Sixty years ago this month, the May 1959 issue of Popular Mechanics showed how to put together this two transistor receiver. While within the capabilities of the beginner, the set was a good performer. According to the article, the set was capable of pulling in stations 10-15 miles away with only the built-in antenna.

The RF amplification was handled by a 2N168A transistor. It operated as a regenerative amplifier, with a 1N66 diode serving as detector. The audio was then fed back to the same transistor, which was “reflexed” to serve as the first AF stage. A 2N170 transistor served as a second stage of audio amplification to drive the high-impedance earphone. The set was powered by four penlite cells wired in series.