In a post in this thread a few years ago, Neil claimed to have started his first Part 15 AM station earlier than anyone else on this web site: in 1959. I think I started in 1958. The transmitter was built on a wood board, making it like a real breadboard. The tube was a 1T4, 1L4, or something like that. The "A" battery was a 1.5 VDC AA cell and the "B" battery was a 22 1/2 VDC photographic battery that would fit in a battery holder for an AA cell. Rather than buying the battery holders, I mounted brackets from an Erector set on the board.
The required carbon microphone had set me back about $7, which was a big expense for me at the time. I tried to make my own microphone by using carbon granules made by crushing a carbon rod from a dry cell, and putting them in an empty Scotch tape spool to make a carbon button.. The sound was terrible, and I finally had to buy the microphone. I avoided the cost of a microphone transformer by using a doorbell transformer, which was BIG. I cared more about functionality and low cost than appearance.
I used a 10-foot length of wire as the antenna, with no ground at all. I didn't realize it at the time, but I could have used any length of ground lead I wanted. The FCC did not add the notorious "ground lead (if used)" phrase to the rules until several years later.
In a post in this thread a few years ago, Neil claimed to have started his first Part 15 AM station earlier than anyone else on this web site: in 1959. I think I started in 1958. The transmitter was built on a wood board, making it like a real breadboard. The tube was a 1T4, 1L4, or something like that. The "A" battery was a 1.5 VDC AA cell and the "B" battery was a 22 1/2 VDC photographic battery that would fit in a battery holder for an AA cell. Rather than buying the battery holders, I mounted brackets from an Erector set on the board.
The required carbon microphone had set me back about $7, which was a big expense for me at the time. I tried to make my own microphone by using carbon granules made by crushing a carbon rod from a dry cell, and putting them in an empty Scotch tape spool to make a carbon button.. The sound was terrible, and I finally had to buy the microphone. I avoided the cost of a microphone transformer by using a doorbell transformer, which was BIG. I cared more about functionality and low cost than appearance.
I used a 10-foot length of wire as the antenna, with no ground at all. I didn't realize it at the time, but I could have used any length of ground lead I wanted. The FCC did not add the notorious "ground lead (if used)" phrase to the rules until several years later.
Nice story, Ermi, about your first station. I will have to stake a claim of preemption in our friendly contest of who was first. You are correct that I did report 1959 as my starting date, however I was on the air prior to that.
It was Christmas 1958 when I received a Knight-Kit broadcaster kit and the operation of this was the basis for my 1959 date. Predating this by a couple of years I broadcast using the guts of a phonograph/oscillator combination which was given to me by a neighbor. Though I don't know the exact date for this it was just after our family moved in 1956 and before I received the KnightKit.
I didn't use this much because it was dangerous and of poor quality so perhaps it could be said that I was not seriously or regularly broadcasting, thus my claim of 1959 as my real start.
So, as in the world of patents and academic publishing I cannot establish the date of reduction to practice or public disclosure to settle this. I suppose we could both claim to be pioneers among the participants who post here.
Neil
Nice story, Ermi, about your first station. I will have to stake a claim of preemption in our friendly contest of who was first. You are correct that I did report 1959 as my starting date, however I was on the air prior to that.
It was Christmas 1958 when I received a Knight-Kit broadcaster kit and the operation of this was the basis for my 1959 date. Predating this by a couple of years I broadcast using the guts of a phonograph/oscillator combination which was given to me by a neighbor. Though I don't know the exact date for this it was just after our family moved in 1956 and before I received the KnightKit.
I didn't use this much because it was dangerous and of poor quality so perhaps it could be said that I was not seriously or regularly broadcasting, thus my claim of 1959 as my real start.
So, as in the world of patents and academic publishing I cannot establish the date of reduction to practice or public disclosure to settle this. I suppose we could both claim to be pioneers among the participants who post here.
Neil
Hello Early Starters
I was an early starter too. Tracing it back in memory is a good brain exercise, but here are some milestones. In June 1959 I started my first professional job at 93.7 FM 21.5Watts, during the summer between my junior & senior year of high school. Prior to that I'd been running KCAM 1630kHz, Allied Radio Knight Model 760 Phono Oscillator 38K162 (Schematic (c) 1953), using the small slice of extra space above the 1600kHz top of the dial, ever since grade school. So I think I started in 1956.
All that being true and sworn before this august body of peers, I waive all claim to rank as far as "starting first" or "third," etc.
I'm just glad to have started and I will support whoever holds the claim of being "first."
Hello Early Starters
I was an early starter too. Tracing it back in memory is a good brain exercise, but here are some milestones. In June 1959 I started my first professional job at 93.7 FM 21.5Watts, during the summer between my junior & senior year of high school. Prior to that I'd been running KCAM 1630kHz, Allied Radio Knight Model 760 Phono Oscillator 38K162 (Schematic (c) 1953), using the small slice of extra space above the 1600kHz top of the dial, ever since grade school. So I think I started in 1956.
All that being true and sworn before this august body of peers, I waive all claim to rank as far as "starting first" or "third," etc.
I'm just glad to have started and I will support whoever holds the claim of being "first."
As I recall, construction articles for Part 15 transmitters first began appearing in the electronics hobbyist magazines about 1958. The FCC had just begun allowing hobbyists to prove compliance by limiting the input power to the final stage to 100 mW and the antenna plus connecting lead to 10 feet. There was no mention of a ground lead.
This was a new thing back then. Innovators then rediscovered the loading coil, which had been used for many years for LF communications, and the long ground lead was introduced. These two innovations increased the range of these devices tremendously.
As I recall, construction articles for Part 15 transmitters first began appearing in the electronics hobbyist magazines about 1958. The FCC had just begun allowing hobbyists to prove compliance by limiting the input power to the final stage to 100 mW and the antenna plus connecting lead to 10 feet. There was no mention of a ground lead.
This was a new thing back then. Innovators then rediscovered the loading coil, which had been used for many years for LF communications, and the long ground lead was introduced. These two innovations increased the range of these devices tremendously.