Radio (junk) Shop

[hillsbro]

P.S. Would love to know about Crystal sets.What components were used etc. I remember my father saying that you used earphones and a 'Cat's Whisker'. Any idea when loud speakers came in to replace earphones. Would appreciate any info. at all. It was only recently I accidentally read in a book that Crystal is the only mineral capable of receiving radio trnsmissions. How this was discovered amazes me and wonder how I could read up on this. Thanks for your time.

 

Hi JOGI - cat's whiskers were before my time but my grandfather was making crystal sets using cat's whiskers in the 1920s and my dad followed suit in the 1930s. The "whisker" was basically a piece of wire which you used to probe the surface of the crystal until you could find a sensitive spot that would produce a signal. See for example http://www.vintageradio.me.uk/crystal/catswhisker.htm. A crystal set used a crystal diode which basically did the same job as a cat's whisker but was more "stable" and reliable. It also needed a big coil but few other components to get a signal that you could hear via headphones. Here's a photo of one. The signal was very weak (there was no battery) and to get enough output to drive a speaker you needed more power (hence a "cabinet" radio with an array of valves etc.) but a crystal set was the cheapest way to receive radio transmissions 80-90 years ago.

 

Feel free to PM me - it's a long time since I did anything with electronics but it's nice to reminisce. I'm also going out - to a car boot sale. Wonder if there will be any P.C.R.'s or R1155's on offer.....

[hutch]

1942 J.W/E.L BLUFF radio repairs 108 Carver St.

[JOGI]

Just got time to thank all the posters for the help/information youve sent me.As much as I'd like, time has run out on me, but looking forward to further chats a.s.a.p. Regards.

[Runningman]

Any memories of a shop on Abbeydale road, between Staveley and Wolseley Road, where the Polish restaurant is currently situated.

I believe the owner was called Rudd. As a child, the interior seemed to be a dark mysterious place, nothing stacked in any order on the shelves !

[JOGI]

Thanks Hutch, you've cracked it. Whilst on the subject of Carver Street, I seemto remember an ironmongers shop on there called Constantines. It made an impression on me as a kid because of its unusual frontage, lots of balustrading and boardwalk enclosing its forecourt.

[Blackbeard]

Sadly there are not many of the old type radio surplus/junk shops left, if you are ever in Lincoln be sure to call in at Birketts at the bottom of Steep Hill for a bit of nostalgia

http://www.zyra.org.uk/birkett.htm

Thanks also for the link to the link to the vintage radio site, I had forgotten the name of the coils I used to use, REPANCO, it all comes back.

What started as a hobby turned out to be a career

Nostalgia is not what it used to be.

[JOGI]

Thanks Blackbeared, It's great to hear your memories.When I saw your posts re. Button Lane and Rag & Tag it took me back to those wonderful years when my father was alive. My main memories were of him working on the kitchen table every evening with a soldering-iron. He used to wind all his own coils and transformers. He was chain-smoker and always had a fag hanging out of the corner of his mouth and when the ash accumalated to about 2" long, he used to blow it into my face, rather than into his beloved radio parts!I didnt know anything about passive smoking then, but given my age now I can forgive him for that!. But seriously, I would love to have been around in the early pioneering days of radio, so can relate to you experiences. Hope we can keep in touch. All the best.