Category Archives: Radio history

Hallicrafters S-29 Sky Traveler

HallicraftersS29

The advertisement shown here for the Hallicrafters S-29 receiver appeared 75 years ago in the February 1941 issue of Radio News.  This early portable communications receiver, dubbed the Sky Traveler, covered the broadcast band through 30 MHz in four bands.  It could run either on internal rechargeable batteries or from AC power.  It had a lineup of 9 tubes, including the 50Y5GT rectifier.  All other tubes were one volt filament types.  The set did have a BFO for listening to code, with one tube (a 1G4GT) dedicated to that purpose.

The full manual for the receiver is available online.  You can see a restored version in operation at the following video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOMNPVFMcb8

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Guernsey Occupation Crystal Set, 1944

Imperial War Museum image, © IWM (COM 501).

Imperial War Museum image, © IWM (COM 501).

The crystal set shown here is from the collections of the Imperial War Museum.

The Channel Islands were the only part of Britain that were under German occupation during World War 2, and while islanders were initially allowed to keep their radio sets, they were eventually confiscated. In response, many residents obtained crystal sets such as the one shown here. This one was manufactured in Guernsey in 1944.

Evening Post photo of confiscated radios in Guernsey, via TheIslandWiki.org.

Evening Post photo of confiscated radios in Guernsey, via TheIslandWiki.org.

The plans for the set were broadcast by “Colonel Britton” of the BBC. This set, along with about 50 others, was manufactured by the person who donated the set to the museum. The coil was made of wire stolen from a German car, and the crystals were made by mixing sufur and lead, baked in a fire in a German rifle cartidge case.

Occasionally, the wavelength of the BBC broadcast would change, at which time “Colonel Britton” would announce that more windings would need to be added to the coil. Either a radio headphone or a telephone receiver could be used to listen.

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A Montana National Parks On The Air Activation

Big Hole Battlefield, Wyoming. NPS photo.

Big Hole Battlefield, Wyoming. NPS photo.

Tim, AE7PJ posted an interesting video showing his experience as an activator in the ARRL National Parks On The Air (NPOTA) event. He was operating from near Wisdom, Montana, at a point where three National Park Service units converge: The Big Hole Battlefield, the Nez Perce Historic Park, and the Lewis and Clark Trail.

The Lewis and Clark Trail traces the route of the 1804-06 Corps of Discovery from Illinois to Washington.  This particular spot was along the route of Clark’s return journey, following the Yellowstone River and then along the route of modern day Interstate 94. The Big Hole National Battlefield is the site of the August 9, 1877, Battle of Big Hole between the U.S. Army and the Nez Perce encamped there.  The National Battlefield is one of six units in four states of the Nez Perce National Historic Park, devoted to the history and culture of the Nez Perce (Nimiipuu) people and the 1877 conflict.

Tim condensed his two-hour operation into a nine-minute video, and it sounds like he listed all of the call signs he worked and has a brief snippet of everyone’s audio.  You can see my call, W0IS, scroll by at 5:46, and you’ll hear me saying “59 Minnesota” at 6:08.

Tim was running a Hamstick vertical antenna on his vehicle, the same antenna that I’ve used for my activations so far.  It has the advantage of being inexpensive and convenient to carry around.  It’s not particularly efficient, but as you can see from the video, it gets the job done.  He was running about 100 watts.  My activations have used a Yaesu FT-817, running only 5 watts.  While the 5 watts is adequate for CW contacts, the added power really makes a difference in being able to make voice contacts.

The video references the NPOTA Facebook group, which has become a very active forum for discussing NPOTA, and also providing spots to help other chasers find the stations in the parks, some of which can be quite weak.  In Tim’s case, he had posted his plans, and a number of us kept tuning the band looking for his signal.  I think I was the first one to spot him, but he was too weak to work when he first came on.  While waiting for him to show up, I did have the pleasure of working WC8VOA, the ham station located at the former Voice of America relay station in Bethany, Ohio.  For many decades, that station broadcast worldwide, as documented in the video below.   Two historic sites in one night–not a bad use of radio.

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Hallicrafters S-31 AM/FM Tuner, 1941

HallicraftersS31

Seventy-five years ago this month, the February 1941 issue of Radio Craft carried this ad for an unusual Hallicrafters receiver, the S-31 AM-FM tuner.

It’s difficult to figure out the exact market this receiver is intended for.  It’s designed for a rack mount, and requires an outboard audio amplifier, since it is just the tuner.  It tuned the standard AM broadcast band, as well as the prewar 42-50 MHz FM band.  It was obviously a high-end piece of equipment.  According to the 1941 Hallicrafters Catalog, the set had a retail price of $69.50.  The matching 25-watt high fidelity audio amplifier retailed for $49.50.

The set’s 9-tube complement consisted of 6SK7, 6SA7, 1852, 1853, 6SJ7, 6H6, 6SK7, 6SR7, and 80.  The standard broadcast IF was 455 kHz, with an FM IF of 4.3 MHz.

Not surprisingly, few seem to be in existence today.  One nice example can be found at LA5KI’s site.

 

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Kathleen Wilson, NBC Radio

1941Feb8RadioGuide

Shown here on this week’s issue of Movie Radio Guide 75 years ago, February 8, 1941, is radio actress Kathleen Wilson, who appeared on the NBC soap opera One Man’s Family.  The program originally aired from San Francisco, but later originated from Los Angeles.  It was one of the first West Coast network programs to be heard on the East Coast.

The series was radio’s longest running serial, spanning 27 years between 1932 and 1950. It also ran on television from 1949-52 on prime time, and again in 1954 and 1955 as a daytime show. The plot centered on Henry Barbour, a San Francisco stockbroker and his family. Kathleen Wilson played daughter Claudia, and continued in the role until 1943 when the character was written out of the story. The character returned in 1945, this time played by Barbara Fuller.

According to the magazine, Wilson was 29 years old.  She married Rawson Holmes, but later divorced and was living with her son in Hollywood.

Claudia, a student at Stanford, was rebellious, and plots often focused on her romances.  The episode “Claudia Says Goodbye to Her Family” is available online.



1936 3-Tube Regenerative Shortwave Receiver

1936FebSWcraftEighty years ago, the SWL shown here was exploring the ether with her three-tube shortwave set, as featured in the February 1936 issue of Shortwave Craft magazine. It featured one stage of RF amplification with a 6L7 tube, a 6J7 serving as regenerative detector, and a 6C5 serving as audio amplifier. The article points out that the “operation of the set is perfectly simple.” The set would tune 14-200 meters (1.5 – 21 MHz) with four plug-in coils.

The schematic and pictorial diagrams of the set are shown below.

1936FebSWcraft2

 



1941: Army Surveys U.S. Hams

1941ArmyQuestionaireSeventy five years ago, the U.S. was clearly gearing up quickly for war, and the War Department turned its attention to the communications manpower that the war would entail. As reported here in the February 1941 issue of QST, the Army was sending out a questionnaire to all of the hams listed in the call book.

The War Department made clear that response to the survey in no way constituted “registration” and did not impose any obligation, the Army believed that the statistical knowledge was of utmost importance.

The questionnaire asked for data on code proficiency, military status, education, occupation, and dependents. For those respondents who were not fit physically for military service, it asked whether they would be interested in participation in an aircraft warning net, or whether they would be available for civilian positions as radio operators, instructors, or technicians.

In addition, the survey asked for a brief description of the station.

The ARRL opined that “this seems a needed study and we are confident that amateurs will cooperate and fill out the forms promptly.”



Radio Scouting, 1926

1926FebRadioAge

Shown here in 1926 is Lyman F. Barry, 2OH, the Scoutmaster of Troop 503, Manhattan. In an article in the February 1926 issue of Radio Age, he describes the radio scouting activities of that troop and the equipment used. He first notes that nationwide, 75% of all scouts had radio receiving sets, and that radio had played a role in scouting from the very start. “Away back in 1914 when radio broadcasting was little known, thousands of scouts were studying the scout handbook and wiring up crystal receiving sets and learning the code.”

His aim was to have every scout in the troop in radio communication with the troop, in a system totally independent of commercial telephones. The troop headquarters was equipped with a CW transmitter capable of reaching every part of the city, and at least half of the members of the troop already had a receiver. The scouts were currently in the process of revamping those sets to tune down to 176 meters (1705 kHz), the wavelength employed by the troop station.

From 2OH, a daily bulletin was sent out at about 8 words per minute, a speed at which even the new scouts could pick out a few letters. At weekly meetings, the messages were handed in, and points were awarded to scouts copying without mistakes. Scoutmaster Barry noted that if any emergency mobilizations could be communicated via these bulletins.

At least one neighboring troop had installed a transmitter and receiver, and intercommunications with that troop was being carried out.

The troop also had a portable station, consisting of a regenerative receiver with a single WD-12 tube. This station was capable of tuning 50-50,000 meters, and would pull in broadcast stations from 15-20 miles, as well as the troop station.

The troop also regularly monitored time and weather broadcasts from NAA in Arlington, Virginia.

Troop 503 is mentioned again in the June 1928 issue of Boys’ Life, where it reported that it was in direct contact with a troop in Buffalo.  At that time, Troop 503 held the call sign 2AAQ for its portable station.



Carol Bruce, NBC Radio and WKRP

 

1941CarolBruce

Shown here from the February 1941 issue of Radio Mirror is actress Carol Bruce.  In addition to her film and theater credits, she appeared on the Ben Bernie broadcast on NBC radio.

One of her most famous roles, however, also involved radio.  She played Lilian Carlson, the owner of WKRP in Cincinnatti and the mother of station manager Arthur Carlson.

She died in California in 2007 at the age of 87.



Radio Scouting 1916

1916WirelessAge

Shown here a hundred years ago are Scouts Bruce Clark and Roland D. Cosgrove, 1ON, of 14 Wright Street, Cambridge, Mass.  The photo appeared in the February 1916 issue of Wireless Age, and the caption reveals only that they “were operating a wireless set at the Boston Boy Scout rally.”