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March 15, 2002
Old Time Radio
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We begin with the BC-312-N. Buddy KC4WQ brought in this rig made by the Transworth Television & Radio Corporation and designed at Signal Corps Laboratories at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. This 1944 vintage 6 band receiver covers 1.5 - 18 MHz of the AM band. Used in World War II by the Army, this rig was owned by Buddy's great uncle, Charles Elder W4KBR. The power supply is external. Sideband can be received and the sensitivity is quite good. Below is a picture of the external power supply.
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Next up is "The Sixer" from Heathkit. The Sixer featured a 5-Watt crystal controlled AM/CW transmitter and a regenerative receiver. It's a 5-Watt, 6 meter tranceiver with a frequency range from 50-54 MHz. The microphone is not shown here, but lots of kids used this Model HW-29A rig to do their homework. The AM/CW transmitter is crystal controlled with a regenerative receiver. It sold as a kit for $44.95 in 1961.
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Another kit, brought in by Ken KF4BAR is by Knight. Ken bought this for $4 in an auction that didn't know what this was. The Knight Model T-50 is a Novice Transmitter. It uses a 6AG7 oscillator and 807 final similar to many Handbook rigs between 1950 and 1955. The output is about 25 watts out on 80 meters, 22 watts on 40 meters and less on the higher bands due to the multiplication in the oscillator stage.
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Then there's this mysterious black box, bought by Ken from the estate of W4EKI. It turns out to be a 5 meter rig that came out of a tank. Hmm...
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Next up, Ken KE4AWY shows us an RCA Radiola R.S. crystal receiver. It was released in May 1923 and only 4613 were made. This radio adjusts with a cat whisker. Just connect the ground wire to a hot water pipe, plug in the 2000 ohm headphones and you can receive any AM station in town. This radio is currently valued at $300-$600.
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Stu KO4BI brought in a couple of hand keys he picked up at a hamfest. He bought one and was given the other. You never know the bargains you can get at a hamfest. The buy one get one free doesn't happen very often, but it's great when you get it. And I'm sure he has put both of these to good use.
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And while we are on the subject of keys, Bill KC4OJ shows off his key he was given in 1973 when he passed his Novice ticket. Although marked J-47, this is most likely an Artec J38 key on a different base.
Joe K4DZM took his amateur radio Novice test back in 1954. In those days, it took nine months to receive your license. On June 22, 1955, Joe received his license and KN4DZM call, starting a lifetime of a great hobby.
Joe was in the radio club at Manual High School. He still has his original log book and, of course, his AT1. After nearly forty seven years, both the log and his rig are still in mint condition. The Heathkit AT1 Transmitter came out in January 1955 and was the first one made with a crystal socket. The socket holds one crystal. It uses a 6L6 tube in the output and is 35 Watts in and 15 Watts out.
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Joe also brought these two keys. The one on the left is a Military Bug. World War II created a demand for more bugs and keys than could be produced normally. Lionel (of toy train fame) and other companies filled in. The first United States Army Signal Corps. bug was the J-36, produced in the mid 1930's. The trade name for this was the Lightning Bug.
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The key on the right is the J38. During the years between WWI and the Korean War the U.S. Army Signal Corps designated many of their telegraph keys
with a "J" prefix followed by a number. One of the most popular is the J-38, designed to be used with a Signal Corps radio/telegraph operator training set. The binding posts and shorting strap at the back of the key were used to connect a set of headphones to one side of the key (TEL) and the other side of the key (LINE) to the training set, putting the key and headphones in series. The circuit closing switch on the right side of the key was used to set the key for listening (switch closed) or sending (switch open). The little eye screw on the left side of the key was used to tie a stay cord or lanyard from the headset leads to the key. The J-38 sold for 50 cents.
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And last from Joe's collection is this three-tube Armstrong regrenerative receiver. It's a Crosley Model 52 Superheterodyne Radio from 1924. The knob pulls out to adjust the regenerative signal. The way this works is that the RF is received into the first tube where it is amplified. That signal is taken off the plate of the tube and sent back to the input coil and injected back in for additional amplification. This unit is battery powered and sold for $30 in 1924 for the radio alone, or $45.75 with tubes and Crosley headphones.
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To the right is a picture of the Crosley from the top.
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BARS thanks everyone who took the time to share their memories, experiences and equipment with the club.
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