The PHILCO Phorum
The last tube radios - Printable Version

+- The PHILCO Phorum (https://philcoradio.com/phorum)
+-- Forum: Various and Sundry Categories (https://philcoradio.com/phorum/forumdisplay.php?fid=37)
+--- Forum: Other Radios (Non-Philco) (https://philcoradio.com/phorum/forumdisplay.php?fid=12)
+--- Thread: The last tube radios (/showthread.php?tid=5805)


The last tube radios - radiotvnut - 01-21-2013

I know this is a question that has been brought up over the years and I know it would be next to impossible to pinpoint the last year or model of tube radio. When I say "tube radio", I'm talking about an ordinary consumer grade radio that someone would buy for the kitchen or bedroom. I know that tubes remained in some communications equipment, hi-fi equipment, and TV's for a few more years.

I know that solid state AC-only table radios first hit the market in the early '60's; but, they were expensive and most people stuck with the cheaper tube radios.

By the mid '60's, solid state table radios started to get cheaper and more common; but, there were still a good many tube radios being made. I have a few of those ultra-cheap Japanese 5-tube AM radios that were sold under many brands and in many colors. I think they cost less than $10 when new.

A while back, I was looking at old Radio Shack catalogs and there were still several tube radios from Admiral, Arvin, and some German models in the '67 catalog. In the '68 catalog, there was only one Japanese AM/FM tube radio.

I was told that Zenith still offered a tube radio as late as '69 ("Z"-line); but, '69 was the last year for Zenith to offer a tube radio.

I was recently looking on ebay and purchased a plain jane Zenith AM/FM tube clock radio that's a model Z374 (chassis 7Z03). I haven't actually gotten the radio in my hands; but, I'll post more details once I get it.

I have a friend who has a big plastic '68 Zenith ("Y"-line) AM tube radio that has a tuned RF stage and a large speaker; so, Zenith was actually still making a high end AM-only tube radio as recent as the late '60's.

I figure that by '68-'69, the majority of Zenith's radio output was solid state and what tube sets were made was an effort to use up old stock and these "last gasp" tube radios were likely much cheaper than solid state models.

I think that by '70, most companies had shifted radio production offshore and it was to the point where offshore factories could turn out cheap solid state radios for next to nothing; but, does anyone know of any bedroom/kitchen grade tube radios made after '69?

RE: The last tube radios - dixierat - 01-24-2013

Drake made the SW4A through 1970 maybe '71. It was a short wave listeners radio-not a Ham receiver. Had about 6 tubes in the front end and solid state audio and power supply. Would make a nice bedroom radio.

RE: The last tube radios - radiotvnut - 01-24-2013

I also remember that GE made some hybrid radios in the late '60's that had a solid state FM front end and the rest of the set used tubes.

RE: The last tube radios - TA Forbes - 01-25-2013

The PRC-25 VHF radios we used in the USMC until the '70s had one tube in them.

RE: The last tube radios - Arran - 01-26-2013

I have a Philco clock radio that was produced as late as 1968, at least that's the newest diagram I have for it. I think that even by the mid 1960s using tubes in an AC operated radio was considered perfectly acceptable to most people since you weren't planning on carrying it around.
In something like a clock radio, in order to make it solid state usually required the use of a power transformer, an AC/DC tube radio did not plus the standard AA5 tube lineup was still cheaper then using transistors. You also have a up to 1/2 dozen low voltage electrolytics in the radio itself as well as the large capacity ones in the power supply.
I think that the last regular tube radios marketed were those generic AC/DC sets made in Japan, some of those were for sale as late as 1972 or so. They were definitely under the $10 range, some as low as $6.
Regards
Arran