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1955 CONELRAD Receiver
Under the headline, “Are You Ready For CONELRAD?”, the April 1955 issue of Radio News carried the plans for this small CONELRAD receiver which could be easily carried in a pocket or glove compartment. The circuit is very similar to the Conelrad receiver carried by Boys’ Life the following year. This receiver also consists of a crystal set followed by a one-transistor audio amplifier.
The article describes CONELRAD, and notes that “the responsibility of the individual citizen and particularly of the electronic technician and experimenter would be to provide themselves and their families well ahead of time with some means for receiving Conelrad broadcasts under any or all emergency conditions.” The article noted that receivers should be exactly calibrated, to avoid losing valuable seconds fumbling around trying to find 640 and 1240 on the dial. The article suggests using a signal generator to calibrate and mark the dial before an emergency.
It then offers the circuit shown here, since it would be “highly advisable to have available at all times a portable battery-operated radio. The average portable radio is fairly cumbersome to carry about over any appreciable distance and its power requirements are high enough to make it impossible to keep in operation continuously.
The author notes that his original plan was to have one transistor serve as the detector, but had some difficulty in designing the circuit, due to the low input impedance of most transistors. Therefore, like the author of the Boys’ Life design, he settled on a diode detector, with one stage of audio amplification.
Unlike the Boys’ Life model, which was mounted in a cigar box, this one is mounted snugly in a small plastic box. The author notes that “as most old crystal set men will recall, a fairly long antenna and a good ground are required for best results.” Therefore, he recommended taping 25-50 feet of fine wire to the case for use as an emergency antenna.
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Good Friday 2015
On this Good Friday, we present Via Dolorosa:
Marianne Brown, 2AOA, Radio Pioneer
Here, in the April, 1920, issue of Radio Amateur News, we see the station of Miss Marianne C. Brown of of 206 W. 86th Street, New York City, which is the corner of 86th and Broadway.
Her receiver, designed by herself, was able to tune 300-1200 meters, which took in nearly all of the commercial stations. She also reported that it was very satisfactory for reception of wireless telephone stations and arc stations. It was usable either with an indoor loop or an outdoor antenna.
Still under construction was her transmitter, consisting of a 1/2 KW transformer and oil condenser. She expected to have the transmitter in working order in a short time.
She was listed in the 1920 call book as 2AOA. Another short biography of this wireless pioneer can be found at this link. She held a commercial license and trained as a marine operator, but theNavy had a policy forbidding women serving in this position. She did get a position with the Marconi company testing equipment.
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1940 Homemade Phonograph
The woman shown here is no doubt admiring the technical skill of the gentleman, who constructed this handsome phonograph into the bookcase. But he has a little secret. He got the idea from the April, 1940, issue of Popular Mechanics, which reveals that no technical expertise whatsoever is required. The turntable came complete with tone arm, and simply needed to be plugged in to the amplifier, which came complete with controls pre-wired. Rounding out the installation was the 12-inch speaker.
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1915 Radio Truck
A hundred years ago, the public works department of Baltimore had equipped this truck with a wireless receiver, capable of receiving messages while the car was being driven at high speed through streets flanked with high buildings. The set was capable of receiving messages within a 10 mile radius, allowing crews to be dispatched quickly to any emergency situation. Among other equipment, the truck contained a pump capable of pumping 12,000 gallons per hour. It is shown here in the March, 1915, issue of Popular Mechanics.
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1915 Victrolas
A hundred years ago, Victrola ran this ad showing the features of its top-of-the-line model of phonograph. The ad appeared in the March, 1915, issue of Popular Mechanics. Prices ranged from $15 to $250.
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The Record-A-Tape: 1971
As far as I can tell, this is an idea that never made it. Other than this ad which appeared in Billboard on February 27, 1971, and on other dates, I’ve been unable to find any reference to the Record-A-Tape. The machine was loaded with up to fifty different albums. When a customer wanted to purchase one on 8-track, the machine would crank it out a copy in 3-1/2 minutes. The distributor would take care of royalties, the retailer didn’t have to worry about inventory, and the customer would never find anything out of stock.
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Walgreen’s Aetna Midget Radio, 1940
Someone looking for an inexpensive radio 75 years ago could head to Walgreen’s, where this 4-tube model could be had for $7.95. It’s shown here in the Milwaukee Journal for March 28, 1940, where it’s billed as the “ideal ‘extra’ radio for your home.”
This set had the Aetna brand name, which was Walgreen’s house brand for radios. The actual manufacturing was done by various radio manufacturers, most of which were in the Chicago area. This radio would probably remain in service for the duration of World War 2. After the U.S. entered the war the next year, the War Production Board ended the production of civilian radio receivers, as of April 22, 1942. With no replacements available, the owners of sets, even as humble as this one, had incentive to keep them in operating condition.
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Pvt. Steffen Thune, 1888-1918
During the centennial of World War 1, this page periodically remembers American servicemen who gave their lives in that war.
Steffen Thune of Zumbrota, Minnesota, was born on February 21, 1888, the son of Syver and Sissel Thune (Tune) and had seven brothers and sisters.
He served in the United States Army as a private in the 343rd Infantry, 86th Division. The unit was activated in 1917 in Illinois, and went overseas in August 1918. It never saw combat, and returned to the United States in November of that year. Private Thune died of disease on October 4, 1918, as listed in the Official U.S. Bulletin of December 6, 1918. His next of kin is listed there as his father Syver, with an address of R.F.D. 4, Box 14, Zumbrota, Minnesota.
He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery where his headstone incorrect gives his last name as “Thumb.” After nearly a century, the error has never been corrected. (This Washington Post article discusses the prevalence of similar errors at Arlington National Cemetery.)
The photo here is from Soldiers of the Great War, Volume 2, Page 111.