The plans for this handsome three-tube set appeared 90 years ago this month in the May 1928 issue of Popular Mechanics.

This was a time when gentlemen still donned a suit, including bow tie and vest, to work on their radios.

The set used three 301 tubes, one serving as regenerative detector, with the other two providing enough audio for room-filling volume in the loudspeaker, even with DX stations. Other tubes could be substituted, and the cost of parts was about $27.75. Plug in coils allowed for a tuning range of 30 to 1500 meters, covering much of the longwave, medium wave, and shortwave spectrum. The article recommended a 100 foot antenna for the broadcast band, or 50 feet for shortwave.