Seventy-five years ago this month, the June 1943 issue of Popular Science showed how to do this seemingly impossible balancing act. The hammer is suspended by a string in the middle, with the end of the handle exerting an upward force on the end of the ruler. Since the center of gravity is under the table, the ruler stays in place.
This simple stunt could be the basis for an elegantly simple science fair project regarding leverage.
Trial of Andrew Johnson, Harper’s Weekly via Wikipedia.
On this date 150 years ago, June 16, 1868, the U.S. Senate acquitted President Andrew Johnson on all three articles of impeachment against him.
The vote on all counts was 35 guilty and 19 not guilty, a vote shy of the 36 votes, a two-thirds majority, required to convict.
Anne Frank. Wikipedia image.
On this date seventy-five years ago, June 15, 1943, Anne Frank noted in her diary that everyone in Holland had been directed to turn in their radios. She noted that throughout Holland, people were scrambling to find old radios to turn in so that they could keep another set, and that those in her group had arranged to get a small secret set.
As we have written previously, some ingenious examples of clandestine Dutch receivers are shown above.
Seventy-five years ago today, KOA Denver ran this ad in the June 14, 1943, issue of Broadcasting.
The station ran its weekly “Music Center for Enlisted Men” for the morale of servicemen stationed in the Denver area. The half hour program ran Friday nights, and enlisted men participated in choirs and dramatic presentations. The project was spearheaded by the wifes of commanding generals and post commanders in the area, along with Colorado’s governor and his wife.
This self-explanatory helpful hint appeared in Popular Mechanics 75 years ago this month, June 1943.
If you need to make a tripod to cook over the fire, you can, of course, lash the three poles together. But if you have an empty can, you may as well make use of it. The can has the added advantage of providing a spot to hook the kettle: By leaving the lid partially attached to the can when opening, you can cut a hole in it and hang the pot from that.
Sixty years ago this month, the June 1958 issue of Radio Electronics carried the plans for this transistorized radio compass.
The circuit was nothing more than a superheterodyne receiver covering the standard broadcast band and, if desired, the longwave band. It was specifically designed for use as a radio compass. Any portable AM radio with a loopstick antenna can be used for the same purpose, although the magnetic compass mounted directly on the case made use of this one quite convenient.
The article specified that it was a worthwhile investiment for “people interested in outdoor activities such as motorboating, sailing, hunting, trapping, berry picking, camping, hiking or other activity where there is a possibility of getting lost.”
Even with this modest receiver, or even the most inexpensive AM transistor radio, the method of locating yourself is actually extremely accurate. All you need is an AM radio and a good map marked with the locations of local broadcast stations. The ferrite core antenna coil is mounted parallel to one of the sides of the case of the radio. Fortunately, the vast majority of inexpensive radios were also built this way. The antenna is very directional, and produces a sharp null when the length of the antenna is pointed directly at the station.
To use as a direction finder, the radio is placed on the map, and with the compass, the map is oriented to the map. The radio is turned until the signal fades out. At that point, the side of the radio is used as a straightedge, and a line is drawn through the radio station.
This process is repeated with a second station. The point on the map where the two lines intersect is your location.
I’ve tried this method using an inexpensive transistor radio, and the accuracy is astonishingly good. In an urban area, I can generally find my location within a few hundred yards. At night, using distant signal clear channel stations, I can determine my location within about twenty miles.
The exact location of a radio station’s transmitter (which might be different from its city of license or studio location) can be looked up at the FCC website. Once stations are found, their latitudes and longitudes can be plotted on a map, or even on graph paper. With a bit of practice, you will be able to very accurately determine your location with very minimal equipment.
I’ve found that a few of the local broadcast stations seem to give an inaccurate bearing. It’s possible that some of them moved their transmitter site without telling the FCC, or possibly that station’s signal is being reflected by some nearby object. To get a precise location, I plot several bearings on the map, and ignore the one that seems not to intersect the others. The other lines are generally very close together, and I estimate my position based upon where those other lines converge.
More information about this method of direction finding can be found at this post.
Many problems have a simple solution that has been lost to the ages. And the problem of moving large objects with a small car seems to be in that category. If you have a bulky (but not particularly heavy) object that needs to go from Point A to Point B, it’s often easiest to put the object on top of the car.
In some cases, you can simply put some padding on the object and securely tie it to the roof. But sometimes, you need a solid surface on which you can tie it down, and that’s where this kind of inexpensive roof rack comes in handy. Back in the day, these were very common, and they could be found at any auto parts store or hardware store. But at some point, they lost favor over more modernistic looking solutions, and when I set out to buy a pair locally, nobody knew what I was talking about.
If you do a Google search for what seem like relevant terms, you will get a dizzying array of options. It turns out that many brands of roof racks and car top carriers have cultlike followers, and many people spend hundreds of dollars on what should be a relatively simple concept.
I have a set of cross-bar roof racks similar to the ones shown here, and they do a perfectly adequate job of transporting small loads when the occasional need arises. As you can see from the picture, the concept is simplicity itself. Each of the two steel bars is supported by two bases that rest on the roof of the car. The whole assembly is held down snugly by two straps that hook on the side of the roof. The model shown here will fit virtually any car. To use, you simply mount the racks on the car, place the item to be moved on top of it (perhaps covered up with a blue tarp), and tie it down using suitable rope.
When installing these racks, you do need to pay some attention. You need to fasten down the straps extremely tight, and you need to check them periodically to make sure they aren’t coming loose. I make a point of checking them right before leaving, checking them again after a mile or so, and then checking them occasionally whenever I stop. Also, for larger loads, I secure them with additional ropes to the front and back of the car, or to other convenient tie down points.
A rack like this allows you to move many objects. For example, you can easily bring home lumber or other building materials. A rack like this is an excellent way to move a canoe, kayak, or small boat. You can also move small pieces of furniture. Readers of this blog, of course, might have occasion to move a console radio. One time, I showed up at a seller’s house to pick up a console, and he insisted that it wouldn’t fit in my car. Undaunted, I hoisted it onto the roof, tied it down, and was on my way in minutes.
Invariably, when people see these, they are amazed at the simplicity. This small investment will add greatly to the utility of virtually any vehicle. You can find them at Amazon at this link:
Note: The links on this page are affiliate links, meaning that this site will earn a small commission if you buy a product after clicking the link.
Here’s an unusual example of an “N” amateur call sign from 1938, from the June 1938 issue of All Wave Radio magazine. The card was actually for a QSO by W9GZB, but the owner of that call, Arthur “Musty” Musgrave, 527 Union St., Emporia, Kansas, was a member of the Naval Communication Reserve, for which the corresponding “N” call sign was used. That service dates back to at least 1929, since there is an editorial in the August 1929 issue of QST encourage amateurs to consider enlistment.
According to an editorial in QST for August 1940, the Naval Communication Reserve was open to men aged 15-35. Former servicemen in any branch of the military were eligible up to the age of 50. Amateur radio operators could enlist as seamen and were immediately eligible to take the examination for the radioman rating. Physical fitness requirements were the same as those for the regular Navy. Experienced radiotelegraph operators were especially desired, since the need for signalmen at the time exceeded the need for radiomen.
Musgrave, the sender of this card, was a linotype operator with the Emporia Gazette newspaper. According to the December 20, 1940, issue of that paper, he was called up to service in 1940 and assigned to the San Diego naval base. After the war, Musgrave’s call became W0ZGB, which he held until at least 1960. He died in Kansas in 1971.
The signature on the left-hand margin of the card is the reason why the QSL was shown in the magazine.
This is the signature of William Allen White. W4DVO had sent it to the magazine along with the story of working Musgrave on 80 meter CW. After copying the QTH, the Florida station mentioned that Emporia “owed its place on the map to William Allen White.” To that, Musgrave replied, “you’re telling me!”, and told the Florida contact that he had worked for him for over twenty years. To prove the point, he had his boss autograph the card. According to the magazine, “something tells us that ZGB is going to be a popular station with the autograph hunters.”
William Allen White. Wikipedia image.
William Allen White was, indeed, the owner and editor of the Emporia Gazette, where Musgrave worked as a linotype operator. White, was regarded as a spokesman for Middle America and was dubbed the “Sage of Emporia.” Earlier a supporter of Teddy Roosevelt’s run for President on the Bull Moose ticket, he was later tapped by FDR to help generate support for the Allies before America’s entry into the Second World War.
Shown here is the victory garden of KNX, Los Angeles. The picture appeared 75 years ago today in the June 7, 1943, issue of Broadcasting magazine.
According to the ad, the station went to work after the call went out from Washington to raise vegetables. It noted that the soil under glamorous Hollywood had been, just a few years earlier, fertile farm land.
So the station ripped out the terrace in front of its studio, plowed the soil, fertilized and cultivated it. As a model to its listeners, the station grew vegetables to show what California was capable of.
The station’s first crop went to the Los Angeles Orphans’ Home. The practical experience of growing crops went by proxy to many thousands of listeners.
A hundred years ago this month, the June 1918 issue of Electrical Experimenter carried these hints on how to avoid electric shocks. They’re all still good advice these days, but they were even more important then, since there was no effort made to polarize electric receptacles. At the time, they were intended for light bulbs, but people were plugging all kinds of useful devices into them. Thus, there was a 50/50 chance that any exposed conductors were “hot.”
The specific advice given in these illustrations was:
To these tips we will add that girls shouldn’t throw wires over trolley lines, either.
