RAN Technology

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A century's worth of wireless technology
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The Multi-Elmac SEA-RAD MM-50

    Among it's early products, the Multi Elmac Company of Oak Park MI made marine band radios and other products for boats, including the Sea-Deep DM-1 depth indicator, the Sea-Fume SF-1 vapor detector, and the BC-1 Duo-Charger for 6 and 12 volt batteries.    Thus it's not surprising that the marine radio-telephone would be given a "sea" name:&n...  READ MORE
ranickels
11/05/2021
Vintage Radio
Hudson American Corporation

  I enjoy playing with old marine radios that operated in the AM mode between 2-3 MHz.     This was the standard for "ship to shore" radio and telephone service from marine radio operators from after WWII until about 1970 when SSB was phased in and AM became obsolete.     Through this era a number of manufacturers were major players includi...  READ MORE
ranickels
05/02/2021
Vintage Radio
International Crystal and the crystal synthesizer

I have always been intrigued by the International Crystal CB radios which had a unique appearance with a channel selector that resembled a telephone dial.     The high end "Executive" models were big and expensive and sported an aluminum trim ring that no other radio had.    So I had to buy one to play with.   READ MORE
ranickels
02/19/2021
Vintage Radio
The R-1451 HF Manual Receiver aka WLR-6 "Water Boy" System

Working on various vintages of equipment gives one a better appreciation for what we have today.     Example - this is a frequency counter from the "HF Manual Receiver" which was part of a wideband surveillance receiving system that extended from VLF to microwave frequencies using a bank of front-ends to cover the range.    It was designed as "ESM"...  READ MORE
ranickels
02/09/2021
Vintage Radio
International Crystal CBs

Like most people who received a catalog from International Crystal in the 60s, I was always intrigued by their assortment of PC board kits.    There were boards for every stage in a radio transmitter or receiver and they could be combined to make almost anything - from converters to complete radios.   But little did I know that International actually did just that when they we...  READ MORE
ranickels
12/01/2020
Vintage Radio
Incredible trove of Radio and Electronics Books

  Not much more to be said - if you can't find it here you probably don't need to know! RADIO BOOKS Many are from non-US sources, some are in languages other than English.     Included are 23 volumes of Riders manuals, Beitmans most needed diagrams up til 1967, and much more.    Incredible resource! ...  READ MORE
ranickels
11/02/2020
Vintage Radio
Postcard or Letter Radio

Seeing this article on Hackaday about how a guy in China made a crystal set using the diode in a chip credit card for the detector reminded me of the Postcard Radio.   It was a project in the WWII-era "Boys Fun Book" that I had as a kid and although I remember it well I had no reason to build one because who would want to mail a radio to someone else?      I di...  READ MORE
ranickels
06/04/2020
Vintage Radio
A first-person history by an Airway Keeper's daughter

  Most vintage radio enthusiasts are aware of how intertwined the development of radio and aviation were.    Many still enjoy using low frequency receivers and DX-ing the "beacon band" which was a key element of the first generation of aviation radio and navigation.   Before there were radio beacons, pilots depended on visual beacons - the flashing (rotat...  READ MORE
ranickels
12/31/2019
Vintage Radio
The Foxhole Radio

  When I was a kid, my dad gave me a thin hardcover book called "Boys Fun Book - Things to Make and Do".    It was printed during WWII on very thin paper as a wartime conservation measure, but was chock-full of interesting projects, ranging from hobbies and magic tricks to sports, puzzles, camping...and the chapter I was drawn to:  "Unusual Radios You Can...  READ MORE
ranickels
03/08/2019
Vintage Radio
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