I've never really seen or heard a documentary explaining the impact that the portable transistor radio had. Most people attribute the personal audio revolution to the Sony Walkman and a few to Sony's attempts at portable cassette recorders in the late 1960s but transistor radios are often overlooked. Are the 50s so far removed from the modern era that people ignore it?
I think it's sorta neat that Sony are still clinging to their roots and selling radios today. They may not be as flashy as the models of yesteryear but they are very solid in operation. The prices on Amazon are comically inflated though.
@nooneinpart I think they stopped making them in 2021, actually. And I suspect their latest radio was just a 90s era product they never stopped making.
@@Mahoromatic Nah, the ICF-P27 dropped around 2022, and from what I gather it was because people kept complaining about the variable capacitors in the previous P26 failing prematurely (they just don't make them like they used to). They created a new analog PLL tuner chip that uses a variable resistor instead, similar to newer "analog" DSP radios. The downside is that it was designed around the Japanese FM band that goes down to 76 MHz, and I guess the chip design made it hard to stretch the band out for international units because we get the same compressed FM band except shifted to the left so it starts at 88 MHz instead. Though it seems they're starting to make it in smaller batches, it should only be $25 but Amazon has it at a very overpriced $63, very occasionally dropping back to $25 when they get new stock, I guess. The ICF-506 is from 2017, and that has your typical "analog" DSP tuner. Got one a few months ago to sit on my desk.
A really cool looking radio. The dark leather case matches very well with the tuning knob color. Not sure this radio would"ve outperformed the competition with it's only 6 transistors. However the battery compartment indea is genius, providing the option of using either 6 AA batteries or a 9V block battery. Thank you so much for this educative demonstration. My favorite Sunday evening show by far.
This radio was only ever meant for 6 volts. It's an unfortunate issue of using this style of plastic battery holder that it connects to the radio with a typical 9 volt style plug. I have a 1960's Toshiba radio using the same setup.
The fact that this radio uses a reflex circuit likely means that the performance is more like how a 7 transistor radio would perform. I'd need to see a schematic to say more.
@@colintinker7778 I see now, the battery holder is for 4 AA batteries for a total of 6 Volts. Any layperson who would have tried using a 9V battery block would have then damaged that nicely designed radio...Ouch. Perhaps, they had warned about it in the manaul.
Just nice and the right size. Sneak a peek at early 60's car radios for comparison. I have a 1965 Tenna with Tenna and a Bendix transistor. You will also find Clevite ( Cleveland ) transistors. The Americans won't drop out of the race for maybe 15 more years.
These videos are about collecting. They cover design, tech history, and social criticism. It is hoped that viewers focused on an item's performance will be able to enjoy these videos for all that they ARE and not focus on what they believe they lack.
@@collectornet You miss the point entirely my friend . What do YOU think I thought it lacked? The history of the radio is great to know . The best part of that would have been at the end to let us hear it working ( especially after all these years ) ..yet we were denied that ? .Not cool friend.
You said the video lacked a demonstration and you wrote that complaint in your original comment. Why don't I play the radios? Three reasons: 1. You would not really be "hearing" the radio itself at all. Think about it. You'd be hearing my microphone, a lot of electronics between me and you, and eventually your own speakers or earphones. 2. What about the radio's performance? Well, we judge a radio's reception by how it performs compared to others at our location. Is it really meaningful to compare a radio's performance in a video at MY location with the reception you experience at yours? It may be a nice bit of theater to turn on a radio and hear it play but when you think about it, other than theater it doesn't mean much. And then there's the risk: 3. Any amount of any random thing that comes out of any radio I would play in a TH-cam video can be claimed as copyrighted material by its creator (music, ball game, etc.). This can cause any number of hassles from demonetization all the way up to and including the video being taken down. Given all that, in my judgment the risk to this channel and subsequently its viewers is just not worth it.
I love your videos. I saw the "Not AI" banner on your thumbnail, and I can tell that your scripts are not AI-generated. But what about your voiceover? Is there AI involved there? I'm just curious. I'm not being critical and don't care one way or the other. Your voice is very distinctive and sounds very much like Peter Coyote.
Thanks! No, indeed! No AI anywhere, not in script, narration, or anywhere else. What you're hearing and seeing is real. I started to put that badge on my videos because I watch a lot of TH-cam and have noticed an increase in AI-generated content, which I find to be ultimately unsatisfying. I wanted folks to know my videos are original content and not a regurgitation of internet archives.
@@collectornet Hope I didn't offend you with my question. Your voiceover is so professional. I've always been into vintage tech, and although I owned pocket transistor radios as a kid, I've never explored the history and variety of models. I look forward to learning more!
No, no offense at all. You brought up the subject in a fair, non-accusatory way. Some of the others who have commented on my videos could take a lesson from you in treating others with tact and respect.
Absolutely love the font work on the instruction manual, melds so nicely.
On the instruction manual I didn't see 609. I saw bog!
Awesome looking Radio, however, I love the Gold colored cases and boxes.
I've never really seen or heard a documentary explaining the impact that the portable transistor radio had. Most people attribute the personal audio revolution to the Sony Walkman and a few to Sony's attempts at portable cassette recorders in the late 1960s but transistor radios are often overlooked. Are the 50s so far removed from the modern era that people ignore it?
I think it's sorta neat that Sony are still clinging to their roots and selling radios today. They may not be as flashy as the models of yesteryear but they are very solid in operation.
The prices on Amazon are comically inflated though.
@nooneinpart I think they stopped making them in 2021, actually. And I suspect their latest radio was just a 90s era product they never stopped making.
@@Mahoromatic Nah, the ICF-P27 dropped around 2022, and from what I gather it was because people kept complaining about the variable capacitors in the previous P26 failing prematurely (they just don't make them like they used to). They created a new analog PLL tuner chip that uses a variable resistor instead, similar to newer "analog" DSP radios. The downside is that it was designed around the Japanese FM band that goes down to 76 MHz, and I guess the chip design made it hard to stretch the band out for international units because we get the same compressed FM band except shifted to the left so it starts at 88 MHz instead.
Though it seems they're starting to make it in smaller batches, it should only be $25 but Amazon has it at a very overpriced $63, very occasionally dropping back to $25 when they get new stock, I guess.
The ICF-506 is from 2017, and that has your typical "analog" DSP tuner. Got one a few months ago to sit on my desk.
A really cool looking radio. The dark leather case matches very well with the tuning knob color. Not sure this radio would"ve outperformed the competition with it's only 6 transistors. However the battery compartment indea is genius, providing the option of using either 6 AA batteries or a 9V block battery. Thank you so much for this educative demonstration. My favorite Sunday evening show by far.
This radio was only ever meant for 6 volts. It's an unfortunate issue of using this style of plastic battery holder that it connects to the radio with a typical 9 volt style plug. I have a 1960's Toshiba radio using the same setup.
The fact that this radio uses a reflex circuit likely means that the performance is more like how a 7 transistor radio would perform.
I'd need to see a schematic to say more.
@@colintinker7778 I see now, the battery holder is for 4 AA batteries for a total of 6 Volts. Any layperson who would have tried using a 9V battery block would have then damaged that nicely designed radio...Ouch. Perhaps, they had warned about it in the manaul.
Just nice and the right size. Sneak a peek at early 60's car radios for comparison. I have a 1965 Tenna with Tenna and a Bendix transistor. You will also find Clevite ( Cleveland ) transistors. The Americans won't drop out of the race for maybe 15 more years.
See it, like it ! ❤🎉
SONY❤🎉So Innovative😮SONY = Rootkit😢
Although not ideal 6 volts jumped up to 9 volts probably wouldn't have damaged the radio...
And yet, you didn't switch it on and demonstrate ?
These videos are about collecting. They cover design, tech history, and social criticism. It is hoped that viewers focused on an item's performance will be able to enjoy these videos for all that they ARE and not focus on what they believe they lack.
@@collectornet You miss the point entirely my friend . What do YOU think I thought it lacked? The history of the radio is great to know . The best part of that would have been at the end to let us hear it working ( especially after all these years ) ..yet we were denied that ? .Not cool friend.
You said the video lacked a demonstration and you wrote that complaint in your original comment. Why don't I play the radios? Three reasons:
1. You would not really be "hearing" the radio itself at all. Think about it. You'd be hearing my microphone, a lot of electronics between me and you, and eventually your own speakers or earphones.
2. What about the radio's performance? Well, we judge a radio's reception by how it performs compared to others at our location. Is it really meaningful to compare a radio's performance in a video at MY location with the reception you experience at yours? It may be a nice bit of theater to turn on a radio and hear it play but when you think about it, other than theater it doesn't mean much. And then there's the risk:
3. Any amount of any random thing that comes out of any radio I would play in a TH-cam video can be claimed as copyrighted material by its creator (music, ball game, etc.). This can cause any number of hassles from demonetization all the way up to and including the video being taken down.
Given all that, in my judgment the risk to this channel and subsequently its viewers is just not worth it.
I love your videos. I saw the "Not AI" banner on your thumbnail, and I can tell that your scripts are not AI-generated. But what about your voiceover? Is there AI involved there? I'm just curious. I'm not being critical and don't care one way or the other. Your voice is very distinctive and sounds very much like Peter Coyote.
Thanks! No, indeed! No AI anywhere, not in script, narration, or anywhere else. What you're hearing and seeing is real. I started to put that badge on my videos because I watch a lot of TH-cam and have noticed an increase in AI-generated content, which I find to be ultimately unsatisfying. I wanted folks to know my videos are original content and not a regurgitation of internet archives.
@@collectornet Hope I didn't offend you with my question. Your voiceover is so professional. I've always been into vintage tech, and although I owned pocket transistor radios as a kid, I've never explored the history and variety of models. I look forward to learning more!
No, no offense at all. You brought up the subject in a fair, non-accusatory way. Some of the others who have commented on my videos could take a lesson from you in treating others with tact and respect.
TT.