Pre-WWII Ham Radio Photos

It was an era of onrushing-change. Like the streamliners that captured American travel imaginations, the short waves captured the best efforts of America’s ham radio operators. Especially in the 1920’s, many hams built their own transmitters and receivers. But as the 30’s wore on, a healthy list of ham radio manufacturers sprang into being. NOTE tho members submitting photos: The category of your POST determines the PAGE on which your pictures appears. To post an image to this page, select the PRE_WAR HAM RADIO PHOTOS category.

18. Sketches from a Life in Electronics

18. Sketches from a Life in Electronics

Laten Fetters 2012 Autobiographical essays by Laten; biographical essays by others. Laten came home from the Second World War to a 37-year career with Westinghouse in general research, astro-nuclear research and work on transportation systems. He was a diagnostician...

19. Mr. Johnson Answers

19. Mr. Johnson Answers

William (Bill) Johnson, Jr. and others 2012 The Pittsburgh Oscillator ran a series of articles in the 1980's which asked questions about radio and invited readers to send in answers. The book reproduces 60 of those questions together with the responses. Also includes...

20. An Oscillator Reader

20. An Oscillator Reader

2013 An anthology of articles from the Pittsburgh Oscillator: Journal of the Pittsburgh Antique Radio Society from 1987 to 1995, during which time the journal was edited by David Kraeuter. Paperback, 168 pages, 6 x 9, $10.32.

25. The At Home Series

Rex Kraeuter 2018 Reproduces six articles from The Pittsburgh Oscillator about Rex's (a.k.a. David Kraeuter) phonograph records, Edison's cylinders, Edison's discs, etc. Also contains a surprise essay purported to be by Stormy Daniels. Paperback, 27 pages, 6 x 9,...

Top Secret! Collecting Military Radios Pt. 1

Top Secret! Collecting Military Radios Pt. 1

The most imortant skill you need to collect military radios is the ability to speak the lingo. "SCR"? "BC"? "TM?" Who or what was "COL"? The military had a huge nomenclature system that need not be mastered. But if you want to find parts for your "ATD" then it might...

Pittsburgh Area Ham Clubs

Pittsburgh Area Ham Clubs

I've been using quarantine time to (among other stuff) go through my old stuff so that whatever wisdom there may be in history can be recovered from what I have. I was late to the local ham community party. But I quickly discovered that there were MANY active ham...

Glad Tydings

Glad Tydings

Prior to the war, "radio" stores sold mostly parts. The "Radio monopoly" led by RCA was trying to use their patents as bludgeons to make you buy RCA and the others. It wasn't working. But still, this 1940 Tydings catalog pictured features mostly parts with a good...

Re-Using PC Power Supplies

Re-Using PC Power Supplies

Re-purposing old PC power supplies has long been an inexpensive solution to our low-voltage power requirements. Lots of people must be doing this for various needs and so the market has responded with a way to make it easier,. To simplify re-using old PC power...

Buck/Boost Power for Your Bench

Buck/Boost Power for Your Bench

This "new" power supply design is worth looking at. I've put the word "new" in quotes to indicate that this design is probably much older than I realize. So the design is "new" only to me! I'm always the last to know!  The nice part is that it seems to be becoming...