Many years ago, in the primordial days of the internet, I posted a short article about crystal radios. In it I mentioned “foxhole radios”, which were very basic sets utilizing a razor blade and pencil lead for a detector. I didn't think much more about it until I was contacted by a few WWII veterans who built or saw sets like this. Their stories were so interesting that I was inspired to look for more. It turns out these little receivers were everywhere. I found more stories, and many more (very generous and patient) veterans to interview. Pretty soon I realized I may have the makings of an interesting book. The little radios would be the unifying theme, but the real story would be the stories of the veterans and their experiences. I started with a few simple questions:
1. Why were there so many similar radios all over Europe and the Pacific?
2. Why a razor blade?
3. What were they listening to?
It turns out these weren't such simple questions, and they have lead me through years of complex twists and turns. I even found a WWI scratch built radio in the process.
Here I will post bits and pieces from my travels, interesting foxhole radio related tidbits, and requests for things I am still looking for.
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