On Jul 4, 5:55*pm, John Smith wrote:
On 7/4/2011 7:39 AM, Gisle Vanem wrote:





Please folks, tell us about what radio got you into DX-ing. I.e.
which radio was the first "fix". The one that made you pursue DX-ing?

Here is a picture of my first, named "Radionette Combi Star":
http://www.nnrm.net/Teknisk%20info/R...0CombiStar.htm

Some technical data (translated from the above):

Year of build: 1960 (by Radionette A/S, Oslo, Norway)
Transistors: 2x OC71, 2x OC604 (germanium with long legs).
Frequency bands: LW, MW, 1.6 - 3.3 MHz ("fishery-band" on our lingo since
fishermen used it to "phone" home) and SW 49m - 19m bands (continuously).
Price in 1960: NOK 590,- (approx. 90 US$ then).
Power alternatives: 110V, 130V, 150V, 210V, 230V or 7.5V battery pack.
# produced: unknown.

Variants in the750001-751600 series had Garrard record-player. While the
755001 had a
Star record-player (45 RPM). The first model which came in 1958 had a
mix of germanium transistors and tubes.

I remember it had an internal loop antenna hidden around the inside rim
of the wooden chassis. So the MW reception and null-effect (figure-of-8)
was
rather good. It had exactly the same colour as in the picture above (but
available
several others). It was sturdy built and had a good speaker. Since it
also had a battery
pack, I could even take it to the beach and play my 45 RPM records.

I remember my first good DX on this radio; Radio Australia (ABC) on the
25m band. As a 12 year old, I couldn't really believe my ears. Got it
from my step-mother after she got tired
of it. And since FM was long common then (1970), she had no use for it.
So, that was some
tales of my first radio-love.

--gv

My very first was a crystal radio out of my grandmothers attic. *My
uncles had built the coils out of old oatmeal boxes and the spider coils
were wood and dowels, one VLF spider took up a good portion of a wall.
It used an old cats whisker crystal, which I changed to one of the "new"
germanium diodes.

It was actually amazing, what that homebrew set could pick up and pump
into an old set of military headphones.

My next was an old military shortwave which almost took two men to carry
... it was made by Hammarlund is all I remember, other than it was a big
as a large suitcase and had a dial plate the size of a small plate ...
it probably drew enough power to run a dozen homes! *The top of the case
would flip up and the glow of the filaments would impart a warm red glow
to an area close around, in a dark room.

They certainly don't make radios like they used to, just the radio
itself was fun back then!

My mother was in the Catholics' Church Altar Society, so she organized
rummage sales and whatnot, though her I was able to experience a whole
range of military and civilian radios. *I even had a couple of A****er
Kents, if I had they now, they would be worth a fortune! *One was TRF
and did damn good!

Regards,
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What is so special about A****er-Kent ?