Transistor radio

A transistor radio is a small portable radio receiver that uses transistor-based circuitry. Before transistors, portable radios used vacuum tubes, which were big, fragile, used a lot of power, and needed large, heavy batteries. The invention of the transistor in 1947 changed everything. Transistors are small but powerful, making radios easy to carry.

The first commercial transistor radio was the Regency TR-1, released in 1954. A popular model, the Sony TR-63, came out in 1957 and helped make transistor radios very popular in the 1960s and 1970s. By 2012, billions of these radios had been made.

Because they were small enough to fit in a pocket, transistor radios changed how people listened to popular music. People could hear music and other broadcasts wherever they went. Starting around 1980, devices like the boombox, Sony Walkman, portable CD players, personal audio players, MP3 players, and smartphones became more common. These new devices had better sound quality. Although transistor radios are still made and sold for use on the go and in cars, the word “transistor” is not used much in advertising anymore because all modern electronics use transistors.

Background

Before transistors were invented, radios used vacuum tubes. These radios were big and heavy and needed special batteries to work.

On 23 December 1947, Bell Laboratories showed the first transistor. This small part could do the same jobs as big vacuum tubes but in a much smaller size. Because of this, radios could become smaller, lighter, and easier to carry.

Many companies tried to make the first transistor radio. In 1954, two companies, Texas Instruments and Regency, made the first radios that people could actually buy.

Early commercial transistor radios

Regency TR-1

Two companies, Texas Instruments and Industrial Development Engineering Associates, worked together to create the Regency TR-1, the first transistor radio sold to the public. Before this, radios were big and needed a lot of power. The TR-1 was small and easy to carry, using special parts called transistors instead of heavy tubes. It went on sale in November 1954 and was well liked for its size, though some people thought the sound wasn’t the best.

Raytheon 8-TP-1

In February 1955, another company, Raytheon, made a second transistor radio called the 8-TP-1. It was bigger than the TR-1 and had better sound because it used more transistors. It also used battery power more efficiently, saving money on batteries. In July 1955, a magazine gave it a good review, saying it sounded great and saved on battery costs.

Chrysler Mopar 914HR

Chrysler and Philco made the first transistor car radio in April 1955. It was an extra cost option for new Chrysler and Imperial cars that came out in the fall of 1955. The car radio cost $150 at the time.

Japanese transistor radios

In 1952, Masaru Ibuka, the founder of Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation (now Sony), learned that AT&T planned to allow others to use the transistor. Ibuka and his partner, physicist Akio Morita, asked the Japanese government for money to pay for using the transistor. They borrowed ideas from American companies and made their first transistor radio in 1954. Soon, the company grew quickly from just seven people to about five hundred.

Other Japanese companies also started selling electronics in America. By 1958, the amount of electronic products Japan sold grew a lot compared to the year before.

Sony TR-55

In August 1955, Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation, using the new brand name Sony, introduced the TR-55 radio. This was Sony’s first radio that used tiny parts for everything inside. Only about 5,000 to 10,000 of these radios were made.

Sony TR-63

In December 1957, Sony brought the TR-63 to the United States. It was smaller than the first transistor radio and came in four colors: lemon, green, red, and black. It used a nine-volt battery, which became the standard for these radios. Around 100,000 TR-63 radios were sold in 1957. This small, easy-to-carry radio became very popular. By the mid-1960s, Sony had sold seven million TR-63 radios worldwide. Other Japanese companies like Toshiba and Sharp Corporation also started making transistor radios.

The popularity of transistor radios helped transistors replace older technology, and they became the most popular communication device in the 1960s and 1970s. Billions of transistor radios were sold around the world from the 1950s to 2012.

Pricing

Before the Regency TR-1, making transistors was very hard. Only one in five worked right, so they cost a lot. When the Regency TR-1 came out in 1954, it cost $49.95, which is like $599 today, and sold about 150,000 units. Other companies like Raytheon and Zenith made similar radios, but they cost even more. By 1956, a tiny radio you could wear on your wrist cost $29.95.

In 1957, Sony released the TR-63 for $39.95, which is about $459 today. Sony kept making their radios smaller and cheaper. By 1962, the TR-63 cost just $15, and American companies also lowered their prices to $15.

In popular culture

Rock 'n roll music became popular around the same time as transistor radios. Parents often bought small transistor radios so children could listen to music without using the bigger family radio. Companies in Japan, like Sony, were quicker to make stylish, pocket-sized radios for young people, which helped them become leaders in the radio market. American companies tried using cheaper parts from Japan, but their radios weren’t as attractive. By 1964, no transistor radio made only in the United States was available, and soon even Japanese parts were replaced by even cheaper ones made in Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. The Zenith Trans-Oceanic 7000 was the last transistor radio made in the US until 1970.

Transistor radios were very popular because of three big changes—many young people because of the post–World War II baby boom, people having more money to spend, and rock 'n' roll music becoming famous. Transistor radios appeared in popular movies, songs, and books of that time, like the movie Lolita.

Cheap battery-powered transistor radios helped people in rural areas who didn’t have much money to listen to the radio regularly for the first time. Music from New Orleans that could be received in Jamaica inspired the creation of ska and, later, reggae music.

In the late 1950s, transistor radios got more fancy designs because companies were competing a lot. Over time, these radios were made into fun shapes, like "Jimmy Carter Peanut-shaped" radios or "Gun-shaped" radios, and even "Mork from Ork Eggship-shaped" radios. Companies also made radios shaped like "Charlie the Tuna" to advertise their products. Today, these special radios are collected by people who love old items.

Rise of portable audio players

Since the 1980s, small portable radios became less popular because people started using portable audio players. These devices let people carry and listen to music they recorded on tapes. This began in the late 1970s with boom boxes and portable cassette players like the Sony Walkman. Later, people used portable CD players, digital audio players, and smartphones to enjoy their favorite songs.