1957/58/59 Emerson 888s, left to right, top to bottom:
"Explorer," "Atlas," "Pioneer," "Vanguard"

All cabinets measure 6 1/2"H x 4"W x 2"D

I don't have any production numbers on the 888 series, but judging by how many still turn up today, Emerson must have made a lot of them -- in terms of quantity, they seem to be in the same league with Zenith's Royal 500 series.

In terms of quality, the 888s were pretty good radios, much better than average. Their eight-transistor circuits delivered good reception and good audio -- for transistor radios, that is. They used four AA cells.

The Emerson 888 series is most memorable, though, for its cabinet design and its Sputnik-era model names. Yes, they're big & clunky, but all four have intriguing faces. (A fifth model, the leather cabinet 888 Satellite, isn't shown here.) One well-known collector has referred to the 888 Pioneer as the '57 Chevy of transistor radios. All four 888 models shown here were named after pre-NASA-era space programs of the US Air Force, Army and Navy.

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© 2007 by Robert Davidson, transistors@abetterpage.com