DIY & Hobbies
Collecting the Vintage Transistor Radio
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History of the Transistor Radio
Welcome to my lens. I'm working to put together some good links, historic information, and interesting radios on this page.
There were portable radios before the transistor radio, however they ran on vacuum tubes.
When the transistor radio came out in the 1950s, it allowed for much smaller radios to be made, as well as decreased energy consumption... The smallest tube radios could play for 3-5 hours on an A battery, whereas the first transistor radio, the TR-1, could play for 20-30 hours on a battery... So you can see the improvement.
Invention of the Transistor
In 1948, Bell Laboratories invented another device that could be used for amplification: The Transistor. And it is still used today.
However, production of the transistor on a large scale was not an easy feat, because often the transistors produced didn't work. It was not until 1951 that the transistor was mass produced, by Western Electric.
The Regency TR-1 Transistor Radio
In 1954, Regency came out with the world's first transistor radio, the Regency TR-1. Despite Consumer Reports advice "to await further developments before buying," 100,000 TR-1s were sold within a year of its initial sale. It sold for $49.95 plus accessories - a leather carrying case and earphones could be purchased separately.
Interesting fact: ONE transistor cost $3 (wholesale price, I think)
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Sony Transistor Radios: Sony TR-55, TR-63 and others
The first Sony transistor radio was the TR-55, which was sold in Japan beginning in August of 1955. The second Sony transistor radio, the Sony TR-63 was marketed to the world, beginning in March of 1957. The Sony TR-63 was actually a little bit smaller than the Regency TR-1, but it was actually a bit bigger than a shirt pocket, so salesmen were issued special shirts with bigger pockets so that they could market the radio as "the world's first pocket-size all-transistor radio."
"At $39.95, the TR-63 cost about the same as comparable American-made sets and was not exactly a hot seller (in fact, SONY made no money in the United States for several years)." - The Portable Radio in American Life, pg. 208)
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byOther Vintage Transistor Radios on Ebay
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byBibilography
The Portable Radio in American Life (Culture and Technology)
The used price is a true bargain... I'm sure the price will go up over time.
Amazon Price: $27.00 (as of 10/15/2008)
Used Price: $6.93
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What's here
- Invention of the Transistor
- The Regency TR-1 Transistor Radio
- Sony Transistor Radios: Sony TR-55, TR-63 and others
- Other Vintage Transistor Radios on Ebay
- Bibilography
- More...
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