Favorite Xtal Set Society Links: most related to Crystal Radio.
The following web sites are some of the best we've found on radio and other topics. Check them out, and please let us know if you find a site of unusual merit or quality that you would like to see added to our list or if you discover an outdated link. Last updated 10/01/11.
Each link will open a new browser window so that you can return to the links list without having to hit your back button a whole bunch of times. Happy surfing!
Our RAP N TAP Crystal Radio Forum
The Society has sponsored a crystal set radio forum for some time. High tech and beginners alike are welcome. The forum is split into the Radio Club and Advanced forums. You must sign up before you can post a new topic or replay to an existing thread. You may find the search feature useful; use it to search for threads on a particular topic of interest to you. Each person who posts is soley responsible for his/her own message content. The society simply provides the framework and web space for the forum. Click here to go to the RAP 'N TAP forum.
Crystal Radio Links
So you've built the Oatmeal Box Radio on this site, and you want to improve the design? Go to Owen Pool's site, Crystal Radio Resources for his Peanut Specials. Owen's site also has an extensive list of crystal radio links, tips on things such as bandspreading and DX, and plans for building a convertible crystal radio (you can swap in a simple "triode" detector/amplifier), an RF signal booster, and more.
SkyWaves. This is Al Klase's site (he's a member too), and he has posted several pages of interest to the crystal radio enthusiast. You'll find "Crystal Set Design" 102, a crystal set tutorial, and some nice tips for mounting crystals to use in detectors. You'll also find photographs of some of Al's radio reproductions, some communication receivers and gear (the Russian maritime radio receiver is a must-see), and information on designing a SWL antenna distribution system for connecting multiple LF/MF/HF receivers to a single antenna.
Check out Ben Tongue's great site while you are at it. He lists many original articles and adds more frequently, also many other great finds on his site. He is also an XSS member.
Check out Dave's 78 crystal set projects and more at makearadio.com.
For a club flavor, check out this UK crystal radio site crystal radio club UK
Another nice site worth a visit is www.oldradioworld.de/gollum with historical information on crystal and other radios.
Radio History and Radio Collections...
The Antique Wireless Association The Antique Wireless Association (AWA) is a nonprofit historical society founded in 1952 with about 4,000 members. The AWA publishes The Old Timer's Bulletin, a fabulous resource for those interested in the history of radio, television and other electronics, which is available through AWA membership.
Phil's Old Radios - Antique Radio Gallery This is a great site, with a gallery of photographs and pictures of radios in Phil Nelson's collection of Trans-Oceanic radios, Bakelite radios, Tube portables, Transistor Radios and more. The site has some radio restoration and building projects, including a nice one for a short-wave crystal radio. You also can place a free radio want ad on the "unclassified ads" page (the list of ads is long, so we suggest using the find function on your browser to find what you want).
Explore Jonathan Winter's Bellingham Antique Radio Museum online. This museum, located in Bellingham, Washington, is a must see if you're ever going to be visiting the Pacific Northwest. Here you will find old-time radio broadcasts, a crystal radio project (with a detailed introduction about crystal radio sets), images from the Bellingham radio collection, and technical information for radio collectors.
Headphones...
So you've just acquired a set of nice antique headphones? You may be able to rejuvenate them for better performance, if they've lost a little bit of their oomph over the years. Tom Provost and Gary D'Amico tell you how on the NJARC web site.
Amateur Science
Raindrops are round, or flat, not the shape of a "tear-drop." Lift is not created because air is traveling more rapidly over the curved upper surface of a airplane wing--even a perfectly flat wing can generate lift. Astronauts in the space shuttle are not in zero gravity, rather, they are falling...very fast. Many common misconceptions such as these can be found in textbooks and science lectures. Learn about these and a lot more "Bad Science" on Alistair Fraser's (and friends) very entertaining Bad Science pages. Then, you can help to try to correct the textbooks!
What is the fifth planet from the sun? Which planet in our solar system is the most massive? The answer to both questions can be found at Bill Arnett's award-winning The Nine Planets, an "overview of the history, mythology, and current scientific knowledge of each of the planets and moons in our solar system." Each page has text and images (the images are amazing), some have sounds and movies, and most provide references to additional related information. We highly recommend this site!
Crystal Radio Vendors...
The Xtal Set Society does not
favor any particular vendors, but our members have reported positively on those listed
below. Included are comments about what they offer.
Borden Radio Company
Peebles Originals
Play Things Of Past
Antique Headphones -
Scott's Crystal Radios
Lindsay Publications
Amidon Associates, PO Box 25867, Santa Ana, CA 92799, (714) 850-4660
Antique Electronic Supply, 6221 S. Maple Ave., Tempe, AZ 85283, (602) 820-5411
Antique Radio Classified, P.O. Box 2, Carlisle, MA 01741, (508) 371-0512
Monitoring Times, Grove Enterprises, P.O. Box 98, Brasstown, NC 28902, (800) 438-8155