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Early Radio

Just noticed on post 22 'BBC Dancing Club' - why would you have a dance club on the radio? Isn't it a bit like the Archie Andrews scenario?
 
Had our first TV for the Coronation. Remember being scared out of my wits watching Quatermass, something about silos and melted down bodies if I remember correctly.

I remember being terrified by The Quatermass Experiment too, I seem to remember somebody coming back from space and turning into a shrub. "Journey Into Space" gave me the willies as well.
I was fascinated by a series called "Victory at Sea", American footage of the war in the Pacific but terrific viewing for a kid like me. One of the beautiful lady announcers would say it would be on later in the evening and that it was not suitable for children. Our Mom would pack my kid brother and me off to bed and as soon as Derek was asleep I was allowed to tiptoe back downstairs to watch it.
 
I remember being terrified by The Quatermass Experiment too, I seem to remember somebody coming back from space and turning into a shrub. "Journey Into Space" gave me the willies as well.
I was fascinated by a series called "Victory at Sea", American footage of the war in the Pacific but terrific viewing for a kid like me. One of the beautiful lady announcers would say it would be on later in the evening and that it was not suitable for children. Our Mom would pack my kid brother and me off to bed and as soon as Derek was asleep I was allowed to tiptoe back downstairs to watch it.
Used to love journey in to space, seem to remember them landing on Mars.
 
The Victor Sylvester mention makes me realize that in the past people used their imagination - and hopefully common sense - to visualize things they heard on the old 'steam' radio. The downside to that was when the BBC Radio Times magazine, or a newspaper, printed a photograph of some , who, invariably was nothing like the person that ones mind had perceived. Dick Barton aka Noel Johnson was one of these people when he was in the newspapers for speeding in his car I believe. The original Dan Archer aka Harry Oakes was also a great surprise as were many others stars of radio. I think the link below is for the Birminham Hall Green , but it does not say so. However, you have missed it as I think the play was in last July. ;)
https://www.behindthearras.com/reviewsam/reviewsAMapr-jul2016/dick-barton-review-hglt-HG07-16.html

I believe programmes on radio did stimulate peoples emotions and perceptions not like to day where nothing can be left to imagination and all has to be shown or explained. A dumbing down of intellect I feel.
 
Some years ago I visited the Pebble Mill studio where "The Archers" used to be recorded, it did take away some of the "magic" but it was very interesting to see how some of the effects were/are achieved!
(I still miss Walter Gabriel!)
rosie.
 
Perhaps about 1960 my dad fetched out the parts for an old 'wireless' that he had built in 1937, the Scott-Taggart ST900. it had been described in the magazine Popular Wireless that ceased publication that year. The dial for the set had been included as a centre spread and my dad had bought a spare copy 'in case'.
It was a strange set as the designer had turned against switches and used plugs and sockets instead. To change waveband you had to plug in a different pair of coils. To enable this the set consisted of a sloping front panel, a shelf for the coil sockets and two triangular side panels. The rear of the front panel was covered in aluminium foil, which came from the radio shop, not the grocer. We set it up on a garage workbench which allowed all the 'hot' parts to be pushed to the back away from prying hands. It worked too!st8900add.jpg
 
my radio was a xtal set in 1950s given to me by my grandad, the first voice i heard was david jacobs. i spent hours listening to all the jumbled up stations:grinning:
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my radio was a xtal set in 1950s given to me by my grandad, the first voice i heard was david jacobs. i spent hours listening to all the jumbled up stations:grinning:
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Pete, never had one of those but now I have a Sony sw/mw/lw radio and I still spend too much time listening to the jumbled up stations :)
 
my radio was a xtal set in 1950s given to me by my grandad, the first voice i heard was david jacobs. i spent hours listening to all the jumbled up stations:grinning:
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My Reader's Digest Junior Omnibus reverses the polarity of D1 and omits C2. L1 consists of 60 turns of 30 swg enamelled wire on a toilet roll former, C1 is a 0.0003 μF variable capacitor, D1 a germanium diode and the earphones 2,000-4,000 ohms. For the aerial 50-100ft of wire. Quite a good article but the illustrated waveforms are wrong. The first radio that I built on my own was a Heathkit single top-hat transistor radio that needed a long aerial and 'phones. It also had an expansion kit with another transistor. Strictly bedtime listening. Paul Robeson was my favourite!
 
My first crystal set used a 'cat's whisker' and a crystal of galena (lead sulfide - or sulphide as it was then!!!) being before the days of germanium diodes. The galena was held in a small clamp and the cats whisker a piece of sprung wire which rested against the crystal. Getting a connection was a bit hit and miss and even a slight vibration could cause the connection to be lost. My dad eventually treated me to a germanium diode which was a lot more reliable.
 
My first radio was a crystal set with crystal and cats whisker and I've just noticed I posted about it in another radio thread way back in 2012 .... :rolleyes:
When I was little, my Dad bought me a Crystal Set radio from Chas Young's shop in Corporation St. The set had a 'cats whisker' which had to be carefully adjusted to touch a good spot on the crystal in order to hear a program.
 
My first crystal set used a 'cat's whisker' and a crystal of galena (lead sulfide - or sulphide as it was then!!!) being before the days of germanium diodes. The galena was held in a small clamp and the cats whisker a piece of sprung wire which rested against the crystal. Getting a connection was a bit hit and miss and even a slight vibration could cause the connection to be lost. My dad eventually treated me to a germanium diode which was a lot more reliable.
I had a crystal set, in the early '50s. It came in a heavy bakelite case, I remember. I loved putting the earphones on and tuning odd stations in. One morning I heard a strange clanging sound and no music at all, what I heard was Big Ben chiming, continuously. Queen Mary had died.
 
in the late 1950s I used 'mail-order' to buy a Globe King single valve radio kit from Johnsons Radio of Worcester. I had hours of fun building and listening to it.
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Looking at the circuit I can't believe 90volts was connected to the headphones !
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