THE GREAT MULLARD MAGIC BLOG

Today, we like the chic and quirky and who in the radio amateur world has not heard of the Tuna Tin 2 transmitter.  Designed in the 1970s, the late Doug DeMaw, W1CER/W1FB, ARRL Technical Editor, was one of several Headquarters staff who published homebrew projects, many with a QRP twist. One of the most popular projects was a simple, two-transistor 40-meter transmitter that used a tuna can as the chassis.   A series of events, some quite amazing, have come together to keep the magic alive—the original Tuna Tin 2, built in the ARRL Lab, is still on the air and...

These were selling like hot cakes in 1951 and details of their build and performance featured in much of the Mullard official literature of the time. Here we see Arnold Polkinhorne doing something with a Philips valve voltmeter.  Just look at that fat bottle EL37 lurking on the chassis as well as a stash of more MHSVT in the background. The fun cotinues as here is Dorothy Prinkle nimbly constructing and lacing a wiring loom for a MHSVT - looks like she's using the silicon covered wire display from Phil Marrison's BVWS stall - haha!

I just love this advertisement from 1926 by Ediswan: - We tend to think of "oldies" not embracing technology as a relatively new phenomenon but here we have the proof that nearly 100 years ago, the situation was just the same.    It really puts me in mind of the time when myself and Mrs Mullard bought a new Samsung 3D telly - not because we wanted the 3D function but because we loved its aesthetics.    The problem was, we didn't know how to switch the 3D function off.  Our (at the time) 10 year old nephew Mikey huffed,...

I thought you might all like to so see this stirring advertisement from 1943, a time when our imperilled nation faced the threat of a jackboot on our neck from a certain corner of Europe. Just look at the headline message here  which is that stability and a sure constant from both leadership in the form of central government signified by the Houses of Parliament and also for our electrical instruments is essential. Many of you will have heard the old saying that "History repeats itself" which is a paraphrasing of the actual words of George Santayana, a Spanish philosopher, essayist, poet and...

Resuming our Mullard story in 1951, we see that Mullard is still vigorously pushing the MHSVT and that it is being received with praise by the radio & TV trade.  Here we see Chris Evan's grandad posing with his machine, in his letter to Mullard he went on to explain how he is clawing back his purchase capital outlay by charging customers "a bob" to have their valves tested - he thought about doing it for free but thought that customers wouldn't appreciate a service they didn't pay for(!) -that's the spirit!   And yes, the MHSVT really was at...