The Xtal Set Society

My son is in the Cub Scouts, and I thought it would be fun to build a crystal radio for credit toward one of his badges. (I think the whole Cub Scout badge thing has gotten way out of hand since I was in the scouts, but that’s a post for another day and another blog.)

At first I thought it would be easy to find plans on the internet for a crystal radio we could build from household materials and a couple of components from Radio Shack. As I was surfing around, however, I discovered a local group called The Xtal Set Society out of Lawrence, KS, that produces several crystal radio kits that are very reasonably priced.

While I’m sure I could have put something together myself, I decided to purchase the XS 500 Basic Crystal Radio set. I just received it today and am reviewing the instructions so my son and I can take a crack at it soon.

Electronics have always been an enigma for me, and I’m not sure why. I get the basics… Ohm’s law and all that. I completely understand how the various components function. But then there’s a point where actual circuits come into play, and there’s nothing “circuitous” about them. There are wires and grounds and pieces going every which way!

My hope is that by starting out with this nice little radio set, I can gain more familiarity, and my son can start to learn, too.