[BC] 1950s' transistor radios pointed to more tech changes

[RichardBJohnson at comcast.net]

After Motorola, RCA, and others in the USA had their designed stolen by the Japanese, American manufacturers could not afford to compete with the knock-offs made in Japan. Japan even renamed a port city to USA, so they could import radios marked, "Made in USA."

http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+17278

Of course, this historical FACT has now been rewritten to claim that it did not happen, but I even owned a transistor radio called "RCA Victrola, made in USA (Japan)." Note that they changed Victor to Victrola to knock off the name. It was only after several German companies tried to compete with the Japanese in the US Market that Japan started to behave. Rumor has it that some former SS employees paid the Japanese companies a visit and "fixed" everything! We have Grundig and Telefunken to thank for the new Japanese truth in advertising.

BTW, at one time there was a "transistor quantity" advertising war going on. More transistors supposedly meant better radios. As a TV tech, I once repaired a 22 transistor radio. Most of the transistors were diode-connected, used to fill holes in the PC board. I tried to use one of these "spare" transistors to replace a defective one. It, too, was defective so I guess that's where all the rejects were installed, in the "marketing holes" on the PC board. 

Cheers,
Richard B. Johnson
Book: http://www.AbominableFirebug.com/

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Croom" <croom.mark at gmail.com>

Don't have much to add to the discussion except that my 9-transistor Sears
AM radio was my introduction to the world of broadcasting. I was the same
age as the number of transistors in the box when I received it as a birthday
present.