Knightkit Wireless Broadcaster on eBay...
What nice old simple looking technology. I've read so much about the Knight transmitter over the years, many hobby radio people got their start using a Knight at home as teens, easy entry level kit that could provide a lot of fun with broadcasting, a gathering of like-minded friends and experience in electronics, kit building and the science of radio.
Maybe someone should 'transistorize' the Knight and put it out, adjusted for in flation, it cost about $10 in 1960, right? That could be a remedy for the gasp-inducing prices of store bought transmitters that put out the same 100 mw.
I think I understand what this "Knight family of broadcasters" feels, all those who grew up broadcasting with a Knight as their first transmitter. I started with the simplest one transistor oscillator transmitter kit, the excitement was all there, wiring it, that the thing actually worked, tuning it in on all radios in the house, going to the car to listen, going on range checks.
Then I was cool with friends for having a radio station, when no friends had one. I'd have someone sit downstairs with a table radio, go to my room and announce on the mike, "This one goes out to Jeffy!" in my kid voice trying to sound deep, and play a song, then go back down they'd be blown away, how did you do that? The'd look on the back of the radio for wires hooked to a mic upstairs, but there weren't any.
Then other kids knew about it and bring their music, and it was the greatest time for a summer or two. Since then, I've bought hundreds of dollars worth of transmitters and set them up, but that magic hasn't come back.
That's what the Knight Family has, achievement from building a working circuit, but not an overly complex one, yet something very useful at low cost. I did the crystal set receiver program too, but it was solitary and passive listening, where broadcasting was taking action.
The Knight Family never forgets.
There are lots of transistorized AM broadcasters out there. I found an ad for the Knight unit from 1962, and it was $11.95. In 2015 dollars adjusted for inflation is $94.78. That will get you a nice variety of AM or FM transmitters today.
None of which will give the same warm fuzzy feeling as an oriignal Knight. Somewhere on here I posted a photo of my old Knight unit -- had it when I was a kid -- and it still seems to work just fine!
TIB
If I didn't have one already I would try to snag it.
It looks to be in good condition with maybe a little rust spot on the top. It will probably go for around $100 (don't yell at me if this is wrong).
Neil
The Audio quality might be better than the Talking House AM Transmitter too. By the way my Wife's friend BJ was happy to test my transmitter to see how far it went. I think when folks realize you can have a well known friend in a neighborhood set up a station that can go a few miles they will listen. Even i it goes 1 mile. Its just getting that word out.
The one thing I noticed playing with my old Knight Broadcaster is frequency. It was swell back in the 60's to play with one of these because the radio you were listening on was continuously tuneable, e.g. you didn't have to be spot on 1370, for example. You could be on 1373 or 1366 or whatever and still tune it in because old radios you just tuned to where it sounded best. Most radios sold today are digital and right on the "10" (in the USA). The frequency setting on the Knight is a bit touchy and also drifts a bit. Gets more solid as it runs but nothing like a modern solid state transmitter.
It does sound really nice, however. And of course it doubles as a mono amplifier for your turntable. Just connected a speaker to the speaker output terminals and let 'er rock. Assuming you aren't trying to do it with a modern lightweight magnetic stereo high fidelity cartridge, that is.
TIB