Monkey Messages

Ever since Samuel Morse tapped out his famous “What hath god wrought.”  message in 1844 on the primitive code key he devised others have tried to improve upon each element of the system.  This resulted, by the time the last major telegraph offices were shuttered well over a hundred years later, in a multitude of different key… Continue reading Monkey Messages

A Nifty Little Radio and a Vicious Cycle

In 1939, Motorola introduced a small portable AM radio, the 41-S “Sportsman.”   Just look at that.  Smaller than a six pack.  Quite a feat in 1939. It was not, however, the smallest–that honor goes to the Majestic model 130, a three tube set.  BUT.  For a conventional 4 tube superheterodyne AM receiver that used full… Continue reading A Nifty Little Radio and a Vicious Cycle