Can You Top This?
As a young child of maybe 7 years, I was allowed a special treat for good behaviour. I was permitted to listen to my cousin's homemade radio to a children's program on Friday evenings.
The radio was made from a 4" diameter salt box fronted by balsa wood or ? I can't remember now - on the front were rivets in a half circle for the dial with dial selectors that moved to the different rivets - the selector had a round knob. The radio was set up with one wire attached to the bed springs (leading to the salt box) and another wire attached to the salt box leading to the radiator (source of heat).
The station I listened to was in Vancouver B.C. and "the call" was a train whistle and the announcer giving the call letter of C.N.R.V. To hear the program, I used earphones, this would have been maybe 1926 or 27.
Another early memory was being at the family summer home at Roberts Creek (Sunshine Coast) on July 1st, 1927 and going to a neighbour's to listen to the ringing of the bells of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on his battered radio, celebrating Canada's 60th birthday. The radio speaker was a big black ear, same as the R.C.A. Victor labels of the phonograph records.
R.B. Bennett initiated the radio licence of $500 - few paid voluntarily. It was depression days in the early 30s. Collectors were hired to go door to door to collect the licence fees.
In the early 30s, we had a new radio with short wave. I was fiddling with it one rainy day when I heard part of a speech by Hitler. There was someone translating in English. I don't remember any of what was said, but I do remember how Hitler's voice changed as he got into his speech and how "wild", "shrill", "furious" and out of control he sounded. He really did sound like "madman".
The 30s and 40s were radio heydays. The Happy Gang was never missed. You could almost tell time by what was on the radio.
There was one Sunday morning Atlantic calling program that came on with the sound of waves hitting the shoreline and the sound of seabirds. Sure missed the program when it left the airwaves.
It was a different time and I think life was good, not frantic like today.
Helen Kuhn
British Columbia