Bhavin's Homemade Foxhole Radio

[ffgamerboy9]

so cool

[mdesm2005]

I don't think that moving the needle will pickup a different station. All that does it make contact to crystal on the blade to act as a diode. To pickup different stations, you need to connect to different places on the coil. That will vary the inductance form the coil. It's the amount of inductance from the coil that determines to what frequency the system will resonate. The diode clips the negative portion of the signals to which the coil resonates.

[bhavinparmar90013]

@mdesm2005 You are correct. I made a mistake in the video. You can see me correcting the mistake on the annotation at 2:23. I actually modified this radio to make it tunable a few weeks after recording this video. But that was over 3 years ago. I don't remember the details, but I know that I had an 'arm' over the coil that could move left and right, which did vary the inductance as you said. (The cat whisker is just a way to fine tune the radio.) My apologies for this mistake.

[MediaHoax]

Did it take a long time to make the coil?

[bhavinparmar90013]

@MediaHoax It didn't take too long. It just takes patience, diligence, and an hour or two. You rather take your time and do it right the first time; don't try to rush it. I also had more 'turns' around the coil than some of the tutorials online stated. I can't exactly remember the amount of turns I had, but I think it was around 200-250.(Tutorials online say to do around 120) This increase in the amount of turns could have been the reason to why mine worked well.

[FSstudios1]

why such a long antenna? im a ham radio operator so i know what im talking about. but you could have a foot of wire and get good reception. also you need to be a little more specific when explaining your invention. good luck! and keed creative!

[brokenarrow2222]

when i was 8 years old in 1958, we had a science fair. one of my classmates made one with his father's help. He used batteries for his power and an ear piece from a transitter radio for his audio receiver. Bring memories back.

[TheChinese01]

So if my house is not enough radio wave , where is the best place to test my radio?

[bhavinparmar90013]

@TheChinese01 Maybe try different places in your house and maybe try outside and put your antenna in different shapes. ie. put it vertically up like up the side of your house or something of that sort. Try a longer antennae or just troubleshoot. I can't really help you sorry.

[TheChinese01]

Why my radio didn't work?? HELP me".......will it affected by this factor .?there is not enough radio wave near my house area?

[bhavinparmar90013]

@TheChineseRegarding your previous comment, it could be your razor blade.Make sure you have "blued it" and maybe try another type of blade.Your antenna might be too short, your wires may not be connected properly, etc.Troubleshoot, because there are many possibilities for it failing to work.My radio didn't work at the very beginning, but then I re-wired everything and it was perfect.It could be that you have bad reception on your area, but double check that everything else is connected properly

[TheChinese01]

What can i use instead using razor blade?can i use cutter blade?

[bhavinparmar90013]

@TheChinese01 To be honest, I don't know the exact answer. Blades from different knives are made of various materials like stainless steel, platinium, etc. Just try it out and see if it works. Make sure that you "blue" your blade, which means that you expose it to an open gas flame like a gas stove or propane tank until the blade changes color to a slight blue. You can Google how to blue blades for foxholes if you want more information. ( My blade didn't work until I blued it on a gas stove)

[eyepatch75]

the antenna doesn't need to be so long, if you make it more rigid and stand it up.

[bhavinparmar90013]

@eyepatch75 True, but then again, I couldn't even pick up a signal at all when I took it to my school, which ever way i positioned it, straight up the wall, along the ground,outside,etc. At home, though, i got a perfect signal, probably because there weren't any tall buildings in the way. (Cell phone reception was also bad at my old school)

[WELLGURU]

I recall back I'n Nam when we had to

Spend months I'n the same fox hole with a fox hole radio real cat whisker too ! It was ether Sam the pet or listening to Friday night jitter bug and Sam that was just like teriaki chicken ! Thin dam wiskers though could only get AM with his scrubby butt ! Thats a real fox hole radio kid. Yurs I's ok but it's not got a real cat wiska!

[left4myself]

wow that was long ... thats what she said

[megapichu123]

@left4myself LOL

[bummiesstudios2]

wow.. kids are smart these days :S

[bhavinparmar90013]

@bummiesstudios2 Thanks

[bummiesstudios2]

@bhavinparmar90013 NP :) 'ive tryed to make my own but it didn't work so well... lol

[eyepatch75]

@bummiesstudios2

[Neuman357]

Michael savage on a foxhole radio!? I cant even get him in my car!

[bngnaranjo]

what type of razor blade did you use platinum or stainless?

[bhavinparmar90013]

@bngnaranjo Well, its been over couple years since I have made it, so i kinda forgot, but I believe it can be any blade as long it has been "blued", which means you put it above an open flame such as one from a gas stove or propane tank until it turns somewhat blue or changes its color. But just to be on the safe side, go with stainless steel. Your regular utility knife should work just fine.

[bngnaranjo]

@bhavinparmar90013 thank you very much...

[spitzification14]

that looks like a cool thing where did u get da wire ( i have some 22 gauge wire insulate can i melt the plastic on it and use it

[bhavinparmar90013]

@spitzification14 Yes 22 gauge will work just fine

[spitzification14]

@bhavinparmar90013 thanks 

[bhavinparmar90013]

@spitzification14 np man

[radionut63]

Please do me a favor and do not use the powers trip as your ground, use a cold water pipe in your home or drive a ground in the ground outside and connect to it, you may get a FATAL electrical shock useing the power strip.

[tippo747]

so we are putting uncovered wire into the wall socket....sound like a good idear

[gomerpilot]

A loose wire connected to a wall outlet? Why not just stick a fork in a light socket? prolly get the same results.

[bhavinparmar90013]

@gomerpilot Well, my way worked just fine for me, but go ahead and experiment a little :)

[thedarkone2134]

@gomerpilot

Do you have any clue how his setup works? The ground is simply hocked up to the wall plug, you can't get electrocuted from the ground.

While I agree he didn't do the ground the way it should have been done, when Implemented better, this way to ground works very well.

[macinthosh13579]

are that FM or AM Radio??

[bhavinparmar90013]

It's AM. I forgot what station it was though.

[macinthosh13579]

thanks

[bhavinparmar90013]

I don't quite understand your question. I called this foxhole radio homemade because I made a replica of a real foxhole radio used by GI's in WWII at HOME. This was a replica made at home, so it is homemade.

[woody558]

If you put the ground wire in the plug, it has a good connection to ground.

BE CAREFUL

[pspheaven]

U must scare your parents with the ground wire :)

But good job man, glad to see people ur age interested in such things

[tikifish28]

FBI is comming

[bhavinparmar90013]

Thanks! After making and uploading this video, I read on a web site about a foxhole radio and its cat whisker. And yes, the part in this video that the cat whisker tunes it is wrong. In addition, I read how to make a tunable foxhole radio by making a tuning rod.

[lilbeezy4utoo]

hey thats a bomb I calling the FBI!

[Daliwolf]

Awesome radio! I just built a foxhole radio today, and I am amazed at how well it works! I am trying to figure out how to attach a tuning rod to it to change channels.

[ranfeamon]

good, song, rammstein rules!...ohh and just a question, how you connect the speakers to the sistem...

[eimac4x1]

You need to give more detail about the ground wire. Your going to have people electrocuting themselves if they dont know where to put that wire.

[bhavinparmar90013]

This video is not intended to be a video that shows instructions on how to make it. It is just a video showing the radio I made. In addition, the "ground wire" connects to the ground, which is the third prong in a wall socket. The third prong does not have any power, it just goes to the ground. That is why it is called the "ground wire".

[donovanfonseca]

cool do I made foxhole radio in my room

[im4umyfriend]

which amplifier did u used?

[im4umyfriend]

hii can u give me ur email id i also want to make the same.....

how did u connect this to amplifier.......

and from where did u got that razor........ these razor r not available in india

[zoltan656]

I do not believe you.I will call FBI!!!

[donovanfonseca]

One of the best foxhole radio videos i've seen on youtube ;)

[bhavinparmar90013]

THANK YOU!!!