Allied Radio Corp.; 833 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois - Trade names: Knight (Knight International), Lincoln, Polydyne, Roamer, Wextark. 1931 ARC-catalog shows the following addresses: for "Chicago sales" 711 W. Lake Street and for "General offices" 1903, Pershing Rd. both in Chicago, Ill.

The website

Allied Catalogs Com

is showing many Catalogs from Allied Radio Corporation, 711 W. Lake St., Chicago, beginning 1929 (before they did no catalogs) to nearly present. You can browse all single pages per catalog and look at the official pictures, prices etc. The owner of that site - and member here - has given us the right to use the catalog pictures he scanned for showing on the model pages.

The "in house" brand tubes offered by the company were Knight and Hylon. Manufacturer not known. As well as these, several brands such as Arcturus, Cunningham, Duovac, Marathon and Sonatron were also listed in the catalogues.

Simon Wexler founded Columbia Radio Corporation in 1921 and sold crystal sets.

1928: Allied Radio was established as the radio parts distribution arm of Columbia Radio Corporation. The company was soon to become one of the most recognizable names in the electronics industry.

1932: The company built a growing business in marketing radio parts and kits to home hobbyists, and was one of the first to sell electronics through a catalog. In addition, Allied opened storefront distribution outlets to reach more amateur ham radio operators and experimenters.

1941-45: Having survived the depression, Allied focused on the war effort, primarily servicing government contracts and high-priority industrial orders. Allied gained experience in the industrial arena for the first time through government and military contracts, which laid the groundwork for the distribution niche we occupy today.

1946-60: The electronics industry exploded as new developments in electronics were adopted on a widespread basis in commerce and industry. Innovations such as television, industrial automation, space technology and defense accelerated the need for electronics. Consumer demand also grew as radio sets and components not available during the war proliferated. During this exciting era, Allied gained both the experience and specialized staff necessary to handle both consumer and industrial sales.

1962: The first industrial catalog for Allied Electronics, a subsidiary of Allied Radio, was released. The company continued to serve both amateur and professional ham radio operators as one of the few places to locate that "hard to get" piece of radio equipment.

1970: Allied has 21 regional locations. Allied moved its headquarters from Chicago, Illinois to Fort Worth, Texas because 1970 marked the year when Radio Shack's parent company, the Tandy Corporation, purchased Allied Electronics and Allied Radio. On the consumer side, the new firm became known as Allied Radio Shack. Allied Electronics, with their new "computerized order tracking systems," boasted the highest percentage of filled orders in the country.

1972: The catalog is now a treasure trove for persons tracking down old components when trying to restore old professional and industrial equipment. Essex/Stancor, UTC, Switchcraft, Dialco, Arrow-Hart, Sprague, Fairchild, Robertshaw, Centralab, Belden, Sigma, Magnecraft, C. P. Clare, Amphenol, Shure, Electro-Voice, Sola, Simpson, Superior Electric, Hurst, RCA, Elmenco, ADC, H. H. Smith, are only some of the brand names represented. Interspersed with the major pro names were Micronta, Realistic, and other Radio Shack "consumer level" house brands.

1981: Allied began the process of moving from an all manual system to a fully computerized company. The process was completed in 1985.

1995: Allied is the first electronics distribution company to come out with a CD-ROM catalog and quickly followed-up by entering the e-commerce arena with the launch of a web site. 1999: Allied Electronics acquired by Electrocomponents of the United Kingdom. Some is from: http://www.alliedelec.com/AlliedHistory.asp