GEC BC3960 Vintage Radio

The GEC BC3960 was a popular wooden cased vintage 5 valve or tube radio manufactured in the UK by GEC with some push button tuning selectors for preset stations.

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The GEC BC3960 radio was a British radio introduced before WW2 and aimed at the growing domestic radio market for broadcast radios.

The radio incorporated push buttons for five preset radio stations - these used five preset tuning capacitors that were located inside the radio.

GEC BC3960 Vintage Radio Performance Summary
Parameter	Details
BC39600 summary	Long medium and short wave 5 valve broadcast superhet radio
Date of introduction	June 1938
Cost at introduction
Wave range (frequency coverage)	Long, medium and short waves
Number of valves	4 valve + 1 valve power rectifier
Principle of operation	Superhet radio
Intermediate frequency	465kc/s (kHz)
Tuning	Tuning capacitor or 5 preset push buttons
Output capability	Electro-magnetic Dynamic loudspeaker (moving-coil type with field excitation coil)
Power	Mains input: 190 - 250V

The same electronics chassis was used in other radios, namely the BC3964 console radio and a similar chassis was fitted in the BC3968 radiogram.

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Valve / Tube Line-up for GEC BC3960 Vintage Radio
Valve Number	Type	Use within the circuit
V1	X65	Mixer and local oscillator
V2	W63	IF amplifuer
V3	DH63	detector and audio preamplifier
V4	KT63	Audio output
V5	U50	Power rectifier