A New Use for Eldridge Johnson Monarch Records

[phonogfp]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Old-Col ... 487ef92279

By my count, 28 holes were drilled into this Monarch (not counting the spindle hole!)...

George P.

[De Soto Frank]

I "detect" butchery, albeit long, long ago....

[barnettrp21122]

Too bad, although the record was re-purposed in good faith back in the day of emerging radio-not made into a fluted candy dish last week.
Shellac would have made a good insulator!
Bob

[fran604g]

Wow, that's pretty interesting, George! Is it a variable condenser?

Fran

[phonogfp]

Vari - what...?

I'm barely hanging on in assuming it's a radio!

George P.

[gramophone78]

The record may skip now... .

[fran604g]

Well, after a little search, it appears to have been a variable tuning coil for a crystal radio setup. Pretty cool! An early ham radio enthusiast probably built it.

Fran

[fran604g]

There is a similar set here: http://www.radioblvd.com/20sRadio.html

And this is a pic from that site of the specific set:

bettatone.jpg (17.9 KiB) Viewed 2461 times

Fran

[De Soto Frank]

On in the top photo, at the center of the "panel" is a nickel-plated cup, that once held a chunk of Galena crystal. The little post & arm to the right had a pointed wire that was "dug-into" the face of the crystal. This "crystal detector" was the heart of early radio.

The two switches controlled the various "Taps" on the tuning coil on the underside.

To listen, one connected a set of high-impedance "telephone receiver" headphones across on set of binding-posts, the other pair of binding posts were probably connections for "Antenna" ( "Aerial" ) and "Ground", one each.


George, and other sharp-eyes, the Monarch record was not the only item that got re-purposed in this cause... if one looks closely at the picture of the under-side, the strip of wood that appears to be a bottom-stiffener for the two "wiper switches", was harvested from a wooden carpenter's rule... probably a box-rule, or perhaps a yard-stick.

AND, the form that the tuning-coil is wound on appears to be the classic Oatmeal-box.

I'm hoping that the Monarch record was either hoplessly cracked or had a big "bite" out of it ...

(Can anyone identify the title from the catalog number still visible, 3319 ? )

[phonogfp]

(Can anyone identify the title from the catalog number still visible, 3319 ? )

Larboard Watch. No great loss, but still an early Monarch...

George P.