[AT] Way OT Crystal sets

[Rob Wilson]

I'm just a bit younger than most being born in 62. I remember
we had a little red rocket shaped crystal radio that had a 
earphone and clip to put on a copper pipe and an antenna
shaped thing that moved in and out to tune it. I played
with that this forever it seemed. I saw on eBay (the worlds
largest garage sale) that they have reproduced them. I 
might pick one up to play with again. 

Rob

> I'm kind of a youngster myself.  I didn't get a crystal set until 
about 
> 1955 or so.  Traded a target 22 rifle for it.  Big mistake there.  At 
> any rate, not knowing much about radios and such, I strung an antenna 
> wire above and full length of my Dad's machine shed with a tin roof. 
> Boy, did that work!  I could put on the headset and stick that little 
> pin on that crystal and pick up stuff from who knows where.  Wish I 
> still had it.
> 
> Ron Cook,
> Salix, IA
> 
> Cecil E Monson wrote:
> 
> >> The crystal sets of long ago were lots of fun for youngsters. Mine 
had a
> >> crystal in a chunk of lead and used a cats whisker piece of wire 
> >> mounted on
> >> a small shaft with a ball pivot so that it could be moved around 
on the
> >> crystal to find the best spot for reception. The ear phones were 
the old
> >> type that could be taken apart to reveal a small metal disc and 
the 
> >> two wire
> >> wound pole pieces. A good antenna and ground rod were required for 
good
> >> reception. The later units (kits) used a diode --1N34-- I believe 
for the
> >> detector. All the strong local stations could be picked up.  
> >> H. L. Staples
> >> McLoud, Oklahoma USA
> > 
> > 
> > 
> >     Geez, H.L., I didn't think you were old enough to remember 
crystal
> > sets?  ;-)   I bought one around 1940 and never could get it to 
work where
> > we lived in Minnesota. We were 25 miles from the nearest radio 
station and
> > the signal was too weak to pick up anything. All I got was a little 
noise.
> > I remember the black headphones with the spring headband. My 
bedroom  was
> > upstairs and I ran a wire out to a tree in the back yard but even 
then it
> > never worked for me. Finally had to give up on it.
> > 
> > Cecil
> 
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