November 9, 2008

Okay, we're long overdue for some sort of update, even if it's just to write this greeting and run down a few small news items.

I'm happy to report that I finally got off my soft posterior and changed site providers last evening. This moves the site away from a lame old hosting package and its restrictive disk space allotments that dated back to the dial-up days. The provider I was with for the past eight years did offer an "exciting enhancement" to my contracted package after I contacted them to bitch when they had the nerve to up the pricing without adjusting the terms of the package. But it turned out to be a little too little a little too late. The new package I've now signed up for elsewhere gives me more space and features than I will ever be able to fully exploit. That's fine, as the breathing room and renewed confidence in my provider might inspire me to start getting into gear and posting far more entries in the future. Banzai. \ (^^) /

First, let me run through the short list of updates and minor changes to the site over the past few months . . .

July 05: I added an entry for the Toshiba 6TP-335. Yum. Also added couple more radio site links.

July 06: I placed a note on the first page of my Transetta entry thanking the fellow who kindly supplied a good deal of information on Siemens' early operations in Austria. Little more than a nod of thanks for now, the note should embarrass me into properly updating the entry before too long.

July 11 & July 24: More link updates, including one to Jinkei Ohta's site and one to The Collectors Weekly.

July 27: I updated my entry on Uchida Radio, including a recent photo of Mrs. Uchida in the shop.

September 8: I updated the "group photo" that shows all four colours of the Sony TR-67 together.

September 10: I added a "group" photo of all three Sony TR-77 colours together, and also posted additional photos of the Sanyo 6C-8, (the radio in black, its cardboard box, etc.)

While here, allow me to also cover a couple of radio events that occurred here at Radio Wallah HQ in Tokyo since my last journal entry . . .

July 28: Steve Poroszlay dropped in for a visit on his way through Tokyo. We spent a pleasant few hours immersed in radio talk in what, to me, turned out to be a great follow-up to the three-party radio summit in which we both participated in Toronto earlier this year.

Talkin' radios in Tokyo

Steve testing the reception range of Saburo's antlers while I meditate quietly at his side.
(Maybe we should dedicate this shot to Sarah Palin?)

August 25: I was interviewed by audio magazine analog, a quarterly publication here in Japan. The article, which occupies just three of the magazine's hundreds of pages, essentially involves a discussion of design and the early days of radio production at Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (Sony). It's hard to express what an honour and pleasure it was to host the writer, photographer and editor in my little home that day. All three are wonderful people, and the writer did a great job with the article. The issue, analog - volume 21, went on sale nationwide on September 13. (Note: the link above directs you to a page in Japanese that describes the contents of volume 21.)

---

July 4, 2008

Woo-hoo! I finally managed an update. Almost unbelievable. As of today, the NEC NT-6A joins the ranks and graces this site with its sexy presence. Not quite stopping there, I also updated the face shot of my Aiwa AR-350, this time picturing it with its sibling OEM model, the Zephyr ZR-150.

So much has transpired since my last journal entry that I won't even attempt to run through it. If I had to choose a highlight, I'd have to say it involved my visit to Toronto in April. While in the Great White North — which was unseasonably warm throughout my stay — I managed to meet with good friends, family and two hot transistor radio collectors. Both are fabulous people and make me proud to hail from the same neck of the woods. Michael Jack and I enjoyed a tasty Trinidadian roti one evening, followed by multiple cups of coffee on a terrace in the city's west end. A great evening filled with conversation that made me feel like we'd been hanging together for years.

The next day I motored over to Steve Poroszlay's house for a visit. And, of course, to drool all over his fabulous collection. The weather was great, Steve was a terrific host, and his son Steve had fun using me as a jungle gym. Couldn't ask for more. Time went quickly and before we knew it Michael Jack had finished work and made his way over to complete the set. Another great evening ensued, with the radio talk not even interrupted by a brief break to wolf down a pizza. My only regret is that we didn't pull off a second round before getting back on the plane. Guys, it was great visiting with you. Hope to do it again soon!

---

February 10, 2008

I've got my notebook computer tucked under the covers with me as I drop in to send greetings to one and all, even though it's way past my bedtime.

I did add one page today that contains a completely revised visual introduction (for now) to ads and graphics related to the Sony TR-6. While I managed to get only the one measly page finished by my self-imposed deadline of this late hour, it does contain 19 unique thumbnail images that I consider interesting enough to stand on their own. This page should eventually develop into the home page linking to a number of images accompanied by commentary and observations.

Those who've dropped by in the last couple of weeks will already have noticed that a few other updates also appeared not so long ago. Somewhere on or around January 27, I posted photos of the leather cases for the Sanyo 6C-3 and 6C-5 radios, and added a new entry for the Sanyo SX-3 "Extra Speaker". These first updates of the year were followed a few days later by updated photos and commentary for the Siemens Transetta.

I happily report that I have been shooting quite a number of photos, taking a good number of scans, and generally moving ahead with plans for expanding the content. It may take a bit of time for all these activities to start channeling efficiently onto the site. But it will happen. Let's see how it goes.

I've also been cleaning and restoring a few interesting sets. None were on my original list of new model entries to appear soon. But I may change my mind and move them ahead of others. It is convenient to take photos and prepare entries when a radio is exposed and at its most vulnerable, after all.

Other radio activities since I last wrote here include the monthly gathering of our local group of radio rebels yesterday. As always, it was a a great deal of fun; and educational, of course. One of the fellows happened to have a book with him that miraculously gave me a hint as to the maker of a particular radio that I was hoping to learn more about. The designation on the circuit board and key design elements matched perfectly with a radio in the book, even though the two models have very different faces and carry different brand names. It really was one of those "wow' moments. The early HItachi 1N34A diode from this radio rounds things up by graciously serving as the journal shot of the day:

  

January 20, 2008

Welcome to a cozy Sunday evening in Tokyo as we await the snow that is predicted to fall overnight.

This week was a perfect example of how one can get completely absorbed in the hobby and spend every spare minute in radio related activities, and still not manage to allot time to work on a web site that is screaming for attention. Sure, it's a matter of priorities. But I say with confidence that the radio priorities this week are all going to benefit me in getting rolling with site updates. And that means I continue to move in the right direction.

So, what the heck have I been doing all week? (Besides earning a living, that is.) A lot of the time was dedicated to cleaning out years of accumulated notes and books as part of the reorganization of my radio headquarters. That may sound like a quick job. I assure you that it's not. Not when there are hundreds of kilos of notes and books. And not when one is getting reacquainted with his radios in the process. You stop to ogle this radio, give that one a little buff, tamper with the innards of yet another, power 'em up and listen for a while, and so on. It can become time consuming. But, it is quality time that is oh, so enjoyable.

Then there are the conversations. Putting my feet back in the water resulted in a flurry of mail exchanges with a whole bunch of people.

All this even involved a bit of picture-taking. Let's use that visual evidence to walk through a few of the notable moments.

January 17th: An extremely enjoyable, but very lengthy, phone conversation with a local buddy involved a discussion about the colourful Tung-Sol transistor pictured below. I discovered it in a orphaned Sony TR-63 that came out of Canada.

Some person chose a colourful replacement for the Sony 2T52 series transistor that was originally in there!

January 19th A.M.: The morning breezed by as I answered radio related mail,. And I wound up shooting a few quick snapshots of the material being discussed as I went. For example, I snapped a couple of photos of my two Siemens Transetta radios to show somebody.

January 19th P.M.: Toss in a few chores, exercise, shower, and even one radio related audio chat, and suddenly its coming up noon. Which means it's time to leave for an afternoon with a few of the local radio rebels.

Exhibit 2X34: Radio rebel recon mission sighted at 15:23 on Jan. 19, 2008.

The above photo is doctored. You can stop adjusting your glasses. I didn't have time, or didn't allow proper time, to request permission from the others to post this incriminating evidence. So, to help ensure their location isn't discovered, I gave each member a black rectangle "mask" to hide their eyes. I then used Photoshop to turn down the lights on the other members, while leaving your host in plain sight. Remember, I have seven witnesses, (including the dude behind the camera), that this was a radio related junket )

Fast forwarding now to....

January 20th (today): Started out with a bunch of mail replies interspersed with rounds of moving radios into drawers an onto a couple of shelves. In the process, I snapped the following shot to show a friend the brownish-gray quality of a Sony TR-724 cabinet. (Sorry it's only the backside.)

Well, you know, there is more. But that ought to be enough of the highlights to send you running elsewhere.

Now, here's the reason why all the nonsense above is a good thing. Keeping my hand in even enough to compose this journal entry helps get me to sit and ponder the site. Another positive sign is that I'm actually taking camera in hand and shooting photographs. That's something I hadn't felt up to in quite some time. I also continue to work on my (written) content list for coming updates.

Oh, one more thing. I flipped (horizontally) the web cam photo from my last entry to present the radios in the proper orientation. It had been a mirror image until now.

  

January 15, 2008

It's amazing how much fun one can have in simply preparing to prepare updates for a site. While it's still going to be some days before I am able to start actually taking photographs and scans, I've remained remarkably busy with radio-related pursuits as I get organized to get on with the show.

Just checking in today to report that things are moving in the right direction. I did get out last Saturday and bought the scanner mentioned in my journal entry below of January 11. So, no more excuses for not scanning some ads, graphics and the likes for the updates. My list of content to add also continues to grow as thoughts pop to mind. On a roll, and giving in to what might be considered a loosely related distraction, I am currently in the process of completely redoing my study – slash – radio headquarters. The new layout and furniture should make it easier to access whatever radios or items I wish to photograph, and might even make an adequate backdrop for some of the photos. But it goes further. I finally gave in and just this morning ordered a new computer to make the work in Photoshop and GoLive more enjoyable. Yes, some people still use GoLive. Creatures of habit. (And no, I did not order the MacBook Air.) That about covers it for tonight. In closing, another web cam snapshot. At least this one, shot last Sunday morning, not only includes a glimpse of a couple of radios, it also shows the new scanner on the table. That table was removed today, and the room will look quite different within the next few days.

  

January 11, 2008

Okay, so the boy suddenly returns from the dead and starts blabbering about getting this site back on track. Five days go by. And nuthin'. Tough. Take me to court. As if anybody cares.

But almost seriously now, folks. The first week back to work was a hectic one. More interesting is that the week was also rich with radio talk and radio tinkering, enough so that clients had the pleasure of playing second fiddle as I burned the candle at both ends. This alone indicates forward motion. Between guilt-driven bouts of productivity, I did begin organizing the initial content for some updates as I drafted a long list of things to address. And, you know, I think at least a few of you are going to enjoy what I have planned.

Here's the scoop. Before I begin expanding the selection of models, I'm planning to backtrack a bit. Wait, that doesn't sound interesting, does it? Well, give me a chance to make the changes and judge for yourself. The plan is to redo some photos to include more color variations of sets that already appear, some leather cases, and other paraphernalia that didn't make it on earlier. Some of these should be worth a cursory glance, for sure. I'm also going to power up the new scanner, (which I plan to buy tomorrow), and add some select graphics, ads and such. Too many mountains of them to become an all-out exhibitionist. But I aim not to disappoint. Then comes the requisite tweaks to the information provided, filling in details here and there, and repairing some of the data that has become outdated.

Sadly, my clients are remarkably active for so early in the year, so progress might not occur at a blinding pace Then again, I can't move much more slowly than I have been in recent – dare I say it? – years.

So, I bet you'd like to see a picture before I sign off. Anything other than another web cam snap of my ugly mug, you say. Give me a second. Time to rummage 'round the old hard drive. Hard to choose. Okay, here goes.

First up, a radio. Makes sense. How's this one?

So it's another Sony; so what? How about one more, this time an ad for a radio that made a big splash recently on a certain auction site.

That's it. I'm out of here. Look forward to talkin' at you again real soon.

  

January 6, 2008

At long last, I'm (once again) hoping to start a new year fresh, which includes getting back to updating this site. The holiday break here in Tokyo has allowed me to spend some good time mucking around with radios, and to communicate with a number of radio buddies with whom I had been losing touch. It feels good!

Starting out with a couple of baby steps, I quietly snuck in and updated my Links page on the first day of the year. Followed that up on the fourth by adding a little more information to my entry on the Standard SR-F23. I also modified a few sentences here and there, either because the reference made or expression used had grown outdated, or to improve readability. Hardly worth calling changes, but hey, it's a start.

Wishing each and every one of you all the best in this new year - alan

  

---

  

April 15, 2005

Allow me to borrow this public space for a quick (updated) personal message to a specific individual:
Professor Bruce – It was great speaking with you. Your fan club in Japan is rooting for you all the way!

April 8, 2005

For those who are wondering, I have not abandoned this site. Heaven forbid. Excuses aside, I've been preoccupied with work, health issues, and other distractions that have precluded updates for far too long. Eager to try getting back in the saddle*, I have been quietly updating my entries on a number of radios over the past several days. No major changes, rather a matter of patching up grammar and clarifying my statements in a few places.

(*Picture Clint Eastwood's attempt to mount his horse near the beginning of "Unforgiven". The New York Times review can be found here.)

I want to thank everybody who has written in during my silent phase to share information, comments, opinions, and such. In addition, my apologies for failing to reply to many of these wonderful posts. As one example, a small change I made today to my entry on the Sony TR-74 came from some thoughtful comments offered by Milo Austin. Milo, I've changed the expression "unique design" to "somewhat unique design" in regards to the front-back mirror image of the lattice grille. As you suspected, my word choice wasn't intended to be all-exclusive, as might be inferred from my entries on the similar TR-741 and TFM-151 models. Still, it was careless. You rightly pointed out that the Roland Twin Speaker, All Transistor 77 features a similar illusion, (even if the radio's overall design is completely different). My '77 also sports a hand-wired chassis, although the cabinet is plastic. It came from the collection of Al Casey, a great guy we sadly lost in February of last year following a prolonged battle against cancer. Al was one of the nicest people I had the opportunity to call a friend, and his passing is a loss to much more than just the collecting community. Al, you are sorely missed; but I know you are tuned in and listening on whatever band you're receiving up there.

Dieter Hollander wrote the other day from my old home town to kindly share his find of one more Victor TS-600 variant. I currently have two variations posted on the site, the domestic version of the TS-600, and the Canadian market version sold under the model number P-331. Do note, however, that I have been planning to add a third unique version that is in my collection. Dieter's great find makes a running total of four different flavours! Maybe I'll post the version Dieter located later, if he is amenable to the idea. Now, even with four versions of this fabulous early transistor radio identified, the total number of extant samples I've seen or heard of still comes to only maybe a dozen or so units.

Other changes made over the past few days include slight tweaks to my page explaining this site's name, my page about this radio site, updated links, as well as other things that escape my fuzzy brain at this moment.

Much more that I want to say, but I'll save it for upcoming ramblings. In closing, let me thank my dear friend Frank for pushing me into buying a 23-inch Apple Cinema Display the other day. The new monitor is proving invaluable in helping fight fatigue as I toil away at the computer all day. It's also a whole lot of fun. I owe Frank much more than a simple thank you on this purchase alone; but he knows that.

In a lame attempt to share some images as yet unseen on Radio Wallah, I offer those interested this link to a pair of previously unpublished pages that display two of the rarest and earliest Sony transistor radio models. My apologies for the lack of model information found within. The pages were posted hastily a couple of years ago for a friend to see, and I'm too weak and lazy to update them at this time. I believe the pictures speak for themselves, though. Okay, while I'm bringing private pages out of the closet, somebody out there might also get a laugh out of seeing these pages in reference to a magazine article in which I appeared back in 2001.

November 22, 2003

Okay, okay, so I didn't do anything really new and exciting with today's minor update. Still, I was eager to break away from my busy schedule for a short while and get my hands dirty again. Today I added a second colour variation of the Sanyo 6C-3, a beautiful one if I do say so myself. And I do. While at it, I also slapped up a photo of the Lafayette FS-110 in black to join my vermillion sample. I'll likely add a few more shots of both radios later on; but at least it's a start...

Wait. Radios aren't the only additions today. I also posted a few more sample of wonderful fractured English copy to the Unique Copy corner of the parent site, TabiWallah. Check it out, if such things interest you.

I continue to have lots of plans for new stuff once things settle down. Bought a new camera recently, hope to soon rig up a good light box to achieve more consistent results on some parts photos, will move up to a fast, fast 24-megabit ADSL connection within a week, and plan to find a new site provider that gives me better speed and far more storage area. Once these things come together, there will be no excuses not to add more content.

June 8, 2003

I continue to work around the clock seven days a week. Not only is this not healthy, but it also makes posting updates extremely difficult. Hopefully things will calm down soon because I am really looking forward to getting back to adding more to the site. Be well. Be patient. And have a bit of fun for me too while you're at it!

May 1, 2003

Just wanted to say hello while also addressing those who wonder what I'm up to and why I haven't posted any updates recently. The answer is simple. I accepted a contract for a new work project in late March that I knew would demand most of my waking hours. What else can one to do when an opportunity presents itself while the local economy is in the sewer? Since taking on this project, I have been putting in between 60 and 80-plus hours per week, and these long hours leave little time or energy to do much else. That's not to say that life has been completely devoid of radio fun. In forced efforts to take occasional breaks from my desk, I have devoted some time to tackling a few interesting restoration projects. These give me a chance to exercise different finger muscles and help relieve the fatigue of typing for hours on end. Each restoration also serves as a meditation of sorts, one that offers the bonus of seeing a great old radio regain its pride and gleam as part of the process. In addition, I played hooky from the barrage of meetings and rushed deadlines a couple of weeks ago to welcome one of the designers of the greatest early Japanese transistor radios when he visited my home. All in all, these experiences are getting me by.

There is a long list of models and other content that I look forward to posting once I get my act together. Will still be under the gun through the month of May, but will try to squeeze in some sort of update despite the schedule. Hopefully things will become quiet in the summer, and this will allow me to get back to doing the work on the site that I have in mind. Please forgive the lack of new content for now. I plan to compensate for it over the long haul.

March 23, 2003

I pulled my socks up today and snapped photos of the Toshiba 6TM-225S after my accomplice Yuko requested that I photograph her latest artistic knitting efforts.

The Japanese bureaucracy fails to surprise me very often, but they pulled a good one recently. Not only did they close all the Tokyo branch offices, but also moved the centrally located main Tokyo Immigration Office to a godforsaken spot on an artificial island out in Tokyo Bay, right beside the Tokyo Garbage Processing Plant. They chose this scenic location to build a structure that resembles a prison, complete with a guard tower and helipad on top. The new building, where all foreigners in the greater Tokyo region will have to travel to handle visa applications and other bureaucratic fun, also happens to be designed to hold all the detainees waiting to be forcibly returned to their native countries. No wonder it looks like a prison. What a wonderful way to show foreigners who intend to visit for longer than a pleasant vacation how welcome they are in Japan.

February 09, 2003

I had intended to post a couple more models this weekend, but somehow failed to get my act together to shoot the photos and prepare the comments. Sigh. Hopeless. To keep my hand in and maintain some sense that the site continues to evolve, I added photos of the leather carrying case for the Standard SR-F23 and the components inside my ivory SR-F25 along with a little more data on the SR-F23.

February 01, 2003

While it may be overkill to stick "updated" flashes beside the index listings, I finally got my camera out and took care of something I've been meaning to do for some time now. Today I've posted photos of the carrying cases for the Standard SR-F22, SR-F25, and the SR-D210.Well, that's not quite everything. Along with the carrying case, I also added a photo of my ivory (white) SR-F25.

Today is also a good day because I managed to resolve a problem that had been obstructing me from adding anything to the site for the past couple of weeks. Such attempts failed with a "disc quota exceeded" error, even though roughly half the space I pay for should have been available. After contacting the site provider and having them clear what turned out to be a huge invisible log folder that tracked all modifications since I began building Radio Wallah, I'm back in business. So much for that handy excuse to do nothing. All that's left now is to get back to posting regular updates. Let's see if I'm up to the task...

January 04, 2003

No big changes. I revised the introductory text for the Sony TR-66 slightly and added photos of the other two colours in which the model was originally available.

January 01, 2003

Happy New Year to one and all!

I've posted the Sony TR-62 today. A lone model may be a small addition to honour the new year, but this is one very special radio. Note that I still plan to add more to the description of this model at a future date.

December 24, 2002

Best wishes to one and all during the holiday season!

And J.C., sorry to be out of touch for so long. I look forward to conversing with you soon.

December 8, 2002

Finally another addition to the site, the NEC NT-79A. Posting a single model hardly makes up for such a long absence and still leaves me dozens of models behind my original plans for this year; but hopefully it marks a fresh start.

I'm almost happy to report that work has continued to be busy since typing my last entry on this page late in September, so much so that I worked again all this weekend. There's little news that could be better considering the dismal state of the Japanese economy. Of course, I've also squeezed in a good dose of radio studies and play in the meantime. This includes quality time spent with local radio cronies, a few restorations that came out marvelously, as well as a couple of new acquisitions. Equally as exciting has been the good fortune to meet and become acquainted with a few men who helped design, create and market the first transistors and transistor radios in Japan. This should lead to some great tales to share with everybody in the future.

September 29, 2002

Work continues to be so busy that I will not be able to post anything new this week. Too bad. I'll see how it goes, and will aim to add something next weekend. As always, no promises. Until then, be well and be good!

September 22, 2002

Today I've added an entry on the Sony TR-83. Had hoped to do another model or two from NEC as well, but time just didn't permit it. Other small updates to the site include adding a photo of the product label inside the back cover of the Sony TR-65 and some tweaking of my links page in an attempt to start cleaning up the rough format I whipped together for it when starting out last year. On an unrelated note, I finally got around to changing the photo used for the home page of the parent site. Hope to do this more often in the future.

It may not be readily apparent, and some may question the need for all the photos and pages I include, but I thought it worth noting that RadioWallah now contains over 400 jpeg images spread over some 300 pages for the 52 different models and other information covered.

September 17, 2002

Last week was one of the hardest I've endured in my adult life, so I'm happy just to be writing this note today. It's going to be a few more days before I post a new model or two, but I will work on it. In the meantime, I did add two ads to the TR-6 section today that I think some should find interesting. One of these, an early magazine ad, was kindly contributed by Jinkei, while the other is an ad flyer from Totsuko (Sony) that I had been hoarding.

September 7, 2002

Today's new addition is the Sony TR-65. I also sneaked in and fixed the dimensions noted for the Sony TR-741 and TFM-151 after noticing at long last that I had copied and pasted figures that weren't even close for those models. Blush. And shame on anybody who had noticed but didn't bring it to my attention. In one other small update, yesterday I added a few more components that carry date stamps to Part III of my section on dating individual Japanese transistor radios.

September 4, 2002

Hang on a second while I dust off the cobwebs...ah, that's better. I'm finally back in the saddle after a long absence from posting new models, info or anything else for that matter. Nice to see you again. And I won't bore you with all the details of how busy life has been, how challenging it can be to keep a business going in Japan during these difficult times, yadda, yadda, yadda. On a positive note, I did make some truly remarkable breakthroughs in my ongoing study of early Japanese transistor radio history during this absence. It will take time to organize the information, but I do look forward to presenting it to the community before too long, regardless what form that might take.

The new entries that will hopefully start a slow-falling cascade of others are the Standard SR-H100 I posted a few days ago and the luscious Hitachi TH-669 that made its appearance yesterday. Both radios mark a first in the respective company's history, the SR-H100 being Standard's first 2-band set and the TH-669 being Hitachi's first ever transistor radio product. Hope you find them interesting.

April 4, 2002

No updates today. Just this note. Pity. Thought I might manage to post a couple of more models before my mother arrives from Canada later today for a two-week visit. Sadly, between one thing and another I couldn't swing it. Such is life. It's now hard to say whether I will add anything new while we have company. Bear with me. I will get back to regular updates once life returns to normal.

With all the spring cleaning out of the way, and just one more job to complete before heading to the airport to play welcoming committee, I did accomplish one thing last evening that gave me a feeling of satisfaction. Instead of packing away my Mao Zedong wristwatch while cleaning, I decided to spend a few minutes and attempt my first watch repair. Can't say how well the watch will keep time, but Mao has been successfully resurrected. Hurray!

March 22, 2002

Just one new addition today, the Standard SR-F32. Oh, I also added the address and phone number for Uchida Radio, the neat shop run by a great lady in Akihabara. Although I have selected the next few models I wish to post, life is a bit busy at the moment, so I can't predict when I'll get around to it. RadioWallah may still look small, but it has grown to span some 275 pages that display roughly 375 jpeg images and descriptions. I've arbitrarily decided to declare April 1st the site's first birthday. If I manage to post four more models by that date, I will still be on track with my original objective, which was to average a minimum of one new model per week. With any luck at all, I will increase that pace in the second year, or at least prepare the long overdue Japanese version of the content.

March 17, 2002

Three Hitachi radios I like a whole bunch form the content of today's new postings, the TH-621, TH-667, and WH-667. Check 'em out. This means I actually did an update one week after the last one, so maybe I'll keep the ball rolling for a while this time.

It was a big week here for radio related activities. It's almost laughable when I think how easy it is to let radio fun fill my spare time to the degree that I don't have any left over to work on this site. Hopefully some people will understand and I'll be able to fight off the commitment papers a little longer. Of the many varied pursuits of the week, I'm kicking myself after completing a restoration of a maroon TR-6 for a local friend that stole dozens and dozens hours of my time over the past few months. I spent far more time on this radio than I do on my own and the restoration went brilliantly. Truly a performance that should warrant entry into the Battery Eliminators' Hall of Fame. The kicker is that I failed to take any photos before beginning the job. And then, in a rush to put the radio back in the hands of its owner yesterday at our monthly gathering, I failed to take any photos of the completed job. Oh boy. At least I can write about it here. At the same time, it makes me wonder if I'm really cut out to post photos and stuff on a web site. That radio would have been the ultimate example of a difficult restoration well done. Anyway, that was just one in a whole series of events, but I won't fill up any more space here or bore you with the others. Let's suffice it to say that I continue to find radios more exciting every day.

March 10, 2002

The Channel Master 6501 joins the group today.

March 08, 2002

The drought is over! Today I've added two early Toshiba shirt pocket radios, the 6TP-219 and the Penney's (with no model name I can find.) But that's not all. I also added two more pages to my section on determining the production date of individual radios, Parts II and III, and gave Part I a little tweak while I was at it. It's nice to be "back in the saddle again". (Anybody remember the Firesign Theatre?) With any luck at all, I should also be adding a few more models by the end of the weekend.

March 06, 2002

The only update today is this note. Why bother? Well, after letting things coast here for far too long, I wanted to say hi to everybody who still grace me with your visits and let you know that I haven't taken off for greener pastures or anything nearly so dramatic. All aspects of life have been busy since the new year and something had to slide. As good as the salary for building this site may be, it sadly ended up playing second fiddle to work and family and an intense passion for radio activities that kept me away from the site. Yes, the selfish reality is that the lion's share of the little spare time I've enjoyed since January has been dedicated to acquiring radios, trading radios, restoring radios, and talking radios with friends. Now the news, as it were. Things are finally starting to settle down and I plan to start posting weekly updates once again. Don't hold me to this, there is no guarantee; but that is the plan. And I hope to start with an update on or by Friday if at all possible.

While here, why don't I tell you some of what's coming up next. On top of dozens of more radios I wish to introduce in short order, I am also preparing another page or two on dating early Japanese radios, and plan to add addresses, contact info, and maps to the couple of shops that appear on Radio Wallah. I appreciate your patience, apologize for my half-assed approach to expanding the site, and look forward to getting things rolling along. Please do stay tuned!

And, to the collectors I could blame for tempting me to write hours of email every day and head out to socialize instead of working on the site; it's all your faults!!

January 09, 2002

I quietly added a couple of pages to the Sylvania 4P14 entry yesterday and updated the Zenith Royal 500 entry with a couple more photos earlier in the week. Today I posted the first of what I hope to turn into a series of pieces that suggest methods for determining the production date of individual radios.

January 03, 2002

Just a quick note today on the changes & updates made. After a local buddy kindly contributed photos, I posted the only Victor TS-600 I have ever seen. This is the twin to the export version, the RCA Victor P-331. I also updated the entry on the Zenith Royal 500 to add a link to some very interesting and thorough coverage given to the model by Bob MacGarrah on his site. While I eventually plan to add another couple of photos and a few words to my entry on the model, it will never offer the depth that Bob does! And last and least, I cleaned up several navigational links that were out of order on the site due to a silly oversight by your webmaster. Oops. None of today's additions or changes have anything to do with the updates I was originally planning; hopefully I'll get to them soon.

January 01, 2002

Happy New Year and welcome to "two oh-oh two". May it be a peaceful year that blesses one and all with good health. In good Japanese fashion, my wife and I finished cleaning the apartment yesterday evening after which I created and printed a small mountain of new year's cards for her to send out in accordance with (modern) tradition. That took us to almost midnight when we downed a bowl of "toshi-koshi soba", (new year's soba noodles), and sipped a little fine saké. It's too bad that none of the truly good sakés are sold in the west. The better stuff is consumed chilled - never heated - is clear in colour and not at all sweet, and loses out nothing to a fine grape wine. Back to new year's. After staying up all night watching a live debate on current politics and society, we journeyed up on the roof to catch the first sunrise of the year -- another old tradition. Unfortunately, the clouds blocked out the sun but the cold morning air was refreshing. Today was spent eating the traditional food I wrote of on December 26th, consuming more saké, reading the new year's cards that mostly arrive for Yuko and basically farting around. I stopped sending cards several years ago, so only receive a tiny trickle from folks who aren't phased by my lack of social correctness. Tomorrow we will take our first visit to the neighbourhood shrine. This is supposed to bring good fortune and health for the year and I'm willing to try anything!

Radios? Oh yeah, this is a radio site. Well, I have a few additions in mind that don't involve new model postings. I think some will find the info handy and hope to post it before long. Now back to my saké and to scan and print some photos for my family back in the Great White North!

December 29, 2001

Wanting to do a little something more before the year is out, I've added three models today – the Crown TR-666, Sanyo 6C-8 and Sanyo 6C-10. Work will be busy through January, but one goal for early in the new year will be to change the home page as I reorganize to further expand the site's content. It feels like it's time to make that change. I may post another model or two before New Year's eve, but will send one and all my best wishes for 2002 now just in case I don't swing it.

December 26, 2001

I hope you were all good boys and girls this year and that Santa took good care of you in return. Today I've posted two additional models, The Sanyo 7S-P1 and Standard SR-G24 & G24A. Gee, maybe that counts for two-and-a-half models. In accordance with a long-standing custom, folks here in Japan are currently busy cleaning up all affairs as well as every corner of the house before welcoming in the new year. Traditionally, the highlight in Japan is not so much New Year's eve as it is the three-day holiday that begins on January 1st. This is one of the two big holidays of the year. Many people travel home to spend time with family, and the celebration includes the first auspicious visit to a shrine as well as mass consumption of saké and not so tasty traditional foods (o-sechi ryori) that are supposed to bring health and good fortune in the new year. Considering the current state of the Japanese economy, I sure hope it works!

December 21, 2001

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish one and all a Merry Christmas and the best for the coming year. I'm grateful for the mail you've been sending and the words of encouragement that have helped me keep going with this little project since beginning it in the late winter. I'm also grateful for the exchange of opinions and good old radio chat that the site has sparked. Thank you everyone! It goes without saying that I intend to continue to add to the 210+ pages and almost 300 photos already posted as I work to improve the content of Radio Wallah in the new year. That's not to say I don't plan any more updates before the end of the year, although I'm learning not to promise anything ahead of time. Work has been busy lately, I've been spending an inordinate amount of time in mail exchanges, have been trying to get back to spending some good time with my radios -- and I'm generally shiftless to begin with. And there you also have my excuses for rambling here again today without adding any new models. Go ahead, take it out of my pay cheque!

The one small change I have made today is to break this page off from the About this Radio Site page. The content of that page won't change as often and I thought it better to not continue scribbling these notes below the site info comments as I had been doing. And that's about it. Hopefully I will find time to post another model or two in the coming days. Ho, ho, ho. I also added one very brief update note to the RCA Victor P-331 front page, but it hardly warrants going to read unless you've got nothing better to do.

December 5, 2001

Today I choose to ramble even though I haven't posted any new models. The one radio note might be to mention that I revised the text for the Sony TR-6 restoration sample on my TR-6 corner. There's no new content, so those who have already been there won't feel a need to go back. I simply cleaned up some of the uglier sentences that were originally banged out in one late night fit back in June. I also edited the text for the Zenith Royal 500 pages, but here too just a tiny bit. On a different front, I slapped up a few photos of my neighbourhood on a different corner of the parent site. There's no commentary or anything, but some folks might find them entertaining. I hope to add many more while also adding comments later on.

December 2, 2001

It was a big week so it made big sense to post some big radios. New to the site today are the Sony TR-74, TR-741 and TFM-151. Not only is each a classic beauty, but the great sound they deliver means the ones in the hands of a number of local friends still see regular service.

November 26, 2001

I'm planning more for later in the week, but did post the Sony TR-77 today. Also tweaked things here and there, so don't be surprised if something looks a little different than before. The TR-77 is the 32nd model posted on what has so far grown to span some 205+ pages and proudly display close to 270 images. Once again, I'd like to thank everybody for the encouraging letters and comments I have been receiving. Your interest and shared enthusiasm is what keeps me going.

November 20, 2001

Not much to say other than noting the addition of the Hoffman P-P410.

November 16, 2001

After neglecting this site for far too long while taking care of other pressing matters, we are finally updating again. Today's new addition is the RCA Victor (Canada) Ltd. P-331. I've also made a few small fixes in various locations around the site, but nothing so important that it seems worth drawing attention to. I thank all those who have been patient enough to continue checking the site in my absence, and will do my best to keep things rolling while I add new information regularly. Nice to see you all again!

September 23, 2001

Note and apology: An impossible schedule the past few weeks has precluded my ability to post updates. I will be on the road for a couple more weeks but hope to add a few updates as I move about. So, please do stay tuned!
Note that I did make some minor revisions today to the text for the Sony TR-66 and Hoffman K-P411.

August 28, 2001

Okay, okay, so a busy schedule has made me a bit slow at posting new additions. In an attempt to pull my socks up and get things running smoothly, I am posting the Sharp TR-173, Sharp TR-180, and Standard SR-F25 today while also adding a page that shows the insides of the Aiwa AR-350.

August 16, 2001

Just one addition today, the Crown TR-800.

August 8, 2001

Today's addition of the Sony TR-67 brings the number of models featured on Radio Wallah to twenty-five. Time to splurge for a Champagne Cola in celebration! I reached this point within the time frame I originally set myself. So, if I can keep my act together, I might even have a good number more radios (and other info) posted by the end of the year. Oh, I also added additional photos of the Sony TR-6 in maroon.

August 6, 2001

Maybe good things do come in threes sometimes; or so I thought as I knocked three great radios off my wanted list over the past two weeks. What fun. How exhilarating. And running from the loan sharks will be good exercise, for sure. At the same time, I devoted the bulk of my "radio hours" since writing my last site note to a number of restoration projects I needed to tackle. The force was with me, and I happily report that each radio went back together looking great. And I didn't even have any extra screws left over when I was done. So there.
Sorry that new posts to the site have been slim the past two weeks. Still, I did manage to add some photos of my yellow and red Sony TR-66 on July 27, and then updated the TR-66 pages with commentary and additional photos on August 4. The one small addition today is to include a fourth type of Sony TR-6 circuit board. Fighting against a month-long heat spell and a busy schedule, but don't plan to surrender!

July 24, 2001

Time for an update. This site now features 24 early transistor radio models, just over half of which were on sale by 1957. In terms of volume, I'm currently serving up over 150 pages and a little more than 200 images. I hope to pick up the pace of creating new entries soon; and regardless how busy I get, I am determined to post something new every week. Today's addition is the Toshiba 6TR-186.

July 5, 2001

Still crawling along but making a bit of progress. The five models added today bring this site to 139 pages that contain over 190 images and a fair amount of running commentary. There's a lot more coming as soon as my work schedules softens at all.

<– Back to Radio home page