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Definition: transistor radio


A handheld AM or FM radio. All handheld radios, as well as desktop radios, use transistors, both discrete as well as contained in chips. The transistor radio was one of the first consumer devices that employed solid state materials. See solid state.

First Commercial Transistor Radio - 1954
The Regency TR-1 was the first solid state radio available to the consumer. The radio's 3x5" size and 12-ounce weight were compelling features even though the sound quality was never considered great. Supporting only the AM radio band, more than 100,000 TR-1s were sold.




The TR-1
This ad was excerpted from Eric Wrobbel's booklet "The Regency TR-1 Family." Written in 1994, it includes TR-1 history and manufacturing details.