If you recall from my Eclipse Camping for Newbies page, I’m sometimes a fan of cheap camping equipment. If you want to buy something that will last a lifetime, then you want to get the very best. But occasionally, you want to get something that you’ll use once or twice. That’s why I was intrigued by this $12 tent at WalMart. You can order online and pick it up at the store with no shipping charge. If you just need something for a couple of nights in reasonably good weather, this one will meet your needs.
As I mentioned in that other post, you want to practice setting it up at home. According to the reviews, this one doesn’t come with instructions, but by looking at the picture, the process is pretty intuitive, as long as you practice once in your living room.
(The links on this post are affiliate links, meaning that we are paid a small advertising fee if you purchase after clicking on the link.)
While looking for something else, I discovered this product which I suspect will be of interest to many readers. It is a kit for a pocket AM-FM radio that looks like a real consumer product, albeit a very cheap version of a consumer product. It bears the impressive Paeansonic brand name. When the radio is complete, it won’t look like a kit. It will look just like it rolled off the Paeansonic assembly line in China!
The best part is that you can get the kit direct from China for just over $5, including shipping. It is available from Fasttech, a distributor in Hong Kong of electronic devices, parts, and a wide variety of other goods. I’ve ordered from them many times in the past, and have always had a good experience. Amazingly, shipping all the way from China is usually free. Occasionally, when I check out, I’ll need to pay a dollar or two in shipping, but on most orders, there is no added cost for shipping. Orders generally arrive in 2-3 weeks by registered mail, having been deposited in the mail in Singapore. Payment is by PayPal, although I believe you can use a credit card if you don’t have a PayPal account. Despite my original trepidation of buying direct from China, all of my experiences have been good.
This radio kit sells for $5.25 (and an additional 10% off coupon code is explained below), and it’s obviously more of a novelty than a high-quality radio. I have not ordered one yet, but there are a number of videos and websites showing how to put it together, and that it works after assembly. It appears to work about as well as you would expect a $5 radio to work, but it does seem to pull in both AM and FM stations.
Despite the apparent simplicity of this kit, it does not appear to be something for the first-time kit builder. The parts are very small, and it includes a surface-mount IC that requires a delicate touch to get it soldered in place. It also requires a bit of alignment, which might not be intuitive to someone with no prior experience. If you’re new to electronics, or buying a kit for someone who is, then I would recommend one of the other kits shown at the bottom of this page.
But if you want a cheap kit to put together, that looks like a real (albeit cheap) product, this seems to fit the bill. And if it doesn’t work when you’re done, you’re only out $5!
Fasttech also offers this model for $7.50, shown at left. It appears to offer slightly more circuitry, and in theory might pull in a few more stations than the cheaper model. However, it lacks the trusted Paeansonic brand name. Instead, most of the markings are in Chinese. It does have one nice touch in that the FM dial is reportedly calibrated in “kMHz”.
The instructions are in Chinese, but this website has an excellent set of instructions for assembling and aligning the kit. This page also has some pointers. To get some idea of what you’re getting yourself into, the following videos will be helpful:
As noted above, this kit probably isn’t for beginners. On the other hand, it’s only $5, so if you want something to practice on, you don’t have much to lose. But if you’re looking for something for a beginner in electronics, there are better options.
For an absolute beginner, you can’t go wrong with a kit like the one shown here, which is available on Amazon. This one does require soldering, but it’s well within the capabilities of any beginner, and there’s very little that can go wrong with the completed circuit. It will do a reasonably good job of pulling in FM stations.
If you don’t own a soldering iron, this FM radio kit comes complete with a soldering iron and the other tools you’ll need to put it together.
And if you want something really simple that even the youngest kid can put together, then I recommend the Snap Circuit FM radio kit shown at the right. As the name implies, the parts just snap together, and it’s foolproof.
If you’re interested in the kind of radio from the early days of radio, which is still a solid performer, then you might consider the two-tube regenerative receiver kit shown at left, which will pull in both AM and shortwave stations at a reasonable price.
And of course, this site contains many plans for simple receivers, both crystal sets and powered radios. You can find them by browsing my radio history pages. For ideas on where to get the parts, see my crystal set parts page.
If you’re interested in the Paeansonic kit, I’ll probably have a few available for sale at Ozarkcon in April. However, the price will probably be $10. So if you want it cheaper and faster, I encourage you to get yours direct from China!
Fasttech is currently on its holiday schedule due to the Chinese New Year and will reopen on February 22. Orders will be taken during that time and shipping will start on February 22. During this time, Fasttech is offering a coupon for 15% off orders of $150 or more, or 10% off for all orders. Orders must be placed by February 20, and you must use the coupon code KUNGHEI.
(Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, meaning that we get a small advertising fee if you purchase after clicking on the links.)
Sixty years ago this month, at the height of the Cold War, the February 1958 issue of Popular Science had as its cover feature an account of a motor trip by two Americans, with their dutiful Intourist guide in the back seat, across the Soviet Union from Brest to Moscow and then south to Yalta.
The author, Harry Walton, along with Dennis Michael O’Connor, made the trip in a Belgian-made 1957 Rambler station wagon. After reciting the preconceptions he had of the trip, Walton writes:
The preconceptions were wrong. The Russians I met were not hostile, and the roads and mechanics were first-rate. In several cities I met friendly, curious, wide-awake students (including some who regularly read Popular Science in the technical library). Often I talked with earnest, unsmiling but not unfriendly adults who took to hear their government’s much-repeated slogan: “Beat America.” Everywhere I saw evidences of a dedicated national effort to cram into two decades the industrial revolution that has taken the West two centuries.”
Eighty-five years ago this month, the February 1933 issue of Short Wave Craft carried the plans for this two-tube shortwave set dubbed the “Band Spread 2.”
The set, designed by George W. Shuart, W2AMN/W2CBC, featured a type 58 tube serving as regenerative detector, with a 47 pentode amplifying the audio sufficiently to drive a speaker. The case consisted of an aluminum can measuring 5x6x9, which were said to be readily available. To facilitate easy changing of the coils, the author suggested that the can be purchased with a hole punched in the top, with a cover to fit. All parts were mounted on a metal shelf, held in place from the bottom by 7/8 inch spacers.
One variable capacitor was mounted directly on the coil form for rough tuning, with the main tuning control serving as a bandspread. Coil winding data was shown for the 40 and 20 meter ham bands.
A “long low wire” was recommended for the antenna, although it was pointed out that many foreign stations were pulled in with just a ten foot antenna.
A hundred years ago, the February 1918 issue of Popular Science showed this simple method for code practice without the need for a battery. A short length of wire was wrapped around the light circuit (the article noted that it wouldn’t work with a DC light circuit), through the key and headphones, and grounded. The result would be a convenient source of a 60-cycle tone.
Seventy-five years ago this month, the February 1943 issue of Radio Craft showed how to make this rudimentary photovoltaic cell.
With some modification, it scould be easily duplicated today, and could be the basis for an interesting science fair project.
It consists of a strip of lead, as well as a copper plate covered with cuporus oxide. To achieve the coating, the copper plate is heated in a flame until it is covered by a black flaky substance, which is cupric oxide. Then, it is washed in a weak solution of ammonia, which reveals the light-sensitive cuprous oxide.
A sheet of lead should be available at a craft store, or can be ordered from Amazon. Similarly, a small piece of copper is readily available at a hardware store or Amazon.
The electrolyte is a somewhat more difficult proposition. The lead nitrate is somewhat hazardous, but should be safe if handled carefully. The main problem is that it is expensive. It is available on Amazon, both as a solution and as crystals, However, the prices might be outside the young mad scientist’s budget.
Fortunately, this site seems to suggest that ordinary salt water will function adequately as the electrolyte. Therefore, one suitable science fair project might be to determine what other electrolyte solutions might work best. All that would be required would be a voltmeter to see which configuration puts out the most electricity. The advanced student could skip buying the voltmeter and instead make this simple galvanometer.
Another fun project would be to demonstrate communication over a light beam, with a setup similar the one on this site. Your homemade photocell is hooked to the input of a small audio amplifier, and you hook an LED to the headphone jack of a radio or other audio source.
One of the trademark events at Ozarkcon is the Wacky Key Contest, an event designed to encourage non-traditional Morse code keys made out of things such as toasters. For inspiration, we offer this design from Joe Binko, who sent it in to Radio Craft magazine in February 1943.
We’re not sure if it’s wacky enough for first place, but we’re sure Binko’s design would have been in the running had OzarkCon been in existence in 1943. He converted a phone jack (presumably, a quarter-inch model) into a key by carefully cutting it apart, mounting it to a base, and extending one of the contacts. You should get the general idea from the diagram.
Update (Feb. 18): When we checked today, all single rooms at the Stone Castle were fully booked. (After I posted this, someone else posted that some rooms were still available. So it’s probably worth a phone call. See the OzarkCon hotel page for information.) We will be staying at the nearby
Branson Surrey Inn. When we booked, rooms were only $42 per night, and it is located within walking distance of Ozarkcon.
Seventy-five years ago this month, the February 1943 issue of Popular Science carried the plans for this one-tube combination receiver and code practice oscillator. The construction article, by Arthur C. Miller, noted that thousands of young men and women were learning code for civil defense purposes or prior to enlistment in the Signal Corps. A code oscillator was then impossible to buy.
A single switch changed the set from receiver to code oscillator. As a radio, the set ran on 45 volts, but the code oscillator required only 4.5 volts.
The February 1938 issue of Popular Science carried the plans for this two-tube regenerative shortwave receiver. While absent from the schematic diagram, the globe on the top was critical, since it allowed the shortwave fan to quickly spot the location of every new station logged, and easily spot the location where the message originated.
The circuit inside the box employed two type 30 tubes, one serving as regenerative detector, with the other serving as AF amplifier. Since regeneration operated more smoothly at a reduced voltage, the set employed two B batteries. A 22.5 volt battery powered the detector, with a 45 volt battery allowing for extra volume from the amplifier stage.
The cover of the set was hinged, to allow for changing the plug-in coils.
For an absolute beginner, you can’t go wrong with a kit like the one shown here, 
