What’s this guide for?
This guide is intended to help you find all Transistors(Radios) a bit easier, and set them to their proper locations where they will pick up Transmission signal, and earn you progress through the achievement.
It is really not that hard achievement but you will have to search across the rooms up and down, and on every corner and suspicious places. Although most of them are easy to find, few of them are a bit hard to catch and possible to miss.
How to get the achievement?
There are totally 26 Radios in the game, to get the achievements you need to find and set all Radios to their proper location. To find a Radio you need to search across the map and sometimes Radio will be easily visible, sometime you have to rely on sound. When you are near the Radio you will hear interesting Hawaii like music like from the start of the game (because at start there is one radio in the room so you will hear that sound immediately).
Radios are half circle shaped with 85.2FM written on them and with red light on.
Once you take your Radio and move it across the room near place where it needs to catch a signal, you will start hearing noise and like signal interference, when you start hearing that, move a while in the circle, up down, left right, until you catch whole signal (on few segments radio needs to be set in air or in same position just level below or above in the map).
When radio catch complete signal the red light on it will become green (some folks reported that their light remained red) and noisy sound and signal interference will change to signal like Morse code (or peaking a signal from an aliens). In the same time you should make a progress on the achievement so achievement progress window will pop up and you will have one more radio counted in your achievement.
Once radio is counted in achievement, you can load, reload, start new game and that radio which was counted in achievement will always have green light on it (at least that’s how it’s working for me)
But before you can get this achievement you must complete the game one first than start over again and chase the radios. I am not sure about this step because i played the game before i tried to get the achievement but some people reports that they can’t get the transmission before they complete the game once first.
NOTE: in some cases it might happen that you lose your radio, during the drops, jumps, on the edges, passing through portals, etc… so it might happen that your radio disappear, drop through texture, or in lava, or disintegrate. So remember to SAVE very often.
Transmission Positions
From the start i have to apologize, i did this achievements in few gameplays in 2 days so i didn’t track all the maps and forgot to take screenshots of them.
But there is a really neat trick how to track all the radios on maps. Some maps are loaded in few segments so you might loose track number with that thinking it’s loaded new map when it isn’t.
So to track on what map you are first enable developer console. Go to Options > Keyboard > Advanced > and select Enable developer console. Opening developer console is on top left button on your keyboard right below ESC button, it has a sign like this ~ (on some keyboards that might be changed). Open console and type “cl_showfps 1“. This will draw fps counter in top right corner of your game, but more important it will show you on what map you are.
Now when we are all set let’s go chase some signals.
Radio #1
Map: testchmb_a_00.bsp
For obvious reasons first radio location doesn’t have a screenshoot(well i forgot) because as soon as you wake up the radio is right there in front of you and you can’t miss it as you are locked in this room whole minute. Press E to take it with your self (remember that sound because when you hear it, that means radio is near you).
Pass the door and you will catch signal at place where you should place a qube. Once radio is in right position red light will change to green and you will hear Morse code sound like.
Radio #2
Map: testchmb_a_00.bsp
This one is easy to miss. When you go through elevator and passage where map 01 sign is don’t fall down, stay on the edge and look to the right. Radio is on the camera.
Take it through the portals and you will catch signal in middle of the room near the doors.
Radio #3
Map: testchmb_a_01.bsp
This one is high up, so to take it you can open a portal where i did and jump to take it.
Than take it down in middle of the room and you will catch signal.
Radio #4
Map: testchmb_a_01.bsp
When you pass the hall, look to the left and up there is a camera, radio is on there. Open a portal to destroy camera and radio will drop down to get it.
This one gets signal in air so when you pass first portal you will start hearing signal, open a portal accross the orange one up in the wall and take radio through portal.
Radio #5
Map: testchmb_a_02.bsp
Into the elevator and to the next section. You can’t miss this one it falls down with the cube you need to open the door.
Pick it up and take it back to the elevator.
Radio #6
Map: testchmb_a_02.bsp
There is a section where you have to set 2 cubes to open the door, radio is right behind the doors so you can’t miss it. BUT don’t go through the doors it will close and you failed. Instead open a portal to get radio to you.
And take it back to the place where is a small gap you used for jump.
Radio #7
Map: testchmb_a_03.bsp
This one was a bit hard to catch. In next section take a look up in the ceiling from where those balls are fired. Radio will stand on the edge and you will have to open a portal up there and try to catch it.
Nothing special to search, just go to the elevator you activated and it will catch signal.
Radio #8
Map: testchmb_a_03.bsp
Next when you come to the stairs, don’t continue, go crouch behind the stairs to get to the radio.
And take it to the position where you activate a ramp.
Radio #9
Map: testchmb_a_04.bsp
When you come to the ramp over radioactive water, radio is just below the ramp. Once you activate ramp stand on the ramp and take a radio.
And get it back to the start.
Radio #10
Map: testchmb_a_05.bsp
At the wall where disintegration field is you can see radio standing at top. I took a cube and pushed it over the wall. This is a good place to save and be careful if radio touch this field it will be destroyed.
Open the doors and take it near there.
Radio #11
Map: testchmb_a_06.bsp
You will come across the map where you need to jump high up. Take a look at the left near the one dot sign there will be a radio on the wall.
Go up the stairs and near the edge you will get the signal.
Radio #12
Map: testchmb_a_07.bsp
Here is where you get second portal gun. Once you get second portal gun there is a button that open’s the door to go further. Radio is at the edge, so open portal near door and grab the radio.
And set your radio at the place where you got portal gun.
Radio #13
Map: testchmb_a_07.bsp
There is another jumping area to go up, as you jump wall will expand and move with hydraulics. Jump all the way up, than try to drop down on the wall and radio is on hydraulic bars.
Get down to the area where cube opens the doors.
Radio #14
Map: testchmb_a_08.bsp
At the start of the level you open a door with a cube and in next room you need to activate a platform. When you activate a platform, jump on the cube and on the wall right to it you can catch a radio.
Take it back to the start of the level.
Radio #15
Map: testchmb_a_09.bsp
You will come into the large room, on the right, there are some doors you need to open, on the left is some big gap, which turns into the stairs. Go to the right and on the wall near the doors you will see the radio, put one portal, and another into the gap to jump for it.
Once you open the doors you will catch the signal between 2 platforms moving up and down into the radioactive water.
Radio #16
Map: testchmb_a_10.bsp
Right on the beginning you will come across force field, look up at the wall cube that’s a bit out from the wall, behind it on hydraulic is a radio.
Take it back to the start of the map.
Radio #17
Map: testchmb_a_10.bsp
For this you have to be fast. In the room where you have to use teleport to click fast on 2 switches, behind that 2 doors that opens is a radio, use fast teleports on the floor, when doors are open to jump inside and take the radio.
In the same room on the elevator ram you just activated, you catch a signal.
Radio #18
Map: testchmb_a_11.bsp
You will come in the room with alot of turrets, there is a place with alot of cubes, you can’t miss it, radio is standing on them.
Take the radio in the passage behind the open wall where Help is written.
Radio #19
Map: testchmb_a_13.bsp
You will have to activate 3 ramps to get pass to the next section, once third ramp is lifted up, radio will be down there.
Take the radio near you and put it near place where you destroy companion cube.
Radio #20
Map: testchmb_a_14.bsp
Right at the start you will have to jump across the radioactive water. There is small opening in front of you go pass that and you will get to the radio.
This one have to fly high. When you hear the sound that you are near the location where radio should be. you have actually send the radio through the portal and in mid air radio will catch the signal.
Radio #21
Map: testchmb_a_14.bsp
This one you can easily miss. It’s up hidden and i didn’t hear the sound of the radio. You pass the wall opened by a button where there are few turrets and cube that you need to get to go to the next section. In the place where you need to open a doors for the ball to get inside, radio is up there.
Open a portal and behind you, down below is a floor where you can open another portal to jump up to the radio.
Take the radio over the ramp to the switch.
Radio #22
Map: testchmb_a_14.bsp
When you got the cube and on through the doors. On the left is a huge drop down, and in a corner i another radio. Use the portals to get radio to the same level where you are.
Leave the radio for now, jump all the way up to the end of the map, and use portals to retrieve the radio up there.
Radio #23
Map: testchmb_a_15.bsp
Another one you can easily miss. Now you are near the end of your journey and going into the fire, i accidentally shoot the portal directly above the radio. If you don’t just save yourself and take a look back into the fire for the radio. It will be on the right side of the wall if you are looking from safe zone, or on the left side if you are looking from the moving platform.
It’s a good idea to save, as you will jump and go through few portals and you might lose your radio. When you jump up, pass the big ventilation fans, jump on the platform, on one side is place where you should go, on the other side are just some rooms. Take the radio into those rooms.
Radio #24
Map: escape_00.bsp
Continuing through your escape journey just when you come into the room where are 5 big hydraulics going up and down. In that small passage on the right are some stairs and behind a stairs is a wall where you can shoot a teleport. go there and in small vent you will get the radio.
Take the radio all the way up, you will come in area where 2 pumps are pressing the wall moving up and down, and 2 pumps pressing wall moving horizontally. Go to the upper platform and you will catch a signal.
Radio #25
Map: escape_01.bsp
When you come into the room with some broken turrets, you will see the radio on the table.
Take the radio with you, continue your journey, and when you drop on a turret where wall will open and on the wall you will have writings like “Over Here”. go there, not up, and you will see small ventilation opening. Signal is there.
Radio #26
Map: escape_02.bsp
And finally last one. Once you are in the large room with alot of turrets. you will have gap with muddy water. Go into the gap and circle around. You will find the radio there.
Kill all the turrets and you will need to jump up to the top of the room. it’s easier to leave radio at the bottom (not in the gap) and once you are at the top. You will see the place with 2 massive electric engines. Take your radio to the engine and catch the signal.
And that’s it, you have all 26 radios.
