Findlay, Ohio? Shout out to you and your mom, Steve! I went to Donnell Junior High School and lived on West Hobart Street. #Atoms #Wilson's #DietschsBros #RiversidePark
Great video!!!...I recently purchased a mid-1960’s (when I became of transistor radio age) Viscount shirt pocket size radio in “mint” condition…arrived in an incredibly flimsy polymer-like material case currently in the process of decomposing…case seems to have leached onto the smooth plastic top and sides of the radio creating a cloudy looking surface…it looks like these little radios were somehow able to predict the future of today’s merchandise!
Makes me proud and sad at the same time. What could have been if more people would have supported the American made brands. Thank you for your posts. I hope these videos will be a inspiration to future generations.
The 4 volt battery had me stumped, the voltage is not characteristic of the carbon-zinc batteries commonly used in transistor radios. Thinking about for a few minutes, I figured it out, the 4 volt battery is a mercury type, with 3 cells in series. This arrangement should yield a 4.05 volt output. Mercury batteries were far superior to carbon-zinc. They had many times the capacity for the same physical size, had a constant output voltage as the battery aged, and had a 10 year shelf life. I noticed the speaker was a custom part, using a center tap, essentially the typical audio output transformer was built into the speaker voice coil.
Thank you Eric! Always love your videos! I know what you mean about the cheap faux leather cases. I don't think it's fair to even call them faux leather. You're right they're more like cardboard!! Anyway been collecting for years, but you always teach me something new.
It's astonishing that it took US manufactures 5 years to come up with a shirt-poker radio, after the TR-1 (still a lovely looking piece of kit IMHO) which wasn't a lot bigger.
Very good summary. The US makers were getting creamed by the Japanese by this time, and many didn't wait long to give up on US manufacture and just buy from Japanese OEMs. Those US made components were a lot more costly than the Japanese made parts. Just one example: the large air gap tuning cap was certainly a lot more costly than the comparable Mitsumi sealed unit. And as beefy as it looked, it performed no better. RCA made clever use of a high impendance speaker with dual windings, that eliminated the output transformer that was found on virtually all Japanese radios. That saved money on the transformer, but the speaker was clearly more expensive. Other than that, the circuitry was very close to what you found in any Japanese 6 transistor radio. Certainly not superior in performance.
Great video. Can you do an episode featuring the different battery types and styles? Even if you can't show actual batteries, photos and descriptions would be fine. Thanks.
@@collectornet Yes indeed, I wouldn't even know about these battery types if not for your discussion. I thought the only batteries I hadn't seen and didn't know enough about were the ones that powered old tube sets before "battery eliminators" were invented , (along with "b batteries" back then; which is another topic I cannot find nearly enough information about,) so if it weren't for your videos, Id have no idea that 20 and a half volt batteries even existed. Nor the ones mentioned in *this* exceptional video here, one of your best due to the inclusion of talking about radio dealers. Brevity may be the soul of wit, but feel free to pad out your videos length with as much information as you can come up with- including anecdotes.... Thanks a lot.
My mother worked for RCA of findlay ohio. And brought home a diode from the reject bin. And started the radio adventure for me.
That’s great!!
Findlay, Ohio? Shout out to you and your mom, Steve! I went to Donnell Junior High School and lived on West Hobart Street. #Atoms #Wilson's #DietschsBros #RiversidePark
Really enjoy your videos. Keep 'em coming...
I like watching your videos my dad's sister had a transistor radio just like that back in the 70s
Thanks EW.. Enjoy the education aspect of your videos.
Great video!!!...I recently purchased a mid-1960’s (when I became of transistor radio age) Viscount shirt pocket size radio in “mint” condition…arrived in an incredibly flimsy polymer-like material case currently in the process of decomposing…case seems to have leached onto the smooth plastic top and sides of the radio creating a cloudy looking surface…it looks like these little radios were somehow able to predict the future of today’s merchandise!
Makes me proud and sad at the same time. What could have been if more people would have supported the American made brands. Thank you for your posts. I hope these videos will be a inspiration to future generations.
Everyone would now be paying 3 times as much for product's.
The 4 volt battery had me stumped, the voltage is not characteristic of the carbon-zinc batteries commonly used in transistor radios. Thinking about for a few minutes, I figured it out, the 4 volt battery is a mercury type, with 3 cells in series. This arrangement should yield a 4.05 volt output. Mercury batteries were far superior to carbon-zinc. They had many times the capacity for the same physical size, had a constant output voltage as the battery aged, and had a 10 year shelf life.
I noticed the speaker was a custom part, using a center tap, essentially the typical audio output transformer was built into the speaker voice coil.
Thank you Eric! Always love your videos! I know what you mean about the cheap faux leather cases. I don't think it's fair to even call them faux leather. You're right they're more like cardboard!! Anyway been collecting for years, but you always teach me something new.
It's astonishing that it took US manufactures 5 years to come up with a shirt-poker radio, after the TR-1 (still a lovely looking piece of kit IMHO) which wasn't a lot bigger.
In 1964 on up I had pocket radios. From 9 years old through 17.
Another great video.
Interesting history, too.
📻🙂
Great Video !
Very good summary. The US makers were getting creamed by the Japanese by this time, and many didn't wait long to give up on US manufacture and just buy from Japanese OEMs. Those US made components were a lot more costly than the Japanese made parts. Just one example: the large air gap tuning cap was certainly a lot more costly than the comparable Mitsumi sealed unit. And as beefy as it looked, it performed no better. RCA made clever use of a high impendance speaker with dual windings, that eliminated the output transformer that was found on virtually all Japanese radios. That saved money on the transformer, but the speaker was clearly more expensive. Other than that, the circuitry was very close to what you found in any Japanese 6 transistor radio. Certainly not superior in performance.
I loved this video, tyvm.
RCA was the big dog among electronics in those days. It is not surprising that they were first.
Great video.
Can you do an episode featuring the different battery types and styles?
Even if you can't show actual batteries, photos and descriptions would be fine.
Thanks.
I'll consider that, thanks! I do sprinkle battery talk into various videos where relevant and am doing so again in videos I'm presently working on.
@@collectornet Yes indeed, I wouldn't even know about these battery types if not for your discussion.
I thought the only batteries I hadn't seen and didn't know enough about were the ones that powered old tube sets before "battery eliminators" were invented , (along with "b batteries" back then; which is another topic I cannot find nearly enough information about,) so if it weren't for your videos, Id have no idea that 20 and a half volt batteries even existed. Nor the ones mentioned in *this* exceptional video here, one of your best due to the inclusion of talking about radio dealers.
Brevity may be the soul of wit, but feel free to pad out your videos length with as much information as you can come up with- including anecdotes....
Thanks a lot.
I like my Sanyo Channel Master in leather case.
Great presentation.
I thought the Regency TR-1 was the first portable USA made transistor radio. And the Sony TR-55 was the first Japanese transistor radio.
Yes... And... What are you saying?
this man is a historian!
This is a very well done video and educational as well. If only the narrator didn't have the slightly condescendingly sarcastic tone.
Yes, we must all watch our tone.
I still have somewhere only God knows a little am radio - Vita - but I've seem the same with other brands
and crumpets!
Shirt pocket radio classic
Cool thanks ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
You forgot kangaroo pockets. Emerson 888 Atlas or Vanguard Nevabreak Pocket Radio c1957
plz make nail tutorial