Eighty years ago, there was still a war going on, and hams were off the air for the duration. But more than a few of them were itching to get back on the air as soon as possible, and one of them was apparently Sheldon W. Gates, W8VWK, who designed this portable station, described in the January 1945 issue of QST.

The three-band (80, 40, and 20 meters) station was housed in a small vanity case which measured 11.5 by 6.5 by 7 inches, and which set him back $2.49. He originally considered designing the set for battery operation, but since he described himself as a city boy who rarely went farther than the power lines, he settled on AC power. The transmitter used a single 117N7 tube, and the receiver was a three-tube Meissner Student Midget Kit that he cut down to fit the available space. Since the receiver used 1 volt tubes, he included a dry cell to run those filaments.

The cover of the case included plenty of room for logbook, key, crystals, and headphones. At the end of the article, he reminded readers that the transmitter could not be operated on the air at the present time.