1957 Motorola 6X32E transistor radio unboxing (made in USA, of course)
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- Опубліковано 15 вер 2024
- For those of you that are new to my channel "50sTransistorRadios", I have plenty more radios to see if you care to subscribe, including a handful of unboxing videos.
This set is not NOS, but the original owner carefully saved all of the packing materials, so I was able to recreate what a purchaser would have seen when they opened one of these for the first time back in 1957.
Back in the days in the packaging made you feel like you were getting something special 👍
Some manufacturers really put thought into their packaging, especially gift sets like this one: ua-cam.com/video/6MCXSFL3ctw/v-deo.html
How to buy pl
Before these little radios were mass manufactured, companies like "Allied Electronics" offered them up in kit form! You had to actually solder in some components yourself! Ah! The 50's! What a time to be alive!
WOW! That was amazing! As you were opening that box I felt like, I imagine, those archaeologist fellas who go into pharaohs tombs do. There's so very much more to collecting vintage radios and other similar items than just getting hold of the radio or whatever itself isn't there.
To obtain a transistor radio that old with pretty much all the paraphernalia, the boxes etc still with the original set takes collecting to another, raised level I feel. I imagine you must be either exceptionally lucky or extremely dedicated, spending many hours tracking these things down to obtain such a complete item . Well done for that Matt, this video featuring a vintage set from the very same year that I was born was especially joyful for me to watch. Thank you very much indeed for posting it.
Take care bye for now.
+Peter Lorimer Peter, I know what you mean, it's definitely nice opening up one of these rare time capsules. Speaking of things that are kind of like a " pharaohs tomb", I have a late 60's Japanese clock radio that's still sealed in the original shipping box and I haven't decided if I want to open it, but I will make a video if I do.
When it comes to finding good radios, I would say it's a little of column A and a little of column B, since there is a lot of competition for the really pretty ones. Regards, Matt
They Invented the two-way radio, then they Invented the Cell Phone!!
America was in the twenties, thirties and forties and fifties was the world leader in industries and this device is very wonderful😍😍😍😍
You can out run dodge, Ford, or Chevy. But you can't out run Motorola was the saying for police radios. When we were kids. looks good. Thanks for sharing.73
Instant communication via police radios surely made catching runaway suspects way easier, and with a few tweaks that would have made for a good slogan. Thanks for watching.
@@50sTransistorRadios that was the true Maxim and saying for police in Ohio state patrol . Proudly showed off by many cop in my neck of the woods. Good show (in 2021 I will have a 100 year old radio) and be 70 years old. Not age that maters as long as you stay curious and sharp. 73 kv4li amature radio rules
Wow, imagine finding one of these in your '57 Christmas stocking!!! And still a very nice item 60 years on.
It would have been a nice gift that's for sure, but whoever owned this one didn't get much use out of it.
Notice how well built it was? Not cheap plastic. Built to last
Motorola built their radios very well for the most part
During the late '50s the transistor radio manufacturers often engaged in "advertising wars" relating to who used the most transistors in their radios. It was a numbers game to prove whose radio was superior. Some manufacturers would cheat by counting transistors that were not "active devices", but instead were used as diodes in the detector stage by tying the emitter and base together, to form an EB to C diode. I was a LUCKY 11year old in 1955 who received an RCA radio(do not remember model name) for my birthday. The radio cost $59.95(in 1955) and had a high impact case which could be dropped from 6ft WITHOUT any damage!
That’s almost 700.00 you must be from a very wealthy family
My older brother got that exact radio for christmas, probably in 1957 or 58 before i was born. When he left home in 1971, he gave it to me. I used it for 3 or 4 years till id accidentally got knocked into my naghbor's swimming pool. That ended its life unfortunately, but sutch is life. At the time i didn't mind cause it gave an excuse to ask for a radio with FM. This was like 1974 and top 40 AM radio was beginning to decline and FM had better sound and less static. When we are young we want to go forward, as we age we long to go back. Sutch is life.
He must have been happy to get one of these for Christmas, they were fairly expensive! It's unfortunate it got destroyed, but at least it performed for almost 20 years, and for two different owners. I suppose that by 1974 an AM-only radio would have been fairly obsolete.
Very cool Matt. Having the original packaging, carrying bag, matching serial numbers, etc., in such great condition makes this very special. Thanks for sharing. Best, Don
+RestoreOldRadios Thanks, I only have one other "golden age" American set with the original packing material, because they are not easy to come by (although I just won a 1960's American set with the original military packaging, I will show that off once it is working).
Yes Rascism!
Boy, somebody kept all those papers and the box. I've picked up 3 NOS over my trips. One, a 5" reel to reel tape recorder never opened, circa 1960. Also, unopened Panasonic am/fm table radio from the 70s. And a Kodak camera kit from the late 70s still sealed. I don't find too many of those, but each one is like a little time capsule. -- Atco
My first recollection of a transistor radio was at my grandparents place back in the 60's. My aunt who was still a teenager at the time had one. I had never seen such a small radio and probably never heard one that sounded that bad. I can remember it like it was yesterday. Even at five or six, electronics could make a big impression on me. It's funny, considering I can't remember much else from back then.
Fantastic packaging, it's really a treat to see how it looked when bought new. Thanks for sharing this, very interesting.
+I967 Thanks, I really like finding radios like this one, and it doesn't happen often.
Great subject, except one-handed videos are a torment.
Very neat! I hope you fixed the radio. It *wants* to be fixed and you're the man to do it.
I already have a working example of this model, so for now at least, this one is staying original.
I can just smell in my mind that scent that new electrons had when you open up the box back then.
Wow what a radio!👏🏼 I want to have one at least in my lifetime.
Nice radios. I remember my first pocket FM AM radio.
What a lovely old transistor radio that had actually been used and taken care of as well, complete with the wonderful original box and packaging material.
Wouldn't have been cheap to buy either
Probably good quality, Motorola 2-way radios were used by fire & police dept. and they were reliable and built to last a long time.
+Bri G. This radio is definitely heavy duty, perhaps too heavy, it weighs about 1.5 pounds with batteries!
@@50sTransistorRadios About two pounds lighter than portable tube radios of the same time period.
@Bobby Brady ditto and kudos. as the cops always say, - 'you can't outrun my Motorola' !
Some of the flip phones of the '90s were Motorola brand.
@Scott 1 of course, I'm aware of that but it's kind of a coin word and a lot of them still use the term Motorola regardless of what the actual brand is.
All your collections are exellent ones, but I have to say your presentation and especially camera work have much to be desired.
I'd love to find an old radio with my birthday stamped on the tuning capacitor! Now that would be a perfect birthday gift...
Omg... Beautiful radio
The packaging is more amazing than the radio itself!
A neat radio from the past is valuable than gold
What I really want to see is the 1963 Collins 1 watt, single side band walkie-talkie; white housing, silver telescoping antennae, small enough to fit in a guys back pocket and still be able to sit down comfortably on the Elm street curb to tell good ol' Uncle Curtis LeMay all about it! Single side band cross-talk on DPD dispatch radio:
*We're a GO! bang ba-bang*
I can't say I've ever seen one of those, but I haven't been looking for walkie-talkies as hard.
@@50sTransistorRadios normally an anachronism is more like a throw back. This anachronism is the other way. It was seen/photographed in use a full year before Collins featured it in their December 1964 catalog for the 1st time.
When you think this radio sold for almost $100 Gold spot in 57 was less than $35/oz. A Rolex Submariner was ~$80. However by the early 60's you could buy a Japanese pocket radio for $10 or less many with US names like GE. The box is impressively nice.
Ahhhhh, the days gone by of germanium transistors! Would love to get hold of one of those! Since this is four years later, I do hope you fixed that second radio rather than just slip a note and hope the next owner does fix it rather than just pop in batteries and use it.
148 Chinese factory workers disliked this video
😂
make america great again :P
Looks like this radio is futureristic mid and bgin 1970s loads of these transistor radio's came out but this a real nice device you got there specially that's from the 50s it was way ahead when it was made
The ones built in the 1950's are my favorites, as (generally) both the build quality and the effort put into the design are quite a bit higher.
My mother has one exactly like this. Last time I tried to use it was around 1988.. It made alot of static and you had to fiddle with the volume dial to make it stop and tap it a few times. She still has it
Those bought it new back in '57 and unboxing it would have similar feelings of today's millenials unboxing of iphone xs; transistors were new cutting edge technology back then compared to vacuum tubes.
And oh, not made in china yet.
A genuinely made by red blooded american in america.
I'm sure it would have been quite a joy to receive one of these as a gift back in 1957, they sure don't make em like they used to!
Everything had class back then even the package.
I was born in 1955, funny, huh? No? Well, I remember my 1st transistor radio (1960)? I think it was a Robin? 6 transistors, but used the now common 9V battery. I used to listen to Art Roberts, on WLS Chicago in the late eve and would fall asleep, and woke up next morning to a dead radio! LOL. It was hard on the battery I guess! Anyway, I love your radio collection! I did have a Royal 500 too! Never treated it as a collectors' item back then! Shame. That Motorola can really haul in those stations! I could go on and on about those golden moldy oldie radios! I'm happy someone your age appreciates these old relics! When I was a young kid, a Philco "tombstone" radio was just a beater! When it died, toss it! My grandfather had one in his garage and would play it when working on his '57 Buick. LOL.
Was your Robin radio this model?: i.pinimg.com/736x/c6/9e/d3/c69ed387b210f6ef327c72b3b95c5e5e--transistor-radio-nice-designs.jpg
Motorola made some nice, but overly tricky to repair radios, and I'd say this is one of them.
It is a shame how many nice radios ended up in the trash, many thousands of those tombstone radios were built, but now the small percentage that survive are worth a good amount.
I'm sure the same will happen with some of today's electronics, which are mostly ending up in the landfill now, but some of the important ones (like the first iPod model for example) will probably become valuable.
Hi and thanks for your kind interest in my post! As for that Robin, Hmm, has a familiar look, but can't peg it. I sympathize with your opinion on how what's junk now, could be worth thousands later! LOL. Happens with anything that becomes rare I guess. If I had an unopened box of Frosted Flakes from 1963 it could be worth 50X it's sale price from the day! BTW, I had a Great Aunt that worked for Zenith Radio in Chicago in the 50's and 60's. I remember her "collection" of radios she acquired during her employment. Some of which she would give to my dad. Some were those early "portables" that used those 1 volt tubes and huge "B" batteries! I still have a couple of AC only tube table radios that still work!
Wow this is so cool 😱
If I turn it on and "Johnny Be Good" is playing, I'll be impressed.
transistor radios were such a change.... I remember ooohing and aaaaghing at my Aunt's Panasonic in the late 50s
I have an old ADMIRAL radio, all red color, looks to be just a tad bigger than this. I got it at a garage sale about 15 years ago. Works fine, I use it every day. 9 volt battery.
These old radios sure were built to last!
Nice radio, thanks for sharing
+Billy “stormlight” Steen Thanks!
Really amazing that exist stuffs this way
There can't be too many out there, MIB American made transistor radios are very hard to find.
I have a 1957 Zenith transistor radio that still works!
Nice, they're good radios!
I still like Christine's radio in her car always played oldies
@Hazards De It's a movies from the eighties just look up Christine the movie she was a classic car that this nerd bought and it turned out to be demon possessed and took over the teenager's personality to. Beautiful car and have always played fifties music. It's kind of a revenge flick gone Badd. By the way she was indestructable and kept coming back to life
thank you bro , greats from ALGERIA !
Thanks from the USA!
Thanks for showing
really nice collection.. but now so difficult to get it...
Itd be freaky as fuck to hear that radio play a broadcast from that era ...it would be like a time capsule lol
Nice vintage collection
Cool piece. I was 1 year old
Hi, these three aluminum can square boxes (08:45) are intermediate frequency transformers, abbreviated as IFT. Yes, some transistor radios used to have 2 nos. but majority had 3 for 3 stage processing of radio signals being fed from RF amplifier.
Had 3 stages of IF (455Kc) amplification fed by the "mixer" stage NOT directly an RF amplifier. The RF amp came before the mixer stage. The mixer stage converted the RF(station) signal to the IF frequency by "heterodyning" the local oscillator with the RF to produce the IF freq.
В детстве мастерил подобные приемнички! ~ 1973г. !
I was the head tech at radio 1 for a # of years and repaired 100s of vintage gadgets from the past. Agree, it's a good practice to use original parts. however, when they are impossible to get, next comes ecg, rca on china substitutes. Note: excessive current draw in a tiny radio like one can only occur in the audio output stage. when transistors approach half life they tend to become a lttle leaky via base to collector. Now if you want to keep the original parts just add a bias (x) resistor from the emitter to base of each output. 1 to 3k usually works to lower the ma current draw to an acceptable 90 or 120 level depending on the device in question? in the case of a short circuited transistor? Open the device via power supply by short circuiting it thus blowing the solid state component wide open via soldering the new transistor under it so the new component can't be seen for vintage reasons....
Always liked Motorola styling.
I have a 45P3 and a 52B1U, also a 21" TV that has a very neat coverglass - too bad I can't get that TV to work. As soon as the sweep fires up, it drags the ALC line 35V into the hole - White raster, no picture, no sound.
Yes!
Great... congratulations...
Great 👍
How much would it be worth these days
made in USA !!!
Made in china
In past....Now only made in China.
Master piece
I wonder what it sold for in 1957 and what that would equal in today's money
EDIT= I found out that this sold for $95 in 1957 and that would equal over $900 today. Is that right?
David Henderson yep that radio is pure gold
An ounce of gold in 1957 was $34.95 so this radio cost almost 3 oz of gold.
@@unclejoe6811 I just check and gold is now $1345 (the cents keeps changing ) per oz. Too bad you can not go back to 1957 and buy a couple pounds of gold and bring it back.
@@davidhenderson3400 JP Morgan once stated Gold is money, everything else is credit. Had the individual who purchased this radio purchased a Rolex Submariner or GMT instead the watch would be worth 40,000-90,000 much more than three ounces of Gold. The value on this radio is under $300 so everything is relative. I guess if I was to go back in time I would give a relative or my younger self a book containing historical stock and mutual fund charts, books containing sports records, winners of football, baseball including scores, horse races etc. that would be the real gold.
@@unclejoe6811 Is your real name Biff Howard Tannen?
I be worried that cap would leak,and do even more damage.
I'd worry about a leaking battery, even today than I ever would a capacitor.
@@michaelcranstoun8296 it is still a nice bit of history,hope someday you will be able to fix it ,nice find.
the instructions and dial indicate that it's got the civil defense symbols, which it still does. ..the cold war. susan waldman calls a great game. i remember her at ten AM after "mike and the mad dog," on the fan NY some time ago. send this to shango066 out west. he'll feast upon it's genuine
nippon and formosa blend of wholesome goodness, and, in the end, render it a functional AM and/or "broadcast band," 6V 1957 gem- motorola: one ADAM 12 one ADAM 12: see the man in the shades with the transistorized miniature radio! ...shazam. imagine what 12.95 could buy somebody back in 1957... man
I didn't know about the civil defense symbols. Was there a special frequency for use if war broke out?
Also if you do recap it you could hollow out the caps and hot glue them over the replacements.
Nice! Well done video! I'd replace the capacitors and use the radio.
Fun seeing the CD symbols.
Use tripod and bothands.
do you have the values for the caps, i have the same radio, but i cant find the capacitor values anywhere
They should be marked on the original parts, if still installed, but they are 25uf, 6uf, 50uf and 50uf. You can replace all of them with modern 25v rated caps of similar values (47uf, 22uf, 6.8uf)
Very aesthetically pleasing radio, very cool to have all the packing material and box...when I troll for my purchase, I look for that and don't mind paying a little more. Replacing the parts....could you rob it out of your other one if its still an OEM part? Or look for vintage NOS?
+JacksJunkDotCom Any parts of the same vintage would be no good as well (that brand of capacitors is terrible). If I wanted to to go crazy with it I could hollow out the old parts and put the new ones inside, but that would be pretty involved. I decided to just leave a note in the battery compartment saying there is a short.
Very good. 👏👏
For me if it's not working what good is it ,and if you ever sell it most people will ask does it work ?,I no purist may thing other wise ,me I want my older radios to be useful ,still and I want to hear how good they sounded in the day.and bad parts can hurt good parts,and transistors probably have fun whiskers ,caps most are problaly bad to,even resistors break down ,and modern parts will be of a better grade.but this is your radio ,not mine ,it's been keep in pretty great shape and it's a brand I like ,I did get lucky with a radio I bought it was new old stock never used and a very fair price for it,it was still sealed.,we both no how dare that is .Best of luck with it if you get it going I loved to see that .
If I didn't already have a working example, I would have restored this one. Here's my video of the one that works: ua-cam.com/video/BalU9VzU0Zc/v-deo.html
ES UNA JOYA AMIGO.
Very pretty. Thanx.
This is an original American industry that shows how America was a leader in the global industry.
Way back in the 1950's
Yes, America was king of electronics in the 1950's
Uma relíquia esse rádio original Motorola aínda com caixa!💯🎤🎤🕋📻📻📻🔊🔊🎵🎵
Wow good. X good
Araq. Bagdad
Chalabi
I have to admit that I don't understand why you're torn about fixing it so it works. I mean who cares about having an "all original" radio if it doesn't work?
A very nice radio
Hermoso radió una pieza única de colección... Saludos Humanidad.🌎
QUE BELLEZA DE RADIO MI AMIGO , EXELENTE .
Nice 📻‼️🙂
Sweet time capsule!
Wonderful radio. Congratulations!
The CONELRAD instructions are in interesting artifact. A lot of radios had the markers, but I don't know how many mentioned how they were to be used in the manual. I've never heard of "mercury batteries" as such, but I wonder if that was just the name used for the early versions of what were later called alkaline batteries. If you squeezed a late-1960s Duracell with a pair of pliers, mercury would drip out.
Those mercury batteries were actually made with mercury, but they have since been outlawed, and good riddance because they damaged a lot of radios. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_battery
Parabéns pelo receptor muito bem conservado e intacto. Abraço. Vida longa e próspera! Rio de Janeiro Brasil
Realmente uma raridade,
Parabéns, São José dos Campos, São Paulo, BRASIL.
11 05 2019.
Eu não tenho nada a acrescentar, mas vou colocar a minha localização também: Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brasil.
Una hermosa radio 😍
That would be... one and a half months older than I am. And that makes it one old radio.
Nice time capsule.
Does that thing have two transformers? I couldn't find a schematic for it.
Very nice
Good
Very good
iPhone X of 50's
98% Bratwurst und 2% Sauerkraut!
@@Gurkenkasper Die fart?
Good overall content, but should have been edited down to about 2 to 3 minutes.
In very good condition A+
Thanks!
Beautiful
From where it is available at kolkata?
Treasure....
Why would you not fix that radio, troubleshoot and find the leaky cap or whatever is drawing excessive current and replace that component....
It will be worth a lot more in years to come.
Great video.
I left it alone because I already have a working example of this model, which I repaired. Since this video has gotten a crazy amount of attention, I plan to fix it and do a follow up at some point.
@@50sTransistorRadios ...good job.
I need one radio bro
Wouu exelent. 👏👏👏.
Extreme Gold!!!! 👍👍👍👍👍 .
Beautyfor 😱😱😱😱😱😱
I can imagine pocket size of pants back then pocket size radio lol
These were called "coatpocket radios" back in their day.
Ooooooh
Hi, I have a Motorola 6X32E in the same box and stuff.
Nice, that's a good find!
Omg what is this????
Where's the antenna? And how much did it cost back then?
The antenna is in the handle, and I'm not sure what it cost.