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Posted: 3/12/2007 10:21:25 AM EDT
Radio building contest:
Build a workable radio from scraps and scratch... must not use batteries or AC. no going to Radio Shack or elsewhere for parts, creativity and imagination get points. submit here and I'll pick a winner. also, all parts must be accounted for as far as to where they came from. the winner wins some kind of trophy that I will either scrounge or build from parts!  get on it! I'll judge around April 15th if someone reminds me. ETA an extra 10 points for any GI overseas that builds a working set. |
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Posted: 3/12/2007 10:50:23 AM EDT
[#1]
 What do I win?
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Posted: 3/12/2007 11:16:27 AM EDT
[#2]
Nothing, you can get those at radio shack. 
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Posted: 3/12/2007 11:30:34 AM EDT
[#3]
Eh, you're right I think that guy works part time at the one down the street, the dish is the dead give-away, yep that's him.
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Posted: 3/12/2007 11:30:42 AM EDT
[#4]
tag, for shits and giggles. Don't know if i'll be partaking on the competition. Jsut curious to see what all pops up.
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Posted: 3/12/2007 3:11:55 PM EDT
[#5]
OK, night crew.
Whadda ya gonna do if YOUR B-24 gets shot down and YOU can't have any news, weather and sports? |
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Posted: 3/12/2007 3:21:14 PM EDT
[#6]
Does using a potato, or an orange count as battery? What about wires and things purchased many moons ago for other projects that are on-hand? Are those permissible. I have a bunch of magnet wire that I bought from Radio-shack to build solenoids and an LVDT. Can I use that wire, or do I need to scrounge in the gutters for wire? Dave. |
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Posted: 3/15/2007 2:03:28 PM EDT
[#7]
Well, my phone speaker is broke. I thought the circuitry was shot, but it was the earpiece itself. I've got an earpiece on order though...that would be a tough item to find locally.
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Posted: 3/16/2007 4:01:51 PM EDT
[#8]
Make one. That is what I'm attempting to do. I don't want to take my phone apart, and I don't have a crystal earphone either. I would think that having to buy parts is a disqualification---Is it? ? ? Piccolo, care to make a ruling on that? ETA:
Dave. |
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Posted: 3/16/2007 4:06:34 PM EDT
[#9]
Now, is it nothing we can buy at Radio Shack, or just that we have to scrounge parts?
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Posted: 3/16/2007 4:08:51 PM EDT
[#10]
I have enough old electronics to possibly pull this off. Sounds like a foxhole radio (crystal). Hmmm...tagged.
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Posted: 3/16/2007 4:10:17 PM EDT
[#11]
Some HAM is going to beat me to the punch on this, I just know it.
 
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Posted: 3/16/2007 4:16:37 PM EDT
[#12]
Is that a disqualification? :-P |
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Posted: 3/16/2007 4:18:03 PM EDT
[#13]
It oughta be. I'm not a HAM, and all I've got laying around are old CB's, tons of misc crap, and Business Band UHF radios that don't work anymore. 
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Posted: 3/16/2007 4:19:10 PM EDT
[#14]
Hmmmm..
Your earlier foxhole radio thread got the gears turning then.. |
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Posted: 3/16/2007 4:19:29 PM EDT
[#15]
I will flat out state that I have to Google some of this. Full disclosure, and all that.
It'll be bubba'd for sure though, don't you worry about that.
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Posted: 3/16/2007 4:21:00 PM EDT
[#16]
Someone should cross-post this in SF. I know ar-jedi will probably have one done in a day.
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Posted: 3/16/2007 4:26:55 PM EDT
[#17]
Allright, I've Googled the snot out of this. There are a million ways to pull this off. I'll try and be creative, since I get the general principles now.
What a cool idea.
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Posted: 3/16/2007 4:28:49 PM EDT
[#18]
Tag.
This should be an interesting thread.  -T. |
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Posted: 3/16/2007 4:32:34 PM EDT
[#19]
You've already got more spare parts right there. fwiw, im more less in it for shits and giggles.... and to break up the monotony here. Not really competing. |
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Posted: 3/16/2007 4:35:39 PM EDT
[#20]
I've got all the parts, and none of which cost me anything---they were all laying around. I'm not going to cheat by using a radio crystal, I'm making one.
If you missed one of Piccolo's earilier threads where he made a crystal radio from essentially scratch, then you don't realize his intent with this one. It is to make a working crystal radio without going and getting parts. I'm not to sure how he will rule on canablizing radios for more sophisicated parts, though. Dave. P.S. SubnetMask, did you find the guy's website who is trying to build 100 of these things. Some of his are pretty impressive, but most require store-bought parts, like Litz-wire. |
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Posted: 3/16/2007 4:36:44 PM EDT
[#21]
 I just chiselled this out of a piece of firewood and metal I smelted from old tubing. Wow I really suck at lying. |
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Posted: 3/16/2007 4:43:41 PM EDT
[#22]
No I didn't, but I don't want to go to the store. I don't really want to think of this as a "competition", since pic ain't gonna give up anything REALLY cool. I'm really getting into this, the more I read. My head is spinning with ideas. In fact, I feel like I have *too* much available too me. I've read some POW stories, and if THEY can pull it off, I can ease up on canibalizing solid state parts out of my modern radios, you know? I dunno, we'll see. I really want to keep in the spirit of the thread and the whole "improvised" theme, and forcefully restrict myself to what I have laying around the house. I'm not going to bust out my soldering iron (no electricity, after all), and I'm not going to rip crystals out of anything. I'm gonna have a blast tonight and tomorrow. Thanks piccolo (and I mean that)! |
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Posted: 3/16/2007 5:12:05 PM EDT
[#23]
Hey Pic,
I have a big bag of electronics parts in my dorm from Radio Shack from a couple years ago, from a project I never did. Can I use those, or is that cheating? |
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Posted: 3/16/2007 5:25:14 PM EDT
[#24]
I found some directions online from a vet on how to make a headphone from C-rats.
But he said they carried a spool of magnet wire to make them. Interesting design though... |
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Posted: 3/16/2007 5:45:18 PM EDT
[#25]
Hmmm
1. I have a high impedance crystal earphone, but I'm not sure if I wanna use it. 2. For the detector, I *could* cheat and cannibalize a diode out of something around here, but I think I'll see if I can't just make one. I don't have a safety razor blade (I'm out, and it would require a trip to the store...) or thick enough pencil lead. This should be fun. I *do* have a few hundred feet of Cat 5, so the antenna is going to be a snap.
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Posted: 3/16/2007 6:28:11 PM EDT
[#26]
Scrounged most of my components, cut a base... I just might win teh prize. Or not. Dunno.
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Posted: 3/16/2007 6:44:13 PM EDT
[#27]
Am or fm? Which band? I gotta know what parts bin to start in.....
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Posted: 3/16/2007 7:32:21 PM EDT
[#28]
OK, the general idea here is to show some ingenuity.
See what you can do. Don't look at it like a contest, make it a challenge. When I say don't go buy something, I mean that I don't really want to see someone whip up a radio from a kit. Hell, I traded a coffee and doughnut for my magnet wire (because I was too tired/lazy/beat to go dumpster diving for old motors and transformers.) I used an old set of headphones I had kicking around, but as soon as I get motivated, I'm going to try make a speaker. The whole spirit of this project is to get off your ass and DO something primitive,creative and FUN. Hell, you can use what you can get your hands on. Old radios? Sure, why not! The average foxhole radio parts came out of knocked out vehicles and commo gear. BHuy a headset or earphone if you want. But if you have a really neat idea and need an inexpensive part or 2, go ahead and buy it. When I had this brainstorm, I didn't want it to turn into: 1. A big money contest 2. a kit building contest. 3. a mirror repro of something you dug up on Google. What I was and AM hoping for is a display of cleverness, ingeniuity, resourcefulness, with a touch of crackpot. OTOH, if you decide to go the foxhole route, do it anyway and HAVE FUN and enjoy yourself. As for AM band or FM, you call it. Let's see what you got! BTW, any of you guys going the Crystal route, better get yourselves a HIGH IMPEDENCE earphone somewhere. I give points for originality, resourcefulness, shadiness(as in swiping a part or 2 from the enemy, whoever he/she is), cleverness, and a lot of intangibles. Making me laugh is certainly worth something! (The spirit of it is the USGI field improvising spirit, be it a grunt wanting a baseball score or a POW wanting to get some news) In short, no kits, keep it cheap and have fun. |
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Posted: 3/17/2007 5:48:51 AM EDT
[#29]
I had a guy tell me about a crystal set he had made as a kid where one set the whole assy in a metal mixing bowl and viola.. Sound. No idea how it works, but I'm sure the knowlege is out there. The magnet wire shouldn't be hard though.. Any burned out motor has tons. |
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Posted: 3/17/2007 6:02:04 AM EDT
[#30]
radio shack doesn't have shit anymore, so anything is probable!
I'll disqualify myself (Extra Class Ham, FCC licensed, Engineer in the field, etc....) 
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Posted: 3/17/2007 11:56:42 AM EDT
[#31]
How can I build a speaker out of a tin can lid? |
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Posted: 3/18/2007 11:30:28 AM EDT
[#32]
Directions for building a speaker from a tin can, some wire, a small magnet, and a nail here near the end of the page. |
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Posted: 3/20/2007 7:17:59 PM EDT
[#33]
bump.
Who is in on this? |
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Posted: 3/20/2007 7:23:12 PM EDT
[#34]
I am if the deadline isn't too close - I've got more pressing business with my Dad's degenerating health for now. I checked out the lead/Galena mine last week, and it's going to be easy to get in, or it will if I go before the weeds get high. I'm going to bum some old carbon phones off his bench. |
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Posted: 3/20/2007 7:27:23 PM EDT
[#35]
I just have to go watch Stalag 17 first
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Posted: 3/21/2007 7:14:07 PM EDT
[#36]
see if you can snag me a couple galena crystals. I remember 3 ways, razor blade,diode and crystal. I'd like to go the Xtal route for radio #3. time to get a cat whisker and tickle a rock.
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Posted: 3/22/2007 5:22:38 PM EDT
[#37]
If I have luck finding galena, there will likely be enough for everyone that wants a piece. |
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Posted: 3/22/2007 5:25:53 PM EDT
[#38]
me too |
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Posted: 3/22/2007 5:45:56 PM EDT
[#39]
What year?
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Posted: 3/22/2007 6:05:26 PM EDT
[#40]
i'm still in, but mostly for shits and giggles. gonan have to wait a bit. My hands broke out in a rash, and have peeled and generally been itchy and sore as hell. Happened the last time i was over here too, and they never did figure out what caused it. wrapping wire with layers of skin missing isn't all that fun.
On the plus side, i've got no fingerprints for the time being.
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Posted: 4/1/2007 4:35:11 AM EDT
[#41]
Any entries ready?
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Posted: 4/1/2007 5:23:08 AM EDT
[#42]
Ok first, those voices you're hearing are not coming from that satellite! Second, I think you're about to have an aneurysm.
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Posted: 4/4/2007 6:39:43 PM EDT
[#43]
Anyone still in on this?
Any entries? |
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Posted: 4/4/2007 6:53:58 PM EDT
[#44]
Sat outside for abotu 15 minutes setting up and playing with the graphite/razor. definitly got some static, but no signal. After 15 minutes, i had to leave....the only open area to set up a decent antenna, and with a decent ground, was between the garbage pit and the sewage tanks.  I did get ahold of a diode, which might give me more luck. I'll try again when i get a day off, or some spare down time. |
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Posted: 4/4/2007 6:59:33 PM EDT
[#45]
Has anyone asked what the prize is?
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Posted: 4/4/2007 7:34:43 PM EDT
[#46]
Yeah. An all expenses paid 6 month carribean cruise, a new Ferrari and $375,000 cash Or Whatever rusty piece of junk I can make some sort of a half-assed trophy out of. my choice. |
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Posted: 4/6/2007 7:14:58 PM EDT
[#47]
Went by Piccolos underground --eh-hm "lab" today and got some photos of this creation, which actually works quite well.
 withe either headphones or this little speaker he has cooked up   he even cooked up a homemade pair as headphones  in an unrelated story this man:  is apparently wanted in connection with a missing truckload of tuna fish that dissappeared from a local Giant Eagle grocery store. He was last seen driving away in the tractor trailer wearng dark sun glasses with a coon skin cap and waving a blind mans cane out the window while singing the Marine Corps hymm at the top of his lungs. Giant eagle has offered a homemade radio as a reward for info. |
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Posted: 4/6/2007 7:33:27 PM EDT
[#48]
Both the headphones and the speaker work pretty good.
The headset actually sounds pretty good, but only with either the TV or a real radio. Both require a bit more oomph than a crystal set produces. I would NOT try using either of them with anything that used no/very little power. It is astonishing what you can do with junk and some inagination. I've got about 2500 feet of 40 awg wire coming and I'm going to try again with that. I THINK impedence is important here and I figues that 40 awg is ABOUT 1 ohm/foot. We'll see what happens.  FWIW, NONE of the things I've heard and tried that supposidly worked for GIs in Vietnam have worked for me. Makes me wonder about the person that posted it. If anyone out there has any ideas, let me know. Pic, out. |
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Posted: 4/11/2007 10:02:12 PM EDT
[#49]
Any entries?
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Posted: 4/12/2007 9:57:54 AM EDT
[#50]
I wonder how hard it would be to try powering one off a homemade battery.
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