Eighty years ago this month, the May 1942 issue of Radio Craft showed how to put together this simple one-tube receiver. Being a battery set, there was no need to worry about hum, and the batteries were inexpensive. The B+ voltage was only 7.5 volts, so even with a large dry cell for the filaments, the battery cost was only 58 cents.

The set used a 1S4 tube as regenerative detector. It had two bands, which were switched by moving an alligator clip on the antenna coil. The overall tuning range was 480 kHz through 2.5 MHz, meaning that it covered the entire broadcast band, plus a little bit above and below. Thus, the set could also be used to pull in ships as well as police broadcasts.