Welcome to Retro Transistor Radio

Since I was a child, I’ve always found small radios to be fascinating. When I was about 7 years old, I so wanted to become a member of the local Secret Agent League. But in order to join, I had to possess both a flashlight and a transistor radio. The flashlight was no problem; I just snitched the one out of my dad’s toolbox, telling myself that I was simply borrowing and would return it when not on a secret mission.

The transistor radio was another matter. None of those in dad’s toolbox. But the All Wise Secret Agent Chief (AWSAC), who lived about 3 houses away, said that all agents had to have pocket radios so that they could get news and receive coded messages from AWSAC headquarters.

Christmas was looming near, so I pleaded with Santa to leave a transistor radio under the tree for me. And I didn’t want just any radio. I wanted one just like my older sister (who was already an AWSAC Agent herself) had. Hers was a pretty blue color, had two knobs, and a rather large ultra-cool looking dial with lotsa numbers. I don’t recall the make nor model.

Santa delivered, and I found a pocket radio with my name on it, just like the one below:

An Audition 125-4. Not exactly what I wanted, but pretty cool nonetheless. And after a rather thorough inspection, the All Wise Secret Agent Chief (AWSAC) approved. But, things do change I’m afraid, and the following spring, the All Wise Secret Agent Chief (AWSAC) moved away. So back into dad’s toolbox went the flashlight for good, and my little Audition 125-4 transistor radio found a new mission: listening to rock music.

Over the next 40 years, many transistor radios would come & go in my life, and sometime in about 1999, I decided to make a hobby of it. The purpose of this site is to provide pictures and information on as many of these retro transistor radios as possible. Although the main focus is classic transistor radios, there are also sections which provide information on certain other types of radios such as Shortwave Receivers, certain Amateur Radio equipment, and mabye some other neat gadgets too. For specific information, refer to the “Reference Pages” menu to the right or use the search feature. Enjoy!

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• Reference Pages

  • Radio Reference
    • “Beach Boy” Retro Fifty-Seven Classic
    • Admiral Model Y-2223
    • Archer (Radio Shack) 60-3030 “Space Patrol” Walkie-Talkie
    • Audition 125-4
    • Commodore Model 1250 12-Transistor
    • Computron Model 606
    • Conion CR-18
    • Fujitone 6 Transistor
    • GE (General Electric) 7-2753D Bicentennial Radio
    • GE (General Electric) Model P910J
    • GE (General Electric) P-1711 Shirtpocket Portable Radio
    • GE (General Electric) P2760B “Blue Max”
    • Icom IC-725 160-10m HF Transceiver
    • Mickey Mouse Radio (Radio Shack model #12-909)
    • Motorola GP350 Portable 2-way Radio
    • National Panasonic R-8
    • Nobility 10 Transistor
    • Pan Asia Radio
    • Panasonic Model RJ-3 CB Walkie Talkie
    • Panasonic R-70 “Panapet”
    • Peerless Seven Transistor
    • Realistic #12-166B “Flavoradio”
    • Rocket Radio (reproduction by DaMert)
    • Ross “Signal Phone” Model RE-334N CB Walkie Talkie
    • Sears #7221
    • Sears Silvertone Model 6208
    • Sony 2R-21 Micro Pocket Radio
    • Stewart 972008 “Ladybug” Radio
    • Tonex Model 701 CB Walkie Talkie
    • Universal PTR-62B
    • VideoConcepts VC712 AM/FM/SW-VHF/UHF Micro TV
    • Wards Airline Model GEN-1227
    • Yaesu FT-817(nd) HF/VHF/UHF Transceiver
    • Zenith Royal 16
  • REVIEW: Sangean ATS-909 Portable AM/FM/SW Receiver