Re one comment on gray finish HRO receivers, i mention, about 5 years ago i sold off a

‘Northern Radiotelephone Co.’ nameplated HRO Jr.  This one had the grey finish and only

one coil, the coilpack for around 1.6 – 3 MHz.  The Northern nameplate read “Model S-20”.

The coil logging chart was marked with Alaska cannery radio stations. As i had only the one

coil, and with no crystal filter, altho the thing was very unique, i decided it was not really

practical for keeping except as a display thing, and i don’t want to do that role. At the time

i thought it came from the ‘Libby & Sons’ company, from mid 1930s,  but now i am less sure.

I learned that ‘Libby & Sons’ company built some of their own fishing products ships receivers

on their own. It seems none survive. The Northern S-20 “may” have belonged to a ship of this

company.

I have some ARTA papers around here that talk about recruiting drive in SE Alaska for the

American Radio Telegrapher’s Association ( union ) and the responses of the individual radio

operators at the factory and cannery stations. Some were amenable and welcoming, some

responded “Go to Hell!”. From a book i bought last year here at an antique mall, i learned many

of those cannery stations and small towns are now ghost towns. It’s of course not a desert

environ there, B.C. and S.E. Alaska coast, so these villages disappear back into the earth much

more rapidly than those classic SW USA ghost towns.

-Hue Miller    K7HUE

Newport, Oregon