Some of the links are dead sorry.
Dead links will be removed soon.
*The Xtal Set Society -
a must-visit site, a few select links. Two projects on line.
If you haven't built a crystal set before, the Oatbox Radio is about as
reliable as they come, and never fails to bring a smile the face of anyone
who hooks it up to an antenna and ground for the first time. Sponsors
a discussion group (see below)
* Bellingham
Antique Radio Museum good tutorial on detectors and a very nice
building project.
*Al Klase
- has an outstanding page here. I printed it out immediately.
Includes a short course in Crystal Radio 102, some neat info on headphone
and earplug sensitivity, coil philosophy, and rockstands he's made.
See his super radio using toroid coils.
*Ben Tongue's Web
Pages - thoughts on xtal set design and headphone testing. Very
nice info on high level detection and improved impedance matching, diode
selection, etc. A bit technical for many, but has some good directions
for getting a high impedance match to the tank circuit.
* Crystal Radio Web Site
Darryl Boyd's site on sound powered phones, oodles of "lost" crystal
set construction articles and a bunch of other stuff just keeps getting
better. Largest collection of published crystal set plans available.
*GOLLUM Detector Page
- some interesting circuits, including how to bias a detector . Updates
page occasionally, and now has a couple of FM crystal sets
and a nice looking double tuned selective set. Also sells a kit, but it
appears way overpriced.
* Chapter
4: Radio nice detailed pictures on their progressive project.
Also has the simplest AM transmitter you'll ever find.
The Ilford Group RSGB
(G3XRT) Home Page has some neat xtal set projects, with
a bit of humor thrown in.
ARRLWeb: Science Fair/Merit
Badge Projects has a QST crystal radio project you can download in PDF
CrystalRadios
detailed pdf instructions for a classic slider.
*Crystal Set Competition
from Queensland Australia - beautiful rigs, and plans for the prize winning
Mystery Crystal Set (the rage in 1932).
Improvement
of the "Mystery" some more notes on the original by Ken
*Bizarre Stuff you can make
in your kitchen finally found a new home. Super site.
Crystal
Radio Circuits by Wenzel Associates, with some new stuff on diodes added
A
crystal radio set for Dad's Mum's and beginners A nice site; worth visiting,
then visit Ian's very fine Electronics
tutorials site.
Loop Xtal Set
Crystal Radio with
Loop Antenna
Another loop
crystal set
Building
a Crystal Radio-Construction
Electronic Circuits has
too-simple xtal set plus one with an op amp booster
Common
AM Receivers - Crystal Set Australian college electronics course page.
What the heck, go to the index and take the whole radio course: AM
Radio Receiver Project Home Page
Adventures in Cybersound A
'Sensitive' Crystal Radio , and
A 'Selective' Razor Blade Crystal Radio . Both salvaged
before Gnome Technologies reformatted their site. Some nice stuff
on alternative detectors. The rest of this site is great too, including
a foxhole radio design by Lance Borden
Antique
Radio Page: Articles - "Foxhole Radios"
WHAMLOG
has many of these links and links to a lot of antenna building sites, and
then some. Bookmark this site. Werner Funkenhauser keeps this
one full of good sites.
Crystal
Radio A collection of nice stuff from Dan Peterson, a regular XSS contributor
Medium wave wave trap
sometimes you gotta have one - got this from Whamlog
Ed Ganger's coil
winding formulas for single and multilayer and spiderweb coils.
High-Power Crystal
Radio a Popular Electronics reprint circa 1960 - claims speaker performance
(but don't try it that way unless you have a really strong local)
Building Crystal Sets
a variometer project, and more coming soon, so they say.
DIY: Crystal
Set Radio on close inspection, the 10 turn primary really should not
be connected to the 35 turn secondary; only to the antenna and ground.
Gives you some loose coupling and better selectivity (also might try connecting
the detector to about the 10th turn on the secondary instead of at the top
while you're at it...). The web author of this design said his was
correct per the original ( but we know better, don't we).
Jampot.
crystal radio in a jar from .nl land
CRYSTALª@RADIO site in Japan; nice
set, but most writing in Japanese. Look at the rest of the site too.
Crystal Radio Sets
on the Net! or how to build one similar to the old Radio shack
crystal set - nice directions. An extra winding for antenna loading
would help selectivity in my location. More nice stuff, including a MK 484
variation from Austin Hellier. He'll sell you the parts.
Germanium
diode selection a nice, objective comparison of diodes "over
there"
Headphones
how to fix 'em.
Tom Polk's
kid radio - what to do with those empty soda cans
Very nice looking XTAL SET
J.W. Miller
Hi-Fi Crystal Tuner - the plans and building instructions
Beagle Baly see pix
and schematics for the Heathkit CR-1 and the Knight Xtal set, and more.
Here are two homebrew sets from the 20's. Home
Built, 1 Crystal Set or Home
Built, 2 Crystal Set
XTAL-SETS.COM Paul Shafer's
new site. Don't let the .com fool you, he's not selling anything...yet,
but really wanted to snag the url. Has a couple of pocket radio projects
for you city dwellers. dead?
The
Boy's Book of Crystal Sets - The book is out of print, but here are
a couple of schematics from it. dead?
Crystalset.htm
- a novel tuning capacitor in this one from SatCure
. Includes an optional one- transistor amp. Also look at his
index page; lots of neat stuff. Has some hard to find parts as well.
Rocket radio
instructions for making your own. (found it again).
The Circuit Archive - a new
site with a couple of more advanced xtal circuits from the UK wireless presses.
Noodle around on this site and find some more goodies. dead?
Vintage Early Radio
- some very interesting stuff about variometers (variable inductors) , as
well as a tutorial on regenerative and reflex receivers
Online Radio &
Electronics Course you'll like this one from down under. dead?
Electrical Engineering Training
Series. Courtesy of the US Navy Training command. Worth
reading.
Crystal Set and One-Tube Resources
Some nice old stuff here
Zip cord radio antenna
don't try this at home, kids.
136khz.htm Read the part
about antennas - the long wave guys have to deal with too- short antennas
also, to the extreme.
The Crystal Set Some nice stuff from Brian Hawes' files.
HOW TO BUILD
A SIMPLE WIRELESS TELEGRAPH SET two xtal sets and two doorbell buzzers
and you're on the air- from across the room.
Marconi
magnetic detector try to make one of these and get it working.
FM only: Low
Tech FM Radios for those of you who asked
Cristadyne
wierd stuff from the past. Got any zincite?
J.C. Bose:
60 GHz in the 1890s very serious crystal sets - not for kids, then jump
to the next link for the "cosmic" crystal set
hale-bopp search
and you thought xtal sets were just toys...
Producing
wound components detailed discussion of coil construction
Inductors.
- some dope about coils and such
The Unusual Diode FAQ
Make
this radio motor and do something with that free power besides listening
Museum of American Heritage
take a course on building a crystal radio(if you are a kid near Palo
Alto, CA)
Some
info on coil losses dead?
Joe Bento's Selectomatch a headphone
impedance matching box for all occasions
Crump has
some plans for a crystal set as a power supply . dead?
Ohms Law: has an ohm's law calculator,a
simple xtal set, and plans for the Heathkit CR 1
Spark, Bang, Buzz and Other
Good Stuff. includes making an oscillating diode out of common materials.
Neat page.
An FM
Crystal Receiver looks like you can make this one without too much trouble
My Crystal Radio
Page some sets by Adam Vaughn
Crystal Set Corner
a nice tutorial from Wireless
Review
Rook Coils for
Crystal Radios a different way to make basket coils
Philip Miller Tate's Web Extravaganza!
Ramblings from Dr. Whiz.
Middlesex Univesity
Offers some novel sets for sale, but you can download the instructions and
probably make your own
MODAD Home Page three crystal
sets, including a short wave set with an one-tranny amp
RF Signal
Generator
Image 618x875 pixels
a simple dip meter.
AM Box Loop Antenna
Xtal Set Photos by Dr. Whiz
Charlie's SW Xtal
Set
Loose Coupler's pix
Mike Lee's gallery
Richard O'Neill's
posting of NBS circular 121 from 1922 on building a still hot crystal set
Bill
Hebbert's photos rook coils and other stuff.
Bill
Pryor's photos! nice collection
The Moorabbin
receiver a nice two transistor receiver.
One Tube Regenerative
Radio Project a radio for a buck?
NorCal Regen
Building Contest at HamCom 99 ham regens with links to others
Diotran Radio
- a simple regenny
Regenerative
Receivers -Aussie college page with simple schematic and explanation
of how they work. Part of the "course" above.
Harry's Homebrew Homepage
another couple of regens and other interesting stuff
Regenerative TRF
Receiver
W2UW's 1-FET transmitter/receiver
Thermoradio
a candle powered regenny? Hmmm.
Thermoradio
a nice page with notes on building the Thermoradio.
Radio Electronics Pages
lots of good info plus a link to a nice regenny
One
transistor FM radio project a supergenny; pretty straightforward after
you assemble the parts.
CK722_Webpage all
about the transistor that got many of us started
http://users.arczip.com/rmcgarra/
Bob's site features an early one-transistor receiver from Knight
Kits (oh, where can you find those coils?), a one transistor Heath AM transmitter,
and more.
Australian Vintage Radio!
See if you can make one of the valveless headphone amplifiers. Also
has a simple little one-tuber. (gotta make one soon)
Old-Time
"Interflex" Radio Receiver Hugo Gernsback made my convertible
with a germanium transistor and a tube. Like me, it took him three
iterations to get the selectivity down.
Transistors
a nice tutorial on how they work.
Radio Frequency
Schematics three projects, including a short wave ZN414 based set, plus
a bunch of other nice stuff
Build the Radione and
play with Tesla's theories
Regenerative Receivers
nice page from Wenzel
N3GO
Radio Workshop Project
Simple Radio
AM Query -- AM Radio Technical
Information -- Audio Division (FCC) USA helps answer the questions
about why you can't hear them, or can't avoid them- lists frequency coordinated
n. and s. american stations- and then go to the next link to:
Distance
and Bearing Calculations Between Two Sets of Coordinates (FCC) USA
How far is it? another distance
program with some coordinates of selected cities
CANADIAN AM RADIO
DIRECTORY some real dx listed in here- 50 watt stations.
Combined BCB Freq List!
Good lookup for those stations you never heard of. Includes
stations below the MW band.
FCC AM Database
Search not the official site, but works nicely, even when the agency
budget is still in committee.
BROADCAST BAND DX
LOG BOOK nice layout which shows program formats for many
stations; useful for those that only ID once an hour.
Lightning
Explorer Free Page gives you a map of the US showing lightning strikes
within the last two hours or so - find out where that static is coming from.
Herman's DX Homepage
The DXZone Guide to Ham Radio World
The MIT List of Radio Stations
on the Internet
Azimuthal Equidistant (Great
Circle) Projection Map go here to make an azimuthal map with
your location in the center.
Earth
at Night ever wonder why you never hear some parts of the world?
Earth
View get a real time view of where it's dark, and where it's
not
The official U.S. time with a day/night
map.
G4FON has as good a morse code tutorial
and trainer as you can get for the effort of downloading. Uses the
Koch method of code instruction, but you can just use it to brush up
on your receiving.
*Scott's Crystal
Radios Great classic headphones and homebrew rigs and repros
and other stuff to use them with. You can ask if you are looking for
something special. Visit his headphone heaven and get some serious
headphones. Now has some nice drawings of the Heathkit CR 1.
Learn how to mount your galena crystals.
*Larry's Genuine "Rockstand"
Detector Handcrafted with cheap American labor; his (he subsidizes
these by keeping a day job). If you get one any place else, you're
probably paying too much for too little. Larry used one of these in the
dx contest to clean out the state of California, western Canada and half
the Baja peninsula. Includes an assortment of rocks with it for experimenting.(I
have one)
*The Xtal Set Society -
serious kits (at good prices) and some parts, including new 365 pF
air variables, both single and double ganged (very nice ones - smooth and
actually 20 - 400 pF). Also carries a one-tube regenny
kit, designed by Mike Peebles. Carries a Rocket Radio - nostalgia
buffs will like this one.
*Mouser -
get the catalog sent to you; hard to use the online PDF version- best buy
for enameled wire - lots of parts and service good - get your crystal earphones
here too when you need lots of 'em. Detailed specs for many parts
available on line.
*Dan's Small Parts and Kits -
Online catalog, something new all the time; has lots of neat buys
in quantity. Stock changes, so keep checking back. Good prices and
service.
*Playthings Of Past has some
nice old stuff, and the prices are very good. Give Gary a try; you
won't be disappointed.
*Peeble's Originals
has some really neat old stuff, with more to come on this site.
*Borden Radio Company Lance
has a nice collection of reprints of articles he has published, and some
nice little kits, including a one-tube regenny. Will also sell you
an original rocket radio or a new one.
*Antique Electronic Supply Online
- kits and hard to find parts.
*Transtronics - Has
a nice basic solderless xtal set by Techtronics similar to the
older Radio shack version- check out companion solderless speaker/amp.
Has some other neat looking radio/electronics stuff, such as an inexpensive
rf signal generator kit. Minimum $20.00 order. Buy a bunch of
the xtal sets and hand 'em out to every 10 year old in your neighborhood.
See my review of this one.
Dave Schmarder's Homemade Crystal
Radios. Also has some parts. Tube sets coming.
John Hern at the
Happy Greyhound Has some nice parts you might use.
All
Electronics Corp. Has the Techtronics kit for a good price.
Radio Shack - - best local
buy for small parts, such as resistors, and plastic coated wire.
Forget the solderless radio kits (okay, get the xtal set and do my project).
Their gazillion and one electronic kits are useful for breadboarding.
Will special order the high impedance crystal earlugs that come with the
project kits; best price if you only need one or two; part no. is 10637379.
If you aren't satisfied, no-hassle returns.
PV
Scientific Instrument's Crystal Radio Page - hand crafted radios
and kits - they may look pricey, but sets like these aren't junk box specials,
unless you have a really nice junk box. Will also make you up a kit
- just give them a price range. If you buy one of their sets and don't
like it, send it to me for disposal and I will pay S&H - hi.
Crystal radios built
to order Roger, K8CIX makes some beauties.
Circuit Specialists electronic
parts. Online catalog.
Electronic Kits for Kids
Mini Labs Slider
Ramsey Electronics has
a crystal radio -looks pricey, but worth a try. Construction and operating
manual downloadable in PDF format.
Einstein's
Emporium has the Smithsonian kit and the Mini Labs kit.
Electronic Goldmine has an interesting
assortment of electronics stuff, including AM tuning coils and polyfilm
variables. Online pdf catalog. Good service, and will actually
send a cash refund if out of stock on prepaid orders. Stock rotates.
eBay
Listings: Radio Equipment auctions on neat radio stuff.
Ocean State Electronics
a nice on-line catalog. Has some ZN414s (pricey). Good selection
of air variables.
radiokits A "credit
card" radio, limited edition (instant classic?) By Fran Golden
- circuit design probably like the new RS kit, but costs more. Novelty
design..
AM Crystal Radio
Kit C. Crane imported an interesting looking slider from Old Blighty.
Another instant classic attempt? May be a nice gift if you have more
money than time.
Dick Smith Electronics
-Australia's answer to Radio Shack - back of catalog has a nice electronics
reference section.
Brian Smith's Wireless
Workshop A place to go down under when Dick doesn't have it.
Amidon get your ferrite cores and
toroids from the source.
Amazon.com:
buying info: Crystal Radio Kit a Minilabs slider at a good price
"NOVICE"
Crystal Set another xtal set from "over there"
MINI LABS CRYSTAL
RADIO . And yet another source
Circuit
Test Electronics another set from the UK
C.B. Schrock It took two
years, but they got their picture links working
Fair Radio Sales Company Inc. surplus
and some nice matching transformers for high level detection.
Electronix Express good online
catalog. Still lists the polyfilm variable capacitors.
ONE CHIP AM
RADIO KIT a MK484 IC radio. Looks good, price looks right, but
oh, those Canadian shipping charges. Buy several for your scout troop
and amortise the shipping costs around.
Modules & Hard-to-Get Items
from kitrus.com. has the MK 484 Chip and the polyfilm varicaps with
knobs for good prices
www.crystalradiostore.net/
offers a fairly pricey looking basic slider
American Microsemiconductor
still makes and sells germanium diodes
Vectronics.Com
Their crystal set; pricier than it ought to be for a simple set
MFJEnterprises.Com
has a dip meter for sale.
Alfa Electronics-DM-4061A
Grid Dip Meter
eHam.net Classifieds -
Search for used test equipment
Phil Seltzer Online Toy
Catalog buy a set similar to the current RS kit in bulk - the
minimum order is a bit high, and I can't say what the set's like, but the
price is reasonable.
C
& S Sales -- Product Detail has a Maxitronix set similar to the
current Radio Shack version. Watch out for the earplug (see my review
of their 901 kit).
Micro-Mark
here is some low melting point metal for mounting rocks
CRYSTAL RADIO
Buy the Smithsonian set in Mexico - oooh, those prices!
Pete's Electronics
Pete is in the UK and has an eclectic set of interests and some parts you
might be looking for, including germanium transistors.
Brainywires A crystal set
with transistor amp assembled with magnets?
*The Xtal Set Society -
get a sample copy of their newsletter on line, then subscribe. I've
got 8 of their books, and am getting more. Be sure to include P.A.
Kinzie's book on Crystal Set History, Fundamentals and Design in your order.
The National Radio Club / DX Audio Service
- has useful publications and reprints on dxing, antennas, crystal
sets...Get Ray Cole's "The Challenging Crystal Set" and a reprint
of Mike Tuggle's original Lyonodyne receiver article.
*Lindsay Publications
fun to read web site and catalog. Good service.
Bequaert Old Books formerly Rainy
Day books, which is now the other Rainy Day Books... aw heck, just go there
for some interesting early radio reprints
BookFinder.com: Search for New, Out
of Print and Used Books
abebooks.com - the world's largest
source of out-of-print books!
Nation Builder Books
Books and Videos
on Transistor Radios and More worth a look for collectors
ManualMan Homepage large selection
of electronic operating, service and assembly manuals
RADIO MANUAL CATALOG
for Heathkit, HP, Johnson, Icom, JVC, KDK, and Kenwood radio's
The Official
"Voice Of The Crystal" Web Page author's preview of the book
Home to Babani Books UK
publisher
WRTH | The Directory of International Broadcasting
Electronic Vacuum Tube Reference
Manual & Specifications on-line; many sections of the book.
Gasoline Alley
Antiques NOVELTY RADIOS has some original Miniman rocket radios - very
pricey, but some people will spend anything on nostalgia.
Welcome to oldradios.com - offers
some of the small radios of yesteryear as collectors items. Take a
look and bring your checkbook.
GOLLUM has some neat
pix at his site too.
Antique Radio Classified:
Radio on the Web order sample copy of the magazine on line; you might
get hooked
Antique Radio Resources
links page to a lot of antique radio sites, including some pix of
early crystal radios.
Radiomuseum
Rottenburg pix of some nice old crystal sets
Radios Antigos
no Brasil a nice page from Brazil, in english
Radio
and Phono Archives
Peter's Radio-Page
Matt's antique radio
page
ancient radios
AGN another beautiful
set
NIST
SP 958 - A Century of Excellence in Measurements, Standards, and Technology
Download a monograph on the little NBS simple receiving set.
Xtal Radio
Index Japaanese site with some nice pix
Misc crystal
sets some nice old radios
Antique Wireless Association
Pre-1930 has some old
sets and some interesting repros.
LWCA Longwave Home Page when you're ready
to go down low....
Natural Radio and when you want
to really go low, go here (might need an amp)
Pickard,
Greenleaf Whittier : some biographical notes on the crystal detector's
inventor
Virginia City Radio Museum
Radio Operations Aboard Submarines
. Not a darn thing to do with xtal sets, but oh, the memories...this
fellow's last sub, USS Amberjack was the first one I served aboard
Antique Wireless And Scientific
Instruments
No. 176: Crystal Sets
let John Lienhard at the University of Houston take you back to the joys
of being 9. Link to a rare Sears xtal set ad as well. When you get
to the bottom of the page, go to the rest of the series; marvelous reading.
This is a later version of the episode: read them both No.
1695: Crystal Set
TELEGRAPH, RADIO,
AND SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS MUSEUM
Antiques of Science
& Technology
toy
crystal radios, germanium diode radios Some pix of "toy" crystal
sets.
Lorne's Vintage Wireless
Homepage
American Radio Relay League The
A#1 organization for Hams. Use this site to check out the ham fests
and swap meets near you.
John Jenkins Vintage Radio
a collection of beautiful US and european sets.
Hammond Museum of Radio
Fessenden
and the Early History of Radio Science
Papa's War Part 1
not exactly on the mark, but a good read
Transcripts of The Engines
of Our Ingenuity the rest of John Leinhard's articles. Must reading.
Radios crystal
radios from the 50's and 60's. Bring your checkbook.
Braun
short bio of one of the other crystal set inventors
Crystal radio
Some old xtal sets from a Belgian site
Rocket Radio
another rocket radio remembrance marconicalling
digital archives from the UK
Ediswan 1923
an early xtal set
United States Early
Radio History
thecrystalsetradioclub
-Cyberspace crystal radio club; bandwidth courtesy of Yahoo. Join
in and connect with other rockheads. Anyone can watch, or join in.
Lively postings and good stuff. (Got to join to see the pictures) This is
a closed group, but email me and I'll get you an invite; same with the next
group.
ferritecore
The original xtal set forum - went unlisted by mistake, but see ferrite
61 in the club above for an invite in
*Rap 'n Tap Discussion
Group the updated Xtal Set Society forum. An excellent
place to get in on the action - visitors positively welcome.
http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/crystal_sets
A mailing list/discussion group. Just log in and send your traffic.
crystal swap - a place
to exchange and swap parts - get on the Crystal Set Radio club and ask Skywave_99
for an invite in. (unlisted)
Yahoo! Groups
: crystalradiothinktank -Recently transitioned from clubs.
Okay to get off topic.
crystalsetradioclubarchive
just a storage place
Yahoo! Groups : amradiodx
Yahoo! Clubs
homebrewtransistorradios
Yahoo! Groups : RookCoils
Yahoo! Clubs
homebuilttuberadios
Yahoo!
Groups : vintagextalradioplans
Yahoo! Groups : amradiodx
Yahoo! Groups : CrystalRadio
