Eighty years ago, the May 1938 issue of Popular Science showed how to put together this three-tube suitcase portable receiver for the broadcast band.

To avoid the need for “rigging a troublesome antenna or installing a ground,” the set featured a built-in antenna in the form of antenna and tickler coils mounted in the lid of the suitcase around the speaker compartment. The completed set was “little larger than an ordinary hat box, and was just as easily tucked away in a corner of a closet when not in use.” The set was ideal for any reader, whether or not they traveled a great deal, and it’s built-in speaker, antenna, and batteries allowed it to be used on picnics, at the beach, in the car, or in a boat or canoe.

The circuit featured three1E5G pentodes for RF amplifier, detector, and AF amplifier. To save space, a compact tuning condenser was employed, which used an insulating material (presumably mica) between the plates rather than air. However, the article noted that if the compact tuning condenser couldn’t be found, an ordinary air variable could be used, as long as additional space was made.