Seventy-five years ago, this couple are pulling in a program on the shortwaves thanks to the 4-tube set described in the May 1947 issue of Popular Mechanics.

It was actually the second in a series of “progressive” receivers. The circuit was entirely different from the radio shown in the previous month’s issue, but it used most of the same parts and had the same layout, using a slat-style wooden chassis to make construction (or re-construction) easy.

It covered 550 kHz to 16.6 MHz with three plug-in coils. It was said to be an excellent performer on the shortwave bands, and had enough audio to provide loudspeaker volume. No battery was needed, since it used one of the 6J5 tubes as a rectifier, and contained a filament transformer.