Video: Tube radio transmitter designs from the 1920s

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Evans (W4/VP9KF), who shares the following article from Hackaday:

The origin of the term “breadboard” comes from an amusing past when wooden bread boards were swiped from kitchens and used as a canvas for radio hobbyists to roll homemade capacitors, inductors, and switches. At a period when commercial electronic components were limited, anything within reach was fair game.

[Andy Flowers], call sign K0SM, recently recreated some early transmitters using the same resources and techniques from the 1920s for the Bruce Kelley 1929 QSO Party. The style of the transmitters are based on [Ralph Hartley]’s oscillator circuit built for Bell Telephone in 1915. Most of the components he uses are from the time period, and one of the tubes he uses is even one of four tubes from the first Transatlantic contact in 1923.[…]

Click here to continue reading at Hackaday.

https://youtu.be/Lli4DI2XFMQ

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4 thoughts on “Video: Tube radio transmitter designs from the 1920s

  1. John K5MO

    211’s are beautiful tubes.

    I had the opportunity to tour VOA in Greensboro some years ago before it closed (and after they stopped officially giving tours) and there were still 211’s in the low level stages of the big Continental transmitters.

    Reply

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