Those were the days...
- Thread starter billowens
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Replies 148
- Views 10K
Speaking of crystal radio, maybe you old guy like me can answer something. I have looked all over Google and can't find a picture of what I had.
When I was six years old (1958) my buddy up the street's father worked for WQXI, 790 AM. (they station WKRP In Cincinnati was based on) and he gave me a Bakelite ear cup that had a wire with an alligator clip on the end. If you clipped it on metal (especially a hurricane fence) you would hear WQXI. No dial, no volume, no other station but 790 AM. Anyone remember something like this or know how it worked?
Yeah, me. I saw one in operation at my cousin's house in CA. I believe the way it worked for a nearby station of sufficient power was the alligator clip made a crappy diode when clipped on some metal.
For those who like old time radio: Old Time Radio : Free Audio : Free Download, Borrow and Streaming : Internet Archive .
Boy I must have been rich in those days. By 1967 I had 2 color TVS, a Sears console and an RCA table top in the bedroom so we could watch Jack Parr.
I even owned my own $17,000 home with a leaky roof and a 65 Olds 88.
I even owned my own $17,000 home with a leaky roof and a 65 Olds 88.
Back in 7th grade I made my own crystal radio. It was a piece of wood with a coil attached and a metal pivot bar that could be positioned along the coil for tuning and a "wisker" wire to connect the crystal. Can't remember what I used to hear the sound, but it worked.
This is a pay site, but it has great content if you like old time radio, rusc.com R-U-Sitting Comfortably.
Thanks. I sure wish I still had mine. But being 5 years old, I probably traded it for a comic book. One that's probably worth $10,000 that I traded for some Bazooka Bubble Gum.
