Thinking about getting back into crystal radio

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Re: Thinking about getting back into crystal radio

#11

Post by W9FTV »

But I digress, point me in the right direction, sensei. :Grin:
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. --Winston Churchill
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Re: Thinking about getting back into crystal radio

#12

Post by KD8DEY »

W9FTV wrote: Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:23 pm But I digress, point me in the right direction, sensei. :Grin:
I know nothing.
(Admitting that is my first step towards wisdom)
Ymmv
Is it just me, or does "Googling Yourself" just not sound right?..
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Re: Thinking about getting back into crystal radio

#13

Post by W9FTV »

Bubbathegimp wrote: Tue Jan 15, 2019 9:51 pm so many variations/possibilities, so little money...
Go cheap, make something amazing out of the most bizarre pile of crap possible.
Considering the foxhole radio, cost doesn't matter much. Make it classy, or at the very least use materials 'off the beaten path'
I'm fairly sure that a decent blob of rust on an old washing machine could be used as part of a detector.

If your want to go the foxhole route, I use a safety razor, so I can contribute as many as needed.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. --Winston Churchill
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Re: Thinking about getting back into crystal radio

#14

Post by W9FTV »

Bubbathegimp wrote: Wed Jan 09, 2019 11:23 pm Found a couple Crystal Radio groups on Facebook to check out.
Been a while since I've been on The Radio Board
Why do you need a cap? As a kid, I sanded the enamel off the top of my TP coil and tapped into it at various points to tune the beast.
*CHEAP* :Grin:
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Re: Thinking about getting back into crystal radio

#15

Post by KD8DEY »

My cap should be here tomorrow from RF Parts. Did a little recalculating, and I think I wanna go with 280uH since with the variable capacitor, I should be able to cover the experimenters band below the broadcast band, up above 160 Meters even though I have read that performance will suffer a little above 1 Mhz using Magnet wire...(Even though I have #18 awg coming)....

Got a package of the D18 Russian Diodes ordered from Ebay from a link somebody posted on the FB crystal radio group along with a few from RF Parts, and some I already have on hand....
Variable capacitor should be here tomorrow along with a 1n34A, 1n60, 1n87,1n198, & a 1n270 to try out.

Got replacement Cats Whiskers ordered tonight from Borden Radio. Thinking about using 3"PVC (3 1/2" OD)... Anybody ever hear of using a microwave oven to check the material of a coil form for suitability, If it heats up, then it is less suitable for RF use?....Gonna be the first radio I ever broke down and ordered/chose parts for...I need to slow my spending down...(discretionary budget)

Thinking about making my own Q-Dope instead of paying out the ass for a tiny bottle of the GC stuff, But I'll have to wait till next month to get the stuff. 10 bux for a little 2 ounce bottle when you can make over a gallon yourself for about $35??
Is it just me, or does "Googling Yourself" just not sound right?..
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Re: Thinking about getting back into crystal radio

#16

Post by K9ase »

I joined the Facebook group also. I've been looking at several designs on Youtube.
I'm not sure if I want to start with a Boy Scout radio or add a variable cap.
"Life is hard;It's harder when you're stupid"
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Re: Thinking about getting back into crystal radio

#17

Post by KD8DEY »

a good cap to cover the broadcast band will coust about $15 unless you score one out of an old radio or E-Bay.
I got one from Rf Parts just the other day.
Is it just me, or does "Googling Yourself" just not sound right?..
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Re: Thinking about getting back into crystal radio

#18

Post by Juan Largo »

Bubbathegimp wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 1:06 am a good cap to cover the broadcast band will coust about $15 unless you score one out of an old radio or E-Bay.
I got one from Rf Parts just the other day.
Most of the variable caps in my junk box are either low value, 200 pf or less, or really big high value types for amplifiers and antenna tuners. I have seen 365 pf broadcast types at hamfests for less than ten bucks but never bought one. I remember having a crystal set years ago that had a wiper for the coil, no variable capacitor. It would tune in only a couple a strong stations in LA and that was it. I also remember that it used 1N34A germanium diode, don't know if you can still get those or not.
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Re: Thinking about getting back into crystal radio

#19

Post by KD8DEY »

One of the Facebook members posted a link to a place with them on sale ay 19 cents a piece, BUT the hot ticket item is supposed to
be Ruskie D18 diodes. I have a pack of 20 of them I am waiting on coming from Bulgaria as military surplus.
Ruskie Diodes

Circuit Specialists

they have been around for a long time, But I have never ordered from them
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Re: Thinking about getting back into crystal radio

#20

Post by KD8DEY »

Well, just about all the pieces for the radio have come in. Just got a nice vernier reduction drive knob. still gotta figure out what I want to build it on/in, along with what I am going to use for the coil form & mounting hardware... :Grin:
Is it just me, or does "Googling Yourself" just not sound right?..
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