I just got a comment on my post about the 1954 Boys’ Life Radio Contest. It came from W6FY, who was the winner of the 1957 contest under his then call K9CNC. You can see a photo of him sitting in front of his prize, a DX-100, at his QRZ.com biography. As an interesting coincidence, I just featured a photo of another DX-100 in a post two days ago.
His comment about how this prize changed his life is worth reading.
Ninety years ago, Chicago Boy Scouts were busy learning how to hook up and operate the Mohawk radio receiver shown here in this photo from the June 1925 issue of Radio Broadcast. These scouts had been selected by the Chicago Tribune to distribute the sets to blind persons and instruct the new owners on the sets’ operation.
According to the newspaper’s March 15, 1925, issue, the sets were five-tube models and were distributed to persons whose names were submitted by the Council of Social Agencies.
The set appears to be the Mohawk Model A5, a TRF containing five UX201A tubes.
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A few months ago, I posted about a one-tube regenerative receiver from the September 1950 issue of Boys’ Life magazine. I was even sent some photos of a very similar receiver discovered by Jon, WS1K. That receiver covered short wave, I’m guessing about 3-6 MHz.
Interestingly, I overlooked this one-tube receiver appearing in the same magazine a few months earlier. In the January 1950 issue of Boys’ Life appeared this one-tube receiver. The article was written by one of the same authors as the September article, Glenn A. Wagner. The January receiver appears to cover the broadcast band, since it calls for a “standard replacement antenna coil” along with a 365 uF variable capacitor. It uses a single 1N5G tube with a 1.5 volt battery for the filament, along with a 45-90 volt B battery. It’s all mounted on a 5×7 pine board.
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The January 1926 issue of Boys’ Life magazine contains the plans for this simple crystal set. According to the article, the parts would set the Scout back about 80 cents, not counting the headphones, which would cost about $3.00. The parts could be found at “any well-stocked five and ten cent store,” and the receiver was said to pull in stations up to twenty miles.
For those wishing to duplicate this or similar receivers, if your five and ten cent store isn’t sufficiently well stocked, you can get some ideas on locating the parts on my crystal set parts page.
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Seventy five years ago, Scout Felton Fineannon of Troop 26, Miami, assists 19-year-old Miss Ruth Shelley as she hoists Old Glory to mark the opening of the All-American Air Maneouvers held in Miami. Miss Shelly had been named Miss Miami Aviation in a beauty contest in which she took a challenge to earn her pilot license and learn to fly a sea plane solo within a week.
She held the title for two years, during which time her photo frequently appeared in the papers. Years later, a schoolmate wrote to her and told her that one of those newspaper clippings kept him alive during World War II. In a letter written to her a half century later, he told her that the picture kept his faith alive during the darkest moments of the war. She died Mrs. Ruth Chenoweth in 2009 at the age of 89.
Referernces
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One hundred years ago this month, Boys Life magazine, March 1915, reported that scout J. Stanley Light of Boston had completed the rank of Eagle Scout. This was regarded as a remarkable achievement, since Scout Light had been deaf from a very young age. Despite his disability, he did well in school, and in 1911 became a member of Troop 1, Boston. After earning the rank of First Class, he transferred to Troop 36, which was closer to his home. He was elected patrol leader and became an Eagle Scout on January 19, 1915, having earned the following merit badges: Chemistry, Civics, Personal Health, Public Health, Swimming, Forestry, Camping, Cooking, Pathfinding, Pioneering, Athletics, Handicraft, Business, Firemanship, Scholarship, Astronomy, Craftsmanship, First Aid, Art, Electricity, Masonry, and Life Saving.
Rev. J. Stanley Light, 1963. Photo, New England Homes for the Deaf
Boys’ Life reported that Mr. Light was then attending Galludet College in Washington. He went on to become ordained in the Episcopal church. In 1963, he was the founding pastor of St. Andrews Mission for the Deaf, Brookline, Mass., which later became St. Andrews Episcopal Church of the Deaf. Sadly, he died two days after the dedication of the new mission.
People sometimes ask what is the most important thing that youth learn from Scouting. They usually expect to hear something along the lines of that it “builds character.” In some cases, it is probably true that Scouting builds character, but I honestly can’t point to too many people who would have wound up being bad characters if they hadn’t been in Scouting.
A better reason why Scouting is important is summed up in this diagram, which appeared in Boys’ Life magazine 70 years ago, February 1945. That’s not to say that measuring the width of a river is a particularly important skill in the scheme of things. In fact, I don’t recall ever being taught this particular method. But it’s illustrative of something I did learn, without knowing that it was being taught. What I really learned was that when I’m faced with some obstacle, it is usually possible to achieve the desired result, by applying a little bit of thought. But the first step is to know that there is a solution to the problem. Once a person realizes that, then finding the actual solution (or more often, one possible solution out of many) is usually pretty simple.
In this illustration, the Scout needs to know the distance across the river. The article, written by William “Green Bar Bill” Hillcourt, explains the method being used here. He starts at point A, which is directly across the river from a given point with a convenient object, in this case, a tree. He then walks along the river a set distance, such as 100 paces, and places a stick at that point. He then keeps walking that same distance. When he reaches the point marked C, he walks at a right angle, and keeps going until he’s along the same line containing the tree and the stick. At that point, the distance he’s walked away from the river is equal to the width of the river.
There are certainly other methods to figure out the distance, another one of which is also shown. But one method, which seems to be the most commonly used these days, is to consult outside information. It’s usually possible to ask someone who knows the answer. And it’s even possible to go to Google Maps, look at the image, and get the exact width. Those are very valid methods, and in many cases, they are more convenient and better methods. But the Scout learns that they are not the only methods. Even if outside assistance is not available, it is possible to figure things like this out on your own, without outside help.
I never really realized this until a few years back, when I started hearing from RV’ers that they couldn’t possibly camp in a non-electric site. I happen to enjoy the convenience of electric power, and if it’s available, I gladly take advantage of it. But I don’t view it as a necessity. When pressed, these people invariably come up with the same rationale for needing electricity: They need it in order to plug in their electric coffee maker.
Now, I drink a lot of coffee, and I probably drink more coffee than most of those people. So I understand their need for coffee. But I also realize one thing that they don’t know: I know that there are many methods of making coffee that don’t involve the friendly local electric utility. In response to their concerns, I even created a website entitled “How To Make Coffee Without Electricity.” That website is written in a somewhat tongue-in-cheek style. But it’s also full of information that people don’t know, even though I always assumed that it was just common sense. It’s probably common sense to me because I was in Boy Scouts. I know that I can figure out the width of a river even if Google Maps is unavailable. So it stands to reason that I can figure out how to make coffee even if the power happens to be out.
There must be a lot of people who weren’t Scouts. Whenever a hurricane is bearing down on some part of the English-speaking world, my coffee page starts to get hundreds of hits. A day or two before the storm, these are from desktop computers. The day after the storm makes landfall, the number of hits increases, but most of them are from mobile devices. In other words, the power goes out, and only then they realize that they don’t know how to make a cup of coffee. I’m glad their mobile device is still working, and I’m glad that Google is still working, and I’m happy to impart my lifesaving knowledge that it is, indeed, still possible for them to make a cup of coffee.
But I worry about these people if Google ever becomes unavailable for some reason. Maybe they should have been Boy Scouts. I’m sure these people are of fine character, and they didn’t need Scouting to build it. But learning the lesson that self-reliance is usually possible probably would have served them well.
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Pedro delivering prizes to lucky winners in BL radio contest. June 1955 Boys’ Life.
60 years ago this month, Boy Scouts were busy trying to win valuable prizes, including a Hammarlund HQ-140-X receiver, a Hallicrafters S-85 receiver, or a National NC-88 receiver. Unlike prior years, licensed amateurs were not eligible for prizes (probably because they swept them earlier years). But these prizes were available for logging as many stations as possible. Each station counted for one point, each country and U.S. call area 10 points, each state 10 points, and each continent 50 points. There were also bonus points for logging all continents, all states, and all call areas.
There were two classes of entries: one for commercial or surplus receivers, and one for homemade receivers. The contest was in effect during the month of February, 1955. The full rules were contained in that month’s issue of Boys’ Life.
The winners were announced in the June issue. In “Class A” (manufactured receivers), the HQ-140X went to Ralph Overton of Mechanicsville, NY. Norb Harnegie of Berea, Ohio won the S-86.Henry Weir of Charleston, West Virginia, John Bryant of Stillwater, Oklahoma, John Tull of Kansas City, Missouri, and Francis Jacobs of Anson, Maine, won either a Hallicrafters S-38D or a National SW-54.
In “Class B” (homemade receiver), the winner of the Hammarlund was Gary Dobbs of Arlington, California, and Jay Hall of Maplewood, New Jersey took the second place prize of a National NC-88. Winning either an S-38D or SW-54 were Walter Piper of Ravenna, Ohio, Paul Stein of Uvalde, Texas, Don Cannon of Lubbock, Texas, Howard Ferber of Brooklyn, New York, and Bob Samson of Chicago, Illinois.
Over 200 other prizes were awarded to some of the 1049 entrants.
Unlike earlier contests, licensed hams were not eligible for prizes in this run of the contest. However, at least two of the winners went on to become licensed hams. As explained on my website, only a few call books are available for online searching, and the first one after this contest is from 1972, sixteen years later. There might have been more, since some had common names, and some might have moved to different call areas. But Norb Harnegie of Berea, Ohio, who won the S-86. was licensed in 1972 as W8FCV. And Francis Jacobs of Anson, Maine, was licensed in 1972 as W1EST.
It would be interesting to know how these rather generous prizes affected the winners. If you Googled your name and found this page, I would love to hear from you in order to write a follow-up. You can reach me at clem.law@usa.net, or leave a comment below.
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Requirements for various Boy Scout merit badges change over the years. Pioneering merit badge is still current, but the requirements have changed since the original ones, shown here from the original 1913 Scout Handbook. The current requirements can be found at meritbadge.org.
For 16-year old Scout George Salak of Racine, Wisconsin, the first requirement rubbed him the wrong way. It didn’t feel right cutting down a live tree just to earn a merit badge. Therefore, he sent the following letter to the editor of Boys’ Life, which appeared in the January 1915 issue:
Being a First-Class Scout my chief desire has been to become the first Eagle Scout in this city. So far I have managed to pass satisfactorily nineteen Merit Badges and have entered upon Pioneering which I have completed with the exception of the first question, which requires a Scout to fell in a prescribed direction a 9-inch tree.
I am writing you with the purpose of finding out whether the felling of such a tree is not a direct violation of our Scout Law number six, also if it would not be just as sufficient to demonstrate what cut to take or write a statement on how to fell a tree. As far as I am informed there are approximately 500,000 Scouts in the United States. Can you imagine what a tremendous destruction of trees would result if each of these boys were possessed with a desire to fell one tree apiece? In all my years of service, this being the sixth, I have always been opposed to the wilful destruction of trees. Kindly inform me what course to pursue.
Thanking you for giving this matter your prompt attention, I remain,
–George Salak, Racine, Wis.
The editor responded:
For the benefit of other Scouts who may be puzzled with the same problem, it is announced that the Committee on Badges Awards have already had this matter under consideration and the test as now required omits this item.
Mr. Salak went on to become an Eagle in May 1915, probably the first in Racine. That accomplishment is recorded in the July 1915 issue of Boys’ Life.
George Salak, 1930 photo.
The following year, he became a postal clerk and served in that capacity for two years. During the First World War, he served in France as a member of Battery C, 121st Field Artillery, when that unit of the Wisconsin National Guard was called to federal service. After the war, in 1919, along with his brother Charles he formed the Salak Music Company. In 1922, the company moved to a larger location at 306 Fifth Street, a location currently housing a storefront church. He died in 1937 at the age of 38.
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This small ad for the National Radio School appeared a hundred years ago today, in the Washington Times, January 24, 1915. The ad announces the upcoming wireless course. This school had recently been formed, and went on to have a long history. If you were involved in radio or electronics over the next several decades, you probably heard of them.
At some point, the name changed to the National Radio Institute. It was founded in Washington in 1914 by James E. Smith, who headed up the school until 1968, when it was purchased by McGraw-Hill. Smith continued as the school’s chairman until his death in 1973. McGraw-Hill began to phase out the school in 1999, and it ceased operations in 2002.
1915 and 1921 call books show the call 3YN assigned to Smith and to the school. This 1915 listing shows the school’s station as licensed to operate on 200, 400, and 1800 meters:
Over the years, the school advertised extensively, and virtually any magazine relating to radio or electronics for several decades contained an ad for NRI. The ad shown here is from Boys’ Life magazine, January 1925, and offered boys the promise of making money in radio.
If the name NRI only vaguely rings a bell, then the name CONAR will probably sound more familiar. The school sold a wide variety of electronic kits (and some assembled products) under that name. The CONAR name was never as famous as Heathkit, but it had almost as wide a variety of products. You can view the 1966 catalog at this link at americanradiohistory.com.
Among hams, one of the most famous (or perhaps infamous) of these products was the “CONAR Twins,” a transmitter and receiver designed for the novice ham. These radios were available in kit form (along with a copy of the ARRL license manual and a key) for $64. They were also available assembled. The transmitter used a single tube, a 6DQ6, which put out 15 chirpy watts on 80, 40, and 15. The receiver, while basic, was actually fairly good. It was a four-tube superheterodyne covering the same bands. The two units were available separately as well, with the transmitter selling for $32.50 in kit form, and the receiver for $37.50. One way the costs were kept down was the use of the same cabinet as most of CONAR’s test equipment. KB8TAD’s site shows a nice example of the sets in excellent condition. The images from the 1966 catalog are shown below.
References
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