Some online sources say the Emerson 31P61 was introduced in 1966 but my SAMS Service Manual is dated 1968 so that may be the better guess. It is an all-analog 9 transistor design powered by 4 C cells and measuring 9” x 5.25” x 2.5”. Although it uses a ceramic vari-cap tuning condenser, has no tuned RF stage on AM and has a smallish 4 1/4” ferrite rod antenna, its AM performance is amazingly good…transistor technology was advancing at a fast rate and by the late 1960’s their superior gain and signal-to-noise specs allowed fairly simple circuits to perform surprisingly well. Its design is simple yet visually appealing…this is a nice-looking radio.

Read the Emerson 31P61 Article:

Jay Allen