Historical information

The first transistor radio (the Regency TR-1) was produced by Regency Electronics in cooperation with Texas Instruments in 1954. Transistor 4 , the AWA transistor radio was manufactured by Amalgamated Wireless Australasia Limited (AWA), Australia's largest and most prominent twentieth century producer of radios, televisions, audio and telecommunications equipment.
Transistor radios went on to become the most popular electronic communication device of the 1960s and 1970s. Billions of transistor radios are estimated to have been sold worldwide between the 1950s and 2012. They were exceptionally popular amongst young people in Australia due to their portability, allowing them to be taken wherever you wanted to gather with friends or, due to the headphone attachment, without disturbing those around you.

Significance

These pocket radios are representative of technological developments which had a vast influence on social life and activities throughout Australia.

Physical description

4 pocket transistor radios of various brands. No. 1 orange Sanyo RP 1280 manufactured in 1979/1980. No2. is white bakelite No. 2 K--181 pocket transistor made by the Kmart Corporation c1975 and No. 3 is a Nation Brand AM Portable Receiver made in Hong Kong c1980. No. 4 Is an AWA Radiola B121 Solid State pocket transistor. All of them include a socket to plug in an ear piece.

Inscriptions & markings

No. 1 on the front "SANYO RP 1280 and tuning dial. On the back: "SANYO MODEL RP 1280/ DC 3 V 2 x "AA" BATTERY/ SANYO ELECTRIC CO. LTD."
No. 2 on the front "K-181" and tuning dial. On the back "Code 600-857/ AM POCKET RADIO/DC-3VC (UM-3x2)/ART 181. HONG KONG"
No. 3 AM Portable Receiver Nation Brand on front
No 4. on the front: below dial - AWA Radiola B121 ad at bottom "SOLID STATE" On the back: AWA Thorn Consumer Products Pty. Ltd./Model No. B121/Batteries 2 x UM-3 OR AA Cells/AM 520 -1620KHz/ Serial No. 75686/ Made in Hong Kong"