"Vaughn Simon" wrote in message
...

"SteveB" wrote in message
...
It looked like a space ship rocket.

Yep, it was a Rocket Radio. Like these:
http://www.crystalradio.net/misc/rocket/index.shtml I had one as a kid,
and now have a reproduction that I bought at Restoration Hardware.

I remember listening to mine in class before the teachers even thought of
banning radios in the classroom. I used the steam radiator and the window
screen as antenna & ground.

After that, a few of the rich (and cool) kids had lunchbox-sized portable
AM radios. They used tubes, with A and B batteries. Most had a power
cord tucked away inside so they could be plugged in to save the batteries.
Being able to score your own radio for Christmas was a big deal, but being
able to afford the batteries to play it was an even bigger deal!

Transistor radios came later.

Vaughn


I used to scrounge old vacuum tube hearing aids. With a crude tuned circuit
in place of the microphone, they would receive local stations. They would
fit into a shirt pocket. My teachers never caught on.


Steve R.


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