-=> Mike Ross said to Greg Mayman
 -=> about "*BIG* TRANSISTORS" on 01-29-04  10:45.....

 MR> Oh, yes, I remember reading about that. Either way even with a natural
 MR> crystal it was always hit or miss.

And the crystals tended to get "tired" after a while so you had
to find a new spot. Probably it was contaminated by migration of
metal atoms from the "cat's whisker" wire due to the currents
flowing.

I knew people who actually chipped the crystal with some metal
device (small hammer, screwdriver) to expose new surface when the
thing stopped working.
 
 GM> But where did they get their earphones??????

 MR> Thinking like McGwyver I'd say, a tin can lid, a nail, some
 MR> telephone wire, a magnet, some paper, glue, etc, play at A.G.Bell!
 MR> Maybe simply get a telephone receiver handset or a telephone outright
 MR> why not? BTW there were after all radios in the camps for the guards.

It takes an awful lot of _very_ fine wire to wind the coils for a
2000 ohm headphone.

In my experience, telephone receivers always were fairly low
impedance. All the ones I remember were about 50 ohms -- not a
suitable load for a crystal set.

Yes, there could have been some trade with the guards. Although
such action would be considered as highly treasonable if the
guards were caught! It certainly was NOT like "Hogan's Heroes".

Of course quite a lot of stuff was smuggled in by various means.

   ,-./\
  /     \ From Greg Mayman, in beautiful Adelaide, South Australia
  \_,-*_/    "Queen City of The South"    34:55 S  138:36 E
       v

... It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end.
___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30

--- FLAME v2.0/b