I was visiting my parents last weekend in Seattle and continued to quiz my 92 year old dad about his life. He told me how to build a crystal radio set this time, circa 1932. It took a coil of wire wrapped around a cardboard tube, a gallium crystal, headphones and a "tickler." Interesting that the coil would pick up all the stations at once. Radios were banned in his boarding school dormitory but the Jesuit priest who found his was impressed enough that a high school freshman could build it he let him have it anyway.

I also got a 10 minute lesson on tube radio design and what he used his oscilloscope for. I've been studying a 36 Ford radio circuit diagram for a radio needing new condensers I bought.

I've heard of young boys hero worship of their dad but mine didn't begin until a few years ago. I'd never asked him about his work as a Boeing engineer. It started when I asked him about the movie "Apollo 13" and whether he had seen it since he had worked in the space program in the 60s and 70s. His answer was "yes, it was pretty accurate as he had followed it firsthand from Cape Kennedy NASA while it happened as his launch crew had launched the rocket." No need for history book here!

I've built at least 10 crystal radios in my life, first one when I was about 13.

Amazing something with just a few parts, some of them handmade, could pick up and demodulate radio signals out of the air.

I too built one about 1971 and kept it for many years. Like so many of my childhood "treasures" I'm not quite sure what happened to it. Mine was a kit and it would receive shortwave stations. I founf it fascinating then that there was a radio station who's sole purpse was to tell you the exact time.

Mr. Texas Thanks for the memories!

Great story! I lost my Mom in 73 and Dad in 96, but this brings back memories of conversations from long ago. Thank you for that!

And yes, sometimes great things are really quite simple and come from surprising sources. I came across the story of a young person who shared the same early desire for discovery that you guys had.

http://blog.ted.com/2013/02/27/an-early-detection-test-for-pancreatic-cancer-jack-andraka-at-ted2013/

I read about this 15 year old kid several months ago in the Smithsonian Magazine. When you realize what he accomplished at his young age, it is a VERY humbling experience indeed. - Millet