Category Archives: Radio history

1938 Four Tube Portable

The young men in this picture would, in just a few years, be on their way overseas to fight the Germans and the Japanese, but in 1938, they were relaxing outside, and enjoying a radio broadcast thanks to the four-tube superheterodyne receiver described in the December 1938 issue of Popular Mechanics.

The magazine pointed out that many earlier so-called portables weren’t very portable at all, due to their size. But this one weighed in at only ten pounds, including batteries. The performance was said to be above average, and the drain on the battery was low. It drew only 8 mA from the 90 volt B battery, and 300 mA from the A battery.

California Ramblers, 1923

A hundred years ago tonight on the radio, you could listen to the California Ramblers performing over WEAF, New York. But it wasn’t just any broadcast, as seen from the clipping above, from the January 1923 issue of Talking Machine World. Due to the radio. Columbia records noted that the lid of many a long forgotten phonograph had been frozen. They fought back with radio, and purchased time on WEAF every Tuesday and Thursday at 9:15. Each broadcast featured a Columbia recording artist, and was broadcast right from the recording studio. If people liked what they heard, they could buy a record, enabling them to listen to it whenever they liked.

According to Columbia, listeners around the country had tuned in. The group is shown here, in 1931, in the June 1931 issue of What’s On The Air. You can hear them in their 1925 recording of “Five Foot Two Eyes of Blue”, below.

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Catalina Island Telephone Link: 1923

We previously reported the construction, in 1921, of a radiotelephone link between California and Santa Catalina Island, 26 miles across the sea (40 kilometers, for those in leaky old boats). That link was in use for only two years, as reported here in the November 1923 issue of Popular Science.

In 1923, a cable was installed for both telegraph and telephone connections, both of which were multiplexed to allow multiple conversations. One advantage of the new system, alluded to in the original article, was that radio conversations could be listened in to. While some scrambling was put in place, the signals were transmitted over the air. In addition, the radio license was surrendered, and that wavelength made available for broadcasting.

1948 British Two-Tube Bedside Portable

The plans for this two-tube British bedside portable appeared 75 years ago this month in the November 1948 issue of Practical Wireless. The set was designed to pull in the BBC Light and Home Service programs with loudspeaker volume, using commonly available components. It ran on battery power, and used two tubes. Because a small frame antenna would be used, the author realized that at least one stage of RF amplification would be necessary. Therefore, the first tube was a dual tube, servicing as RF amplifier and detector. Another tube served as AF amplifier to drive the speaker.

1923 Brandeis Department Store Radio Dept.

If you were looking for radio supplies in Omaha a hundred years ago, the Brandeis department store was the place to go, as shown in this ad in the Omaha Bee, November 24, 1923.

You could get a complete Radiolet crystal set, normally a $10 value, for only $6.95. That included everything you needed to start pulling in stations, since it included the headphones and antenna.

And they knew that the secret of selling radios was to get the kids campaigning for a set. So in addition to their normal radio department on the main floor, they were to be set up in the toy department on Saturday so that the kids could make sure Santa knew the family needed a radio.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from OneTubeRadio.com!

As you serve your Thanksgiving dinner, you very well might have the radio playing in the background, and, if so, you are part of a century long tradition. This ad, from the October 28, 1923 Washington Sunday Star, for the Lansburgh and Brother Department Store, 420-430 7th St. NW, displays various accoutrements you’ll need for Thanksgiving dinner, such as an electric percolator for only $12.

But the close-up below shows how to really impress your guests. There were sure to be special Thanksgiving broadcasts, and you could entertain your guests with them with a brand new Radiola IV for only $275. It would be a wonderful source of pleasure for your home.

A Knock On the Door: 1943

In America 80 years ago, a knock on the door, even when you are listening to the radio, meant that a friend had come to call.

But as this RCA ad in the November 22, 1943, issue of Life magazine reminded readers, things weren’t the same in the Axis countries. It could mean the Gestapo and death if they knocked when you were listening to an American or British broadcast.

In America, you could even listen to enemy propaganda without worry, and it was often good for a hearty laugh. For now, American manufacturers such as RCA were supporting the war effort exclusively. But the ad reminds Americans that they would soon be back with fine radios and other electronic products.

Washington, DC, Outside Antennas Need Permit: 1923

It’s quite possible that the stealth antenna had its genesis a hundred years ago today, as seen from this banner headline in the November 20, 1923, issue of the Washington Times.

According to the newspapers, Washington D.C. radio fans with an outside antenna would need to get a permit from the district engineer office. That permit would need the approval of the District electrical engineer, would require an in-person inspection, and, not unimportantly, a fee of $2 (the equivalent of $36 in 2023 dollars). Since this was the first anyone had heard of such a requirement, the newspaper pointed out that a multitude of radio fans were outlaws.

The order had come down from superintendent of police Daniel Sullivan, who informed the force of the requirement. In no event were the wires to cross any public space. The law had actually been in effect for many years, but the city electrical engineer had only recently brought it to the attention of the police department.

One motivation for the new law was the death of a park police officer while putting up an antenna, presumably on his own time and on his own property. The tragedy apparently prompted the police to begin enforcing the requirement.

1963 8-in-1 Project Kit

Sixty years ago this month, the November 1963 issue of Popular Mechanics showed how to make this 8-in-1 project kit. The heart of the unit was a 2N107 transistor. It could be used as a code oscillator, or with the pitch of the oscillator turned way down, it would start clicking and serve as a metronome. It could also be used as a continuity tester, or for making various alarms.

RCA Tubes: 1938

Eighty-five years ago, RCA reminded dealers of the importance of the RCA name when it came to tubes. Since the earliest days of radio, RCA had cranked out 35 million tubes, and the public trusted the name. They were relied upon in industry, and by radio stations, both foreign and domestic.

If you were a dealer, would you want to take a chance on an off brand? The ad appeared in the November 1938 issue of Radio Retailing.