Seventy years ago was the Goolden Age of Television, as conclusively proven by this article in the March 1949 issue of Popular Science. It details a most interesting program, namely, a live play-by-play of the construction of a shortwave receiver.

Starting from scratch, sound man Rudy Winston (shown at left in the photo) got the set working in 19 minutes while the live cameras of WCBS-TV looked on. The program was 30 minutes, but Winston had only 25 minutes, since the script called for a demonstration. But he was pulling in overseas stations with six minutes to spare.

The feat took place on the station’s “United Nations’ Casebook” program. The purpose was to “dramatize one of the world’s greatest needs–inexpensive, sturdy shortwave receivers.”

Today, inexpensive sturdy shortwave receivers, such as the ones shown below, are readily available. The models shown here can operate from power sources including solar or hand crank, meaning that they can bring shortwave reception to any point on earth.  What we need more of are television shows demonstrating how they can be put together.

And, of course, if you get booked to go on TV to build a shortwave receiver, one of these kits will probably allow you to complete it in the course of a half-hour program:

Seventy years ago this month, the March 1949 issue of Radio Electronics magazine carried this depiction of the state of television in the United States.

According to the magazine, in the previous year, TV was rampaging across the nation.  While a year earlier it had been confined to a handful of cities, it now had a foothold nationwide.  46 million Americans were within range of a station, and the magazine predicted that an additional 25 million would have access before the year was over.

Sixty years ago, the March 1959 issue of Electronics Illustrated showed how to change your own picture tube, including diagrams for common configurations of both horizontal and vertical chases. The article explained how to short out the capacitors in the power supply, lest the handyman get zapped by high voltage from a set that wasn’t even plugged in. And it also explained how to avoid shards of glass flying everywhere if the tube imploded.

But it was the magazine’s cover that offered the reminder that to do this sort of job, you really ought to put on a sport coat. And while it’s not visible in the photo, it seems likely that this home repair man is wearing a tie.

Seventy years ago, television was the center of every family’s interest, and the February 1949 issue of Popular Science provided numerous pointers on buying a set. As shown in the graphic here, a key concern was the size of the screen, which would limit the number of people who could watch. A hundred dollars would buy a 3-inch (diagonal) set, suitable for a single viewer. For two people, you could expect to pay $200 for a seven-inch set. And the most popular option for families was the 10-inch set, which would cost around $325.

The set was likely to need service, and the article recommended that a one-year guarantee would be worth any additional cost.

Yesterday, we showed how Hugo Gernsback’s magazine Radio News was promoting television.  And the cover of his Science and Invention magazine for November 1928 was also engaged in the enthusiasm, with plans for the set shown here.

Ninety years ago, it was clear that television was going to be the next big thing, and the November 1928 issue of Radio News contained all of the information needed to get started.

In addition to showing the plans for the mechanical set shown here, the magazine carried the television schedule of the magazine’s flagship station, WRNY.

There doesn’t appear to be anything in the way of explanation inside the magazine, other than the promise of “soon” on the cover. But Hugo Gernsback seems to have anticipated Amazon with this illustration on the cover of Radio News 90 years ago this month, September 1928.

The TV seems to be selling suits, and the viewer seems to have a button in his hand, getting ready to order as soon as the one he wants appears on the screen.