Transistor Radios Around the World

Home --- Timeline --- Radios by Country

Before '54 --- North America --- Western Europe --- Japan and Pacific --- East Europe and USSR



Timeline of pocket/transistor radios: -- 1945—1958 -- 1959—1967

This timeline includes not only transistor radios but also a number of crystal and subminiature tube radios that were relevant to the early years of transistor radio production, especially pocket-sized radios.

Please consider this as an "approximate" and incomplete timeline: Many of the radios here have well-documented production dates, and some do not — I've done the best I can here with what information I've been able to find on the questionable dates, but please email me if you have something concrete to add — I regularly update this page as I come across new information.

Any radio with a black-and-white thumbnail image below indicates that the radio isn't found on this site and it's on this page only to fill out this timeline.

Likewise, not all the radios on this site are included in this timeline — only those which I consider to have some commercial or historical interest. For a complete photo-list of the radios that are on this site, please see Radios by Country.


1959:

VEB Stern Sternchen transistor radio

DDR (GDR):
VEB Stern Sternchen

first DDR all-transistor radio
Bang & Olufsen Beolit 562 transistor radio

DENMARK:
Bang & Olufsen
Beolit 562

first Bang & Olufsen transistor radio — and first Danish transistor radio?
EMV Tunde 2 transistor radio

HUNGARY:
EMV Tunde 2 (1960?)

second version of Hungary's first transistor radio
Benida 6TR-270 transistor radio

JAPAN: Benida
6TR-270

Continental TR-100 transistor radio

JAPAN: Continental
TR-100 ('58?)

Crown TR-7S (TR-777) transistor radio

JAPAN: Crown TR-7S (TR-777)

Crown TR-800 transistor radio

JAPAN: Crown TR-800

Hitachi TH-666 transistor radio

JAPAN: Hitachi TH-666

Kobe Kogyo KT-63 transistor radio

JAPAN: Kobe Kogyo KT-63

NEC NT-61 transistor radio

JAPAN: NEC NT-61

first NEC shirt pocket transistor radio
NEC NT-620 transistor radio

JAPAN: NEC NT-620

Olympic 666 transistor radio

US (JAPAN):
Olympic 666

(possibly '58?) one of the first US transistor radios to have been made in Japan
Realtone TR-555 transistor radio

JAPAN: Realtone TR-555 "Galaxy"

Realtone TR-801 transistor radio

JAPAN: Realtone TR-801 "Electra"

Sanyo Channel Master 6503 transistor radio

JAPAN: Sanyo Channel Master
6503

Sony TR-86 transistor radio

JAPAN: Sony TR-86

Sony TR-714 transistor radio

JAPAN: Sony TR-714

Sony claims this to be the first SW shirt pocket radio
Standard SR-D210 transistor radio

JAPAN: Standard SR-D210

Tokai Motorola X11 transistor radio

JAPAN: Tokai
Motorola X11

first Motorola transistor radio manufactured in Japan
Toptone AR-65 transistor radio

JAPAN: Toptone AR-65

Toshiba 6TP-304 transistor radio

JAPAN: Toshiba 6TP-304

Toshiba 6TP-309 transistor radio

JAPAN: Toshiba 6TP-309

Toshiba 6TR-92 transistor radio

JAPAN: Toshiba 6TR-92

Eltra MOT-59 transistor radio

POLAND: Eltra MOT-59

first Polish transistor radio
Atmosphere transistor radio

RUSSIA: Atmosphere

second "mass-production" Russian transistor radio, perhaps 10,000 units
1959/60 Emerson 988 Rambler

US: 1959/60
Emerson 988 Rambler

Siemens T1 transistor radio

WEST GERMANY:
Siemens T1

first "Siemens-Germany" transistor radio

1960:

Tesla T60 (2701B) transistor radio

CZECHOSLOVAKIA:
Tesla T60 (2701B)

first Czechoslovak "pocket" (small coat pocket) transistor radio
Schneider Caprice

FRANCE:
Schneider Caprice

Voxon Magic 750 transistor radio

ITALY:
Voxon Magic 750

circa 1960 — one of the first Italian pocket transistor radios
Global GR-711 transistor radio

JAPAN: Global GR-711

Global Zephyr ZR-930 transistor radio

JAPAN: Global Zephyr ZR-930

Harpers GK-631 transistor radio

JAPAN: Harpers GK-631

Magnavox AM-22 transistor radio

JAPAN: Magnavox AM-22

Made by NEC -- same chassis as NEC NT-620
Sony TR-620 transistor radio

JAPAN: Sony TR-620

Tokai G-607  transistor radio

JAPAN: Tokai G-607

Toshiba 7TP-415S transistor radio

JAPAN:
Toshiba 7TP-415S

2-band MW/SW radio
Toshiba 8TP-90 transistor radio

JAPAN:
Toshiba 8TP-90

Spidola multi-band portable transistor radio

LATVIA: Spidola, 1960/61

first Soviet multi-band transistor radio and first Soviet export transistor radio
Neva (Heba) transistor radio

RUSSIA: Neva (Heba)

first Soviet shirt pocket transistor radio
Zenith Royal 50

US: Zenith Royal 50

first Zenith shirt pocket transistor radio

1961:

Tesla Doris 2702B transistor radio

CZECHOSLOVAKIA:
Tesla Doris (2702B)

VEB Stern T100 transistor radio

DDR (GDR):
VEB Stern T100

Schneider BIP transistor radio

FRANCE:
Schneider BIP (1961?)

Decca Debonette TP50 transistor radio

Great Britain: Decca
Debonette TP50

Decca Debonette TP50 transistor radio

Great Britain: Fidelity
Coronet

one of a very few shirt pocket transistor radios made in Great Britain in the early '60s
PYE P190BQ transistor radio

Great Britain:
PYE P190BQ

Geloso G3303 Polaris transistor radio

ITALY:
Geloso G3303 Polaris

click here to read Lello Salvatore's article on this beautiful radio
Gauja transistor radio

LATVIA: Gauja

first Soviet "pocket" (coatpocket) transistor radio made both for the domestic market and for export
Zenith Royal 500H transistor radio

US: Zenith Royal 500H

the "zenith" of the 500 series, both in audio and radio

1962:

TED Saint Germain transistor radio

FRANCE:
TED Saint Germain

France's most iconic transistor radio
Mir transistor radio

BELARUS: Mir

An early shirt pocket radio from the Soviet Union
Crown TR-911 transistor radio

JAPAN: Crown TR-911

Crown TR-999 transistor radio

JAPAN: Crown TR-999

Toshiba 6TP-31A transistor radio

JAPAN: Toshiba 6TP-31A

Dansette RT66 transistor radio

UK: Dansette RT66

one of a very few shirt pocket transistor radios made in Great Britain in the early '60s
Perdio PR33 mini 66 transistor radio

UK: Perdio PR33
"mini 66"

one of a very few shirt pocket transistor radios made in Great Britain in the early '60s
Bled de luxe transistor radio

YUGOSLAVIA:
Bled de luxe

first Yugoslav transistor radio, Iskra-Kranj Factory, Slovenia

1963:

Stern T120 Mikki transistor radio

DDR (GDR): VEB
Stern T120 "Mikki"

c.1963, first DDR shirt pocket transistor radio
KB Scarlet Rhapsody

Great Britain: 1963
KB Scarlet Rhapsody

KB Starlight Rhapsody

Great Britain: 1963
KB Starlight Rhapsody

Neva 2 transistor radio

RUSSIA: Neva 2 #1

Neva 2 transistor radio

RUSSIA: Neva 2 #2

Selga transistor radio

RUSSIA: Selga

Sokol transistor radio

RUSSIA: Sokol

Topaz-2 transistor radio

RUSSIA: Topaz-2


1964:

Tesla Zuzana 2710B transistor radio

CZECHOSLOVAKIA:
Tesla Zuzana
(2710B)

first Czechoslovak shirt pocket transistor radio
Alpinist transistor radio

RUSSIA: Alpinist

Planeta transistor radio

UKRAINE: Planeta


1965:

Orbita

LATVIA: Orbita


1967:

Jupiter-M transistor radio

UKRAINE: Jupiter-M

Orljonok transistor radio

RUSSIA: Orljonok


1972:

GE Orbiter transistor radio

JAPAN: GE Orbiter


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