Crystal set radio receiver 1920's "Bijou" (cat's whisker) working. The Crystal receiver featured here is a BTH "Bijou" Type C. From B. Manufactured in 1924. GPO reg No 861.
Hi there, thanks. I never, as far as I can recall, heard a proper casts whisker radio as a child but I can remember the first time I heard the very very faint stations on the first crystal set I ever made. I had a little crystal earphone that plugged in my ear, the aerial was made from copper wire form the scan coils off an old TV set that I found on a bomb site and I thought it was magic. No batteries, no mains power, just voices and music out of thin air. Happy days! Kind Regards ... Andy
Lovely radio! As a boy I used to build these using a bit more modern parts.... I remember building one with a double tuned circuit for more selectivity, my most refined crystal radio!
That is one serious aerial! Then again in W. Wales you might need it, all those hills and mountains. I probably wasn't too far from your mast last year. I built a crystal set when I was 14, a matchbox radio when I was 15. I've never really understood how they work - on a theoretical level. For me electronics was always a bit of magic. I'm quite happy in that ignorance. Thanks for showing the crystal set and a lovely bit of history.
A very nice presentation and good sound quality of an original crystal set with a cats whisker Andy. Had an interest in them since age of 12 and built many with Mullard germanium diodes.. Many thanks ( Sid),...de G1 SDK
That’s right; it’s the one time you actually get something-for-nothing! I can remember as a child making my first crystal set, I thought it was magic, particularly at night when the continental stations came in from Europe, I’d lie awake in bed in the dark listening to French and German stations through the night. Chrystal sets still work for nothing so long as we have strong AM radio transitions. Kind Regards ... Andy
Hi, it’s a funny thing but your comment just brought back a memory for me. As a child I remember my mother talking about her much older brother twiddling the cat’s whisker to find a radio station, and I remember thinking how cruel and how does a cat’s whisker get radio waves. I can’t remember when the penny finally dropped and I realised what she was talking about. Thanks for the input, I hadn’t thought about that for a year. Regards ... Andy
That was very interesting, when I was a child I often heard people from my parents' generation talking about "tickling the cats whisker" on crystal sets. Beautiful view by-the-way! We live in Andalucia and too are blessed with fantastic scenery.
Hi I'm glad that you liked it. I still have this little radio. It's now 101 years old and it still works, no batteries or mains electrical supply needed. Man things were a lot simpler a hundred years ago and I'm I'm not convinced that it's all been good progress since then. Where will technology be in another hundred years I wonder?? All the best . . . Andy
Hi there, it sounds like my video sparked some memories, sorry you lost your farther at such a young age. I can’t remember how old I was when I was able to read schematics, I guess that it was reasonably early, for the simple stuff that is. As a child I used to buy old radios from church jumble sales for pence, I’d try to get them working but circuit diagrams were few and far between back in the 60s. No internet back then, man it’s so easy now, you can even ask for help. Kind Regards ... Andy
I'm glad you liked the clip, yes I've built radios with razor blades even bits of rusty metal and pieces of rock out of the garden with traces of iron pyrite (fool's gold) in it. If you’re going to try it use a diode first to find the station then try a "cast whisker." When I had this set up and running I used the end of a small spring and some rusty looking rock with good results. Kind Regards ...Andy
Its a nice radio. I think your amplifier is distorting and also doesn't pass low frequencies all that well. A crystal radio like that one will sound quite good with good headphones. I'd bet the thing still works today.
Hi Ken, thank you. It will be a pity when when there are no analogue radio transitions to receive with a simple detector like this. Seeing as though the capacitor is a dry construction, there's no reason to see it fail, and it's the same for the other few components in it. It's only moisture that might damage things if it got in. I have it wrapped and sealed in plastic sheet. Kind regards . . . Andy
@@AndyDaviesByTheSea Andy, it's not that the Capacitor (in the Amp) may have "failed", more likely it's simply a very small value. Hard to see but it looks like a 1uF tantalum (or even smaller). You need to draw a circuit of the Amp as well.
Hi Andy. I hope you get this. Great Video! I also learned at a very young age from my uncle, how to build crystal radios, in the late 40s. I am now 80 and in my second childhood :O) and would like to build a more advanced crystal radio. Do you have a diagram or know where I can acquire a diagram of the variometer construction,, i.e.. coil windings and connections. Do you think two plastic jars would work as well for the coils?Thanks, John
I wonder if the cats whisker can be replaced by the right diode made for crystal radio I think a 1034 diode .which are more reliable, the rest of the radio either way is a very good radio design .I was we wondering how much difference a diode compared a cats whisker. What more amazing how well this radio has survived it's a great find .thank you for shareing I sure a lot of young people probably never seen such a radio even some of us seniorhavent seen either.
You are a good craftsman. Build a taste full box. next add a varicap.( To that box.) from ant to gnd. I have a made in Toledo Ohio receiver. every year listen to American foot ball. That extra cap cuts down on crosstalk. PS my rig is dated to 1921. Was given to me by an Elmer, in 1994. ( With name plate Toledo duck) good dxing 73, from KV4LI
@@AndyDaviesByTheSea Saludos del cono sur,Andy se puede que todo funcione sin pilas pero se necesita de la energía limpia de TESLA ,para que las máquinas tenga vida.
Maybe. Maybe not. It's still here today. If there's any type of technological collapse it will certainly remain. There's still a large listening audience from many backgrounds. God Bless
6:52 You might get better selectivity by connecting a small capacitor across the tuning inductance, not in series with the antenna. Checkout my Foxhole Radio of my construction, and a Boy's Scout Radio of reconstruction. The latter worked far better with Iron Pyrite than Galena - - no delicate connection needed
Hi Rob thanks for the feedback. I've always been interested in radio. See my other viedos. In 2010 I came across a 1030's 3 valve set, it was sold in kit form nearly 80 years ago for "The Man-of-the-House to build and enjoy" Search for "Lissen skyscraper 3" after posting the video of it someone sent me 2 huge photo copies of the original circuit diagram and building instructions. and while you're at it Search for "MK128 spy radio" it's a crystal controlled transmitter. 73's.. Andy ... gw0jxm
Hi. If you post a picture of the set on a web site called "Vintage-radio.net" I'm sure someone there will be able to identify it. I've found the Guys and Girls there very helpful. Good luck . . . Andy
Not sure they would be frustrated , i think more amazed they could even hear something , like magic . Also at the time there might have been less spectrum noise due to limited transmissions
@@Psythik The Blogger is a Ham Radio operator (GW0JXM), and the antenna is clearly a simple dipole for 80 meters. Pretty much a minimum antenna for a Ham or a Shortwave listener. Hardly a massive antenna.
Signal diode specific applications or use as radio frequency detection or detecter to pass either half of modulated carrier or radio frequency with audio content to choose or just allow to pass from anode to cathode side like valve of water pipe to switch on or off ,after detection carrier in grounded with small 47 -100 pf capacitor and audio fed to ear piece or headphones or ear pads ,modern signal diode are numbered as 1N34 ,,,OA79..,OA81 etc for detection thanks for feedback
Hi there, thanks. I never, as far as I can recall, heard a proper casts whisker radio as a child but I can remember the first time I heard the very very faint stations on the first crystal set I ever made. I had a little crystal earphone that plugged in my ear, the aerial was made from copper wire form the scan coils off an old TV set that I found on a bomb site and I thought it was magic. No batteries, no mains power, just voices and music out of thin air. Happy days!
Kind Regards ... Andy
Great to see something as old as this still working. Well done on the repair. Nice vid.
As long as we have AM bc xmitters
Lovely radio! As a boy I used to build these using a bit more modern parts....
I remember building one with a double tuned circuit for more selectivity, my most refined crystal radio!
wow!Amazing prehistoric crystal radio set,really enjoyed.
That is one serious aerial! Then again in W. Wales you might need it, all those hills and mountains. I probably wasn't too far from your mast last year. I built a crystal set when I was 14, a matchbox radio when I was 15. I've never really understood how they work - on a theoretical level. For me electronics was always a bit of magic. I'm quite happy in that ignorance. Thanks for showing the crystal set and a lovely bit of history.
Thanks Andy. I have a BBC Ericsson crystal radio set. I used your video to help explain to my daughter how they work.
A very nice presentation and good sound quality of an original crystal set with a cats whisker Andy. Had an interest in them since age of 12 and built many with Mullard germanium diodes.. Many thanks ( Sid),...de G1 SDK
That’s right; it’s the one time you actually get something-for-nothing!
I can remember as a child making my first crystal set, I thought it was magic, particularly at night when the continental stations came in from Europe, I’d lie awake in bed in the dark listening to French and German stations through the night. Chrystal sets still work for nothing so long as we have strong AM radio transitions.
Kind Regards ... Andy
Hi, it’s a funny thing but your comment just brought back a memory for me. As a child I remember my mother talking about her much older brother twiddling the cat’s whisker to find a radio station, and I remember thinking how cruel and how does a cat’s whisker get radio waves. I can’t remember when the penny finally dropped and I realised what she was talking about.
Thanks for the input, I hadn’t thought about that for a year.
Regards ... Andy
That was very interesting, when I was a child I often heard people from my parents' generation talking about "tickling the cats whisker" on crystal sets. Beautiful view by-the-way! We live in Andalucia and too are blessed with fantastic scenery.
Strange feeling as if he connected to the broadcast from the 1920s. Like in the "Frequency" film.
Great Video. Thank you. I love the radio and your amp as well. Thx.
That is absolutely fantastic man!!! Thanks!
Really enjoyed this thanks!
Hi I'm glad that you liked it. I still have this little radio. It's now 101 years old and it still works, no batteries or mains electrical supply needed. Man things were a lot simpler a hundred years ago and I'm I'm not convinced that it's all been good progress since then. Where will technology be in another hundred years I wonder??
All the best . . . Andy
Don't forget that specialists are watching!
Hi there, it sounds like my video sparked some memories, sorry you lost your farther at such a young age. I can’t remember how old I was when I was able to read schematics, I guess that it was reasonably early, for the simple stuff that is. As a child I used to buy old radios from church jumble sales for pence, I’d try to get them working but circuit diagrams were few and far between back in the 60s. No internet back then, man it’s so easy now, you can even ask for help.
Kind Regards ... Andy
I'm glad you liked the clip, yes I've built radios with razor blades even bits of rusty metal and pieces of rock out of the garden with traces of iron pyrite (fool's gold) in it. If you’re going to try it use a diode first to find the station then try a "cast whisker." When I had this set up and running I used the end of a small spring and some rusty looking rock with good results. Kind Regards ...Andy
really cool. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the eedback.
Its a nice radio.
I think your amplifier is distorting and also doesn't pass low frequencies all that well. A crystal radio like that one will sound quite good with good headphones. I'd bet the thing still works today.
Hi Ken, thank you. It will be a pity when when there are no analogue radio transitions to receive with a simple detector like this. Seeing as though the capacitor is a dry construction, there's no reason to see it fail, and it's the same for the other few components in it. It's only moisture that might damage things if it got in. I have it wrapped and sealed in plastic sheet. Kind regards . . . Andy
@@AndyDaviesByTheSea Andy, it's not that the Capacitor (in the Amp) may have "failed", more likely it's simply a very small value. Hard to see but it looks like a 1uF tantalum (or even smaller). You need to draw a circuit of the Amp as well.
Wow !! Awesome !
Hi Andy. I hope you get this. Great Video! I also learned at a very young age from my uncle, how to build crystal radios, in the late 40s. I am now 80 and in my second childhood :O) and would like to build a more advanced crystal radio. Do you have a diagram or know where I can acquire a diagram of the variometer construction,, i.e.. coil windings and connections. Do you think two plastic jars would work as well for the coils?Thanks, John
I wonder if the cats whisker can be replaced by the right diode made for crystal radio I think a 1034 diode .which are more reliable, the rest of the radio either way is a very good radio design .I was we wondering how much difference a diode compared a cats whisker. What more amazing how well this radio has survived it's a great find .thank you for shareing I sure a lot of young people probably never seen such a radio even some of us seniorhavent seen either.
You are a good craftsman. Build a taste full box. next add a varicap.( To that box.) from ant to gnd. I have a made in Toledo Ohio receiver. every year listen to American foot ball. That extra cap cuts down on crosstalk. PS my rig is dated to 1921. Was given to me by an Elmer, in 1994. ( With name plate Toledo duck) good dxing 73, from KV4LI
fascinating stuff...
Lovely!
Base of modern Technology advanced stage of 5GHertz and iCloud 🎉thanks for rejuvenate and learning electronic communication 🎉
Hi there, thanks for the interest and comment.
Kind regards . . . Andy
انها قطعة جميلة لدرجة الاستمتاع بكل تفصيل ، مثل الكتابات الموجودة عليه
wow its works whit out battery or any power source.
@AndyDaviesByTheSea Didnt start -_- I need to "fine tune" it , But its going good thank you, nice too hear from you Kind regards teaguen
Hoy dia un elemento indispensable,por la escases de energia.
¿No sería bueno si todo funcionara sin pilas ni electricidad?
saludos . . . andy
@@AndyDaviesByTheSea Saludos del cono sur,Andy se puede que todo funcione sin pilas pero se necesita de la energía limpia de TESLA ,para que las máquinas tenga vida.
3:27 In 80 years AM will be as dead as the buggy whip factory - -
And you're seeking to protect its authenticity
Maybe. Maybe not. It's still here today. If there's any type of technological collapse it will certainly remain.
There's still a large listening audience from many backgrounds.
God Bless
@teaguen8879
Hi, thanks for asking, I'm doing fine.
How did you get on with the Sterling engine?
Kind Regards... Andy
I have just bought one . MIne works but box joints are very loose and logo is faint, Got any advice?
6:52 You might get better selectivity by connecting a small capacitor across the tuning inductance, not in series with the antenna.
Checkout my Foxhole Radio of my construction, and a Boy's Scout Radio of reconstruction. The latter worked far better with Iron Pyrite than Galena - - no delicate connection needed
That is soo legit
Hi Rob thanks for the feedback. I've always been interested in radio. See my other viedos.
In 2010 I came across a 1030's 3 valve set, it was sold in kit form nearly 80 years ago for "The Man-of-the-House to build and enjoy" Search for "Lissen skyscraper 3" after posting the video of it someone sent me 2 huge photo copies of the original circuit diagram and building instructions. and while you're at it Search for "MK128 spy radio" it's a crystal controlled transmitter.
73's.. Andy ... gw0jxm
Have you tried a shottky diode in place of the cat's whisker? I know it's cheating, but just to compare.
I picked up a similar radio. No card insert or stamp so I'm trying to figure out the make and model.
Hi. If you post a picture of the set on a web site called "Vintage-radio.net" I'm sure someone there will be able to identify it. I've found the Guys and Girls there very helpful.
Good luck . . . Andy
@@AndyDaviesByTheSea will try that Andy, many thanks.
Hopefully you repeat the video with a 720P to get a better resolution
Suhail Abdulaziz is it that important?
Not sure they would be frustrated , i think more amazed they could even hear something , like magic . Also at the time there might have been less spectrum noise due to limited transmissions
Hey, remember me, i asked for the Tin-can engine? I havnt heard from you in, Wohh More than a few month's, how are you doing? :)
that's a huge aerial O_O
Seriously who the hell just plops a massive antenna in their back yard like that?
@@Psythik The Blogger is a Ham Radio operator (GW0JXM), and the antenna is clearly a simple dipole for 80 meters. Pretty much a minimum antenna for a Ham or a Shortwave listener. Hardly a massive antenna.
Signal diode specific applications or use as radio frequency detection or detecter to pass either half of modulated carrier or radio frequency with audio content to choose or just allow to pass from anode to cathode side like valve of water pipe to switch on or off ,after detection carrier in grounded with small 47 -100 pf capacitor and audio fed to ear piece or headphones or ear pads ,modern signal diode are numbered as 1N34 ,,,OA79..,OA81 etc for detection thanks for feedback