Collins Radio Company, gegründet 1933 von Arthur Collins, machte sich zunächst als Hersteller von Amateurfunk- und später kommerziellen Sendern und Empfängern einen Namen.
In den Fünfzigerjahren brachte Collins mit den 75A, 51J - Empfängern und den etwas kleinformatigeren Geräten der "S-Line", 75S und 51S, technisch und mechanisch hervorragende Geräte heraus, welche bzgl. techn. Leistungen wie auch Design Meilensteine waren.
1973 wurde die Firma von Rockwell übernommen und wendete sich als Rockwell - Collins Inc. militärischer Übermittlung und der Avionik zu.

The company sold transmitting tubes with the Collins brand for a number of years.

Arthur Collins WØCXX started business together with one employee in the basement of it's home, in 1933 Collins Radio Company moved to 2920 First Ave., Cedar Rapids. The young company became known for supplying the 1934 Byrd Antarctic Expedition II with telecommunications equipment.
In the following years, Collins expanded in the Amateur equipment market, started producing transmitters used in aviation and commercial services.
In 1940 Collins Radio had 150 employees and moved to the so-called "Main Plant" in 855 - 35th Street, Cedar Rapids. Production was changed for wartime requirements, mainly the AN/ART airborne transmitter and the TCS vehicular transmitter - receiver.

After the war, Collins Radio Comp. constructed two new production sites in Burbanks (1946) and Dallas (1950), in 1953 the added the C Avenue Complex.
The 75A ham band receiver presented in 1946 with it's crystal controlled first oscillator and permeability tuned second oscillator was considered as an all-time classic amateur receiver.
After 1949 the 51J series of general coverage receivers evolved in the marvel of the R390A shortwave receiver, a milestone with it's mechanical digital frequency display and the famous mechanical IF filters.
The smaller "S-Line" ham band (75S) and general coverage (51S) receivers, transceivers and linear amplifiers followed at the end of the fifties.

Collins Radio Company was acquired by Rockwell International in 1971, Arthus Collins resigned shortly after the merger in 1972 and founded A. Collins Consulting, Inc.
In the 1980s, Rockwell - Collins Inc. focused on the military and commercial / avionics communications sector.

A number of models has been manufactured in the Canadian plant in Toronto, though the name plate indicates Cedar Rapids (IA) as origin.

See also 'Collins Toronto' for more company details.