Sixty-five years ago, people still dressed up to listen to the radio, as shown by this avid SWL shown on the cover of Popular Electronics for February 1957.
The magazine issue featured the shortwave hobby, and contained a number of pointers for pulling in foreign stations. The listener shown on the cover was well equipped, since she is shown with what appears to be a Hammarlund HQ-180, an excellent receiver even by today’s standards.
Sixty years ago this month, the February 1962 issue of Popular Mechanics carried this hint for using an outdoor antenna in the fallout shelter. The magazine noted that the shielding required for fallout protection could also shield against vital radio broadcasts. Since most radios didn’t have an external antenna jack, the magazine showed how to add one. A small coil was placed over the loopstick antenna, and that coil was hooked to an outdoor antenna. For optimal reception, you would tune in a station close to 640 or 1240, the CONELRAD frequencies, and slide the coil along until the signal was strongest. At that point, you would add a little cement to fix the coil in place.
The antenna could be unplugged when in normal use, but quickly put to work in the shelter in time of emergency.
Seventy years ago, the 1952 edition of the ARRL Handbook carried the plans for this handsome one-tube regenerative receiver. The set used a single 6SN7 dual triode, half of which served as detector, with the other half serving as audio amplifier. According to the book, the set was close to the minimum for a useful shortwave receiver, but under suitable conditions, it would pull in signals from many foreign countries. It was described as being excellent for the beginner, due to ease of construction and low cost.
With four plug-in coils, the receiver would tune 2.8 through 40 MHz, covering six ham bands, including the 11 meter band. Interestingly, the then-new 21 MHz band was called the “14 meter” band at the time. At some point soon thereafter, the name 15 meters was adopted, probably to avoid confusion with the 14 MHz band.
An accompanying power supply was also shown, built on a wooden-slat chassis.
As we previously reported, as of January 5, 1942, enemy aliens (that is, citizens of Japan, Germany, or Italy) were prohibited from possessing cameras, firearms, or shortwave radios. They were required to surrender them at the police station, where they would be issued a receipt.
The February 1942 issue of Radio Service Dealer reminded its readers that the majority of such aliens were friendly to the country and should be accorded fair treatment. It was essential to keep in mind, however, that not all of them were. The magazine also pointed out that there was no intent to deprive enemy aliens of the opportunity of listening to American broadcast stations. Therefore, the regulations permitted persons to reclaim their receivers if it was made inoperative on the shortwave bands. Hence, there was a demand for technicians to perform the necessary task of disabling shortwave reception on multi-band sets.
The magazine stressed the need of doing so in a manner that could not be easily converted back. Therefore, simple modifications such as cutting a lead to a band switch, or shorting out oscillator coils, was insufficient. The magazine provided the technical details for various kinds of sets. Some sets, for example, used a single oscillator coil for both broadcast and shortwave, with the coil tapped for shortwave reception. These sets might require replacement of the oscillator coil. Other sets used separate coils for the different bands, and these were generally an easier job of simply removing the shortwave coils.
After the job was done, there was still a need for caution:
Remember that there is always the possibility that some enemy alien in your locality may try to pull a fast one. Dealers, jobbers and servicemen, and radio amateurs, too, should be suspicious of any person who may be presumed to be an enemy alien, when attempts to purchase radio parts, borrow test equipment, or seek your service in any alignment work outside of the broadcast band.
On the other hand don’t let your imagination get the better of you. Be reasonably sure of your suspicions before reporting any case to the local police or the FBI.
The magazine contained the full text of the regulations:
Short-Wave Radio Receiving Sets
(a) No alien enemy shall use, or operate or possess, or have under his custody or control at any time or place any short-wave radio receiving set. For this purpose the words ‘short-wave radio receiving set’ are to be construed as including any apparatus designed to be used or capable of being used for the purpose of receiving signals, messages or communications of any nature whatsoever which signals, messages or communications are transmitted by means of radio waves of a frequency of 1750 kilocycles or greater, or of a frequency of 540 kilocycles or less.
(b) A short-wave radio receiving set as defined in paragraph (a) hereof which set is also capable of receiving long-wave radio communications is deemed to be within the class of shortwave radio receiving sets prohibited unless the set is so altered or modified that short-wave radio communications or messages cannot be received by the said set, and further, unless the set is so altered or modified that it is impossible without the addition of more parts and the substantial rebuilding of the set to modify the set so that it will be capable of receiving short-wave radio communications.
( c) No alien enemy who is found in possession of any short-wave radio receiving set will be excused in any manner on the ground that he did not know that the set was a short-wave radio receiving set or that the set could be readily converted into a short-wave radio receiving set. It shall be the duty of any alien enemy to ascertain whether or not any radio in his possession is prohibited; and any alien enemy having in his possession any radio receiving set whatsoever shall be held responsible for knowing whether or not such set is a short-wave radio receiving set.
The magazine apparently needed an appropriate photo for the cover to illustrate this important story, and it settled on this image of an SWL, apparently pulling in an English station. The caption noted that this activity was one now reserved to citizens only.
It’s not uncommon for radio collectors to come upon a prewar set whose shortwave bands have been disabled. For those with such a set, we hope this article provides some insight into the modification that had been made in early 1942.
Seventy years ago this month, the February 1952 issue of Radio Electronics showed how to put together this one-tube loudspeaker set for the broadcast band. The magazine noted that such a circuit had long been a favorite sport of the advanced constructor, but it was tricky, since much more gain and power was needed to drive a speaker.
The author actually used two circuits, shown below, and noted that the 1D8GT circuit performed best. In both cases, the tube was reflexed, meaning that it provided both RF and AF gain, and the RF stage used regeneration. The detector was the then relatively new 1N34 diode.
The circuit used permeability tuning, but noted that a variable capacitor would work equally well. A hinged cabinet was used, with the electronics in one half and the speaker and battery in the other.
Shown here is the horseback radio station of an unnamed Western radio enthusiast. The one-tube set was powered by batteries and used a very short aerial. The illustration was on the cover of the February 1922 issue of Radio News, and according to the magazine (which also carried a photograph), the set operated on a wavelength of 80 meters, and provided good telephonic communication over short ranges with the ranch house.
For the ground connection, one wire was run to the horseshoe, and this was found to be satisfactory. The article did not state whether the horse was positive ground or negative ground.
Shown here 70 years ago is Joseph J. Pekot of Nanticoke, PA, on the cover of the February 1952 issue of National Radio News. Pekot had always driven a coal truck, but after being discharged from the army, he wanted to enter a field of study that would always be expanding. Since electricity and radio had always interested him, he enrolled in the National Radio Institute correspondence course, and kept his job while he studied at home. He graduated in 1948 and did complete service work in his part-time shop. He reported many satisfied customers.
Pekot, who fought at Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge, earning five Bronze Stars, died in 2001 at the age of 84.
Seventy-five years ago this month, the February 1947 issue of Popular Science carried plans for a number of crystal sets under the heading “Crystal Sets: The First Word in Radio.” The science of radio had made great strides in one generation, but the magazine noted that the generation of engineers and technicians had all grown up on crystals.
Despite those advances, the humble crystal set had never passed out of the radio picture.
Beginners and those who like doing a lot with a little found the circuits inviting. The example shown above was a radio-phonograph, and the magazine noted that a (piezoelectric) crystal phono pickup could drive a set of headphones just as well as a crystal set. While the design shown here used an electric motor, a clockwork turntable could replace it, making a radio-phonograph independent of any power source.
The set shown at left was said to be superselective, and the one at the right was an ideal portable. For use while camping, it needed only a long spool of wire and a stake for the ground. Finally, the set below added one tube for a stage of audio amplification.
From 75 years ago this month, in the January 1947 issue of Radio News, here are the latest radio offerings from Minerva Corporation of America, located at 238 William Street, New York, close to the Manhattan approach to the Brooklyn Bridge. The site appears to be very close to the current location of Spruce Street School and the New York by Gehry apartments.
Fifty years ago this month, this gentleman was pulling in a shortwave program on his Hallicrafters S-120A receiver, and the excitement of his hobby was shared in a feature article in the January 1972 issue of Popular Mechanics.
The magazine noted that the hobby was enjoying a resurgence, since relatively inexpensive receivers had replaced the costly and rather crude-looking earlier models. There were numerous compact, smartly styled sets between $50 and $200, including the one shown above, which retailed for $79.95, and could run on either batteries or household current.
The article outlined the differences between receivers for international shortwave, and those for VHF-UHF signals such as police radio. It warned that the most sensitive communications receivers might cover only the ham bands, and “unless you’re interested in getting into amateur radio yourself, listening exclusively to ham talk can be a bit dull.”