Ten Year Rule

[Tony Duell]

> 
> Chuck Guzis wrote:
> >
> > Still, if you want to start simple, there's the Alfred Powell Morgan 
> > 1941 "First Radio Book for Boys".  Extermely popular way back when, 
> > so there are still used copies available.
> 
> Um what about variable caps and other hardware? I got a ham receiver

THey are not hard to find. I am sure they turn up on E-bay. Or grab a 
junker AA5 radio and remocve the rtuning capactior, If it's too high a 
capacitance, rip off some of the moving plates (seriously). 

I really would recomend the 'Impoverished Radio Experimenter' books. 
They're fairly modern and full of tips like this. THey are _not_ a course 
in how to desing with valves, but you can make several radio receivers 
from said books. Read them alongisde other books. 

If you're seriously mad (that is a term of honour, of course), then you 
might try 'The voice of the cyrstal' and 'Instruments of amplification'. 
They coaver mauing radio receivers using _no_ commercial components. OK, 
he dose yuse enammeled copper wire :-). The first book covers cycstal 
sets (and one chapeter is making the variable capacitor), the second 
covers making (very poor, but still hackish) valves and transistors.

-tony