[Boatanchors] Crystal sets - and paper coil forms

[Bill Cromwell]

Hi,

Once upon a time I built two or three radios with the paper towel/toilet 
paper roller as a form and one commercially made radio kit with a 
plastic coil form about the same size as those paper tubes. They all had 
the slider for tuning. One did use a razor blade but the others had 
semiconductor diodes. I also used those forms for some regen projects. I 
am planning to play with a new regen or two and I have set aside some 
oatmeal boxes thinking of high Q coils. Those things are five inch 
diameter and nine and a half inches long. I should be able to get 
adequate inductance for lowfer receivers AND high Q. It just won't fit a 
shirt pocket or one of the XYL's sewing thimbles! I also am not going to 
use that 'slider' arrangement for tuning. That contributed to wobbly, 
drifty frequency instability that was especially noticeable in the 
regens. That soured me on regens for decades until i accidentally bought 
a regen - the RAK-7 <grin>.

Has anybody else used those large-bore paper tubes or other 'large' 
diameter forms in that role? As for the tubeless toilet paper, they are 
making it cheaper, lower performance (try getting that thing on the 
'dispenser') but are they lowering the price? Besides use as coil forms 
they are convenient for stuffing with dryer lint and then lit as tinder 
under your camp fires. Boycott, anyone? <evil grin>

73,

Bill  KU8H


On 08/01/2014 07:31 AM, Jim Wilhite wrote:
> If one plans to do this later they should start saving the tubes from 
> toilet paper.  I notice an ad earlier this week for TP that doesn't 
> have the tube.
>
> Jim
> W5JO
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
> I shellacked a toilet paper tube three times, I close wound enameled 
> wire on it and marked it
> with the slider then I sanded the enamel off where the mark was.