Seventy years ago, the October 1955 issue of Radio Electronics showed how to build this receiver, dubbed the DX Tiny Tuner. It was a miniature unit, designed for long-distance reception on the broadcast band. From a suburb of New York, the set picked up stations in Bridgeport (600 kHz), Philadelphia (610 kHz) and Newark (620 kHz). This compared with a good transistor set that picked up the 600 kHz station with a background of the one on 620, with no sign of the station on 610.

The author noted that the tiny set would pick up any station heard on a communications receiver of S2 or stronger. And surprisingly, it did it with the built-in antenna.

The superhet circuit used three subminiature tubes and one transistor.

Eighty-five years ago, this ad in the October 21, 1940, issue of Life magazine reminded readers that every member of the family deserved to be able to listen to their own radio programs. That meant getting an extra radio, but one with extra quality from RCA Victor.

The least expensive model was the five-tube model 45X1 “Little Nipper” for only $9.95.

Fifty years ago, this discerning radio listener is showing off her new portable, the Panasonic RF-8000. The set hand a handle, meaning that it was portable, but it weighed in at 46 pounds, so the portability was somewhat limited. But it tuned 24 bands, including longwave, most of the shortwave spectrum, and continuous tuning from 30-230 MHz. It included a BFO for tuning CW and SSB transmissions. And, of course, it covered the standard AM and FM bands. It had three antennas, a clock, and a motorized tuning dial.

According to the October 1975 issue of Popular Mechanics, where this picture appeared, it retailed for a mere $2500.

OneTubeRadio.com is a full-service blog. While we endeavor to bring radio history to life, we’re also on the lookout for other helpful information, and today, we offer a beauty tip that’s in danger of being lost to the ages.

One hundred years ago today, the October 15, 1925, issue of the San Antonio Light newspaper carried this helpful hint for young women to stay beautiful. According to unnamed beauty experts, “making faces will keep girls young and sweet.” The technique is demonstrated by Kathrin Hatch.

But Miss Hatch probably kept beautiful by also listening to the radio, and this same issue of the paper showed that one could regain health with the radio. According to Major John W. Sherwood of Fort Sam Houston, the base hospital was to be wired for radio. 800 headphones were to be placed in hospital rooms, and loudspeakers would be placed in recreation rooms. More than five miles of wire would be used, and the installation would take about two weeks.

The gentleman shown at left, pictured in the October 1925 issue of the magazine The Experimenter, is, according to the article, what the well-dressed radio man would be wearing in the near future. He is equipped with a self-contained receiver, capable of pulling in stations within 10 miles.

It’s a crystal set, and the loop antenna means that you don’t have to worry about an antenna or ground connection. You can move about freely listening to your favorite program.

Eighty years ago, the October 1945 issue of Radio Craft showed this circuit for a simple one-tube portable receiver. Almost any tube could be used, including the 1S5, 1A5-G and 1N5-G. It had been sent in to the magazine by one Harold J. Shaffer of San Francisco, who noted that the regenerative circuit, while unconventional, proved to be unusually stable. For that reason, the set could be carried around and provided pleasant headphone reception for local stations.

L1 was a spiderweb loop, and Shaffer intentionally made the set large so that it could have a large loop. The other two coils were wound on a one-inch tube. The A battery was a flashlight cell, and while this circuit used 45 volts, the B battery could be as low as 15 volts.

Eighty years ago, Eveready introduced the “Mini-Max” B battery, model number 412. The 22-1/2 volt battery measured only 2 x 1-1/32 x 5/8 inches, and weighed only 1-1/2 ounces. It was about the same size as the still-in-production 9 volt battery, although rather than having both terminals on one end, the 412 had positive on one end and negative on the other.

It was originally intended for use as the B battery in tube portable radios, but it was also used in instruments, and even in some early transistor radios, such as the Regency TR-1. The carbon-zinc battery remained in production through at least the 1980s.

If you’re looking for a modern replacement, a replacement using alkaline cells is available on Amazon.  The ad above appeared in the October 1945 issue of Radio Service Dealer.