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WTB Crystal Radio

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dan(at)azshowersolutions.
Guest

Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 7:35 pm Post subject: WTB Crystal Radio

I know this is an odd request, however, I am a high school electronics teacher by day and a plane builder by night :>)   I thought this might be a good place to ask if any of you electronics tinkerers might have  crystal radio sets jammed into the back of a closet that you would like to get rid of. I am trying to round up about 50 of them or the components. The difficult part to find in quantity is the variable air capacitors (365pfd  or close). My e-mail is 

  dan  at  azshowersolutions dot com

  Thanks,

  I live in Mesa, AZ

  Dan 

 [quote][b]

klehman(at)albedo.net
Guest

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 1:37 am Post subject: WTB Crystal Radio

Dan

We used to make them with a coil and sliding contact rather than the 

variable cap.

Ken



Dan Billingsley wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   I know this is an odd request, however, I am a high school electronics 

 teacher by day and a plane builder by night :>)   I thought this might 

 be a good place to ask if any of you electronics tinkerers might have  

 crystal radio sets jammed into the back of a closet that you would 

 like to get rid of. I am trying to round up about 50 of them or the 

 components. The difficult part to find in quantity is the variable air 

 capacitors (365pfd  or close). My e-mail is

 dan  at  azshowersolutions dot com

 Thanks,

 I live in Mesa, AZ

 Dan

MauleDriver(at)nc.rr.com
Guest

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 6:40 am Post subject: WTB Crystal Radio

Yikes!  You've got to be careful with that kind of request.  You can 

cause massive, widespread childhood flashbacks for those of a certain 

vintage.



Alas, mine were tossed with my Baseball cards



Dan Billingsley wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   I know this is an odd request, however, I am a high school electronics 

 teacher by day and a plane builder by night :>)   I thought this might 

 be a good place to ask if any of you electronics tinkerers might have  

 crystal radio sets jammed into the back of a closet that you would 

 like to get rid of. I am trying to round up about 50 of them or the 

 components. The difficult part to find in quantity is the variable air 

 capacitors (365pfd  or close). My e-mail is

 dan  at  azshowersolutions dot com

 Thanks,

 I live in Mesa, AZ

 Dan

FlyDad57(at)neo.rr.com
Guest

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 7:10 am Post subject: WTB Crystal Radio

Dan,



    I just did a quick search on the web and found several sites catering to 

inexpensive plans and components for such crystal radios.  I realize that 

you are probably trying to keep your expenses low, but these sites may be 

helpful in getting what you need in the quantities and timeframes you need.



Just some thoughts....



Bob Taylor

Wadsworth, Ohio



Sorry.  Threw mine out years ago, but after my kids made it work again. 

Made me smile.

---

dan(at)azshowersolutions.
Guest

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 3:22 pm Post subject: WTB Crystal Radio

Thanks guys, I appreciate the response. Yes, I can still remember as a kid when I pulled in the magical radio waves without power. I am trying to keep my cost down as the cheapest I have been able to find the variable air caps is about $10 each. That will unfortunately break the piggy bank...but if anyone knows of a stash of them anywhere I'd sure like to hear of it. I would like to get all the kids to build one, but it is looking more like a need to pair up. 

  Thanks again,

  Dan B



Robert Taylor <FlyDad57(at)neo.rr.com> wrote:

  [quote]--> AeroElectric-List message posted by: "Robert Taylor" 



Dan,



I just did a quick search on the web and found several sites catering to 

inexpensive plans and components for such crystal radios. I realize that 

you are probably trying to keep your  expenses low, but these sites may be 

helpful in getting what you need in the quantities and timeframes you need.



Just some thoughts....



Bob Taylor

Wadsworth, Ohio



Sorry. Threw mine out years ago, but after my kids made it work again. 

Made me smile.

---

ECLarsen81(at)aol.com
Guest

Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 12:01 pm Post subject: WTB Crystal Radio

Dan, 

  How far from Ann Arbor Michigan are you, I have a whole box. I  do travel to Chicago about every weekend. somewhere in these vicinities would  save the shipping.

  Ed L.

  

 In a message dated 10/5/2007 6:24:15 PM Central Daylight Time,  dan(at)azshowersolutions.com writes:

  	  Quote: 	
		     Thanks guys, I appreciate the response. Yes, I can still remember as a    kid when I pulled in the magical radio waves without power. I am trying to    keep my cost down as the cheapest I have been able to find the variable air    caps is about $10 each. That will unfortunately break the piggy bank...but if    anyone knows of a stash of them anywhere I'd sure like to hear of it. I would    like to get all the kids to build one, but it is looking more like a need to    pair up. 

   Thanks again,

   Dan B

	


 

  



See what's new [quote][b]

Ed Anderson

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 475

Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 12:36 pm Post subject: WTB Crystal Radio

Ah, well do I remember my first Crystal radio  back in 1950.  Being lacking in that stuff called Money back then as a 10 year old, I wrapped enable coated  wire around a Quakers Oatmeal box bring out a twist of wire every 10-20 windings.  The air of the box provided the capacitance and of course the wire, the inductance, for my tuning circuit with the twist poking out of the windings being scraped clean of its insulation.  A paper clip wired to the grounded end was used to tune the frequency by clipping it on to the appropriate twist of wire.  Lets say the bandwidth was somewhat broad and hearing several stations at one time was not unusually.



The crystal  was also home made.  I  read someplace,probably Popular Mechanics, that the crystal used in the those expensive commercial crystal radio sets was lead sulfide.  So I got some chunks of sulfur at the drug store, found a lead fishing sinker or two and melted them down in one of my mother's sewing thimbles.  Then I dropped a chunk of sulfur into the molten lead and when it cooled down, I had my lead sulfide crystals.  A piece of fine wire for the "cats whisker" and I had my crystal radio.  It actually worked.



  However, later on they came out with geranium diode that cost about $5.00 at the time.  I saved up my pennies and purchased one and it made a tremendous difference in easy of tuning - no more cat whisker hunting for the "hot" spot on the lead filled thimble.  I also incorporated a real variable capacitor out of a radio I found discarded in the local town junk yard.  Interesting enough one of the stations, was far way in  Del Rio Texas, the station was apparently located just across the border in Mexico where they apparently were not restricted power wise.  



Thanks for bring back some great memories.



Ed

_________________
Ed Anderson
Rv-6A N494BW Rotary Powered
Matthews, NC
eanderson@carolina.rr.com

dan(at)azshowersolutions.
Guest

Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 2:00 pm Post subject: WTB Crystal Radio

Ed, I am located out of Mesa, AZ. I will contact you off list.

  Thanks,

  Dan



ECLarsen81(at)aol.com wrote:

  [quote]      Dan, 

   How far from Ann Arbor Michigan are you, I have a whole box. I do travel to Chicago about every weekend. somewhere in these vicinities would save the shipping.

   Ed L.

   

  In a message dated 10/5/2007 6:24:15 PM Central Daylight Time, dan(at)azshowersolutions.com writes:

  [quote]  Thanks guys, I appreciate the response. Yes, I can still remember as a kid when I pulled [quote][b]

Eric M. Jones

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 565
Location: Massachusetts

Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 2:59 pm Post subject: Re: WTB Crystal Radio

Tons of stuff on the web. See:



http://sci-toys.com/scitoys/scitoys/radio/radio.html



WWI soldiers used two razor blades stuck into a thread spool with a cube of anthracite coal as a rectifier. Of course all they had to do was read morse code from giant spark transmitters. 



I recommend making your own variable capacitors. There were many early and clever designs before the D-shaped rotary thing.



In the 1920's and 30's Popular Mechanics published dozens of xtal sets.



DO NOT ARCHIVE

_________________
Eric M. Jones
www.PerihelionDesign.com
113 Brentwood Drive
Southbridge, MA 01550
(508) 764-2072
emjones(at)charter.net

dan(at)azshowersolutions.
Guest

Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 6:20 pm Post subject: WTB Crystal Radio

Eric, Thanks for the web site! This is what I have been looking for. Everything I was finding didn't give as much information. 

  Dan

  Do not archive



"Eric M. Jones" <emjones(at)charter.net> wrote:

  [quote]--> AeroElectric-List message posted by: "Eric M. Jones" 



Tons of stuff on the web. See:



http://sci-toys.com/scitoys/scitoys/radio/radio.html



WWI soldiers used two razor blades stuck into a thread spool with a cube of anthracite coal as a rectifier. Of course all they had to do was read morse code from giant spark transmitters. 



I recommend making your own variable capacitors. There were many early and clever designs before the D-shaped rotary thing.



In the 1920's and 30's Popular Mechanics published dozens of xtal sets.



DO NOT ARCHIVE



--------

Eric [quote][b]

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