This three-tube shortwave set from the May 1945 issue of Popular Mechanics was designed around wartime parts shortages, and the magazine touted that it could be assembled entirely out of odds and ends of salvaged materials. The gentleman at left is shown scavenging parts from a discarded radio. Despite the low tube count, the set would pull in shortwave stations from around the world and fill the room with loudspeaker volume. It featured a 6C8-G as regenerative detector, 6K6-GT audio amplifier, and 6X5-GT rectifier. Plug-in coils allowed a tuning range of 160-19 meters. The magazine advised that the set was designed specifically for the short waves, and that the builder was advised not to try and alter it to tune the standard broadcst band.

The filaments were powered from a 6 volt transformer, and the B+ came straight from the AC line, with the familiar “hot chassis” design, and the familiar caution not to hook the chassis directly to ground.