Hornyphon Quick W 253 U – Austrian Compact Bakelite Radio from 1953
The Hornyphon Quick W 253 U is a compact Austrian table radio from the early 1950s. With its small Bakelite cabinet, simple two-knob layout and clear rectangular dial, it represents a more modest and practical type of post-war domestic receiver.
Unlike the larger wooden radios of the same period, the Quick W 253 U was not designed as a piece of living-room furniture, but as a compact everyday radio. Its name fits the concept quite well: a small, straightforward receiver intended for quick and easy operation.
Technically, the set is an AM-only superheterodyne receiver. It covers the classic AM broadcast ranges used in Europe at the time, including long wave, medium wave and short wave. FM reception was not yet part of this model, which places it clearly in the early 1950s, just before VHF/FM receivers became common in many Austrian and European households.
The radio uses the typical U-series valve line-up of an AC/DC set: UCH42, UAF42, UBC41, UL41 and UY41. As with many compact receivers of this type, the absence of a mains transformer made the set smaller and cheaper to produce, but it also means that the chassis design must be treated with particular care from a safety point of view.
Technical Overview
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Hornyphon / Horny, Vienna, Austria |
| Model | Quick W 253 U |
| Year | 1953 |
| Type | Table radio, compact Bakelite receiver |
| Reception principle | Superheterodyne |
| Intermediate frequency | approx. 458 kHz |
| Wavebands | Long Wave, Medium Wave, Short Wave |
| Valves / Tubes | UCH42, UAF42, UBC41, UL41, UY41 |
| Power supply | AC/DC set, 110–127 / 150 / 220 V |
| Loudspeaker | Permanent-magnet dynamic loudspeaker |
| Cabinet | Bakelite |
| Dimensions | approx. 280 × 196 × 146 mm |
| Weight | approx. 2.6 kg |
| Original price | 795 Austrian Schilling |
As Acquired / Unrestored Condition
This Hornyphon Quick W 253 U is currently preserved in unrestored condition, essentially as it was acquired.
The radio is therefore documented as an original, unrestored example rather than as a fully serviced receiver.
Historical Context
Hornyphon was one of the well-known Austrian radio brands. The company originated from the activities of Friedrich Horny in Vienna in the 1920s, and the Hornyphon name became associated with Austrian-made radio receivers. By the post-war period, Hornyphon sets were closely connected with Philips technology and production practice, but they retained their Austrian brand identity and market presence.
The Quick W 253 U belongs to a period when radio ownership was already widespread, but many households still used relatively simple AM receivers. A compact Bakelite set like this was less elaborate than the large multi-band wooden radios, but it was practical, affordable and easy to place in a smaller room.
Today, the Quick W 253 U is a good example of the smaller Austrian table radios of the early 1950s: technically conventional, visually restrained, and very much a product of the transition period between the classic AM radio era and the later FM-dominated household receivers.
References
- Radiomuseum.org – Hornyphon Quick W253U
- Doctsf – Hornyphon Quick W 253/U
- Radiomuseum Croatia – Hornyphon Quick W 253U
- Radiomuseum.org – Horny / Hornyphon manufacturer history
Pictures
