Monthly Archives: August 2019

Simple Modification to Receive CW: Zenith 6B16BT

Seventy five years ago, Capt. William W. Orr, stationed somewhere overseas with the U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps, had a Zenith Model 6B16BT receiver similar or identical to the one shown above, but no way to listen to Morse Code transmissions with it. The set covered the standard broadcast band and 2.3 – 22 MHz shortwave, but the set was intended for listening to broadcast programs, and didn’t contain a Beat Frequency Oscillator (BFO) for listening to Morse Code. If there hadn’t been a war going on, adding a BFO would have been a relatively straightforward proposition of building a one-tube oscillator running near the set’s IF frequency of 455 kHz. But as Capt. Orr points out, he was “unable to secure the parts needed for building one.”

Instead, he came up with a solution elegant in its simplicity. It is shown here from Hints & Kinks in the August 1944 issue of QST. He turned the IF into a regenerative stage by adding a “gimmick” capacitor to provide feedback. This consisted of nothing more than two short pieces of wire, sticking out the back of the set. It wasn’t even necessary to solder the wires. One was stuck into the socket for the plate pin, and the other one to the grid pin. To copy CW, the wires were moved close to one another. For listen to voice programs, the wires were moved apart.

Interestingly, the Knight Star Roamer receiver later used a similar method for copying CW. To copy CW, feedback was switched in to the IF stage to make it go into oscillation.

He used a similar trick to turn the set into a code practice oscillator. The key was hooked between the speaker transformer and the phono input. When the key was pressed, the resulting feedback could be used to generate the code.

I would like to thank Dave McClellan for providing the image of the beautifully restored Zenith receiver shown above. You can read about his restoration and see more pictures at this link.

1944 Radio Rentals

Shown here in the August 1944 issue of Radio Service Dealer magazine is the proprietor of Acme Radio Service Co., 880 Third Avenue, New York, NY.

Before the war, he got half of his business from repairs and the balance from sales and rentals. But there were no new sets to be sold, and labor shortages made service problematic. So he focused on rentals to the point where they represented 75% of his business. He acquired used sets, refurbished them, and put them into circulation.

He did this by canvassing all of the hotels within ten square blocks. He managed to place ads in rooms and elevators, but his real success came from the fact that he paid a flat $1 commission to the clerk or bellboy who made the sale. For the bellboy especially it was a lucrative proposition, since when he delivered the set and plugged it in, he was probably going to get an additional tip. Hotels were packed, and it became a very lucrative part of his business.

Good record keeping was key, and the magazine offered some suggestions. The article suggested that a set could be rented out for an average of 100 days per year at an average rental of $1 per day. The magazine noted that the resulting $100 was “many, many times over the original cost of the average midget or table model radio that would be used for rental.”

1939 Portables

Eighty years ago, portable radio receivers were all the rage, as shown by the pages of the August 1939 issue of Radio Retailing.

Above, for example, these listeners are happily pulling in a program as they travel in luxury aboard an all-metal Pullman car, thanks to the Zenith portable with detachable antenna. The magazine notes that many consumers are amazed by the sensitivity of portables, even though just a few years earlier, portables were lacking in pickup. The set shown here appears to be a 5G500, which included a detachable “wave magnet” antenna to pull in stations in difficult situations such as an all-metal car.

And below, New York dealer Haynes-Griffin put together this window display featuring a Westinghouse portable. The magazine noted that the simple backdrop, artificial grass, two summer hats, and a bag gave the scene a human interest.

Solar Eclipse of August 7, 1869

Philadelphia Evening Telegraph, Aug 4, 1869.

Today marks the 150th anniversary of the total solar eclipse of August 7, 1869. The path of totality started in Asiatic Russia, and covered a tiny swath of China and much of Siberia before crossing the Bering Strait into Alaska and Yukon, and then through parts of the present day provinces and states of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and the Carolinas.

The eclipse wasn’t the first to be photographed. Those honors go to the eclipse of July 28, 1851, which, according to Wikipedia, produced the first scientifically usable photograph. It does have the distinction of being the first to provide detailed spectroscopic images of the corona, which revealed an element believe for many years to be “coronium“. It took 70 years to realize that the spectrographic line was not a new element, but instead iron at over a million degrees Kelvin. The image shown above left was prepared by Prof. Charles Augustus Young of Dartmouth College, who was part of a team at Burlington, Iowa. The same team produced the photo shown below:

Another team left Burlington for Ottumwa, Iowa, but was beset by problems. They had forgotten their chronometer in Burlington, and the telescope clockwork was damaged in transit. Notwithstanding these difficulties, they managed 34 photographs, including four of totality, one of which is shown at left.

Another team was headed by Prof. William Harkness of the U.S. Naval Observatory. This team constructed a temporary observatory at the northwest corner of Second and Short Streets in Des Moines. Harkness reported that this vacant property on the west bank of the Des Moines River had a horizon almost devoid of obstructions. “Short Street” no longer exists, but according to the 1869 Des Moines city directory, it ran from the Des Moines River to Third Street (only a little more than a block, hence the name). From the description of the observatory being on the west bank, it would appear that the building was near the current site of Wells Fargo Arena.

A local contractor, one F.T. Nelson was retained to build the structure, shown at right. This team also obtained multiple photographs and spectrograms. The sketch below is the eclipse as seen through their four inch telescope.

Carptenter F.T. Nelson’s listing in the 1869 city directory.

The August 13, 1869, issue of the Cedar Falls (IA) Gazette carried this account of the eclipse. Those of us who witnessed the 2017 eclipse concur in the accuracy of this report. Indeed, from our viewing point in Hastings, Nebraska, we also had the added tension that “the forenoon was slightly hazy, but it cleared away and left no obstruction while the eclipse was passing.”

THE TOTAL ECLIPSE

Its Appearance in Cedar Falls

Government Observations.

Report of the Party, &c., &c.

It is not often that an opportunity is offered to witness so wonderful an exhibition of nature as the eclipse of Saturday last. Those who witnessed this extraordinary spectacle intelligently, will never forget its impression. It excites the most lively feelings of awe and wonder, and a breathless intensity takes possession of one as he gazes upon this grand movement in the heavens. The sight certainly gives one, a clearer view of the infinite majesty and power of the Great Being, and seems to speak directly to us of His greatness. The day was favorable, the forenoon was slightly hazy, but it cleared away and left no obstruction while the eclipse was passing.

The parties of observations were quite successful. Cedar Falls was made one of the points of observation by the Government, and will hereafter be one of the points from wliich calculations will be made. The party sent out by the Government to take observations iu this city were Ed. W. Horr, son of Dr. Horr of the Smithsonian Institute, and Wm. I. Anderson and W. W. Wormood, of Dubuque.

References

Blink Health Rx Review

Today, I paid $15 to have a prescription filled. But if I hadn’t been careful, I could have paid $436.

I’ve previously written about the importance of price shopping when having a prescription filled or refilled. This is not like shopping around to save a couple of dollars when buying a gallon of milk. Prescription prices can vary by a huge amount. A pharmacy might have a reasonable price on one prescription, but another pharmacy will charge hundreds of dollars for the exact same prescription. They get away with this because the doctor conveniently offers to call in the prescription to your favorite pharmacy. If you take your doctor up on the offer, you might pay hundreds of dollars more than you need to. You need to get a paper prescription, shop around for price, and then have the prescription filled.

I’ve previously explained that the website GoodRx.com makes this process easy. You enter the name of the medication, and the site shows you the prices at various pharmacies. In most cases, you need to print a coupon or display it on your smartphone.

Since I wrote that, another site sometimes provides a better price. That site is Blink Health. It often has the lowest price, so it’s worth checking. Also, by following the links on this page, you will save $15 off your first order.

To check the price, you enter the prescription name on their website. When the list of possible medications comes up, select the proper dosage and number of doses.

In most cases, you will see three options for price. The first is for home delivery, and this price is usually quite reasonable. The second is the “Blink Everyday Low Price.” The “Blink Everyday Low Price” is for major pharmacy chains such as Walmart and Safeway. If you need to buy from one of these pharmacies, GoodRX.com probably has a better price.

The third price is for the “Blink Smart Deal,” and this is usually the lowest price. It will display the name of an independent pharmacy in your area, but this pharmacy might not be convenient. You can click on the “change pharmacy” link, and you will see a list of most independent pharmacies in your area. Select that pharmacy, and that’s where you will pick up your prescription.

The Blink website is easy to use, and you place your order as you would with any other website. But there is one additional step. The Blink site is only to pay for the prescription. You also need to call or visit the pharmacy to place your order with the pharmacy. This represents a slight inconvenience, but you are more than compensated by the price savings. When the prescription is ready, you pick it up and give the pharmacy the receipt you printed from the Blink website.

The two-step process is slightly inconvenient, but in some cases, the price savings will be substantial. Often, GoodRx will have a better price or one that is about the same. But sometimes, the difference will be significant, so you want to try both.

At the top of this page is my receipt for a prescription I picked up today. My cost was $15.30. As you can see on the receipt, the copay is listed as zero. This is because I paid in full online. But the most shocking thing about this receipt is the “W/O INS 436.21“. This means that if I had walked in off the street with my prescription, or had the doctor call it in, I would have paid $436.21.

In many cases, GoodRx would have given me a price that was almost as good. In fact, in this case, one pharmacy listed on GoodRx has a cash price of $13.67, with no coupon required. Also, one membership pharmacy would charge $6, plus an annual membership fee. One other local pharmacy shows a price of $316, but $18.46 with coupon.

These prices are crazy, and this whole system makes no sense. Frankly, it’s obscene that my pharmacy would charge an unwitting customer $436, but charged me only $15 because I was willing to jump through some online hoops. And it’s obscene that one pharmacy’s cash price is $14, but another one is $436 for the exact same product. There’s no rhyme or reason, but you have to jump through the hoops every single time. The last time I filled this prescription 90 days ago, Blink was the lowest price. I stayed with them because the price was only slightly higher. The next time, perhaps it will be a lot higher. When that time comes, I’ll switch again.

If you purchase from Blink after using the links on this page, you will receive a $15 discount on your first order. If the total price is less than $15, then the prescription will be free. This site will also receive a credit.

This is one of a series of posts about our experiences with Samaritan Ministries, a health sharing ministry. You can read my other posts about Samaritan at this link. If you decide to join Samaritan Ministries, please mention my name, Richard Clem, as the person who referred you, as I will receive a credit for referring you.

1944 Radio Hospital

When “Dr.” Ernest C. Augsten entered the radio business in Hartford, CT, in about 1938, he realized that there were so many others in the field that he had to make himself stand out. So he decided to try a different angle, and make his shop at 714 Maple Avenue a Radio Hospital.

The dealership was featured in the August 1944 issue of Radio Retailing, which revealed that he employed one Nurse, his wife, who received the patients and maintained their records. His two interns assisted in operations.

Dr. Augsten wore a stethoscope, which he used on occasion in diagnosing a set. The article also explained how a hypodermic needle (filled with carbon tetrachloride) was used for cleaning a dirty part, and a scalpel was used for jobs such as loudspeaker repair. The ambulance was largely grounded for the duration, due to wartime gas and tire rationing. But before the war, when the ambulance was sent out to pick up a set, it was typically carried out in a stretcher.

This usually caused a crowd to gather, and invariably a member of that crowd had a set at home in need of repair.

Dr. Augsten had been licensed as a ham as early as 1924, as shown by this callbook listing, with callsign 1BFU.

Interns Cliff Islieb and Russ Johnston working on patients with a hypodermic syringe and scalpel.

1959 Cubicles

What are these people doing, and what does it have to do with Dutch footwear? And how does the guy in the center get in or out of his cubicle?

These people, from a Bell Labs ad in the August 1959 issue of Radio Electronics, are helping The Phone Company rate the effects of various kinds of noise and interference. The ad notes that noise is a major distraction to modern living, and “an enemy of the Bell System.” They did all they could to fight it, and that’s what these people were doing.

The gentleman in the center would play a tape with common phrases, such as “the native Hollander wears wooden shoes.” In carefully controlled tests, he would then introduce noise to the line, as well as playing background noise through a loudspeaker. These volunteers would then rate the quality of the call.

As to the last question, how the guy in the center got in and out, I’m not sure, because the ad doesn’t say. I assume it involved crawling underneath, because none of the cubicles appears to have a door. Interestingly, the office cubicle didn’t hit the market until 1967, so this was another case where Bell Labs was ahead of the times.

1949 Emergency Beacon Transmitter

This airman doesn’t look particularly happy about being forced down in the middle of nowhere, but there’s a glimmer of hope in the form of the AN/CRN-16 radio beacon that he’s feverishly cranking. The set weighed in at only 2-1/2 pounds, a marked contrast to the famous “Gibson Girl” AN/CRT-3 from World War II. The CRT-3 had a range of over a thousand miles thanks to its 500 kHz signal and large antenna, but it was bulky, and there was always a possibility of it being lost at sea while trying to transfer it to a lifeboat. The new model operated on 140.58 MHz, which only covered line of sight. But a plane at 2000 feet would be able to pick up the signal 50 miles away. The main advantage of the VHF signal was the short antenna.

As with the original Gibson Girl, the hand crank served two purposes. First, it ran a generator to power the set. It also generated the Morse code message. The picture appeared on the cover of the August 1949 issue of Popular Mechanics.

Glenn Miller Records In The Mood, 1939

Glenn Miller, circa 1942. Wikipedia image.

Today marks the 80th anniversary of Glenn Miller‘s recording of In The Mood, the iconic theme of the 1940s. The RCA Bluebird recording was made on August 1, 1939, and topped the charts for 13 straight weeks in 1940.

Here’s the 1939 recording (although the preview image is actually a different recording of the song):

1939 Four Tube TRF

I hope the woman shown in this picture lived a long and happy life, but she apparently did enjoy taking chances, as shown by the positioning of this 1939 hot chassis 4-tube radio receiver. The set is described in the August 1939 issue of Popular Science.

Behind the plywood cabinet was a metal chassis that was hooked directly to one side of the AC cord. This means that there was a 50/50 chance that if you came into contact with the chassis and the water pipes, you would get zapped by 120 volts. Therefore, placing it right next to the water pipes probably wasn’t the greatest idea.

But assuming everything worked out, the set would pull in the local stations with a 6K6GT RF amplifier, 6J7GT detector, and 25L6GT audio amplifier to drive the speaker. The tube complement was rounded out by a 25Z6 GT rectifier. If you add up the filament voltages, you get 62, meaning that a 150 ohm “curtain burner” line cord resistor was also needed in the filament string.

OneTubeRadio.com

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