Taking the Radio on Vacation, 1924

Screenshot 2024-05-22 11.11.30 AMA hundred years ago this month, the June 1944 issue of Popular Science published some pointers on taking your radio with you on vacation. The magazine quoted Hiram Percy Maxim as predicting that within five years, most automobiles would be equipped with a radio. In the meantime, the magazine offered some suggestions.

The most critical element was the antenna, and it noted that a long aerial would always outperform a loop, especially if your vacation took you a long distance from the closest station. Fortunately, there was almost always something available for getting the wire in the air, as long as you used a bit of ingenuity. The photo above shows a radio fan who got his set working on a fishing expedition along the Green River near Seattle.