There are plenty of old-timers out there, so how many of you started out with one of these Rocket Radios that were popular in the late 50's and 60's? Bet it brings back memories. This was my first radio, purchased by Mom (God rest her kind soul) in the late 50's and was the seed that when planted started a lifetime hobby in radio for many of us.
You attached the alligator clip to a cold water pipe or the finger stop on a rotary phone, put the large earphone in your ear, and moved the tip in and out (this was actually a ferrite rod that moved in an out of a coil) until you heard a local radio station. The heart of the system was a germanium diode.
Maybe you had a similar crystal radio that you used? They were advertised in the back of comic books along with other sundries such as X-Ray eyeglasses, shrimp "eggs," the "Big Ear," and mail order monkeys/chihuahuas that fit in a cup.
You attached the alligator clip to a cold water pipe or the finger stop on a rotary phone, put the large earphone in your ear, and moved the tip in and out (this was actually a ferrite rod that moved in an out of a coil) until you heard a local radio station. The heart of the system was a germanium diode.
Maybe you had a similar crystal radio that you used? They were advertised in the back of comic books along with other sundries such as X-Ray eyeglasses, shrimp "eggs," the "Big Ear," and mail order monkeys/chihuahuas that fit in a cup.