Cordless Table Radios --
The Short Story

By Phil MacArthur

WEB EDITION

There's no question that Phil MacArthur's radio collecting interests are a bit out of the ordinary. In the June 2002 issue, we learned about his Flavoradio collection; now it's cordless radios, which have also slipped off most people's radar screens. Perhaps now they will come back into focus for some of you readers. (Editor)

The transistor revolution hit the ground running with hearing aids (Zenith in 1952), shirt-pocket portables (Regency in 1954), lunchbox portables (Raytheon in 1955), coat-pocket portables (Zenith 500 in 1955), Allwave portables (Magnavox in 1957), and AM/FM portables (Sony in 1959). If early computers, ignition systems, car radios, tape players and televisions were included, it would seem that any transistorized product was destined for success.

In 1958, Zenith introduced the Royal 850, a cordless, battery-operated clock radio, apparently the first transistor radio designed primarily as a table radio. The Royal 850 is shown in Figure 1. The Model 950 and the Golden Triangle clock radio, a famous and expensive model, followed. Then, in 1959, came the very rare Model 900, an AM radio without a clock, designed for table service.

Figure 1. The 1958 Zenith Royal 850, a 7-transistor set with vernier tuning, uses a D cell for the clock and 4 AA cells for the radio.

Figure 2. The 7-transistor, 11-inch wide Sony TR7170 uses 4 D cells.

Figure 3. The 6-transistor Channel Master 6500 is 10 inches wide and uses 4 C cells.

Cordless table radios soon followed from other manufacturers, including the Sony Model TR7170, shown in Figure 2, and the Channel Master Models 6500 and 6505, shown in Figures 3 and 4. Channel Master also made a 16-inch stretched version of the Model 6505, known as the Model 6520 "Super Fringe," which used a tuned RF stage, 8 transistors and 4 D cells.

Among the other cordless sets appearing on the market were the Sharp Model 6H105, the Silvertone Model 9014, and the Monarch Model RE760. These radios are shown in Figures 5 through 7. Philco, among others, also sold cordless sets.

Cordless radio design was bulky and less rugged than the sets that were designed for portability. It was all too easy to leave a table model turned on and find the batteries dead upon returning to the camp or shop where it had been used. Plug-in radios just made more sense and sales of the battery-operated sets were poor.

By the mid-1960s, the cordless genre had disappeared, and they are hard to find now. I see only one or two per month on eBay, and it has taken a couple of years to gather the dozen or so I have now. This "niche" collection makes sense to me, but then, I also collect Flavoradios. Most radio collectors walk the other way when they see me coming.

Figure 4. The 10-inch wide Channel Master 6505 has 5 transistors and uses 4 C cells.

Figure 5. The 10-inch wide Sharp 6H105 has 6 transistors and uses 4 D cells.

Figure 6. The 15-inch wide, 6-transistor Silvertone 9014 uses 6 D cells and has twin speakers.

(Phil MacArthur, 60 W. Schuyler, Oswego, NY 13126)

Phil MacArthur, a former teacher at the Florida Keys Community College, is now retired and living in Oswego, New York. He has collected radios since 1955 and would like to hear from other collectors at keywestmac@cs.com

Figure 7. The 9-inch wide Monarch RE 760 has 6 transistors and uses 4 C cells.