Ration Challenge 2021

For a week starting June 13, I will be taking part in the “Ration Challenge,” a fundraiser for Church World Service (CWS). Funds are designated to feeding Syrian Refugees in Jordan (or wherever the need is greatest).  CWS does not engage in proselytizing, but they are sponsored by numerous Protestant and Catholic denominations.  They are a highly rated charity, as you can see at sites such as Charity Navigator.

For that week, I will be eating essentially the same rations as those refugees, as explained in the video below.

Please consider donating at the following link:

https://www.rationchallengeusa.org/richard-clem

Both small and large donations are greatly appreciated.  I’ll be posting updates during the challenge, here and on Facebook.



Two Beginner’s Sets: 1951

1951JunPMThis young man is pulling in the proverbial strong local station thanks to one of two sets described in Popular Mechanics 70 years ago this month, June 1951. Both sets are billed as low-cost sets for young radio experimenters, and the magazine noted that such designs re not as plentiful as they should be.

The set above is a crystal set using a galena detector. The tuning coil is wound on a rectangular piece of wood under the chassis, and there is an opening on top for a slider.

1951JunPM2The father-son team at left have upgraded the set. First of all, instead of a galena detector, this set uses a 1N34 diode. And for added volume, it employs a 3Q5-GT tube as audio amplifier. For the B+, the set uses 9 volts, but the article points out that for added volume, as much as 90 volts can be used.

If you are thinking of recreating one of these designs, you might find ideas for sourcing parts at my crystal set parts page.

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1921 Homemade Catamaran

Screen Shot 2021-06-03 at 9.50.28 AMA hundred years ago this month, the June 1921 issue of Popular Mechanics showed these self-explanatory plans for a homemade raft.  The magazine specifies that the hulls should be logs of about 12 feet.  However, in many states, such a craft would require a license.  In most cases, this can be avoided by making the craft slightly smaller.  For example, Minnesota requires no license for a non-motorized craft of 10 feet or less.

For any size boat, including this one, most states have a certain level of minimum equipment.  For example, Minnesota requires life jackets and a white lantern or flashlight visible for at least two miles.

While most states do not require adults to wear the flotation device, in the case of this homemade expedient raft, it would be highly recommended.



1941 Headphone Crystal Set

1941JunePM1Eighty years ago this month, as shown in the June 1941 issue of Popular Mechanics, Junior was so pleased with his new crystal set that Dad decided to make a second one for himself. The set was so small that it was built right in to an old set of “Baldwin” style headphones, which had an extra large Bakelite shell and cap to house the set.

Into the bottom of the shell was placed a spiderweb coil, and the the shaft of a small tuning condenser was mounted in a hole drilled in the bottom. A wire with a spring clip was used for the optional but recommended ground connection, with another for any convenient antenna.

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Keeping Volume Controls In Stock: 1941

1941JuneRadioRetailingEighty years ago, the hapless radio serviceman at left was making his customer wait for a relatively simply job to be completed. The one at the right, however, was able to proceed immediately with the job, thanks to having in stock a kit consisting of 18 volume controls, along with various switches and shafts. He didn’t have to wait for the exact replacement. He just located the resistor of the correct value, and then added the shaft himself, tapping it in place with a hammer. If a switch was part of the control, it was an easy matter to add that as well.

The set of 18 controls sold to the dealer for $14.97, with a total list price of $29.95. The kit came from the International Resistance Company of 401 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, and this ad appeared in the June 1941 issue of Radio Retailing.



1946 Portables

1946JuneRadioRetailingSeventy-five years ago, the summer of 1946 was the first summer after the war, and Americans were ready to enjoy some leisure. The June 1946 issue of Radio Retailing reminded its readers that this meant there would be a big demand for portables, and manufacturers were in the process of delivering the first new sets.  The season would last through fall, and dealers were advised to stock up.

There were currently 24 models on the market.  Some of these included a record player, with a maximum price of $149.50.  Of the 16 straight portables, the average price was $35.43, with the lowest being $17.50.

The magazine noted that only half of the new receivers were from old-name manufacturers.  The remainder came from postwar startups.



Tulsa Race Riots: 1921

[Smoke billowing over Tulsa, Oklahoma during 1921 race massacre]

Library of Congress photo.

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, which took place on Memorial Day, May 31, 1921.

Oklahoma was admitted to the Union in 1907. Its constitution did not call for strict racial segregation, because it was feared that Republican President Teddy Roosevelt would veto the document.

But as its first order of business, the Democratic dominated state legislature passed its Jim Crow laws. Despite the hostile political environment, an African-American community, including many veterans of World War I, thrived in the Greenwood district of Tulsa.  The community included several grocers, two newspapers, two movie theaters, nightclubs, and churches. Its citizens included doctors, dentists, lawyers, and clergy.  There’s no way of knowing for sure, but I suspect that a handful of residents owned a radio, as was normal in a thriving middle-class neighborhood.

All of this came to an end on May 30, 1921, when young Dick Rowland, black, was accused, probably falsely, of assaulting a white elevator operator. He was arrested, at at some point, a white mob showed up to lynch him. The sheriff did his best to protect the prisoner, including positioning officers in the stairway of the courthouse with orders to shoot to kill any intruders. At some point, a group of black men, some armed, showed up to help protect the courthouse. The sheriff convinced them that they were not needed, and they departed.

In the next 24 hours, Greenwood was destroyed by marauding rioters and aircraft dropping firebombs.  The exact number of deaths will never be known, but estimates range from 36 to 300.  Over 800 were injured, and most of the Greenwood district was destroyed.



Converting TVs to Larger Picture Tubes: 1951

1951MayRadioElecSeventy years ago, these Philadelphia television technicians made the cover of the May 1951 issue of Radio Electronics by their ambitious service of converting small screen television to larger tubes. The magazine carried a feature penned by their boss, Larry Oebbecke of Philadelphia Television Service Corp., 19011 W. Cheltenham Ave, Philadelphia, who reported that the job could be profitable “if you know what you are doing.” He reported that his shop had been doing the work for about a year, and averaged 25-35 sets per week.

Some sets were simply not good candidates for conversion, and the author identified many. He stressed the importance of taking good notes when doing the jobs. The first conversion of a particular model might not be profitable, but armed with good notes, subsequent jobs would be much simpler. Also, the jobs required cutting a new front panel, so saving the templates was key to doing the job economically. Normally, the job would take one technician 6-10 hours to complete. In general, 7 inch sets weren’t worth the trouble to convert, since a new set would wind up being cheaper. But larger sets could be upgraded to 14, 16, 19, and 20 inch screens. Older sets with round tubes could get a more modern look with the newer rectangular tubes.

The shop provided a 90 day warranty on the conversion work, and a one year guarantee on the tube itself. The author noted that the guarantee did not extend to parts of the set on which no conversion work had been done.



1941 DeWald Radios

1941MayRadioServiceDealerEighty years ago this month, the May 1941 issue of Radio Service Dealer carried this ad showing the 1941 lineup of radios from DeWald Radio, 170-16 Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, New York.

The ad features the model 562, an All-American Five with a suggested retail price of $19.95, as well as a portable at the same price point, the model 410.

The model 565, retailing for $24.95, was a portable that also ran off household current.  Finally, the model 670 had a retail price of $33.50 and was a six-tube set tuning the broadcast band as well as two shortwave bands, 4.7-10MHz and 11.5-24MHz.



Portable Radios: 1951

1951MayRadioRetailerSeventy years ago, these picnickers were enjoying a favorite radio program while on their outing, thanks to their portable radio. But they would have never thought of it if it weren’t for the foresight of their radio dealer in suggesting one.

The picture appeared in the May 1951 issue of Radio & Television Retailing magazine, which pointed out that most people were not “portable conscious.” The dealer needed to help them out through advertising in the store, especially in connection with summer gift-giving occasions such as graduations and weddings. And while the magazine was gearing up for the summer season, it reminded readers that the fall hunting season or Christmas were just around the corner, and it was a good idea to plant the seed.

The magazine suggested exchange advertising. For example, an excursion boat line might be interested in placing a poster with rates in the dealer’s shop, in exchange for an ad for the radio shop at the ticket office.