The above is a pictorial diagram of the crystal radio to show the approximate physical placement of the
components.
Use a recycled board about 8” X 8” for mounting the components. Paper clips are used to make the antenna,
ground, and earphone connections to the radio. Paper clips are attached to the taps on the inductor for
connecting the antenna coupling capacitor (
C2
) made from an aluminum can and the diode (
D1
) to the inductor
(
L1
). The antenna coupling capacitor was needed because there is a 10KW station within 5 miles of the school.
Reducing the coupling to the radio and careful adjustment of the coil taps and the tuning capacitor (
C1
), also
made from an aluminum can, enables reception of several AM broadcast band stations in the Houston area. The
local station goes off the air at night and a student reported receiving stations up to 1000 miles away. His
antenna was a 100’ long wire wrapped around the yard high in trees. If a strong local station is not present, the
antenna coupling capacitor can be omitted.
