TRANSISTOR MUSEUM Historic Transistor Photo Gallery
Transistor Size (1/2” L X 1/4”W X 1/2” H) “Bath-Tub” Oval Case Date Code 921 (1959 Week 21) on Back Cardboard Packaging	GE 2N169/169A TYPE Germanium NPN Rate Grown Junction High Freq USAGE Radio IF Amp DATE INTRODUCED 1955 CASE STYLES Black Metal with Pinched Top (Early) Black Metal with Flat Top (Later) AVAILABILITY Common (High Volume Production)
HISTORIC NOTES General Electric was an early industry leader in germanium transistor technology and was a major producer of these devices throughout the 1950s and 1960s. GE also manufactured transistor radios, beginning in 1955, and so had a ready market for transistors designed for radio use. The 2N169 was introduced in 1955 and was designed for use as a radio IF amplifier; the 2N169A was a special high voltage unit intended for second IF stage amplifier service. These transistors were used in a wide variety of radios made by different manufacturers, including the classic Zenith model 800. The 2N169/169A were available well into the 1960s, at a moderate cost – approximately $2.00 from the Lafayette and Burnstein-Appleby catalogs in the late 1950s.
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