TRANSISTOR RADIO DESIGN

This classy Belvedere TR-223 was made in Japan by Sharp circa 1959. It appears to be relatively rare. It features a beautiful gold and white reverse-painted face. The Belvedere badge on the front of the speaker grill is written in vivacious red script emphasizing this radios class! This is one smoking hot radio!

It uses the same plastic case as several other radios made by Sharp most notably the Seminole TR-221, Airline 1131, Continental TR-182 and Sharp TR-222. It measures just 112mm L x 64mm H.

 

  

Sharp was founded in 1912 by Tokuji Hayakawa as a small metalwork shop in the center of Tokyo. The first product that they manufactured was a patented belt buckle! In April 1925 Sharp produced Japan's first working radio in the form of a crystal set! In 1928 Sharp began selling tube radios. In 1942, the company reverted to its original name of Hayakawa Electric Industry Co Ltd but still continued to sell products branded as Sharp. In 1959 after further expansion Sharp began to manufacture and offer a full range of consumer electronics.

 

   

This Belvedere TR-223 uses six ‘TEN’ brand (Kobe Kogyo) transistors to pull in local stations. It also uses a 'TEN' diode, a Sharp speaker and some other Sharp brand components.