Uploaded December 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
Well, this is a curious and EARLY vintage transistor radio. Curious inside and out. let's have a look.
In looking at this Rosko radio, the first thing that comes to mind is the Sony TR-52--that very first Sony of which very few were made and none were ever actually sold because the plastic grilles warped. This Rosko radio has a grille that looks similar to me--not the same by any means, but similar. And presumably these don't warp. There's a bit of marbling in this grille, but it's pretty subtle and so may not come through on your screen. It's the Rosko "All Transistor"--usually when they say ALL transistor, they mean NOT MANY transistors. And, indeed, this radio has just four. But wait till you see them.
I like this metal lettering, this automobile style script, very much, and indeed lettering like this is one of the things I collect, along with their cousins, nameplates. But as much as I like this kind of lettering, I'm not sure it's a very practical choice here. Things can catch on such lettering. For example it might catch on your clothes when carrying the radio or putting it in your pocket. The dial is plain, but it is underpainted, and that's a nice touch. Those civil defense marks are pretty prominent around the dial. More so than is typical.
We see several indications that this is an early radio, including the fact that there are no vents in the back and that said back is held on by a thumbscrew. This unassuming little radio is one of the earliest I've seen from Japan. I'd date it at around 1956 or '57.
Let's see what mysteries await us inside. Well, there's no label. That's too bad but we don't know if it's missing or if there ever was one. Ooo look at this-- a metal chassis. No printed circuit board to which everything is attached. Not in this radio. Instead....... a metal chassis where the parts are hardwired--with wires--underneath. The four transistors are plugged into sockets. A chassis like this is rarely seen in a Japanese transistor radio--and even rarer still are these transistors. They're American-made Sylvania transistors. So this is a radio that's made in Japan, with imported American-made transistors. The radio has two battery clips and so uses one of those batteries with a clip on either end. This too is unusual. Given the size of the space for it, a battery that would probably fit in this radio would be this 9-volt Mallory M-1600.
An unusual battery, an open tuning capacitor, a heavy speaker magnet, and plug-in transistors--what's not to like? The Rosko transistor radio from the dawn of the transistor era, and the earliest days of the consumer elecronics boom just getting started in Japan.
Well, this is a curious and EARLY vintage transistor radio. Curious inside and out. let's have a look.
In looking at this Rosko radio, the first thing that comes to mind is the Sony TR-52--that very first Sony of which very few were made and none were ever actually sold because the plastic grilles warped. This Rosko radio has a grille that looks similar to me--not the same by any means, but similar. And presumably these don't warp. There's a bit of marbling in this grille, but it's pretty subtle and so may not come through on your screen. It's the Rosko "All Transistor"--usually when they say ALL transistor, they mean NOT MANY transistors. And, indeed, this radio has just four. But wait till you see them.
I like this metal lettering, this automobile style script, very much, and indeed lettering like this is one of the things I collect, along with their cousins, nameplates. But as much as I like this kind of lettering, I'm not sure it's a very practical choice here. Things can catch on such lettering. For example it might catch on your clothes when carrying the radio or putting it in your pocket. The dial is plain, but it is underpainted, and that's a nice touch. Those civil defense marks are pretty prominent around the dial. More so than is typical.
We see several indications that this is an early radio, including the fact that there are no vents in the back and that said back is held on by a thumbscrew. This unassuming little radio is one of the earliest I've seen from Japan. I'd date it at around 1956 or '57.
Let's see what mysteries await us inside. Well, there's no label. That's too bad but we don't know if it's missing or if there ever was one. Ooo look at this-- a metal chassis. No printed circuit board to which everything is attached. Not in this radio. Instead....... a metal chassis where the parts are hardwired--with wires--underneath. The four transistors are plugged into sockets. A chassis like this is rarely seen in a Japanese transistor radio--and even rarer still are these transistors. They're American-made Sylvania transistors. So this is a radio that's made in Japan, with imported American-made transistors. The radio has two battery clips and so uses one of those batteries with a clip on either end. This too is unusual. Given the size of the space for it, a battery that would probably fit in this radio would be this 9-volt Mallory M-1600.
An unusual battery, an open tuning capacitor, a heavy speaker magnet, and plug-in transistors--what's not to like? The Rosko transistor radio from the dawn of the transistor era, and the earliest days of the consumer elecronics boom just getting started in Japan.
