Realistic STA-100 (1972)

The Realistic STA-100 is an AM/FM stereo receiver from Radio Shack's house brand, dated to 1972. The documented record is thin — no dimensions, no tuner sensitivity figures, no detailed amplifier specs have surfaced. What is known: it was a 2-channel receiver covering the FM (88–108) and AM bands, rated at 25 watts of power output, and carried an original price of $179.95.

One curious detail comes from an owner who opened his unit for cleaning and found an "FA-55" marking on the back plate, wondering aloud whether these were internal serial production codes Radio Shack used in place of model numbers — the same thread speculates the STA-100 might also carry an "FA-22" marking. That connection to other models (like the STA-2100) is strictly speculative forum commentary, not confirmed fact, but it hints at the kind of internal cataloging Radio Shack may have used across its receiver line.

Surviving information on this model is otherwise sparse. No period reviews of the STA-100 itself have surfaced, and no collector pricing data exists in the archive. It appears to have been a modestly powered early-1970s entry in Realistic's extensive STA receiver lineup, sitting somewhere alongside the STA-80 and STA-110 of the same era. A contemporary Radio Shack advertisement from HiFI-Stereo (February 1984, p.4) promoted the higher-powered STA-2290 receiver at a sale price of $399.95, down from $599.95, illustrating the market position of Realistic's receiver line during that period.

Known specs: