Seventy years ago, it was a pretty good bet that a Boy Scout would have an interest in radio, so the “Hobby Corner” feature of Boys’ Life, January 1951, offered some pointers for a Scout on how to up an aerial.

The magazine noted that if you had a crystal set or a one-tube radio, then a good antenna would ensure good reception. It recommended a run of about 50-100 feet of copper wire, with glass insulators carefully placed at either end. Because the wire would contract in cold weather, some slack was called for. To avoid noise, the antenna should not be parallel to power lines, “and don’t throw antenna wire over power lines–it’s dangerous.”