EICO (an acronym for Electronic Instrument Company) was a manufacturer of electronics kits located in
New York City,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, United States.
History
EICO was established in New York City in 1945 by radio repair business owner Harry Ashley to manufacture electronic test equipment in kit form. His first product, advertised in the July 1946 Radio News, was the model 113 VTVM/audible signal tracer.
A wide variety of test equipment remained the company's mainstay during the time it was in the electronics business, however EICO often augmented their product lines with what was thought fashionable. For example, in the late 1940s it offered
Geiger counter
A Geiger counter (also known as a Geiger–Müller counter) is an electronic instrument used for detecting and measuring ionizing radiation. It is widely used in applications such as radiation dosimetry, radiological protection, experimental ph ...
s in response to public interest in
uranium prospecting. Sales by December 1956 were said to be over one million instruments. Their largest secondary market was
audio equipment.
Starting in 1958, EICO produced amateur radio equipment often in kit form, such as the EICO 720 and 730 transmitters. Later in the 1960s they made the EICO 753 SSB transceiver for amateur radio use. They also sold specialty test equipment for the ham radio market, including signal generators and grid dip oscillators.
First located at 84 Withers Street in
Brooklyn,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, and later at 33-00 Northern Boulevard in
Long Island City
Long Island City (LIC) is a residential and commercial neighborhood on the extreme western tip of Queens, a borough in New York City. It is bordered by Astoria to the north; the East River to the west; New Calvary Cemetery in Sunnyside to the ...
, EICO produced
hi-fi products in the early 1950s to the mid-1960s with a line of tuners, preamplifiers, and
amplifiers, available both in kit form or fully assembled. The model EICO HF-81 integrated tube amplifier is just one of several highly regarded products manufactured by EICO during this period.
EICO is also known for "monoblock" amplifiers such as the HF-50 and HF-35, stereo integrated amplifiers such as the ST-40 and ST-70, as well as many other amplifiers and preamplifiers.
In the late 1960s, EICO introduced a line of
solid state electronics audio equipment referred to as ''Cortina'', but by the mid-1970s the only audio products they sold were kits manufactured for them in South Korea. EICO left the audio market in the late 1970s and the electronics market some time later. EICO existed as a property management company until 1999, when the company was liquidated at the request of the shareholders.
Gallery
File:Vintage Eico Electronic Tube Tester, Model 625, Circa 1950 - 1952 (14949422216).jpg, Electronic Tube Tester, Model 625, ca. 1951
File:Vintage Eico FM Mono Tuner, Metal Case, 8 Vacuum Tubes, Model HFT-90, Circa 1959 (12686012174).jpg, FM Mono Tuner, Model HFT-90, ca. 1959
File:Vintage Eico Audio Amplifier, 6 Tubes, Metal Case, Model HF-12, Circa 1959 (12685181673).jpg, Audio Amplifier, Model HF-12, ca. 1959
File:Vintage Eico Stereo Multiplex Autodaptor, Model MX99, 6 Vacuum Tubes, Metal Cabinet, Bookshelf Unit, Inital Price = 39.00 USD, Circa 1961 (12623768935).jpg, Stereo Multiplex Autodaptor, Model MX99, ca. 1961
References
{{Reflist
External links
EICO Product Matrix
Amateur radio companies
Audio equipment manufacturers of the United States
Electronic kit manufacturers