Morgan crystal set analog dial page 1 page 2 page 3 page 4 a recreation of my first working crystal set, originally built in 1966. Crystal detector designed by the bureau of standards. Figure 1 shows a simple crystal radio that will be discussed in great detail in this book. Instead its a fascinating journey of technical discovery. In this part, im actually going to tell you more than just how to make a crystal radio, but im also going to explain how and why they work. Various scanned technical and historic books that should be of interest to vintage radio collectors etc. Construction of radio receiving apparatus everyday mechanics a crystal. These were the books from my early days of radio project building from the 50s. If you havent done so check out from crystal sets to sideband. A basic crystal radio receiver circuit consists of just a few basic electronic components. Here is some more information on the foxhole radio sets used by the boys on the.
The circuit shown in figure 1 was developed in the early 30s by elmer g. Full constructional notes to build twelve crystal radio sets are given most using home wound coils. In the summer of 1966 i was 10 12 years old and one of my. A rare germanium diode that seems to be ideal for many crystal radio set. It assumes you know something about electronics but you can skip chapters which cover familiar subjects. Vaguely i thought to find a crystal radio or radio kit of some sort to play with.
A crystal radio is a very simple radio that was popular in the early history of radios. In the early days of radio, the detector was literally a crystal. A crystal radio receiver, also called a crystal set, is a simple radio receiver, popular in the early days of radio. A good read for those interested crystal radio history or construction. And despite the antiquity of its design, it is still an effective tool for recruitment and instruction. The amplifier will provide roomfilling volume from an ordinary crystal radio outfitted with a longwire antenna and good ground. If you are like me, you may have american radio relay league. Radio astronomy and the search for extraterrestial intelligence. It contains hundreds of photos and magazine ads identifying thousands of crystal radios and detectors made in the u. A crystal radio is made up of a tuning coil magnet wire wrapped around a. The fm crystal radio tunes into a centre frequency of the fm radio stations you want to listen to e.
This is a classic book which had many reprints in the 1950s through the 1960s. The crystal radio picked up radio signals by having a long antenna yours will be about 100 to catch the waves. The information is compiled from old allied radio knight kit publications. Crystal radio plans, crystal radio circuits, crystal radio schematics are all right here. Crystal radio instructions pdf these instructions were included in a book entitled crystal radio projects published by the xtal set society. Users browsing for collectible crystal radios in crystal radios usually look at. The boys book of crystal sets this is a classic book which had many reprints in the 1950s through the 1960s. The ground is a connection to earth that allows the desired electric currents to pass from the antenna and through your radio. Radios were the hottest technology of the time and after the exhilaration of getting this radio work, i can understand.
A crystal set is the most basic type of radio receiver. Page from the boys third book of radio and electronics by alfred p. You will be limited in the number of stations you can hear when operating the radio without amplification. Building a crystal radio set openlearn open university. They sell the classic book radios that work for free, and many other plans books.
The antenna on page 50 of the boys second book of radio and electronics, morgan shows us a corrugated glass insulator suitable for supporting a 50 to 75foot receiving antenna. It is capable of receiving am amplitude modulated transmissions, which are generally found on the long, medium and short wave bands. It uses only the power of the received radio signal to produce sound, needing no external power. Each radio kit contains painstakingly collected topnotch vintage parts, wire, detector, highquality vintage headphones, hardwood box or base, and instructions and schematic for a superior, timehonored circuit, etc. Foxhole radios and crystal radios manual rage university. The earphone plays the audio signals, letting you hear whats being transmitted by radio stations. The frequency is modulated according to the sound wave or the loudness of the original vocalmusic being broadcasted, i. In fact, in a recent email, he mentioned that they were encouraged to make radios and learn by doing. Here are instructions for building the crystal radio shown above, in a pdf adobe acrobat file. This project is similar to a simple crystal radio but crystals were hard to get ahold of for the soldiers and so they made do. I cant remember how much time passed after the first nonfunctioning radio was built. Apr 07, 2016 a crystal radio is basically a high q resonator tied to an antenna and an envelope detector. The book is long since out of print, and too dated for most libraries to hold a.
Theres a lot that goes into making a nice crystal radio set, so this is going to have to be broken down into two parts. There are four main areas to the overall radio operation. A typical crystal radio circuit is shown below and from this it can be seen how a crystal radio works. There was an enormous variety of crystals sets or cats whisker radios that were manufactured for the domestic market in the 1920s once radio broadcasting had become established. How does a crystal radio set work electronics notes. Science buddies staff scientists worked long and hard to develop a crystal radio kit that will make your project successful and avoid the many problems of the toy store crystal radios. The early days of the crystal radio design are covered well. The book is well researched and has lots of references. Please note that this radio performs poorly compared to the armstrong crystal. Jul, 2019 want to curl up and read a radio book thats not too heavy going.
A crystal radio is an excellent example to demonstrate this because if any step is not understood or engineered well then the radio will not work well. The magic of the crystal set is that no power source is required. The reason it is called a crystal set is because they use a mineral crystal as a diode for the detector in the circuit. Boys book of crystal sets with practical circuits w. May medium, long, and short wave designs 12 different circuits to suit all areas and conditions complete practical wiring diagrams comprehensive information on aerial and earth installation there are suitable designs for the beginner and advanced constructor bernards radio manuals. It is named for its most important component, a crystal detector, originally made from a piece of crystalline mineral such as galena. In my case, i was using a galena cats whisker detector. This capacitor is used to determine the frequency received by the crystal set. The book includes lots of other radio plans, most of which are more elaborate than this one. Bernards radio test equipment manual radiotrician, bernards no.
The author also does a good job of covering the fundamentals of crystal radio design. Radio hobbyists designbook or rhdb for short was designed to guide you into design of electronics apparatus that relates to radio. If you are like me, you may have been bitten by the radio bug while building an am broadcast band crystal set. Click a row in the table below to download the file. The circuitry is similar in complexity to a simple onetransistor radio but the performance is far superior. I returned the book to the library and came home with the boys third book of radio and electronics. Peebles originals peebles originals original projects. These days the envelope detector is a point contact diode such as a 1n34 germanium diode. Crystal radio circuits 40 articles pdf rex research. The boys book of crystal sets american radio history. It would be interesting to see how someone would source materials and then actually construct one. Foxhole radios were built by gis in world war ii from materials they had easy access to in the field. The crystal changes radio signals into audio signals.
My grandpa charlie made his own radios in the 30s and during the war as well. Foxhole radios and crystal radios if you appreciate ingenuity, simplicity, and like instant gratification from your radio projects, then you ought to spend a few minutes building your own foxhole radio. Radio builders call the antenna the conductor that catches the wave in space. The first part is the actual making of a functional radio, and the second part is making the whole arrangement look nice. Studentswearquartz crystal to improve theirstudyhabits. A diagram of the various parts of an early crystal radio. The complete guide on how to build a crystal radioplus how. Armstrong crystal radio, but looks a whole lot nicer, i would like to suggest the geezerola senior radio i have also built a tiny crystal radio based on some of the good design features of the cr1. Although the antenna earth system is not actually part of the crystal radio, it is an essential element in seeing how the crystal radio. Build a crystal radio that does not require an outside antenna or ground by using a new. Crystal radio crystal receivers are radio receivers which work without mains voltage or batteries, the energy it uses is picked up with a antenna and comes from the station you are tuned to. Simple yet loud fm crystal radio the radioboard forums. Bernards radio experimental circuits manual radiotrician, bernards no. Crystal radio circuits, crystal receivers, the educational.
A crystal radio is a delightful device, and the perfect way to introduce the wonder of. This book revisits the era of the simple crystal radio set when a cats whisker, piece of galena and a coil of wire were all that was needed to tune in a radio signal. Im curioushas anyone proposed a contest to construct a working crystal radio set, from scavenged materials one might find in the street, during a griddown and shtftype of catastrophe. The germanium diode is still obtainable as are all the other components. It can be the wire that comes with your set alone or a piece of metal such as an air duct. They also sell a bunch of very cheap but effective starter kits, like this one, the xs500 basic crystal radio kit. Boys book of crystal sets pdf file antique radio forums. The complete guide on how to build a crystal radioplus. A crystal radio is among the simplest of radio receivers theres no battery or power source, and nearly no moving parts.
In fact, in a recent email, he mentioned that they were encouraged to make radios and. I found a simple radio on page 104 and soon headed back to ree electronics. The antenna, of course, captures the radio waves travelling through the air and converts them into alternating current. A crystal radio, or crystal set as it is sometimes called, is a radio that only uses the power of the radio waves picked up by the antenna to generate the sound heard in the head phones. Understanding and operating your crystal radio jeffrey. The original coil in the morgan book was probably smaller, with smaller gauge wire. Mathematics needed in design is down to simple algebra and trigonometry. You will learn the basic circuit elements required for receiving radio signals, and you will be able to listen to am radio broadcasts with something you. The following chapters will illustrate the process from beginning to end.
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