The "Other" Radio
Thus far, in discussing what might be called "radio for the masses," this article has ignored radio enthusiasts and amateur radio operators, people whose story arc was quite different. In some ways, these people were the forerunners of 1990s computer nerds. They were unafraid to build or modify assemblies of parts. They wanted to converse and bond, not just listen. They wanted to understand how things worked, and to try out new ideas. And they were happy to communicate by using a code.
I don't know how many enthusiasts there were, but I'm certain that a newspaper like the Long-Islander carried its regular RADIO column primarily because of them. Looking at it now reminds me of the columns you'd later see in the early PC magazines; I'm almost tempted to go out, buy some wire and vacuum tubes, and get to work.
Excerpt of a RADIO column which discusses exploiting
Lee de Forest's invention of the vacuum tube triode;
the tube shown in this article's opening graphic is one
his "Audion" triodes from 1908
Huntington Long-Islander for July 7, 1922
Although the world of amateur radio operators was distinct from the world of those who wanted only to listen to commercial radio, as a group, these enthusiasts would play many important roles, as well as one truly essential one, in kick-starting commercial radio.
Because they learned from each other, they tended to network, and they maintained contacts with engineering-based organizations. They had ready access to a large pool of technical knowledge. If a given enthusiast did not know everything that professional radio engineers did, s/he still knew enough to be able to converse comfortably with them and learn. They also had a good awareness of which engineering companies were building, or experimenting with, which equipment at any given time. Furthermore, some of them had actually participated in experimental broadcasts of local events, and had gained invaluable experience in the process.
Any entrepreneur who was thinking about a project that involved radio would have done well to begin by talking with the amateurs.
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Thanks to enthusiasts, and even to people who were only on the fringes of "radio enthusiasm," there were many "crystal radios" scattered across the country.
A crystal radio is an inexpensive and fairly primitive radio receiver. At its core is a small crystal of germanium, an element which was unknown until the late 1880s. The crystal's electric properties (it is a natural semi-conductor) allow it to detect radio waves. The device incorporates earphones and a home-strung antenna, but it needs no source of electricity. The quality of the audio it produces depends on the quirks of the crystal being used. Generally, it is suitable only for listening with simple earphones. As it consumes no electricity, a crystal radio yields audio only at a low level of volume.
Student-made crystal radios have been featured in many entry-level science fair exhibits. In concept, it seems magical to simply combine a crystal, some wire, and not much else, and then snatch voices and music from the air. In continued practice, on the other hand, the magic may wear thin, as one yearns for better sound quality, and a more useful range of volume. But a crystal radio can be, and at times has been, good enough. If you wanted to do a one-time broadcast to a public who had never heard radio at all, letting them use cheap crystal radios to hear might be satisfactory.
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