Tim Sullivan
06-28-2012, 10:47 PM
For anyone interested in learning about radio--from wave theory to circuit design--I recommend getting your hands on Elements of Radio (1943, Marcus, Abraham; Marcus, William; Horton, Ralph E.; Prentice-Hall, Inc., NY). My copy is from 1943, but I think it stayed in print through the mid 1950s. This is a textbook designed as a one-year course and was used in high schools, trade schools and in the military to train radio technicians and operators. Written in clear, concise, non-engineering language, with an explicit and intentional lack of mathematical formulae, the book is suited for beginners, but even experienced radio guys can have fun with it.
Another good one is Elements of Radio Servicing (1947, Marcus, William; Levy, Alex; McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., NY). My copy (of the Second Edition) is from 1955, but this one stayed in print through the end of that decade. As the title implies, this volume is more about actual radio servicing techniques and principles, but there is still lots of good general information sprinkled throughout.
Naturally, both of these deal specifically with hollow-state (tube) radios, but the theory is the same even with modern sets. Both now out-of-print, you can still find copies on eBay or at online dealers such as Alibris.com
Even if you never plan to fix up an old radio, these old books are interesting, if for no other reason than they show clearly how much better prepared students were "back in the day." As one who has taught at the university level, I can tell you that most of my students would have struggled with this material, but high schoolers in the '40s and '50s were getting it.
Another good one is Elements of Radio Servicing (1947, Marcus, William; Levy, Alex; McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., NY). My copy (of the Second Edition) is from 1955, but this one stayed in print through the end of that decade. As the title implies, this volume is more about actual radio servicing techniques and principles, but there is still lots of good general information sprinkled throughout.
Naturally, both of these deal specifically with hollow-state (tube) radios, but the theory is the same even with modern sets. Both now out-of-print, you can still find copies on eBay or at online dealers such as Alibris.com
Even if you never plan to fix up an old radio, these old books are interesting, if for no other reason than they show clearly how much better prepared students were "back in the day." As one who has taught at the university level, I can tell you that most of my students would have struggled with this material, but high schoolers in the '40s and '50s were getting it.