It’s Solid State!
September 15, 2008 
For those of us who can recall what a chore it was running vacuum tubes up to the hardware store to get them checked out on the “Tube Tester,” the development of solid state electronics was a pretty big deal. Solid state technology was introduced in the 1960s, which made electronics significantly more efficient in terms of size and circuitry. And for businesses that had come to rely on communicating with field personnel via two-way radios, new technology would take up a smaller footprint in the office, which is never a bad thing.
This little beauty, the General Electric Mastr II two-way mobile radio, was featured in the Profit Boosters section of the December 1972 issue of Farm Chemicals magazine. The Mastr II boasted a smaller design and came available in 50 or 100 watts of radio frequency output power in low band, 35 to 100 watts in high band, and 40 watts in UHF.
At a trim 2.5 inches by 11.75 inches, the Mastr II packed a lot of power in a small package. And it was a durable unit, able to withstand a temperature range of 158 degrees F to minus 40 degrees F. With specs like this, who needs a Nextel?
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