One hundred years ago, this young British woman is listening to a program on a portable radio especially designed for use on picnics, courtesy of plans in the June 1925 issue of Wireless Magazine.

The design criteria were that the set would be totally self-contained, of minimal weight and size, and ease of operation. Finally, the appearance had to be such that it could be taken into the most exquisitely furnished room without looking out of place.

For the last point, the case was made of 3/8 inch mahogany. That mahogany also concealed a frame aerial, and there was a compartment for stowing the headphones when not in use. The circuit itself used one tube.

The set was tested (and presumably the picture above is)  at the seaside town of Eastbourne. The signal from London, 65 miles away, was heard faintly, but Bournemouth, 120 miles away came in strongly. In the evening, the set pulled in Newcastle, 340 miles away. Even with two sets of headphones, every word from the announcer was audible.

From London, Paris could be pulled in distinctly, and Bournemouth could be heard every evening.

As a final test, the set was taken to the vault of a bank in Kensington, 40 feet underground and partly covered in steel. But the set was able to pull in 2LO strongly enough to operate three pairs of headphones.

Sixty years ago this month, the June 1965 issue of the British Radio Constructor magazine carried this ad for the Sinclair Micro 6 radio kit.

It was billed as the smallest and most private set available, but it would perform with fantastic efficiency in cars, buses, trains, or even steel framed buildings.  The crystal earphone ensured that it would interfere with nobody even in the most public places.

It was billed as a six-stage circuit, but used only three transistors.  They were reflexed to provide two stages of RF and three of AF, with two diodes serving as detector.  It covered the medium waves, and the ad assured that it would provide easy Luxemburg reception.

Building the set was said to be easy.

Eighty-five years ago this month, this gentleman wanted to impress his girl. Unfortunately, it looks like his technique with the canoe paddle might be a bit lacking, and it doesn’t look like he knows how to do a proper J-stroke.

Fortunately, however, he made up for it by bringing along a Zenith portable radio. The picture appeared in the June 1940 issue of Radio Craft, which reviewed the many portables then available. According to the magazine, they all had a handle, but features varied considerably.

Sometimes it’s easier to do things the hard way.

Some useful products seem to have been forgotten after an “improved” version comes along, and one of those is the hand drill, shown here in an ad in Science and Invention 100 years ago this month, June 1925. These tools were ubiquitous back in the day. But at some point, an improved version, namely the cordless electric drill, came along. And the humble hand drill was forgotten. I’ve gone to big-box home improvement stores, and the salesman earnestly asserts that there is no such thing. (The other case where this happened was for the basic car-top carrier.)

The cordless electric drill certainly is better, especially if you need to drill hundreds of holes. But if you have only one hole to drill, then the hand drill can’t be beat. Invariably, when you need to drill a single hole, after you find the cordless drill, the battery is invariably dead. So before you can drill the hole, you need to charge the thing. It would be much simpler just to grab the hand drill and do the job. You’ll burn a tiny amount of calories turning the crank with your muscle power. But the convenience far outweighs the added labor if only a few holes are involved.

Fortunately, like everything else, hand drills are still available on Amazon. And just like a hundred years ago, it’s a valuable tool to keep around the house.

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One hundred years ago this month, this item appeared in the June 1925 issue of QST. There were apparently rumblings that the Government was going to pull the plug on WWV, and the magazine encouraged readers to contact the Bureau of Standards  and let them know how vital the service was.

The plea was apparently successful, as WWV remains on the air a century later.  We previously talked about their move to Colorado  in 1966 and their status in 1953.

If you were looking for a novelty radio sixty years ago, you couldn’t go wrong with this nine-transistor set that looked like a wheel. Spinning the tire tuned in stations, and the volume control was at the center.

It was named the Mascot, and was marketed by Mayco of Rowland Heights, California.  It retailed for a mere $39.95, which works out to $406.85 in 2025 dollars.

It appeared in the June 1965 issue of Popular Mechanics.