Happy Birthday, Icarus (91!)

[Recusant]

My reference to party lines was for the early 40s.  Yes Billy, I remember my four digit number. It had the prefix Y because it was in the Ybor City, the predominantly Spanish, part of Tampa.  The number was Y3498.  Why in hell can I remember useless things like that but sometimes fail to remember what day it is?  I later lived in a different part of the city at 1200 East Ida street.  Zip codes did not exist at that time. It cost 3 cents to send a first class letter.  A post card cost one cent.

One of my great interests was crystal set radios. I experimented and built many of them. My highest achievement was being able to get radio station WIND from Chicago. Sunday nights I could listen to one of my favorite all time commentators: Dave Garraway.  That was maybe 1946.  To be able to capture a station that far away required a huge antenna and clear weather.  I had built the colossal antenna of clothes line wire. 

Heh, I too built a crystal set as a child (from a kit). I was pleased with the success but achieved none of the glorious results you did, Icarus. Clearly I should have been more ambitious with my antenna. 

[billy rubin]

i remember cub scout directions for a crystal set using a germanium crystal held in a copper tube with a set screw, and a tuner made with a toilet paper roll wrapped with turns of wire.

you can buy kits these days where yku just plug in a diode and connect pieces, but the old build it from garbage boy scout technque is more interesting to me

[jumbojak]

Happy belated birthday Gene. I hope you enjoyed the day.

[Biggus Dickus]

I guess I'm a little late, but Happy Birthday Sir!

Hope you had an enjoyable day, and got lots of presents!!