point on, as they wanted nothing to do with radios of this type, but for others, fascination prevailed. However, his own apathy and disinterest made him unpopular on both sides. Some didn't understand why he didn't want to tell stories from the war, and others felt that his lived disinterest showed that he didn't care about what happened during the war years, he didn't realize the seriousness of the situation in post-war Germany. However, like everything else, this did not seem to interest him one bit. He didn't let anything get to him and seemed to have a strong personality. In my eyes, it was precisely this that made him somehow likable, since at no time did, he go into all the squabbling between the radios. Then one morning he was gone, without warning, replaced by a radio that was similar to him in some ways, but much nicer. Only his diary, left behind, provided information about his thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Somehow, I still like to think of him and wonder where he is right now. Inconspicuous, yet strange, unimpressive, yet experienced so much, the Philips 156 UBV.
I do not know much about the device, which was called Philips 156 UBV.(1) He disappeared as suddenly as he appeared. One morning, the radio stood with us other radios in the back of the warehouse, exactly on the opposite shelf, and introduced itself, but without going into detail about his past. The appearance was immediately striking, he was almost spectacularly unspectacular. Made of wood and painted with gray paint. The corners were reinforced with metal. On the front you could see the volume control, as well as the power switch, the tone control, and the wavelength switch. Actually, it was just a wooden box with buttons and cutouts for the sound and for the dial. This effect was even enhanced by a flap that could be used to cover the front. Closed, it was not even possible to see that it was a radio. There was also a handle on the top for carrying. Due to the rather pragmatic and not very aesthetic appearance, one could quite quickly conclude that this would not be an ordinary radio, which stands in a living room, but a device, which relied on compactness, robustness, and mobility. In addition, he exuded a certain flexibility, as he could be powered by electricity or a rechargeable battery. He had 5 tubes and was able to receive longwave, mediumwave, and shortwave. About his origin and function he was not willing to reveal much. The only information one could get from him was that he was manufactured in the Philips factories in Eindhoven from about 1942 and that his main function was entertaining people. So, in that respect, he was like us. However, this still did not explain why he looked the way he did. I shouldn't care, with his looks it was clear that he wasn't beautiful enough to be displayed in the front of the store in the display case, no one would buy one of these to put in their living room. So, in that respect, he was no competition. During the short time he spent here with us at the warehouse, he was rather reserved and shy, often appearing apathetic and disinterested. The competition between all the radios to see which one would be the next to be put in the display window and sold seemed to completely pass him by. If he hadn't been placed directly in my field of vision, I probably wouldn't have even noticed his presence. At times it seemed as if he came from a completely different world, living for himself. After a while, rumors started to circulate that he was a radio of the Wehrmacht, which had served at the front during the war. Used as a troop-support receiver to keep the soldiers happy. This was a red flag to many radios here in the warehouse. Some radios distanced themselves from this point on, as they wanted nothing to do with radios of this type, but for others, fascination prevailed. However, his own apathy and disinterest made him unpopular on both sides. Some didn't understand why he didn't want to tell stories from the war, and others felt that his lived disinterest showed that he didn't care about what happened during the war years, he didn't realize the seriousness of the situation in post-war Germany. However, like everything else, this did not seem to interest him one bit. He didn't let anything get to him and seemed to have a strong personality. In my eyes, it was precisely this that made him somehow likable, since at no time did, he go into all the squabbling between the radios. Then one morning he was gone, without warning, replaced by a radio that was similar to him in some ways, but much nicer. Only his diary, left behind, provided information about his thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Somehow, I still like to think of him and wonder where he is right now. Inconspicuous, yet strange, unimpressive, yet experienced so much, the Philips 156 UBV.

[^1] Pipi

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**One day later:**
Where do I begin, dear diary? Last night was extremely eventful. It all started when I was taken away from the storage facility. I was firmly convinced that the store owner had finally had enough of me and wanted to make room for a radio with a higher chance of being sold. I could not even blame him for this, I would probably have done the same. I had accepted my fate; I was put down on a table and fell asleep. To my surprise, I woke up. I was standing in front of a windowpane and couldn't believe my eyes when I looked into the reflection. The ugly grey box turned into a dark brown radio with new buttons. I looked like a radio meant to be used in the living room. Furthermore, my circuitry was converted to common types of tubes, and a power cable was attached. Through all the excitement about my appearance, I had not even noticed which window it was at all that I was looking at myself in. It was the shop window.

**One day later:**
(1) PIPI

## Sound Sources in the Deutsches Rundfunkarchiv

1.Philips156UBV_Empfang einer Abordnung der Besatzung des Lloydampfers Bremen in Berlin
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