Heathkit Transistor Radio
One of the most unusual radios I own! I wouldn't have spent
much money on this clunky thing, but it was included in an auction
lot of radios that I did want. And the insides are kinda
interesting.
A kit radio from the early transistor days, this radio uses
seven metal-cased transistors: 2N252, 2N253, 2N254, 2N185,
2N185, 2N238. It's powered by six flashlight batteries.
As you'd
expect in a kit designed for novice assemblers, the
chassis is extremely rugged and the component layout is
w-i-d-e open. The speaker is unusually big for a radio this size—about 5.5 inches—giving it nice tone.
It's a good thing they designed an integrated handle at the top. When you
add up all those things, it's a heavy radio.
When purchased,
the radio was missing one transistor, but I later obtained one from a fellow collector
and discovered that it works just fine.
Fellow collector Dave Millard informed me that Heathkit
offered this radio in a leather case as well as green plastic. Perhaps
I'll find a leather one some day.
About a dozen years after I first posted this article, another Heathkit owner sent
me a
link to photos of an identical radio that
his Dad had built. Those photos show the exterior and interior
in much greater detail. Thanks, Chris!
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