Did anyone make an AC transistor radio prior to '65?

[radiotvnut]

I was wondering did anyone make a transistor radio prior to '65 that was designed for AC line operation only? I've seen some Sams Photofacts dated '65 that covered line operated transistor radios; but, nothing earlier (my Sams are real skimpy prior to the early '70's). If there were any such radios; I'd appreciate it if you could give me some specific examples. Thanks!

[Findm-Keepm]

Motorola might have - I've got a non-working, AM only label-less Motorola table model that is AC powered. The transistors (TO-5 case except for one in the RF section, a TO-1) all have 185 and 43X (x being either 1, 3, or 5) date codes. The speaker code is 6438, making it a 1964 produced radio, perhaps. (Christmas model??) Motorola's address on the radio is Franklin Park, IL.

The output transistor is an aluminum Motorola TO-3 device, but I can't decipher the part number, R1B or RIB. No relevant ECG/NTE/SK cross. Raw AC gets rectified by a top hat rectifier, sent through a sand-ohm resistor (5 watter), capacitor (known good!) and then straight to the emitter of the output (PNP!) through the output transformer (good) and then to the amp/radio stages through either a 6.8K or 68K resistor (it's been hot, and the multiplier color code looks orangish red, but read over 100K out of circuit)

It's the size of a tube-clock radio, 13" long but very vanilla, with a 4" square speaker (plastic speaker grille) and two knobs - tune (direct drive, with aplastic tip on the shaft for AC isolation) and on-off/volume, pressboard back with evidence of two missing labels. Power consumption is a whopping 13 watts, IF it worked. My problem is that the B+ resistor gets extremely hot, but little B+. It has been worked on before, and with no schematic, component values are tough to figure. My guess is the something is biasing the output on all the time. All of the transistors check good in circuit - I need them to check them, as the amp stages are all directly coupled, and I could be reading other junctions in-circuit.

The radio is in my "wish pile" - the above is from some notes I had on it for my schematic search. An eBay saved search for "Motorola AM radio" has turned up nothing yet.

Hope this helps. Cheers,

[fiddlefye]

I just pucked up a Nordmende Turandot transistor (not tube) table radio at SA last week for $3. It came minus the power cord and masonite back (which I presume it had), but is otherwise in lovely cosmetic condition. I'm not sure of the year it was made, but I'd have guessed the early '60's. Pretty cool and sleek looking design, lovely "modern" wood case. I'll post a pic once I get it off the bench.

[Saratoga48]

My father bought one for me about 1960 it was a 2 transistor thing, and would pick up the local (10 miles away) 50,000 watt stations if you stood in exactly the right spot facing the exact right direction. They weren't very good but they were portable and didnt need 10 lbs of batteries like the portable tube versions of the day.

[Celt]

Originally Posted by Saratoga48

My father bought one for me about 1960 it was a 2 transistor thing, and would pick up the local (10 miles away) 50,000 watt stations if you stood in exactly the right spot facing the exact right direction. They weren't very good but they were portable and didnt need 10 lbs of batteries like the portable tube versions of the day.

It was more than likely a crystal radio with a two transistor amplifier. I had one given to me in first grade. It ate 9 volt batteries too.

The first transistor radio seen in the UK was a battery job made by GEC, described as 'experimental', and shown at the National Radio Exhibition in London in 1954. The next was the first British all-transistor radio, the Model 710 made by PAM, a subsidiary of Pye Radio, launched in March 1956. Development was slowed by the arrival of VHF FM, which many older listeners thought 'too crisp' ... I agreed at the time, the old valve-in-wood radios had a mellow tone which I still prefer.
However, the time wasn't wasted, as manufacturers were working hard on higher-power AF amp circuits, as well as reduced distortion. The main change between '56 and '59 was the development of hybrid valve/transistor TV receivers, especially the new UHF models - radio remained more popular than the pundits thought it would, but the 'big money' in the laboratory and the shop was all going on TV and stereo equipment.
The Pye 'Slim Six' mantelpiece receiver, dated 1958, doesn't give any details about AC or DC, but although it's obviously designed as a domestic item (not a portable), I think it must have been battery.
There was a rush of AC/DC models in '58 and '59 (details if you want), but many of the most popular were like the Bush TR 91, a 7-transistor battery table model - quite elegant, and quite good performance. The manufacturers were fascinated by the reduced heat and increased circuit safety, as well as the fact that 'blown valves' stopped being a problem, there was no hum, and the radio could easily be moved around the home.
What all this is leading to is that I think you'll be lucky to find an early AC-only transistor job, although there were a few hybrid valve/transistor radios which were AC-only in the late fifties.
Hope this is at least interesting. If you're a historian, try 'Radio, Radio', written by Jonathan Hill, published in the UK by Sunrise Press, Bampton, Devon, in 1986.