[Elecraft] OT: Cristal Sets

[Chuck Smallhouse]

My first experience hearing local AM stations was using an actual 
chunk of geranium crystal mounted in a blob of lead, that you'd 
traded some of your best agate marbles for,  You used the point of a 
fine safety pin to scratch around on that chunk of geranium to find 
the sweat spot, where the station (s) came in the best into your 
headphones.  It didn't seem to be the same spot night after night 
!  You tried to use the longest wire that you could sneak out your 
window and up to near the top of the tallest tree in your back yard.

Later if you wanted to separate KVOA (1290) ad KTUC (1400), here in 
Tucson, you had to wind a big coil on an empty round oatmeal box, and 
try and tune it with a variable capacitor that you'd "rescued" from a 
defunct radio.  This was all mounted on a "bread board", generally a 
short section of a 1x 6" or a 1x 8"pine or redwood board.  Terminal 
points were metal screws into the board (preferably brass) that the 
wires were wrapped around !

Gee, that was well over 70 years ago !  Time sure flies when you are 
having fun !

Chuck,.  W7CS