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The Wireless Connection A Potpourri Of Your Projects And IdeasPeter J. Bertini, |
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Here’s reader Bill Morris modeling the latest
in radio fashion—a replica of the Mars Radio Hat!
I’m opening the Readers’ Mailbag again for this issue and checking out the amazing potpourri of offerings we have this month! We’ve got interesting things to build and lots of great stuff to read, so let’s get started! The Man-From-Mars Radio Hat First, to end the year on a light note, here’s a tidbit from reader Bill Morris, the MerriLei Corporation Man-From-Mars Radio Hat! This bit of frivolity was actually sold through magazine advertisements, and in larger New York City department stores in 1949. It was touted as being ideal for cyclists, beach goers, Boy Scouts, or sportsmen. Costing $7.95, it was available in lipstick red, chartreuse, tangerine, bluish pink, lavender…well, you get the idea. The manufacturer coated the tubes with thick plastic to protect the user from glass shards in the event a tube was smashed. The radio was featured in the June 1949 issue of Radio-Electronics, and it also earned a page in the Rider Perpetual Troubleshooting Manual. A copy of the Rider schematic is presented for those of you who might want to try duplicating this novelty set.
Bill homebrewed a copy of the hat, but notes,
“Everyone gets a kick out of that hat—except my wife. She directs as much
hate to it as a woman would direct hate at pornography. I built it for a
recent meet at Elkhart. Many members wanted to take picture of it. A few
didn’t want to be associated with me—go figure!” |
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