[Radio1950]

When I was about 14, I made up an "Xray" thing from a 150 watt lamp with large glass bulb and two auto ignition coils in series fed from an old radio transformer with 5 + 6.3 V AC heater windings in series, and using an interrupter made by altering some relay to operate as a buzzer.
The bulb of the light bulb was covered externally to 75 % or so with aluminum foil.

The idea came from an Australian Hobby Magazine from the 1950s, whose name I cannot remember.
It had all sorts of stuff, a lot of dreamy impractical things, but it did inspire a lot of us.
My favourite article was A Garden Soil Battery.

I don't know if my "Xray" produced anything, probably not.
I seem to recall lots of long blue and purple sparks.
My mate had a red elbow after some "exposure".
Possibly a coincidence.
I had just run out of Calcium Tungstate; it always happens at the wrong time!

In late 1950s, there was a store in Brisbane called TC Beirnes, and I remember having my shoes fitted with their Shoe Xray Machine.


I made up a spark transmitter using the same 2X ignition coil apparatus, and connected it somehow to a long wire antenna which I had for Short Wave reception.
There was a large coil from a junked Marconi 1154 involved somehow.
I remember one day listening to a VK3 guy from Victoria on 14 Mc/s calling CQ on AM.
I keyed up my transmitter and replied in morse with a dummy callsign.
He actually replied!
He told me that I had my fun, and now please "clear off".
That's about 850 miles.
I was so proud!
.