When I was very young I built a Knight-Kit Ocean Hopper Receiver, It was sold by Allied Radio out of Chicago. Allied produced a big thick catalog that was every boys dream book, and I dog eared the pages. The Ocean Hopper Receiver was soldered together with a wood burning iron. An old speaker was mounted in a Nestles Quick Co-Co Tin. I can't remember how many tubes, maybe 3 or 4 the frequency was controlled by 4 pin coil forms. The 4 coils divided from 0.1 to 30 Mhz. The gain above about 15 Mhz. was pitiful. Most of the listing was done parked on the AM broadcast band, but some international broadcasts were listened to also, such as BBC, VOA, Radio Netherlands, and so on. I was young and not knowledge of radio theory yet. I believed it would be possible to wind another coil to receive an unlimited amount of frequencies above 30 Mhz. I experimented with different turns of magnet wire on the form, but nothing was ever achieved. The receiver was what was called a re-ginerative receive. This is one of the most basic designs. I dreamed of what was to hear on VHF and UHF frequencies or even above. Now that was a long time ago as I am 70 years old now. I just (today) accomplished that dream I had then. I just set up a SDR (
software defined radio) it receives from 0.1 to 2,000 Mhz., a 2,000 Mhz. receiver was not heard of or maybe non-existence in the 1950s. Here are a couple of photos of the Ocean Hopper and coil, this but one of the radios that had jump started me into my great hobby of Ham Radio....... Jack .... Radio Station
WB9OTX
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| 4 pin pug in coil |
When I was very young I built a Knight-Kit Ocean Hopper Receiver, It was sold by Allied Radio out of Chicago. Allied produced a big thick catalog that was every boys dream book, and I dog eared the pages. The Ocean Hopper Receiver was soldered together with a wood burning iron. An old speaker was mounted in a Nestles Quick Co-Co Tin. I can't remember how many tubes, maybe 3 or 4 the frequency was controlled by 4 pin coil forms. The 4 coils divided from 0.1 to 30 Mhz. The gain above about 15 Mhz. was pitiful. Most of the listing was done parked on the AM broadcast band, but some international broadcasts were listened to also, such as BBC, VOA, Radio Netherlands, and so on. I was young and not knowledge of radio theory yet. I believed it would be possible to wind another coil to receive an unlimited amount of frequencies above 30 Mhz. I experimented with different turns of magnet wire on the form, but nothing was ever achieved. The receiver was what was called a re-ginerative receive. This is one of the most basic designs. I dreamed of what was to hear on VHF and UHF frequencies or even above. Now that was a long time ago as I am 70 years old now. I just (today) accomplished that dream I had then. I just set up a SDR (software defined radio) it receives from 0.1 to 2,000 Mhz., a 2,000 Mhz. receiver was not heard of or maybe non-existence in the 1950s. Here are a couple of photos of the Ocean Hopper and coil, this but one of the radios that had jump started me into my great hobby of Ham Radio....... Jack .... Radio Station WB9OTX
