Eighty years ago this month, the September 1938 issue of Radio News carried the plans for this one-tube CW transmitter using a single 6L6. It had a power output of twenty watts, which the magazine said meant a range of a thousand miles, with the chance of greater DX.

The coil was homemade, wound on a form made by wrapping a small sheet of celluloid, siad to be available at a “harness or luggage repair shop.”

THe crystal would set the builder back about five dollars, making it the most expensive item in the transmitter. But the magazine noted that a good crystal which oscillates strongly and will follow keying is an excellent investment. The recommended antenna was an end-fed half-wave wire.