1963 Stealth Antennas

1963JanEIIt’s become a more common issue these days, but even 60 years ago, some hams and SWL’s were faced with the issue of needing to put up an antenna where they weren’t allowed. As highlighted by this article in the January 1963 issue of Electronics Illustrated, one solution, then and now, is to use an invisible antenna. The easiest way to do that, as apparently done by the owner of the antenna shown above, is to use a very thin gauge wire. The article suggested 18 gauge or smaller (larger numbers being smaller). The best choice is often enamel wire, and it is sometimes possible to select a color that matches the background, for added stealth.

I’ve discovered that one source of very cheap almost invisible wire is cheap speaker wire.  Remember, when you see the price per foot, you’re actually only paying half that much, since you can unzip the wire before using it.  And it often comes with clear insulation, meaning that it’s almost invisible from even a short distance away.

The magazine suggested a type of insulator to use, but modern hams have discovered that the insulator is often unnecessary. Instead, just tie the end of the wire to a piece of monofilament fishing line, which is even less visible.

The article also suggested the possibility of becoming patriotic and installing a flagpole on your house. Especially for higher frequencies, they can form the basis for an excellent antenna system.



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Polar Bear Mushing: 1923

Screenshot 2023-01-11 1.18.43 PMA hundred years ago this month, the cover of Popular Mechanics for January 1923 showed a self-explanatory transportation idea that, for some reason, never caught on. For the really big loads that sled dogs couldn’t handle, simply replace the dogs with polar bears! They’re fast and they’re strong, and they could haul sleds of unimaginable size.

“While the Eskimo is, by necessity, too busy with hunting and fishing to attempt training the bear in a serious way,” the manager of a fur company saw real potential in the idea. Of course, “in selecting the team, care would have to be exercised in eliminating animals showing  predisposition to temper.”

So even though the Inuit who had lived there since time immemorial didn’t seize the idea–simply because they were too busy–the fur company can send a man in to tackle the job.

The idea never caught on, and we’re guessing because the man sent in to tackle the job wound up as a tasty snack for one of the bears.



1943 Food Rationing Expands

Screenshot 2022-12-20 1.28.56 PMEighty years ago today, the January 11, 1943, issue of Life magazine showed these shoppers preparing to pay for their groceries with not just cash, but with ration coupons. And this would become a more common scene as more foods, such as those shown below, were to be rationed.

The magazine noted that canned goods had been an important part of warfare since the days of Napoleon, and this war was no different. Starting later in the month, a new ration book was to be issued, and those coupons would be required for the purchase of canned or bottled soups and juices, as well as most canned, dried, or frozen, fruits or vegetables.

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Electronic Measurements Quiz

1963JanPE4

Today’s quiz is from 60 years ago, the January 1963 issue of Popular Electronics. But the vast majority of the information is still good. The answers appear tomorrow.  How well do you know your VOM?



Parenting Skills Reminder

1948JanPracWirThe January 1948 issue of the British Practical Wireless offers this reminder for good parenting. If you’re a bad parent, then you equip your battery operated radio with substandard no-name batteries. On the other hand, if you’re a good parent, then you rely on Exide and Drydex batteries, to make sure that Junior is able to listen to their favorite program.



1962 One Tube Regen

Screenshot 2022-12-20 11.03.02 AMScreenshot 2022-12-20 11.00.02 AMSixty years ago this month, the January 1963 issue of Popular Electronics featured as its cover story this one-tube all-wave loudspeaker set. It was able to provide loudspeaker volume on long wave, medium wave, and short wave, thanks to a triple compactron tube, the 6AF11. One triode section was used as regenerative detector, with triode and pentode sections serving as audio amplifiers. With four plug-in coils, the set was capable of tuning 250 kHz through 16 MHz. And if the builder wanted to extend that range, more coils could be made on a trial and error basis.

The power supply was mounted on a separate chassis, with solid state rectifiers. It provided about 150 volts of B+, and the magazine noted that another possibility would be to tap into the power supply of another receiver. This might be particular useful for the owner of a receiver covering only the ham bands, since this receiver would add coverage for a much greater frequency range.

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RCA Models 68R2 and 68R3, 1948

1948Jan5LifeSeventy-five years ago today, the January 5, 1948, issue of Life magazine carried this ad for RCA’s models 68R3 (in walnut veneer) and 68R2 (in ivory-finished genuine plastic). Either way, the table set gave console listening on both Am and FM bands. For listening to records, it was an easy matter to plug in a record player.

If you were in New York and wanted to take a closer look at this and other RCA products, you could visit the RCA Exhibition Hall at 36 West 49th Street, across from Radio City.



TV in 1948

1948JanRadioRetailingFor a snapshot of the state of television in the United States 75 years ago, this map shows stations on the air, as well as construction permits and pending applications.

This map appeared in the January 1948 issue of Radio Retailing, which also showed the following selection of sets that were on the market.



X-Ray Film for Record Blanks

1943JanPMEighty years ago, this couple owned a home recorder, visible in the background, for cutting their own 78 RPM records. It was probably a Wilcox-Gay Recordio like the one we previously featured.

The problem, however, was that you had to pay for the blank discs, and you could only use them once. The least expensive blanks were six for 75 cents for the 6-1/2 inch size, up to six for $2.25 for ten-inch discs. If you wanted to do some experimenting, it could prove expensive. And there was a war going on, so it wasn’t very patriotic just to make excessive use of resources.

This couple figured out that they could make their own blank discs by using used x-ray film. You could get this by asking your friendly family doctor, and in the days before HIPAA, he would gladly give you a bunch, since they would otherwise go in the trash.

Using an old blank disc as a guide, a wooden template was made for the spindle hole as well as a locking hole that held the disc in place while being cut. These were drilled out with a hand drill. Then, a divider was used to mark the edge, and scissor and a razor blade were used to cut the form. Since these were thinner than the standard blanks, you would put them on top of a standard blank while cutting. The magazine noted that the film records could be recorded on both sides.

According to the January 1943 issue of Popular Mechanics., these homemade blanks were ideal for practicing sound effects and making practice recordings before making the final cut on commercial blanks.

Soviet bone records. Wikipedia imagge.

Soviet bone records. Wikipedia imagge.

I’ve never seen any other American use of this idea, but it did catch on in the Soviet Union, where “jazz on bones” (Джаз на костях) became a popular black-market method of producing records. For a ruble or two, and probably a bottle of vodka, the local physician could be talked into giving you old x-rays, which would have wound up in the trash anyway. These were used to produce bootleg copies of otherwise banned music.