The gentleman shown here has plenty of light to read, and he’s able to pull in local radio stations thanks to this combination radio-reading light described in the July 1949 issue of Popular Mechanics.  The magazine noted that the set was easy to build, and was ideal for the family member who frequently wanted to listen to programs that weren’t popular with the rest of the family.  With this headphone set, he was able to excuse himself and listen to what he wanted, while the rest of the family was listening to a different program in another room.

The 60 watt lamp allowed him to read in peace. The whole set was built into a cookie jar, which made an ideal base for the lamp and cabinet for the radio. The set was a one-tube regenerative receiver using a 117N7GT tube. One half of the tube was the rectifier, with the other half serving as detector. A volume control mounted on the base was actually a regeneration control. According to the magazine, the set would pull in the local stations with just a short piece of wire tossed on the floor. The set was of the AC-DC type, meaning that there were some safety issues, but the domestic tranquility achieved was probably worth it.

The cookie jar and lamp shade could be had for about a dollar each at the local “ten-to-a-dollar” store. A short piece of curtain rod was used to hold the lamp in place.

Eighty years ago this month, the July 1939 issue of Popular Science shows Mr. H.B. Funston of Columbus, Ohio, who enjoyed putting a hot soldering iron on his tongue.  According to the magazine, “how he applies the iron to his tongue without injury remains a mystery.”  We suspect that some injury is, indeed, involved.  Therefore, we offer the reminder to kids not to try this at home.

Apparently, Mr. Funston was a typewriter repairman employed by the Underwood Elliott Fisher Company, as he appeared in that company’s magazine in April 1935, where he was applauded for his prowess in selling service contracts.

A hundred years ago this month, the first ever issue of Radio Amateur News rolled off the presses. The publication remained in existence for many decades, although the name changed over the years.  The first issue, as shown above, was Radio Amateur News, although the issue contained a survey asking whether it should remain that, or be simply Radio News.

Apparently, Radio News won out, since the magazine changed to that name in June 1920.  In 1929, the publisher, Hugo Gernsback‘s Experimenter Publishing Company, went bankrupt. Almost immediately, Gernsback started Radio Craft magazine.

Starting in May 1929, Radio News was in the hands of the bankruptcy trustee. Ownership changed hands over the years, and the name changed to Radio & Television News in July 1948. In September 1959, the name changed again to Electronics World. It merged into Popular Electronics in January 1972.

In the cover art of the first issue, this listener is hushing those in the room, as an important bulletin from NAA’s powerful Arlington, VA, transmitter is about to come in.

The students shown here are mastering the Morse Code by adhering to some hints contained in the July 1959 issue of Electronics Illustrated.

The article, penned by prolific writer Len Buckwalter, W2GKI, reviewed some of the records and tapes that were currently available. Most of them were on 33 RPM records, but one set was available on 45, and another was available on tape. The reader was cautioned not to accidentally erase the tape, but the article also pointed out for those interested in economy, that the tapes could be erased and reused after the code was mastered. In addition, the venerable Instructograph paper tape system was covered.

But the article also stressed the importance of either taking a class or simply teaming up with another person learning the code. The schematic for a simple code oscillator was provided, and it is shown in the photo above next to the key. The photo below shows a class put on by Allied Radio in Chicago. According to the caption, over a hundred students, “young and old,” took part, although the old seem to make up the majority of the class.  In addition, it appears that the class is almost entirely male.

Eighty-five years ago this month, the June 1934 issue of Short Wave Craft showed how to put together this one-tube receiver, which the magazine promised would pull in foreign stations with a ten foot antenna.

The set used a type 19 dual triode, one half of which was detector, with the other half serving as audio amplifier to drive the headphones. The set could be used either as regenerative or superregenerative. This meant that it had excellent sensitivity on AM signals in the superregenerative mode, but it could also be set as a standard regen to copy CW signals.

The author, George W. Shuart, W2AMN, reported that on the first night after building the set, he was pulling in German stations in the heart of downtown Manhattan. He promised that anyone who built the set would be more than pleased with its smooth performance and simplicity.

Ninety years ago this month, these three Soviet radio experimenters were putting together what appears to be an audio amplifier, following the plans contained in the June 1929 issue of Радиолюбитель (Radio amateur) magazine.  Apparently, they’re either small experimenters, or they’re using a very large tube.

Unfortunately, the scan is rather low quality, but the word усилитель (amplifier) appears in the title.  There are headphones hooked to the plate, so it must be an audio amplifier.  The circuit is simple, with the only control being the rheostat on the front panel to control the filament voltage.  It’s likely that the input of the amp would be hooked to a crystal set, with the tube amplifying the volume to a more listenable level.

Not to be outdone, these Soviet girls are shown in the same magazine putting the finishing touches on another electronic project.