Anybody remember their 1st transistor radio?

[mnilan]

It was 1958 and I was in 3rd grade when I got a case of mononucleosis so intense I had to go to the hospital. My dad was a doctor studying space medicine at Lackland Air Force base in San Antonio, Texas. He was embarrassed because my condition was serious enough to hospitalize me so he bought me a Japanese AM transistor radio. It was cream colored with a single earplug and no speaker. I heard Ray Charles, Marty Robbins, Buddy Holley; listened to Amos ‘n’ Andy, Fibber Magee & Molly. In essence, if I was awake, I was listening, for three or four days. 60 years ago. I never listened to that radio again after I got out of the hospital but I haven't stopped listening and playing music since and my rigs have gotten considerably more sophisticated since. Life is good...
Mike

 

[sanlanman]

Remember it? Hell, I still have it. Its a small Juliette handheld. it was broken, but a good electronics guy fixed it for me about 12 years ago. I keep the 9 volt battery disconnected so it won't corrode the terminal cap. Mine even still has its original black leather case, (real Leather) in great condition.

 

[AdamAnt316]

Growing up in the '80s and '90s, I had a series of hand-me-down radios over the years, mostly cheapies. One day in the mid '90s, I walked to a local yard sale, and found a trio of early transistor radios for a couple of bucks. One was a nice mini, with a gold-tone case, but it was falling apart and used a battery which is hard to find. Another was a tan Juliette pocket transistor radio with a decidedly-not-leather case, which looked to have never been used, and for good reason. The third one, however, was the gem of the lot, a Panasonic R-1326:

The vertical dial reminded me of the car radio in our 1982 Chevrolet Citation. Its performance was quite nice, and the battery hatch was well designed. I still have it, along with another example in red.
-Adam

 

[Mamrak1]

My Dad bought me a kit that I could put together when I was around ten. I was surprised I got it to work. I got exactly one station, CKLW out of Windsor Ontario. I got an education on Motown music.

 

[charles 1973]

My Dad bought me a kit that I could put together when I was around ten. I was surprised I got it to work. I got exactly one station, CKLW out of Windsor Ontario. I got an education on Motown music.

That station was so powerful it could be heard 1/2 way through the US on a good night.

 

[embrown057]

Had to build my first radio, Heathkit crystal radio DIY. Sure made me appreciate the zenith I got the next Christmas.

 

[Imprecise]

I got a little Sony portable for Christmas in 1958. Don't remember the model. It ate batteries but I could now listen to the radio anytime I was alone, even late into the night.

My last portable was a fairly large Grundig I picked up in 1969. Remarkable good sound for a portable.

 

[ZR9B]

I had a hand full of hand me downs..I am the youngest of 8. Then on my 7th birthday my sister gave me a mickey mouse radio.....am only. I got teased so bad I "lost it".....after that I was back to the hand me downs.

 

[Gnesen]

I wish I remembered the exact model of my first portable radio. What I do remember is saving my birthday and Xmas money and going to KMart when I was six or so to buy something like the one below. I don’t know what happened to it, but at some point my father took it to use in the machine shed.

 

[bimasta]

1956. I was 11. The radio was my best toy. I had it tucked in my jeans, with the cable up under my shirt and then running down inside my sleeve. I was in History class, leaning on my hand and looking 'thoughtful' — while listening to Little Richard and Chuck Berry. Every time the Teacher looked at me, chills of fear ran down my back.

But he didn't have a clue. I totally fooled him. Grown-ups are so stupid.

Next day, same thing — except I was listening to the World Series. Dodgers vs Yankees. It was the 7th inning.

Suddenly the Teacher came charging down the aisle, right at me. He pulled my hand away, pulled the earplug out of my ear, and said to me —

"Have they hit him yet?"

Don Larsen was pitching the only Perfect Game in World Series history. And with two innings to go the tension was unbearable.

Teacher said to the Class, "The Continental Congress is important — but this is History in the making!" Then, turning back to me, "Put it on speaker."

I pulled the radio out of my jeans and put it on the desk and we spent the rest of class listening.

Like I said, clueless.

 

[gtv2000]

It's long gone, but it used to be under my pillow at night, listening to 93 KHJ, KRLA, and KFWB in the mid to late 60s.

 

[Imprecise]

1956. I was 11. The radio was my best toy. I had it tucked in my jeans, with the cable up under my shirt and then running down inside my sleeve. I was in History class, leaning on my hand and looking 'thoughtful' — while listening to Little Richard and Chuck Berry. Every time the Teacher looked at me, chills of fear ran down my back.

But he didn't have a clue. I totally fooled him. Grown-ups are so stupid.

Next day, same thing — except I was listening to the World Series. Dodgers vs Yankees. It was the 7th inning.

Suddenly the Teacher came charging down the aisle, right at me. He pulled my hand away, pulled the earplug out of my ear, and said to me —

"Have they hit him yet?"

Don Larsen was pitching the only Perfect Game in World Series history. And with two innings to go the tension was unbearable.

Teacher said to the Class, "The Continental Congress is important — but this is History in the making!" Then, turning back to me, "Put it on speaker."

I pulled the radio out of my jeans and put it on the desk and we spent the rest of class listening.

Like I said, clueless.

I remember Don Larsen's perfect game, rare enough ever but unheard of in a World Series where it is the best against the best. I was in high school at the time and the principal put the last inning on the intercom, which was only half an inning since the home team Yankees won. (Tells you what the principal was doing that day.)

For anyone who does not know the difference, a no-hitter is a game where no one gets a base hit, but the pitcher may walk some batters, and this is all accomplished by a single pitcher. (With multiple pitchers, it is a combined no-hitter.) A perfect game is when no one gets to first base period. All batters are either struck out by the pitcher, or are caught out or thrown out before reaching first base. This is like impossible. Don Larsen did it. By himself. In a World Series game. Legendary.

 

[totem]

Philips something or other, it was my Christmas present around 53 years ago and its in a drawer
but haven't thought about it prior to this thread.

 

[NAD80]

Had a transistor radio in the late 60's. Wabc 77. Lost it. Got other radios. Still listening today.

 

[DaveVoorhis]

In post #48, I wrote that I didn't remember my first transistor radio, but then I suddenly remembered it!

Though it wasn't really a transistor radio...



...but you could use it to make one.

Got it when I was six.

 

[Erik Tracy]

I had this GE model (circa 1965) View attachment 1349518 for about 30 years....still a number of them for sale on Ebay for $25-$50 amazingly.....

I had one of those c '67 when I was in grade school.

Mine had a black leather case.

 

[Imprecise]

Had a transistor radio in the late 60's. Wabc 77. Lost it. Got other radios. Still listening today.

Remember Dandy Dan Ingram in the afternoon? Remember the world's smallest bikini joke? Got him fined and almost fired.

 

[Blast]

Very early 70's and I was carrying one of these $6 guys around in my back pocket in Jr High school:


Still have it. Just recapped it a couple years ago:

 

[BinaryMike]

Very early 70's and I was carrying one of these $6 guys around in my back pocket in Jr High school:

That shot of the PCB reminded me of one of my first real jobs. I was hired by an importer of Japanese transistor radios in Portland, Oregon, to help clear out a massive backlog of repair work that was piled up in a corner of the warehouse. We had plenty of parts to work with, because the radio shipments in those days usually included 1% of the order as unassembled components. Test gear was very limited, however. Among other things, I learned to do RF and IF alignment by ear, using nothing but local radio stations as signal sources.

 

[bimasta]

Legendary.

If we'd ditched school we could have watched on TV. But who knew?