Seventy years ago this month, the April 1949 issue of Popular Mechanics showed how to put together this simple two-tube broadcast set. Running off AC power, the set would drive a loudspeaker. It used many of the same parts as a one-tube set published in the January issue, allowing the radio student to upgrade the simpler set.

A 6J6 dual triode carried out the RF duties, with a 6AK6 pentode AF amplifier driving the speaker. The set employed a selenium rectifier.

One unobtainium part is the permeability tuner, similar to the one used in a 1948 Popular Science receiver.