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A transistor radio is a portable semiconductor device used to change between or amplify electronic signals. The electrical signal is then reproduced through loudspeakers on the device as an audio signal.
History
The first working transistor radio made its debut at the Dusseldorf Radio Fair in August 1953 by the German engineering firm Intermetall. The first production model transistor radios were available in 1954 through Texas Instruments and the Regency Division of Industrial Development Engineering Associates.
Function
A transistor radio reproduce electrical signals transmitted by radio towers as audio. The device captures the electrical signal via an antenna, which is a transducer made to receive electromagnetic waves.
Significance
The transistor radio was the first not to require vacuum tubes. Radios utilizing vacuum tubes require more electricity to operate. Transistors instantly respond to an electrical signal. The filament of a vacuum tube must heat up before they become operational.
Features
Transistors radios feature the ability to listen to both FM (Frequency Modulation) and AM (Amplitude Modulation) stations. This is done by moving a switch that is usually on the radio's instrument panel.
Fun Fact
Transistor radios remain popular for applications such as listening to sporting events as well as emergency, news and weather broadcasts.
Source:
NobelPrize.org: The Transistor in a Century of Electronics
San Jose State University: History of the Transistor
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