This month marks a turning-point in my relationship with radio; 30 years ago, I bought my first stereo headset portable model.
I began my 'love affair' with radio as a toddler … listening with my Mom and Dad to music, news and serials (The Cisco Kid, Our Miss Brooks, Boston Blackie) on a big, hot, tube-driven model, which was large enough to be a piece of living room furniture. We lived 90 km from the nearest stations, which where exclusively on AM, so there was a lot of static.
But, after dark, you could listen to most of the big 50,000-watt Clear Channel stations all along the Eastern Seaboard -- in Boston, New York, even down to Miami -- and what an adventure THAT could be for a young fan!
Radios gradually shrank, and we had a variety of kitchen models, all of which were still plugged in.
The big advance while I was in high school was the 'transistor radio,' which was somewhat smaller, had an earphone jack, and used batteries. Now, I was free to listen almost anywhere, even in our new car, which was not equipped with a radio.
When I graduated from university and got my first job, I bought a pocket-sized radio with an earphone. I took it everywhere. By now (1967, in Ottawa), there were a number of FM stations, in stereo, but the sound fidelity with the earphone was poor.
So, when Sony invented a radio with a stereo headset, I was there! The first one I had, in 1981, was somewhat heavy by today's standards, you had to place it in a coat picket, or hang it around your neck, but the fidelity was excellent.
My next radio purchases -- to this day -- revolved around varieties of the Sony 'Walkman' (I have worn out a succession of them!). Some had a cassette player, later a CD player. Even my modest MP3 model, with some favourite songs, has an FM tuner. (Which is o.k., here in Halifax and Central Nova Scotia, where there are no longer any AM stations.)
But, despite the technical advances with cassettes and CDs, I was always buying a RADIO!
I am always close to my radio, 24/7/365.
hey friend, i didn't know you were bloggin'. great stories. i'll keep an eye on your writings.
ReplyDeletecheers,
sio