The family shown here is enjoying the radio during their picnic, courtesy of a four-tube superheterodyne portable built from plans in the May 1936 issue of Popular Mechanics.

The set used a 1A6 doing double duty as oscillator and mixer, with a type 33 serving as IF amplifier, type 32 detector, and type 33 audio amplifier driving a permanent magnet speaker. The A battery was 3 volts, dropped through a resistor for the 2-volt tubes. The set also used three 45 volt B batteries in series. The result was a set that was “not only handy for beach and picnic use, but also makes a fine battery set for homes not equipped with electricity.”

The set’s chasis was mounted vertically, with the speaker mounted at one end of the case.

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