![]() ![]() They show some of the radios from my collection, including I supplied the photos! (Link to theīackground on the radio and tell the story of its development. Incredible!Īnd some people believe that the TR-1 looks somewhat like another "popular electronic device!" By the way, after this mention my site received 798,000 hits in the next 36 hours (at peak it was about 20 hits per second)! Long lost film of the Regency TR-1 factory, circa 1955. The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) in London called meĪnnouncement of the TR-1. ![]() And the coincidence of the radio's introductionĪnd the emergence of rock and roll music around the same time is fascinating. Opinion), and further demonstrated the significance of engineeringĪnd technology in the 20th century. It was the first widely sold transistorized consumer product, hadīeautiful and daring styling for the time (styling that still holds up, in my There's an allure to the Regency TR-1 transistor radio that can't be denied. Why?īecause in 1954 it was the world's " first pocket radio!" ![]() The 1991 Annual Report featured the TR-1 on the company's 55th anniversary.That's what an original Regency advertisement said about the TR-1. Regency became RELM Communications in 1989,Īnd as of 2020, BK Technologies has carried Regency's legacy forward in the radio business. The two scanners shown at the bottom of the following montage of Regency products were used as props in the movie industry A 1980 Regency quarterly report showed annual sales had reached 57 million dollars. By the late 1970's, Regency's expanded radio business included 2-way amateur FM and marine radios, professional business and public service 2-way radios, and more than 25 models of VHF and UHF band Monitoradio scanner receivers. Regency grew operations in the 1960's with the Metrotek subsidiary (citizen band transceivers) and the Avionics Division (general aviation communications and navigation equipment). The MR-33B on the right was one of Regency's final products with vacuum tubes. After 1961, Monitoradios were sold under the Regency Electronics label. The Police Alarm PR-9/74 shown on the left was one of I.D.E.A./Monitoradio's early products (ref: tuning range 72mc-76mc, PR-9 range was 152mc-174mc). By 1964, Regency's total sales had grown to 2.7 million dollars. Inc became Regency Electronics Inc in 1961, the communication receiver business was growing at a 15% rate annually. This division was formed in the early 1950's and built FM, VHF and UHF emergency frequency band receivers. Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and Computation inĪlthough Japanese competition squeezed Regency out of the portable radio business in the early 1960's, the company's Monitoradio Division prospered. The RT-700 allowed TV viewers to change channels,Ĭontrol volume and fine tune from across the room Ĥ.5v Burgess 2Z3 battery Īrtifacts from IDEA-Regency co-founder, Joe Weaver, are on display at the Regency model AF-250, circa mid-1950s.tuner in photo still works today Īmateur Radio hobbyist entered the transistor Regency models DB-213, DB-400 & DB-520 are shown here. TR-99, misc broadcast receivers īoosters were Regency's first major product line. '57) ġ957 TR-4 and XR-2a ad (Fortune magazine, December, 1957) Ĭirca 1960 Regency brochure XR-2a, TR-11, 20, 1956) ġ956) ġ957 Regency transistorized record player, PR-4Īnd XR-2a radio ad (Holiday magazine, circa The ad below the photo appeared in Holiday Magazine.ġ951 brochure for the Radio Parts and Electronic Equipment Show in Chicago ġ956 TR-1-G ad ġ956 TR-1-G, TR-5, TR-6 ad (Dallas Morning News, Dec. Before singer/song writer Jack Johnson became popular, he taught surfing at the Campus Point surf break, located at the top of this photo near Santa Barbara. The 1958 radio shown in this photo still puts out a great sound.Īlso ready for a beach party was the picnic portable Regency TR-5C (below) from the late 1950s. The handle rotated into a locked position behind the radio which allowed you to tip the radio speaker upwards. T he seven transistor Regency TR-7 (above) was a perfect companion for picnics and play time. Sydney continues to celebrate the Regency TR-1 with a display at the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences Powerhouse Museum with curator Geoff Barker's collection, and with a mahogany TR-1 viewed by Matt Pies in 2015. In the UK, the BBC featured TR-1 expert Steve Reyer and UK radio historian Enrico Tedeschi in a radio interview in the U.S., NPR's Science Friday program featured Robert Simcoe, author of " The Revolution in Your Pocket" and in Australia, creator Don Pies was interviewed on live Sydney talk radio station 2UE. The TR-1's 50th Anniversary was celebrated AROUND THE WORLD. ![]()
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