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| Vintage Amateur and Military Radio Amateur/military receivers and transmitters, morse, and any other related vintage comms equipment. |
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22nd Sep 2022, 7:49 pm
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#1 |
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Heptode
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
Posts: 528
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Wind-up Radio?
For years I have been interested to know if there really was a wartime wind-up radio as I saw one on an old film but didn't remember what film it was from.
The film was "The sea shall not have them" which was recently broadcast on Freeview. The radio appears in scenes in a liferaft. Fortunately the relevant scene appears in this video: https://youtu.be/lHUmkW1S6KI Was this a real radio? |
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22nd Sep 2022, 7:59 pm
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#2 |
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Octode
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire, UK.
Posts: 1,572
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Re: Wind-up Radio?
I am guessing the wind up distress transmitters?
I think called Gibson Girl Transmitter. Adrian |
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22nd Sep 2022, 7:59 pm
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#3 |
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Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 13,454
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Re: Wind-up Radio?
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22nd Sep 2022, 8:01 pm
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#4 |
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Pentode
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Camborne, Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 128
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Re: Wind-up Radio?
There weren't, as far as I know, any "wind up" lifeboat/liferaft transmitters, but they were usually hand cranked and in use until the 1970s. I sailed on several ships which had hand cranked Marcon Salvita lifeboat transmitters.
The transmitter in the film, with its top crank handle was probably a "Gibson girl". Rod |
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22nd Sep 2022, 8:03 pm
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#5 |
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Octode
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Rotherham, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,723
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Re: Wind-up Radio?
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22nd Sep 2022, 8:07 pm
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#6 |
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Heptode
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
Posts: 528
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Re: Wind-up Radio?
Thanks for the pointers everyone!
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22nd Sep 2022, 9:09 pm
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#7 |
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Heptode
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Southeast Norfolk, UK.
Posts: 773
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Re: Wind-up Radio?
A Gibson Girl transmitter is also shown in use in the film "Island in the Sky", made in 1953 and starring John Wayne. This is based on a true story of a C-47 downed in the wilds of Labrador.
I have a couple of the collapsible box kites that were part of the survival kit, along with a hydrogen generator and a balloon to elevate the aerial. Cheers Roger |
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22nd Sep 2022, 10:16 pm
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#8 |
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Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Lynton, N. Devon, UK.
Posts: 7,082
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Re: Wind-up Radio?
In the early days wind-up radios were a significant improvement on the coherer, in fact Marconi developed the magnetic detector with a moving iron band because the coherer was too unreliable. The Titanic's radio receiver used a wind-up clockwork motor (1912) and it's likely that these continued at least into the early years of the War - till valves were improved.
So yes, wind-up radios very much existed! |
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22nd Sep 2022, 10:46 pm
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#9 |
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Nonode
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 2,335
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Re: Wind-up Radio?
This put me in mind of this recent thread about a clockwork distress transmitter. There are also lots of interesting titbits if you search 'Gibson Girl' on the forum. Some members have some working!
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23rd Sep 2022, 3:35 am
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#10 |
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Heptode
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Olympia, Washington, USA.
Posts: 664
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Re: Wind-up Radio?
I have a Gibson Girl radio in my collection. I have not looked at it for over 30 years, as it is in storage; but IIRC, it had a code wheel in it to send an SOS.
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23rd Sep 2022, 6:42 am
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#11 |
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Heptode
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Southeast Norfolk, UK.
Posts: 773
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Re: Wind-up Radio?
The history of the Gibson Girl transmitter is here, including how the name arose!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surviv...he_Gibson_Girl Happy cranking! Roger |
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