The handsome transmitter shown here appeared 70 years ago this month in the April 1953 issue of Radio News.  The designer’s name is probably familiar to our readers, since he was a prolific author of radio construction articles, and was in the electronic kit business, Hartland Smith, W8VVD, later W8QX.  We’ve previously featured many of his projects here, and had the pleasure of corresponding with him by e-mail a number of times over the years.  He died in 2022 at the age of 99.

The rig here was designed for mobile use, powered by a dynamotor under the hood of Smith’s V-8, although it can just as easily be used at a fixed location with the AC supply shown here.  It was his second mobile rig, the first one being a crystal-controlled 10 meter transmitter.  He noted that this didn’t work out very well on a dead band, so he made sure that the new rig had both a VFO and multi-band operation.  This set runs both AM and CW on six bands, 75-10 meters.  (For those keeping count, this included 11 meters, which was then a ham band.)

Smith reported that the 20-watt transmitter would run for hours on a fully charged battery, relieving him of the need to burn expensive gasoline idling the engine while operating.  The circuit was designed to minimize TV interference, since he noted that a poorly designed mobile in a fringe TV area could wipe out an entire neighborhood.

A hundred years ago, Omaha was gearing up for the Better Homes Exposition to be held at the Omaha Auditorium.  The April 29, 1923 issue of the Omaha Bee contained a special section highlighting the exhibits and lectures that would be there during the event.  Admission was only 25 cents.

A modern home would not be complete without a radio, and the A. Hospe Co., 1513 Douglas St., would have the set here on display.  They guaranteed that you would pull in stations as far away as 1500 miles, and hearing Havana or Puerto Rico wasn’t out of the question.

Shown here, 75 years ago today in the April 26, 1948, issue of Life Magazine, is Fred Waring touting the advantages of some of General Electric’s lineup.

For less than $200, you could take home the Model 119 radio-phono console, with storage for about 60 records.

Other rooms in the house could enjoy music and entertainment from models 102, 114, and 115.

Seventy-five years ago this month, the April 1948 issue of Radio News featured on its cover this radio-controlled sailboat, getting ready to sail the waters of Boston harbor.

The rudder was controlled by a DC motor, and the remote used two channels to set it to port or to starboard. Polarity was reversed to change direction of the rudder, and it was geared so that the full travel took about 15 seconds. The remote control transmitted on both 51 and 53 MHz, and the receiver circuit shown below featured two separate suprregenerative receivers, one for each channel.

The magazine reminded readers that an amateur radio operator’s license was required to operate the craft.

Sixty years ago this month, the April 1963 issue of Popular Electronics carried the plans for this simple three-tube receiver for most of (50-53 MHz) the six meter amateur band. The circuit was unusual in that it combined a supereheterodyne front end, with a superregenerative detector. While unusual, this was said to provide extremely good selectivity and sensitivity for such a simple receiver. The intermediate frequency was 2 MHz.

A hundred years ago this month, the April 1923 issue of Radio Age showed how to put together this handsome crystal set. The plans were actually courtesy of the U.S. Bureau of Standards, and the construction article was a reprint of a government pamphlet. The set was an upgrade from an earlier Bureau of Standards model, and featured greater selectivity. The total cost was said to be about $15.00. If the earlier set had already been built, the additional components would cost about $5.00.

The article describe the construction of the variable couple, the inner coil of which slid on a wooden base into the larger. However, it also noted that a commercially built unit could be used.

Readers considering duplicating this circuit will be able to find many of the required parts on our crystal sets parts page.

Shown here is the radio repair shop of John B. Patrizi, 115 West Sherman Avenue, Newark, NY.  The small but efficient shop seems to be in Patrizi’s home, and he sent the picture to the National Radio Institute (NRI) to report his success.

According to the 1940  census, Patrizi was born in about 1900 in Italy.  According to his letter to NRI, he had been working on WPA projects for two years and didn’t know how to get out of that kind of work.  But one day, he saw one of NRI’s ubiquitous magazine ads and decided to take a chance by signing up for the course.  After just the eighth lesson, he was already getting some work from friends, and poured every penny of those earnings into parts and equipment for his shop.  By 1943, he was making $65-80 per week.  He was getting business from towns as far as 25 miles away.

He credited his wife (according to the census, Amelia D. Patrizi, with much of his success, including taking phone calls, bookkeeping, and sales.  The photo and letter appeared in the April-May 1943 issue of National Radio News.