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From: mac@harris.cis.ksu.edu (Myron A. Calhoun)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics,rec.ham-radio
Subject: Re: Transistor Trivia
Keywords: Who was first
Message-ID: <4383@deimos.cis.ksu.edu>
Date: 27 Oct 89 19:54:34 GMT
References: <14290@well.UUCP>
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Reply-To: mac@harris.cis.ksu.edu (Myron A. Calhoun)
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In article <14290@well.UUCP> cygnet@well.UUCP (Joseph C. Decuir) writes:
>In trying to settle a bet I would like to know what company and year
>the first Transistor was shipped commercially? Also, who was the
>first to sell a Transistor radio and in what year?

While in high school I made two 4-transistor TRF receivers.  All four
transistors were CK-722, the first transistor to be sold for under
a doller (i.e., 99 cents!) each.  One of the radios I built into
a hollowed-out book (talk about hours of work with a razor blade!)
and the other I sold to one of my high school buddies.

I used my radio to listen to the world series while supposedly studying
in study hall.  I was forced to endure study hall only twice during my
high school years, and I'm sure my senior year was NOT one of them.
I graduated in the spring of 1959; thus the above was probably done in
the Fall of 1957.

>Would you please tell how you know this information.
I was there.

Incidentally, my buddy eventually sat upon (or otherwise mangled) his
radio and he gave it back to me for salvage.  I still have all of the
CK-722 transistors!
--Myron
--
Myron A. Calhoun, PhD EE, W0PBV, (913) 532-6350 (work), 539-4448 (home).
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