TRANSISTOR RADIO DESIGN | Focusing on the design of pocket transistor radios manufactured during the 1950's & 1960's!

Boys Radios

Boys Radios were marketed as a first radio for children! They are very popular with collectors and often exhibit fun and entertaining designs!

Due to Boys Radios only having two transistors they were cheaper to make and less expensive than standard 6 or 8 transistor sets!

Crafty Japanese manufacturers of Boys Radios also paid less import duty at the American border due to a loophole in USA import law. Radios with two or less transistors were classed as toys by American authorities and taxed accordingly!

So was born the two transistor boys radio! Yeeehaaa!!

Crystal Radios

TINYTONE CRYSTAL RADIO (BOXED)

MINIMAN ROCKET RADIO MG-306 (BOXED)

A crystal set is a very simple radio that uses an antenna to capture radio waves and a crystal detector to convert these radio waves into sound. It does not use batteries or tubes or transistors. The only power it needs to function are radio waves from a broadcasting station. The sound is unamplified therefore an earphone is essential.

The earliest crystal sets were manufactured in the early 1900’s. They survived through successive decades mainly as a toy that was sold through mail order catalogues and magazines.