Author Archives: clem.law@usa.net

1950 TV Network Hookups

Shown here is the status of U.S. network television 50 years ago. The map shows the coaxial connections of the Bell System, which brought live network television to the nation. The solid lines show existing connections, and the dotted lines show those planned for 1950. New connections would extend to the southeast, and from Chicago to Des Moines and Minneapolis.

The caption at the bottom notes that as of 1948, there were two networks, in the east and the midwest. They were joined with a link from Philadelphia to Cleveland, which also added Pittsburgh.

The map appeared in the July 1950 issue of Radio News.



Happy Birthday U.S. Post Office

Mr. Zip.

Today marks the 250th anniversary of the United States Postal Service. On July 26, 1775, the United States Post Office was formed by the Second Continental Congress, and Benjamin Franklin was named Postmaster General. Franklin’s postal career actually dated to 1737, when he was named Postmaster of Philadelphia under the British.



1945 Radio Listings

Here’s what was on the radio 80 years ago, from the radio listing in the July 25, 1945, issue of the Washington Evening Times. You can click on the image above for a larger version.



1945 Scouting

In his column in the July 1945 issue of Boys’ Life, William “Green Bar Bill” Hillcourt offers this illustration of some rustic features and camp gadgets that a scout could use to make himself comfortable in camp. The illustration originally appeared in the Swedish Scout magazine Scouten.



Kimbark Electric, Chicago, 1945

Eighty years ago, there was still a war going on, but people were itching for things to get back to normal. For example, civilian radios were still out of production, but this dealer guessed (correctly, it turns out) that there would be new ones rolling off the assembly line come fall. The picture appears on the cover of the July 1945 issue of Radio Service Dealer, and that issue gives no clues as to exactly where the sign is located.

But with a little bit of detective work, we found the location, and we also determined that the picture shown above was Photoshopped! The sign above reads “This Fall! New Radios.” The magazine doesn’t say where the sign is located. The magazine states only “dealer looks forward.”

But the identical photo appeared in the December 1943 issue of the magazine.  Well, we should say that it was almost identical.  Because the sign really said, “Wanted-Used Radios.”  I bet they still wanted them in 1945, but a graphic artist (if not the dealer) guessed that the end of the shortage was in sight.

The 1943 issue reveals that the shop was Kimbark Electric Appliance Co., 1309 E. 53rd St., Chicago.  The owner was Harold E. Wollenhaupt, who died in 1989.



1925 Portable Radios

A hundred years ago, the July 1925 issue of Talking Machine World carried this ad from RCA showing Radiola models 24 and 26.  These models had performance on par with modern receivers, as they were superheterodynes containing six UV-199 tubes.

Millions of Americans were heading for sea and mountains, and this ad reminded dealers that they were all prospects for a set such as this, if only the dealer took time to sell them on the idea.

They weren’t cheap, however.   They started at $195, which works out to over $3600 in 2025 dollars.  Today, for a tiny fraction of that price, you can get an inexpensive portable which will pull in AM, FM, and weather broadcasts.  (And, of course, don’t forget to buy some extra batteries, which we guarantee will weigh a lot less than the ones this gentleman is using.)



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1965 Sprage Quig Connectors

Sixty years ago this month, the July 1965 issue of Electronics Technician carried this ad for a useful product from Sprague Capacitors, the “Quig”. It was for making connections for replacement components in tight spaces. It was essentially a solder-covered spring. When removing the old component, you would leave part of the lead in place, slip the Quig over it, and then slip the new component into the Quig. With one hand, you could hit it with the soldering iron, and be done with the job.

As far as I know, the Quig no longer exists. But for replacing components in old radios, a similar method is employed. You leave a portion of the old lead, and then wind a little spring on the new component. You slip that over the old lead and solder it in place (with two hands).



Easy HF Mobile Antenna

Now that I have my little zBitX transceiver, I’ve been trying it out during POTA activations. For Field Day, I set up a temporary dipole, but it’s always nice to be able to operate right from the car. In the past, I’ve used a trunk mount and a magnetic mount antenna. The trunk mount doesn’t fit very well on my car (a 2014 Dodge Journey), and the magnetic mount is old and in pretty bad shape.

So I stopped at a truck stop on the way home from an activation and bought the mirror mount shown here. It fits (just barely) on the factory roof rack. I did have to make a run to the hardware store to replace the two bolts, as the ones provided weren’t quite long enough.  But it fits snugly and is secure.

As you can see, the coax connection just barely fits.  You do need to connect it before mounting the bracket.  I can use it with any of my Hamstick antennas, and today I tested it on 20 meters.

The mount that I purchased is Amarillo Supply Co. stock number 6163935, which is the store brand of Love’s Truck Stops, and you should be able to find it on the shelf at one of their locations.  Otherwise, it appears to be identical with this one at Amazon.

The purists will note that the rack appears to be made out of plastic, which is non-conductive.  So for a ground, I simply added a “radial” about 16 feet long.  You can see it attached to one of the bolts.  I ran that in the door, and around the molding of the rear door, out of sight.  Inside the car, also out of sight, it then goes to the front door, where it also runs around the molding.  I’ll probably add a couple more radials.

There are undoubtedly better ways to do it, but this provides an adequate ground.  I did another POTA activation today, and you can see that I was picked up on FT8 as far away as Costa Rica and Alaska.  And on CW, my signal was also picked up in the U.S. and Canada, as shown by the bottom map.



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Hypothetical Invasion of Britain, 1940

Eighty-five years ago today, the July 15, 1940, issue of Life Magazine analyzed a hypothetical invasion of England by the Germans. These images are among the artist’s conception of what the battle, the opposite of the Normandy invasion, might look like.



1940 British Air Raid Shelter Radio

Eighty-five years ago, this British family was taking refuge in their air-raid shelter, and had the luxury of information and entertainment courtesy of their radio. The July 13, 1940, issue of of Practical Wireless gave some pointers on the best way to equip the shelter with radio. The magazine acknowledged that there was no single solution for every case, but the provided food for thought.

One option was to employ a remote speaker with the normal family radio. Somewhat counter-intuitively, it suggested that the best option might be to place the radio in the shelter, and put the speaker in the house. This was because they would have access to the radio while in the shelter, and could change stations if the need arises. And, of course, if the set was turned off, it could be turned on without delay getting to the shelter.

The magazine also discussed the possibility of a portable. Here, it cautioned that if the shelter had a damp environment, it might be best to store the set outside. Finally, it discussed the possibility of using a car radio, particularly if a battery were in place for lighting.