Bicycle Radios

[ParkRNDL]

At the extreme opposite end of the spectrum, I just ordered one of these:

I was on a group ride at the end of last summer where a guy had one of these tied to his bars. I was amazed at how good it sounded. And now I had to use a $40 gift card so hey why not.

 

[Dbubbleguy]

Here you go Felix. LINK: SPECIAL DELUXE ACCESSORY "SAXONY" BICYCLE RADIO PEDESTAL

Thanks for posting link. Is this an amazing radio or what?

 

[us56456712]

In the late 1950s I built a crystal set for my bike. I used a small aluminum coil shield box from a radio in the dump to build it in. I found a miniature slug tuned coil, with a tuning knob, for a crystal set in one of my electinic catalogues. I also ordered a germanium diode and a flesh colored ear piece. I used no capacitor. I put an alligator clip on the antenna connection and clipped that to my Hawthorn bike basket. I used no ground. I could tune the coil to two different stations. It was smaller than four packs of old style gum. I don’t know why it worked without a ground as my readings tell me that a ground is necessary. I want to make another one but I can’t find the right ferric core slug tuned coil.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

In the late 1950s I built a crystal set for my bike. I used a small aluminum coil shield box from a radio in the dump to build it in. I found a miniature slug tuned coil, with a tuning knob, for a crystal set in one of my electinic catalogues.

Of course you did. Awesome!

 

[us56456712]

Of course you did. Awesome!

I’m still looking for that coil but it looks like it is no longer made and I haven’t found a used one. You can buy ferric slugs and I’m thinking about winding my own. I don’t know the number of turns on the coil or the length of the slug Inside the coil tube. It would be easy to fix a nut to the end of the coil and use a bolt or small threaded rod attached to the slug to get the rod to move for tuning. With this design you don’t need a capacitor for tuning. In the eighth grade I had a 45 rpm turntable but no amp. I built a one transistor transmitter and put a table top tube radio next to the turntable/transmitter combo and could play my records through the radio. It was such a weak transmitter that it wouldn’t transmit outside my room so there was no interference with the kitchen radio.