Sixty years ago this month, the March 1965 issue of Electronics Illustrated devoted much of the issue to a new kind of electronic component, the integrated circuit. In particular, it included some projects making use of the Motorola MC356G IC. The device, measuring only 5/16″ in diameter, packed in a full six transistors, along with five resistors. It could be had for only $3.55 plus postage.

The IC was designed for logic applications, so putting those transistors to use in a radio posed some challenges, since they were packed so close together physically. But with some trial and error, the magazine settled on the circuit shown below, which had good selectivity, sensitivity, and audio output.

The circuit used four of the six transistors. Components inside the IC are shown in black in the schematic, with added components in red.