My "KAAY" Radio
The photographs above are the first transistor radio I ever owned. It is a General Electric "10-Transistor" AM only radio, which I purchased from Greeson's Rexall Drug Store in Conway, Arkansas. This would have been in 1965. The price was $9.99 (a dollar per transistor!) It came with an single earphone, which I used frequently until it fell apart. Later, I purchased a flat "pillow speaker," which allowed me to listen to "Beaker Street" during the late night/early morning hours on KAAY. The radio still works, and I have several others in my collection. But this is my first radio, and probably holds the most sentimental value for me.
Richard Robinson
Richard! What a great little radio- and in such wonderful shape, too. Keep 'em coming!
ReplyDeleteBud S.
I had exactly that same radio, which I bought with my Christmas money in 1963 at Richard's in Heber Springs, Arkansas.
ReplyDeleteGeneral Electric had solid engineering behind its products, and this little GE was a hell of a good radio, with multiple IF stages and a lot of sensitivity. It was also very selective and I could separate AM stations even at the top of the dial. I could turn (and turn) the radio just right and hear Johnny Rabbit (Jonnie King's pal) at KXOX-630 in St. Louis. Blab it to the Rabbit.
A friend had a small pocket transistor radio that was a lout louder than my little GE and he thought that his radio was better than mine. I later realized that the GE Engineers traded sensitivity and selectivity for loudness that my little GE was a far superior radio. I imagine that is still true today.
Richard,
ReplyDeleteMine was a ChannelMaster 6 transistor radio, purchased (I think) at Elmers Sporting Goods in Conway. I broke it in with Buddy Carr's Top Ten Countdown and had it for several years.
Cliff Barnes
My first one also in 1965. JP.
ReplyDelete