c.1961/62 RCA Victor GP552
MW coat pocket / small portable radio, thermoplastic cabinet
6 1/2 x 4 x 1 3/4 inches / 165 x 102 x 44.5 mm
Eight transistors (TEN), four 1.5v cells
Distributed by RCA Victor, Canada
Manufactured by Yaou Electric Co. Ltd., Japan
The GP552 was distributed by RCA Victor Canada and manufactured by Yaou Electric Co. Ltd., Japan. You'll find a 7-transistor Yaou "General" version of this set on the Radiomuseum page for the 2-band MW/SW Yaou General 7-GA-242 that most likely was produced earlier than the RCA Victor (one source states 1960 as the year). The circa 1961/62 date here means I really don't have a solid fix on the date: the only reference I found was a "1962 ??" date from an entry on Radiomuseum To me, it feels like it should be a year or two earlier.
This set's tricked out with a lot of stuff that feels unnecessary: (1) the useless telescopic antenna that doesn't retract into the cabinet -- this is a medium wave (AM) radio, and its ferrite rod antenna inside is all that's needed for reception, (2) the "Magic Meter" battery/signal strength meter, which doesn't work on this example, and from what I've read on the internet, it doesn't work on other examples either, and (3) the "tone" switch -- really? tone? But all this makes more sense when you remember that the cabinet originally was built for a two-band MW/SW radio and the only thing that changed on the RCA cabinet was the tuning dial: On the original Yaou, a telescopic antenna and a signal strength meter both would make sense, and what is a tone switch on the RCA was a band switch on the Yaou. You gotta wonder what genius decided the Yaou cabinet would be a good choice to house a MW radio.
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