I have for auction a piece of ham radio history: the first application of transistors to amateur radio.

The URL with pictures is

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331125527614

and the blurb is

This is an excellent example of the Regency ATC-1 ham band converter, a seminal piece of ham radio history as it was the first application of the then new transistor technology to ham radio equipment. Built in 1956 and offered at $79.50, this rig converted ham bands 80 thru 10 meters to an AM frequency that could be received on an automobile radio.

This rig is powered by three AA "penlight" cells (included), and featured a Q-multiplier for AM reception and a BFO for CW/SSB reception. Also has a "mute" socket so that it can be used full-breakin with an appropriate transmitter.

This particular rig was a backup for me, as I had an identical unit that I used with an AM "radio on a chip" IC and a QRP transmitter to make a compact QRP rig that I used for field day and backpacking. The converter draws only 2 mw, so battery life is long. That setup worked very well.

This unit is is good shape cosmetically, with the only major "wart" being a dent in the upper right of the panel which I tried to show in one of the pictures. The dent could probably be "worked out" by someone with patience, but as-is it doesn't look too bad and does not impair the operation of the unit in any way. Also the knobs are not original; I have three of the original knobs (the large tuning knob and two of the smaller knobs) which are included in the auction.

I do not have an auto radio for testing, but the light illuminates (shown in one of the pictures) and the unit puts out a signal at about 1230 kHz (measured with an amplified frequency counter) so I believe the unit to be working, but as such I have to sell it AS-IS as I could not perform a complete test on the unit.

Included is a copy of the operation and service manual which has a schematic and gives detailed information on service and alignment.

Closes Sunday 2/16/2014.

Thank you.