Regency TR-1
The Regency TR-1 was the world's first commercial transistor radio . It was created by Industrial Development Engineering Associates (IDEA) from Indianapolis on behalf of Texas Instruments produced and was a superheterodyne receiver (transistor Super) for the AM - medium-wave band . The Regency TR-1 was equipped with four npn bipolar transistors made of germanium and a ferrite rod antenna and was available in many colors such as green, gray, lavender blue, mother-of-pearl, red or white.
On October 18, 1954 with the slogan “See it! Hear it! Get it! ”Announced, the radio went on sale in November 1954 in time for the Christmas business. It was priced at $ 49.95, which is $ 474 today when adjusted for inflation. About 150,000 devices were sold. The device was operated with a 22.5 volt battery of the IEC 15F20 type and had a high power consumption.
The red triangles on the frequency setting wheel mark the frequencies 640 kHz and 1240 kHz used by CONELRAD ( Control of Electromagnetic Radiation ), at which the population of the USA should be warned in the event of a nuclear war with the Soviet Union .
The recipient was a joint venture between Texas Instruments in Dallas , Texas and Industrial Development Engineering Associates (IDEA) in Indianapolis , Indiana . One of the goals was to create a market for transistors from TI and antenna amplifiers from IDEA.
The radio was praised for its small size and innovation. However, the sound quality of the tube radios prevailing at the time was not achieved. The high noise level and the instability at certain reception frequencies were particularly problematic.
source
- NZZ Folio . March 2007, p. 24
Individual evidence
- ^ Schiffer, MB The portable radio in American life. - University of Arizona Press, 1991. - pp. 170-178. - 259 p. - ISBN 9780816512843