Monthly Archives: November 2022

Electronics Illustrated: 1958-1972

Screenshot 2022-11-16 12.41.28 PMFifty years ago this month, I got some sad news in the mail.

A couple of years earlier, as previously recounted here, I had been perusing the Publishers Clearing House mailing (which contained numerous personal notes written to me by my personal friend, company head honcho Robert H. Treller) and was intrigued by a magazine named Electronics Illustrated.  I subscribed, and I think the magazine was one of the main things that spurred my interest in radio and all things electronic.

In fact, I even got my name in the magazine, as one of the finalists in the magazine’s Screenshot 2022-11-16 1.01.22 PM“Win the World” contest, for submitting QSL card from shortwave and broadcast stations I had heard, as shown here in the March 1972 issue.  I actually hadn’t submitted that many cards, and I was a little bit surprised that I had done as well as I had.  And I was just a little bit proud to be a ten year old with my name in a national magazine.  I figured the next year, I’d be able to easily win a valuable prize by employing a slightly better strategy.

But unfortunately, there would be no next year.  Fifty years ago, the magazine delivered the sad news shown above, in the magazine’s November 1972 issue, which was to be the last.  The magazine put the best spin on it as possible, and announced it as a “merger” with Mechanix Illustrated.  But I knew better.  I predicted that the “Electronics Illustrated” name would soon disappear completely, and it did.  They had to placate us loyal subscribers by sending something, and they did it by continuing the subscription with Mechanix Illustrated.  That was a good magazine, but it wasn’t the same.

The editor seemed to even concede this, in the full announcement buried deep in the last issue, in which he conceded that he would “miss the club-like atmosphere and special insider’s language.”  He hit the nail on the head.  I felt like I was a member of the club and had learned a new insider’s language, but now the club was to be disbanded.  Bad news on the doorstep, indeed.



Fashion Pointers for Winter Fuel Shortages

1942Nov16LifeThe young woman shown here is about to turn 100, and she’s probably thinking about the prospects for fuel shortages this winter. But she’s undaunted and prepared for them, because she’s been through it before.

In 1942, there were also fuel shortages brought on by the war.  The radiator was turned down many places, but according to the November 16 issue of Life Magazine, this girl learned a few tricks for keeping warm from her grandmother. Today, she’s probably teaching her grandchildren and great grandchildren the same pointers. The secret to stay warm was then, and is now, quilted fabrics. This young woman is showing off her quilted rayon taffeta slacks, quilted booties, and a closely knit long-sleeved sweater.

After you have your winter wardrobe picked out, don’t forget to check our earlier post about other preparations for winter power outages.

While we don’t know the name of the model, the photographer was Walter Sanders.  The German-born photographer emigrated to the U.S. after being hounded by the SS for non-Aryan activities.  As an enemy alien, his cameras were initially confiscated shortly after Pearl Harbor, but he was soon back in business.



Radios for Christmas: 1922

1922Nov15WashHeraldChristmas of 1922 was going to be a big one for radio, as evidenced by this ad in the Washington Herald a hundred years ago today, November 15, 1922. As shown here, Santa’s workshop was busy turning out radio sets, many of which would show up under the tree.

We previously profiled this dealer, White & Boyer, 812 13th St. NW, Washington.  In addition to running the retail dealership, they were the licensee of station WJH, thus ensuring their customers had something to tune in.



1962 Distance Learning

1962NovEI1962NovEI2They didn’t have Zoom classes 60 years ago, but when a polio outbreak struck Nunda, NY, in 1962, the high school tapped the ingenuity of local hams and CB’ers to come up with a method of distance learning.

Several students came down with the disease and were confined to their homes. Initially, they had to discontinue their studies, but the school bought a number of CB radios. Hy-Gain antennas were placed on the school roof, with coaxial cables running to classrooms. The school purchased Johnson transceivers, and volunteer students carried the radios from class to class and plugged the radio into the coax outlet in each room. The teacher was then able to transmit lectures to students at home.

Individual homes had smaller mobile-style whip antennas installed hooked up to transceivers there. When homebound students were called upon, it was a simple matter of pressing the push-to-talk button.

The pictures here appeared in the November 1962 issue of Electronics Illustrated, which pointed out that so far, seven students had received their schooling at home via CB. The teacher shown above was discussing the lesson with a student after class. The magazine confirmed that call letters were always given as required.



Science Fair Idea: Gravity Furnace

1942NovPSIf Junior is looking for a spectacular science fair project, they can’t go wrong with this project from 80 years ago, from the November 1942 issue of Popular Science.

Octopus furnace. Wikipedia image.

Octopus furnace. Wikipedia image.

It demonstrates how an old-fashioned “gravity” furnace works.  These are often affectionately known as an octopus furnace, since they had tentacles going from the furnace to each room. As shown clearly by this experiment, the air in the furnace heats up and rises. Then, when it gets to the room, it cools and returns through the lower set of pipes.

Such furnaces are out of favor, and I doubt if they are still manufactured. But there’s really nothing that can go wrong, so they still exist in some older houses. They are not as efficient as modern furnaces, but they have some advantages. Unless some electronic controls have been retrofitted, they don’t require any electricity to operate. In the event of a winter power outage (see our earlier post for more thoughts), modern furnaces would be useless, even if they burn gas or oil, since they need electric power to run the blower. But the old gravity furnace will keep the house toasty warm, even with no electricity. Back in the day, the homeowner would shovel coal to keep it going, although most were converted to gas or oil.

To put the experiment together, in addition to the items found around the house, Junior might need to purchase the following items. You can find them locally, but as with everything, you can also find them on Amazon, at the links below:

As with many of our science fair projects, don’t forget to give Junior a box of matches!

 



Some links on this site are affiliate links, meaning that this site earns a small commission if you make a purchase after using the link.

Green Record Shop, Chambersburg, PA, 1947

1947NovRadioRetailingShown here is Judy Rohrer, sales clerk at Green Record Shop, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. The November 1947 issue of Radio Retailing profiled the store. Despite the town having a population of 15,000, the store grossed sales of $75,000 per year, thanks to the marketing efforts of owner Raymond L. Green. The store had a marketing plan which included utilizing every inch of available wall space, taking advantage of the album covers, which were designed as attention getters. The store also got the name and address of each new customer and recorded their musical likes. When new records came in that might interest them, the store followed up with a handwritten postcard.

Radio ads were also important, and the store advertised over WCHA, a 1000 watt station with listeners as far away as Harrisburg. The shop assistants, Judy Rohrer shown here and Wilma Barnes, were billed as “Punch and Judy,” and new customers often asked for them by name. In other words, the store personnel were turned into well-known personalities.

Green had custom built the store’s fixtures for displaying albums, making the most of the store’s long, narrow layout. Record salesmen took note, and he had a sideline of building fixtures for other stores.

A neighboring town was the site of a “wealthy preparatory school,” and Green set up a table and album rack at a store in that town twice a week. This practice made him an institution among the record-hungry students.

In addition to records, the store also sold radios and radio-phono combos.



Some links on this site are affiliate links, meaning that this site earns a small commission if you make a purchase after following the link.

Hunt the Bleeper Game: 1972

1972NovPracWirIf you need to liven up Junior’s next party, you can put together this circuit for a fun game of “hunt the bleeper,” as described in the November 1972 issue of Practical Wireless.

The magazine noted that British children love noise, and this is equally true on this side of the Atlantic. The beeper, which draws only 600 microamps, puts out a high pitched tone at a low level. The device was to be hidden, and the children would be split into two teams to find it. There were two strategies available: They could concentrate on finding the device, or they could make so much noise to keep the other side from hearing it.

The cost was said to be 50 pence, which didn’t include the case, which was one of the then-ubiquitous 35mm film can, which was deemed to be free. Even though they’re no longer free, like everything else, you can find them on Amazon.



Some links on this site are affiliate links, meaning that this site earns a small commission if you make a purchase after following the link.

1942: Car Radios for Slow Driving

1942Nov7RadioGuideOn this date 80 years ago, the November 7, 1942, issue of Radio Guide carried this ad for Motorola car radios. Production of civilian radios had ceased on April 22, 1942, but Motorola dealers still had prewar sets in stock.

We previously featured ideas for bringing the car radio inside. With gas being strictly rationed, the radio would do more good inside. But Motorola took another view: Since you had to drive slowly to conserve gas and rubber, the radio would make the slow drive more enjoyable.

But those prewar stocks wouldn’t last forever, so you were reminded to get yours before they were gone, because there would be no more for the duration.



1947 TV Microwave Relay

1947NovRadioNewsSeventy-five years ago, this microwave relay station was under construction atop Jackie Jones Mountain near Haverstraw, NY. It was one of seven microwave relay stations linking Boston and New York, delivering television programs with a 1 watt signal on 4000 MHz.

It is pictured here on the cover of the November 1947 issue or Radio News.



Air Raid Alarm: 1942

1942NovPMWe’ve previously shown (here and here) this air raid alarm that could be attached to a radio, the Model AR-101 Air Raid Alarm from National Union Radio Corp., 57 State Street, Newark, NJ. The simple device would activate a siren-like sound if the station to which it was tuned left the air, which would presumably be because an air raid was in progress.

Here, in this illustration from the November 1942 issue of Popular Mechanics, we see it in action. While Junior looks on, Mom gathers the flashlight and shovel that Dad will use in his duties as air raid warden.