INTRO --- Hi, this is Bill Continelli, W2XOY.  I’ll be back in a moment to discuss the Alpha and the Omega, the first, and possibly the last, of a simple little product.

In 1954, the radio industry was in turmoil.  Television was now in over 50% of American homes, and growing rapidly.  Traditional radio programs, such as dramas, soap operas, situation comedies, and variety shows, were dropping fast in the ratings, and TV now had most of the audience.  One by one, famous radio stars, such as Jack
Benny, Burns & Allen, Fred Allen, Groucho Marx, and Jack Webb, were abandoning their long running radio shows and turning to TV.  There were still a few holdouts on radio, such as Gunsmoke (with William Conrad as Marshall Matt Dillon), Suspense, The Big Show, and Johnny Dollar, but it was clear that radio was in trouble. 

Two events in 1954 saved radio; the first was Rock & Roll, which hit the scene with the release of “Rock around the Clock”, the second was a small rectangular box, with the name “Regency TR-1” printed on it.  This was the first pocket sized transistor radio.

The Regency TR-1 was an electronic revolution.  The transistor, which had been developed only 6 years earlier, was still in its embryonic stage.  Regency, with the help of Texas Instruments, was able to produce a four transistor pocket sized radio, only 5” x 3” x 1.25”, and sell it for only $49.95.  (Incidentally, with inflation, that’s about $375 today!). 

Other American manufacturers soon jumped on the bandwagon.  Raytheon, Zenith, GE, RCA, Westinghouse, Philco, Emerson and Arvin soon had their own transistor radios on the market.  In 1957, Sony introduced their first Japanese transistor radio to the U.S.A.  As transistors fell in price, so did the radios.  By 1958, a 6 transistor imported radio cost “only” $29.95.  With inflation, that’s about $180 today.  With their CONELRAD markings at 640 and 1240 kc, they were initially intended as emergency radios for the “typical” 1950’s bomb shelters.  But, with more & more radio stations switching to a “Top 40” format, teenagers snapped up these pocket radios.  The transistor radio became a constant companion of Americans everywhere, from the beach to the park, to the baseball stadium, and even schools, where kids would secretly listen to them in class, through earphones

The floodgates really opened in the 1960’s.  Transistors were now mass produced, and very cheap.  Inexpensive off-brand radios, such as Realtone (later Soundesign), Jade, Essex, Juliette, and Viscount were selling everywhere for under $10.  Everyone, it seemed, had a transistor radio.  I received my first pocket radio, a Jade 10 transistor unit (in bright green, my favorite color) for my 9^th birthday in 1962.  I attended Catholic school then, and transistor radios were considered contraband by the nuns, who thought that Rock & Roll was transmitted directly from Hell.  My beloved Jade was confiscated by my 5^th grade teacher in November 1963.  On November 22, 1963, the nun removed it from her desk, and our class listened to the news that President John F. Kennedy had been shot.  (Note, in the ensuing chaos, I got my Jade back).

The pocket radio began to evolve in the late 1960’s.  More expensive units came with a shortwave band or, more commonly, the FM band.  By the 1980’s, the AM only pocket radio was almost extinct, however, the AM-FM units were alive and well.  The next evolutionary step came with the Sony Walkman and its imitators.  They still had AM-FM receivers, in addition to the tape player, at least initially.  But as time passed, they lost the AM band, leaving only FM and the tape player.  Then came the portable disk player, the I-POD and the MP3 player.  For the most part, they did not include an AM-FM receiver.  Slowly, gradually, pocket radios began to disappear from store shelves.  I picked up a few Radio Shack “Flavor Radios”, an AM only pocket radio, for $2.97 each at closeout.  A few years later, I again hit Radio Shack and purchased several pocket sized AM-FM radios, also at $2.97 each.  I gave some to my kids and relatives, and kept two for myself.

Then, a few weeks ago, I began to wonder, were there any pocket radios left for sale at traditional stores?  Granted, manufacturers such as Grundig, Kaito, Eton, Sangean and Sony still sell pocket sized AM-FM-SW radios, but these are specialty items, and usually only available via the internet.  I wanted to know if pocket radios were still available at department, discount, and drug stores.  And so, I started my search.

I was disappointed.  My search of the big name stores, such as Target, Wal Mart, J.C. Penny’s and Sears, turned up nothing.  In the drug, discount and closeout stores, I did find some pocket radios.  However, they were cheap, very poor quality units that were, in my opinion, unfit to be sold.  My search was a failure.

Then I walked into my local K-Mart.

It was on the shelf, in the electronics section; staring at me from inside its plastic clamshell wrapper.  It was a Sony ICF-S10MK2, an AM-FM pocket radio, gleaming under the florescent lights.  The price was only $9.95.  I immediately bought 2 and rushed home.

After cutting through the hard clamshell case, I held the radio in my hand.  To me, it was beautiful.  It was rectangular (unlike today’s oddly shaped radios), and had a clean, uncluttered, straightforward look.  It measured 4 ¾ x 2 ¾ x 1 ¼ inches, the same size as the classic radios of the 1960’s.  The telescopic antenna was 17 ½ inches long.  The case was plastic, silver colored.  It had an analog dial, with slide rule tuning (remember that phrase?), volume and tuning controls, an AM-FM band switch, a 2 ¼ inch speaker, and an earphone jack.  The frequency range was 88 to 108 MHz, and 530 to 1600 kHz.  Note that I said 1600, not 1700.  This led me to believe it was new old stock.  Although it was assembled in China, the radio was sturdy, and well made.  It looked like it came out of a time machine, direct from 1973.

Now came the performance test.  I put in 2 “AA” alkaline cells (sorry, no classic 9 volt battery), and turned it on.  For my comparison test, I used a Kaito 1101.  I started on the AM band.  The Sony was as sensitive as the Kaito, and almost as selective.  Image rejection and dial calibration were good.  As I previously noted, the Sony only goes up to 1600 kHz, however, I was able to tune in stations up to 1650 kHz.  At the band edges, I was able to hear a beacon station, JJH, on 524 kHz, and a Traveler’s Information Station on 1610 kHz, something that can’t be done on most of my other radios.  The tuning was solid, and free of backlash. 

Overall, I rated the performance on the AM band as very good.

On FM, the Sony easily tuned in all local stations.  Sensitivity was good, but the AFC circuit sometimes drowned out distant FM stations on nearby frequencies that could be heard on the Kaito.  Sound quality was crisp and clear, but the 2 ¼ inch speaker could not produce the tonal range that the Kaito could. 

Overall, I rated the performance on the FM band as good.

With the objective tests over, I then began my subjective review of the Sony.  I tuned in a couple of local FM stations that played oldies, and listened to the top 40 tunes of yesteryear.  Then I went to the AM band and tuned in 740 Toronto, a 50,000 watt powerhouse that for decades used to be the flagship station of the CBC.  When the CBC, in an incredibly stupid move, abandoned most of their AM stations in favor of FM, 740 kHz was snapped up by private investors.  They turned the station into what I consider to be the Beacon of the AM broadcast band.  The format is an eclectic mixture of Big Band, Jazz, Blues, Broadway Show Tunes, and even Rockabilly music, all hosted by—get this—PROFESSIONAL LIVE DJs!!!  The ionosphere cooperated that night, and 740 Toronto was clear as a bell.  I closed my eyes and let 740 Toronto and the Sony take me on a journey from the 1930’s through the 1970’s.

In summary, the Sony ICF-S10MK2 is an excellent value at $9.95.  It outperformed any pocket radio I have ever used.  As the ads from the 1960’s would say, “it’s perfect for pocket or purse”.  And you can’t beat the price.  $9.95 today is equal to $2.66 in 1954 dollars.  The Sony would have blown the Regency TR-1 right off the market.  The Sony now goes with me everywhere, in my pocket, like it should.

Oh, I know what you are thinking.  Why fawn over the Sony when the Kaito 1101 is a better value.  After all, the 1101 is digital, includes SW from 3 through 26 MHz, is only 5.5 x 3.5 x 1.5 inches, and is only $49.95 from Universal Radio.

I won’t argue the point.  I agree that there are many quality portable AM-FM-SW radios out there for less than $100.  I believe that every ham should have one, or more.  My concern is this:  at a time when an excellent pocket radio is available for less than $10, so few people have one.  I was in Lower Manhattan on 09/11/2001, just 4 blocks from Ground Zero.  I was the only one in the crowd outside the Federal Building with a pocket radio (a Sony ICF-10).  Later, as I stood in the crowd of 10,000+ outside Penn Station, I again was the only one with a radio.  People surrounded me as I listened to 1010 WINS for the latest news.  Their cell phones were useless, and I was the only one with the latest information.  Americans still don’t realize that, in an emergency, their high tech toys are worthless, and that having a pocket radio can be a life saver.

My second Sony is still in its plastic clamshell.  I’m thinking of buying a Regency TR-1 on e-bay.  I would display it next to the Sony, as a testament to the first, and possibly the last, pocket radio.

As a final note, if you have fond memories of transistor radios, there’s an excellent website for you.  It’s called “Sarah’s Transistor Radios, and the address is:

 www.transistor.org

This is Bill Continelli, W2XOY, for “This Week in Amateur Radio”.