Ever make a crystal radio and actually get it to work?

Question

When I was in the Cub Scouts, we tried, but never reallly got any reception.

I'm sufficiently curious about this that I would be willing to buy a crystal radio kit today (well into middle age) and try to make it work.

Answer 1

yes i did, 55-60 years ago.

sometimes, reception is better at night.

it'll also work better if you're high up.

however, sometimes you get luckier than other times.

crystal tuning is rather random, so there may not be any stations close to you that are broadcasting on the frequency that the crystal accepts.

Answer 2

I made many before. There are ways to increase he selectivity which a decent will have.  A good (large) antenna and ground help a lot

Answer 3

You can only hear very strong AM stations.

Also, selectivity is very difficult to obtain. You only manage to hear the strongest signal.  

Answer 4

There are many people who are avid hobbyists regarding crystal radio sets and some folks go to great lengths to refine their set's performance!

Check these folks out!

http://www.imagenisp.ca/jsm/Crystal.html

As well, if you substitute a single active device (vacuum tube or FET) instead of a crystal and add a feedback coil, you can construct yourself a beautiful regenerative set that WILL perform very well!