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Construction of Radio Equipment in a Japanese POW Camp

31 points by bd 18y ago

sfphotoarts 18y ago
Very interesting read. For me it really shows how the needs met by today's services like Twitter really go deep to the human psyche. The need to connect on many levels with others in our social/political worlds is a fundamental aspect of humanity. These days the modern equivalent would be throwing together an ajax handler in Erlang for an iPhone app that the fellow soldiers could all check using the work camp wifi :)
- asciilifeform 18y ago
  > These days the modern equivalent would be throwing together an ajax handler... No, the truly modern equivalent would be rolling over and dying.
blackguardx 18y ago
This guy is British, so valve = vacuum tube. I'm surprised that they were able to get all these supplies in a prison camp. Other POWs have made simpler radios from less materials. The classic foxhole radio is completely passive and the only exotic item required is a piezoelectric speaker for listening. They are rare now, but were common in the past.
- asciilifeform 18y ago
  > Other POWs have made simpler radios They weren't trying to pick up shortwave.
  - blackguardx 18y ago
    That is true. I wasn't criticizing their choice of radio architecture. I was trying to point out that you don't have to such extreme lengths to make a working radio.
    - asciilifeform 18y ago
      They were trying to pick up the BBC - a shortwave broadcast. Please suggest how they could have done so more simply.
      - blackguardx 18y ago
        I was trying encourage the hacker news reader and aspiring radio enthusiast by pointing out that radios don't all have to be complicated. It can be very discouraging to a budding interest if you read an article describing how somebody built some incredibly complex thing from the ground up. After reading that article, I am sure no one wanted to go out and insulate their own wires. The foxhole radio on the other hand, is simple. Reading about it can be very encouraging because it is easier to understand and can be built from a few items. Granted, the foxhole radio might not be able to pick up the BBC in the South Pacific, but it is probably good enough to pick up the highest power sports or gospel station in your area.
keenerd 18y ago
As a kid, reproducing stuff like this got me into EE. That said, making your own insulation sucks bigtime. The other popular technique involved long thin bands of silk, probably not a luxary they had. If you want to try something on a smaller scale, this can be constructed in an hour or two: http://bizarrelabs.com/foxhole.htm http://bizarrelabs.com/foxhole.htm POW radio, but made for AM. Much simpler than shortwave.

31 points by bd 18y ago

Very interesting read. For me it really shows how the needs met by today's services like Twitter really go deep to the human psyche. The need to connect on many levels with others in our social/political worlds is a fundamental aspect of humanity. These days the modern equivalent would be throwing together an ajax handler in Erlang for an iPhone app that the fellow soldiers could all check using the work camp wifi :)

asciilifeform 18y ago
> These days the modern equivalent would be throwing together an ajax handler... No, the truly modern equivalent would be rolling over and dying.

blackguardx 18y ago

This guy is British, so valve = vacuum tube. I'm surprised that they were able to get all these supplies in a prison camp. Other POWs have made simpler radios from less materials. The classic foxhole radio is completely passive and the only exotic item required is a piezoelectric speaker for listening. They are rare now, but were common in the past.

asciilifeform 18y ago
> Other POWs have made simpler radios They weren't trying to pick up shortwave.
- blackguardx 18y ago
  That is true. I wasn't criticizing their choice of radio architecture. I was trying to point out that you don't have to such extreme lengths to make a working radio.
  - asciilifeform 18y ago
    They were trying to pick up the BBC - a shortwave broadcast. Please suggest how they could have done so more simply.
    - blackguardx 18y ago
      I was trying encourage the hacker news reader and aspiring radio enthusiast by pointing out that radios don't all have to be complicated. It can be very discouraging to a budding interest if you read an article describing how somebody built some incredibly complex thing from the ground up. After reading that article, I am sure no one wanted to go out and insulate their own wires. The foxhole radio on the other hand, is simple. Reading about it can be very encouraging because it is easier to understand and can be built from a few items. Granted, the foxhole radio might not be able to pick up the BBC in the South Pacific, but it is probably good enough to pick up the highest power sports or gospel station in your area.

keenerd 18y ago

As a kid, reproducing stuff like this got me into EE. That said, making your own insulation sucks bigtime. The other popular technique involved long thin bands of silk, probably not a luxary they had. If you want to try something on a smaller scale, this can be constructed in an hour or two: http://bizarrelabs.com/foxhole.htm http://bizarrelabs.com/foxhole.htm POW radio, but made for AM. Much simpler than shortwave.