Moradio – Brand of Radio Receivers from Moreland Sales Corp.

In the history of radio, Moreland Sales Corporation of Newark, New Jersey sold Moradio radio receivers and other radio components in the 1920s. After more than 100 years, details are sketchy, but Harry Moreland, formerly associated with Westinghouse, may have started the firm.

Advertising

At any rate, the company was doing well enough in May of 1922 to place an ad in the initial issue of Radio Broadcast Magazine. In addition to radio receivers, the advertisement also offers variocouplers, variometers, tuning coils, detectors, condensers, and even lightning arresters. Some sources claim that Moreland Sales Corp. survived until 1942.

What They Sold

So, what the heck were some of these components they sold?

Receiving sets were the equivalent of what we would call a radio in today’s world. In the 1920s, these were also referred to as “radio telephones”. Sets could be powered by batteries, plug-in power, or as crystal sets even produce sound without any external electricity. This was thanks to the ability of galena crystals to react to radio waves on their own.

When the the shaft is rotated, a variocoupler adjusts the contact between the coils.

The Variometer features two parts – one that rotates and the other stationary. Separated by an insulated bushing, the two components connect over 180 degrees via a shaft to the tuning mechanism.

Condensers (or otherwise named capacitors) store electricity. In their simplest form, they are two charged strips separated by an insulating strip. The insulator can be mica, a ceramic, or even paper. 1920s literature warn that fooling around with a large “hot” or previously-charged condenser can be fatal.

Lightning arresters are just as they sound – essentially lightning rods specifically attached to the radio in order to carry off excess electricity from a lightning strike.