Early radio, which was originally called “wireless”, can be traced back to the 19th century. Most radio historians credit an Italian inventor named Guglielmo Marconi with achieving the practical break through in wireless transmission in the late 1890’s.

 

Marconi introduced his wireless success to the U.S. in 1899, by installing his gear in U.S. Navy Ships. The U.S.S. New York, an armored cruiser, and transmitted the first wireless messages to a shore station at Highland Light, Navesink, New Jersey on November 2, 1899.

 

 
 

In 1906, Dr,. Lee DeForest, an American, invented the first amplifying vacuum tube, known as the “audion” tube. This invention proved pivotal for future radio development.

           The first public radio broadcast occurred on November 2, l920.  KDKA Pittsburgh broadcast the presidential election results that sent Warren G. Harding to the White House.

Ancestors to today’s state-of-the-art transistor/integrated circuit home radio might best be recognized by the type of detector a “wireless” used to receive signals from a distant transmitter. There was the crystal set, which used a natural crystalline lead ore detector called “galena”. Then there was the radio using the Fleming value, followed by the “regenerative” detector devised by American inventor Edwin Armstrong.  Improving detectors coupled to evolving amplifier tubes and tuning coils led to the tuned radio frequency (“TRF”) and neutrodyne receivers found mostly in radios manufactured in the mid to late 1920’s and early 1930’s.  In 1920, Edwin Armstrong invented his receiver, dubbed the “superheterodyne”, the footprint for future radio even to this day.  The first commercial “superhet” was produced by RCA in 1924 as Model AF0812, and later as the Radiola Super VIII.

In the early 1920’s, consumers could only power their radios by crystal or battery.  It was not until the mid 1920’s that electricity was used as the power supply for radios, from either direct (“DC”) or alternating (“AC”) current.  For instance, RCA’s first AC unit was the Radiola 17, manufactured in 1927.

In today’s common “olde tyme” radio collection, the curious might find an early Fleming value, a crystal radio, an early or rural battery set, a DC powered fame radio and a classic radios representing a TRF, neutrodyne and superheterodyne. And rather recently and growing in popularity, are more “modern” transistor radios which include those manufactured in the early 1950’s as well as ever growing “novelty” sets.