Uploaded December 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
It's a Firestone Twin Speaker 7 transistor Bi-Fidelity radio made in the USA. Not stereo, just two speakers. Stereo wouldn't have done you any good anyway; and you probably know why.
Yes, you know why. Twin speaker could not deliver stereo because the radio was not stereo. And that's because AM radio stations did not broadcast in stereo. FM radio stations did, beginning in 1961, but not AM. There WAS a push to develop AM stereo in the 1970s and '80s, and you know, I don't even know if that got implemented. I stopped paying attention when AM radio turned into what we now know as AM radio.
This Firestone has a pretty underpainted front that looks deluxe and, well, cheap at the same time. Perhaps it's that mirror finish look.
The handle here also serves as a stand on this radio. You fold it down and just lean the radio back on it. Now here's something I've never seen on any other radio--the way this back is held on--instead of tabs to hold it on, or a screw or two to fasten it, instead of that we have these two clips, one on each side that just sort of snap on over the side mounts. It's a pretty fussy arrangement, but it works. Unique.
Once we get inside this radio we see that it takes AA batteries, 6 of them delivering 9 volts. Penlight cells or Mercury Cells. Oh yeah, it says "For long life use mercury cell--Mallory Type ZM-9." The longer life referred to is the battery's life, not yours. Mercury's effect on YOUR lifespan could be quite the opposite. That's why mercury batteries are banned today in many countries, including the United States.
The label says "The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio, USA." Looking at the chassis, this is a metal chassis, not a printed circuit board. And we see point to point wiring where we see anything at all. Quite an impressive piece of work and it weighs about as much as it looks like it weighs. A lot.
Why isn't this an "Air Chief" radio? That's the name Firestone had been putting on their radios since 1940. And continued putting on their radios after this one. Witness this made-in-Japan Firestone Air Chief model from around 1960. But somehow, the radio we are looking at today, from around 1957, is just a Firestone, not an Air Chief.
It may seem strange to think of buying something like this in a tire store, this being what we would today call consumer electronics. But back in those days, lots of tire stores sold these sorts of items. Not just Firestone, but Pep Boys, Goodyear, Western Auto, B.F. Goodrich, and others. It's hard to think of stores like this as hi tech, but they were some of the first retail outlets to offer the brand spanking new transistor radios in the mid-1950s, the dawn of the transistor era.
The Firestone 4-C-40.
It's a Firestone Twin Speaker 7 transistor Bi-Fidelity radio made in the USA. Not stereo, just two speakers. Stereo wouldn't have done you any good anyway; and you probably know why.
Yes, you know why. Twin speaker could not deliver stereo because the radio was not stereo. And that's because AM radio stations did not broadcast in stereo. FM radio stations did, beginning in 1961, but not AM. There WAS a push to develop AM stereo in the 1970s and '80s, and you know, I don't even know if that got implemented. I stopped paying attention when AM radio turned into what we now know as AM radio.
This Firestone has a pretty underpainted front that looks deluxe and, well, cheap at the same time. Perhaps it's that mirror finish look.
The handle here also serves as a stand on this radio. You fold it down and just lean the radio back on it. Now here's something I've never seen on any other radio--the way this back is held on--instead of tabs to hold it on, or a screw or two to fasten it, instead of that we have these two clips, one on each side that just sort of snap on over the side mounts. It's a pretty fussy arrangement, but it works. Unique.
Once we get inside this radio we see that it takes AA batteries, 6 of them delivering 9 volts. Penlight cells or Mercury Cells. Oh yeah, it says "For long life use mercury cell--Mallory Type ZM-9." The longer life referred to is the battery's life, not yours. Mercury's effect on YOUR lifespan could be quite the opposite. That's why mercury batteries are banned today in many countries, including the United States.
The label says "The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio, USA." Looking at the chassis, this is a metal chassis, not a printed circuit board. And we see point to point wiring where we see anything at all. Quite an impressive piece of work and it weighs about as much as it looks like it weighs. A lot.
Why isn't this an "Air Chief" radio? That's the name Firestone had been putting on their radios since 1940. And continued putting on their radios after this one. Witness this made-in-Japan Firestone Air Chief model from around 1960. But somehow, the radio we are looking at today, from around 1957, is just a Firestone, not an Air Chief.
It may seem strange to think of buying something like this in a tire store, this being what we would today call consumer electronics. But back in those days, lots of tire stores sold these sorts of items. Not just Firestone, but Pep Boys, Goodyear, Western Auto, B.F. Goodrich, and others. It's hard to think of stores like this as hi tech, but they were some of the first retail outlets to offer the brand spanking new transistor radios in the mid-1950s, the dawn of the transistor era.
The Firestone 4-C-40.
