Seventy years ago this month, the February 1953 issue of Radio-Electronics carried this circuit for a simple three-tube regenerative receiver for the shortwave bands. The magazine lamented that many younger hams and SWL’s grew up in an era of chrome-plated super-dooper receivers, and didn’t realize that for about $15, they could construct a receiver that would outperform communications receivers selling for nearly $100.

With plug-in coils, the set tuned 3.5 – 30 MHz, using three 1T5 tubes. The first served as RF amplifier, the second as regenerative detector, and the third as audio amplifier. The construction details were rather limited, but the magazine did warn that such a receiver was susceptible to hand capacitance, which could be minimized by a metal chassis and an RF choke added at a strategic location in the circuit.

Shown here in Popular Mechanics a hundred years ago this month, January 1923, is an automobile caravan promoting the 1925 Atlantic-Pacific Highways and Electrical Exposition, to be held in Portland, Oregon. The caravan toured Eastern Oregon to promote interest in the exposition. It included Army radio operators who demonstrated the apparatus, and for many rural citizens, it was the first time that they had seen or heard a radio.

Perhaps some of them went on to acquire the set shown below, which was also featured in the same issue of the magazine. The portable set, intended for use by non-technical radio fans, The entire set, including batteries, measured only 7 by 9 by 11 inches. According to the magazine, the set was tested near Galveston, Texas, where it solidly pulled in concerts from Georgia, Tennessee, Kansas, and Missouri, despite what were described as troublesome radio conditions endemic to Texas. Even more distant stations were also received at times.

Don’t let anyone tell you that kerchunking your microphone is a bad thing. For at least sixty years, the kerchunk has been the sound of safety, as explained in this ad from the December 1962 issue of Radio-Electronics.

As promised, here are the answers to yesterday’s quiz, from the December 1962 issue of Popular Electronics.

A hundred years ago today, November 21, 1922, Hitler first made the pages of the New York Times,  page 18 to be specific. The newspaper’s Munich correspondent concluded that the “Nationalistic anit-Semitic movement (the word “Nazi” didn’t appear in the article) has now reached a point where it is consiered potentially dangerous, though not for the immediate future.”

The paper noted that the anti-Semitic propaganda had reached a point where “a number of prominent Jewish citizens have sought asylums in the Bavarian highlands, easily reached by fast motor cars, whence they could hurry their women and children when forewarned for an anti-Semitic St. Bartholomew’s night,” (which happened eleven years later).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristallnacht

But the paper reassured readers that this couldn’t happen: “Several reliable, well-informed sources confirmed the idea that Hitler’s anti-Semitism was not so genuine or violent as it sounded, and that he was merely using anti-Semitic propaganda as a bait to catch masses of followers and keep them aroused.”

Interestingly, the article presupposes that reader’s have some knowledge of Hitler, as the article doesn’t bother to use his full name.

If you have a New York Times account, you can view the full article at the link above. Otherwise, you can find a copy at this link.

If you need to liven up Junior’s next party, you can put together this circuit for a fun game of “hunt the bleeper,” as described in the November 1972 issue of Practical Wireless.

The magazine noted that British children love noise, and this is equally true on this side of the Atlantic. The beeper, which draws only 600 microamps, puts out a high pitched tone at a low level. The device was to be hidden, and the children would be split into two teams to find it. There were two strategies available: They could concentrate on finding the device, or they could make so much noise to keep the other side from hearing it.

The cost was said to be 50 pence, which didn’t include the case, which was one of the then-ubiquitous 35mm film can, which was deemed to be free. Even though they’re no longer free, like everything else, you can find them on Amazon.

Some links on this site are affiliate links, meaning that this site earns a small commission if you make a purchase after following the link.

Seventy-five years ago, this microwave relay station was under construction atop Jackie Jones Mountain near Haverstraw, NY. It was one of seven microwave relay stations linking Boston and New York, delivering television programs with a 1 watt signal on 4000 MHz.

It is pictured here on the cover of the November 1947 issue or Radio News.