Solid State table and AC powered portable Radios of the late 60's and the 70's

These are solid state semiconductor powered radios. At the bottom of this page is a generic schematic of a "hot chassis" solid state AM radio. Usually, these table sets are "hot chassis", directly connected to the powerline. They use a high voltage audio output transistor, and the rest of the set operates at the usual lower voltages found in battery operated transistor portables. The "cold chassis" sets (usually stereos, digital clock radios, and the AC/battery portables) use a power transformer and operate at low voltages.

An Australian MW 230V AC transformer radio set: Calstan

My first stereo receiver, bought in 1972, cold chassis

Not collectable yet! AC/battery w/ 8 track

These next 13 GE radios are solid state "hot chassis" designs
model T1140A

GE model T2240H

The GE model 1284A set above needed its high voltage audio output transistor replaced. Used an NPN bipolar transistor from the switching power supply of a junked monochrome monitor to replace it, worked fine. If you have a GE radio like this one that is dead, check the output transistor. I've had several with bad output transistors.
This GE C1580Z is the 1284A with clock.

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GE T1290

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A hot chassis soild state radio

Attention, K-Mart shoppers! Blue light special! .
"hot chassis"

"cold chassis!"

"hot chassis" RCA RZA200N

Not old enough to be collectable yet! Portable AC/battery.
This was my grandma's emergency radio, as she lived within ten miles of a nuke plant.

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Lafayette had a radio (similar to this Realtone) I almost bought back in 1970 but I never did.

Realtone solid state "hot chassis"

AM/FM stereo tuner

A nice Sony 23 band shortwave luggable set:

This Truetone is virtually identical to my brother's Lafayette set. He bought his in 1969.

Nice solid state hot chassis AM/FM with scrolling dial and 6 gang (3 AM, 3 FM) tuning cap:

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