[Milsurplus] Doubting the Foxhole Radio

[J. Forster]

Hue,

I've not seen the video, but I'm sure a foxhole radio is possible.

In the environment you describe, selectivity would not be an issue, so no
tuning would be required. In fact, I suspect a broadband, untuned detector
would have produced some  audio.

I think a functional radio can be made from an antenna, connected through
an RFC to ground; with a diode and earphone in series connected across the
RFC.


YMMV,

-John

===============




> I just watched a You Tube video about whipping together a "Foxhole Radio".
> I have been doubting this story for a while. I suspect it's mostly myth,
> as
> far
> as the European war theater.  Supposedly, the thing was invented by an
> Army
> infantry Lt. at Anzio. What, I ask, was there to listen to at the
> battlefront?
> This wasn't like in the U.S. in the 1990s, where every village has an A.M.
> broadcast station. And how much time does an infantryman have to devote
> to dabbling with hobby pursuits, rather than attention to safe location,
> rest,
> and personal maintenance? I note also that the radio is untuned. Perhaps
> the
> coil acts as solely an RF choke. Those of you who have built crystal
> radios
> know how attenuated the signal is when off resonance. And - the original
> article shows it using a single Western Electric telephone technician or
> operator headphone of 600 ohm impedance - not a good match to any
> crystal radio - not a good choice.
> Away from the Europe zone, on a Pacific Island, among the occupation
> forces, at a  base where the A.F.R.T.S. had built a broadcast station, i
> would agree that such a device had some chance of being used.
> -Hue Miller
>
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