"New" Doerle Set At W1UJR - File Under Odd and Unusual

[W1UJR]

No, not the lace things that go under glass vases, they are doilies,:-) rather this is a very early regen receiver designed by radio fan Walter C. Doerle of Oakland, CA, the Doerle sets were a popular regenerative receiver design of the 1930s.

In December 1931 the magazine Short Wave Craft carried Doerle's first article about a simple two-tube regen receiver, the set, being inexpensive to build and get working caught on like wildfire. Doerle wrote one or two other articles and quickly faded from the scene. His design was not lost however, and was quickly picked up and popularized by the radio stores on New York City's "Radio Row". Bill Orr, in April 1979 magazine article, states that ""Doerle clubs" sprang up around the country and "Doerle circuits" were sold as kits and as complete radios."

Most hams have not heard for the Doerle sets or Doerle circuits as the designs were carried largely by radio magazines catering to the general radio "bug" rather than to the hams.

If you have any information to share, I would be delighted hearing from you!

Info at:

Bruce's Bench -->> http://www.w1ujr.net/bruce's_bench_2010.htm

Doerle set page -->> http://www.w1ujr.net/doerle_sets.htm






Nancy and the Doerle

[KA0HCP]

"The signal gripper"!

A manly radio for manly radioMEN!

Great article and photos, thanks!  Bill

[W1UJR]

Yes, I should have been proper and accurately identified it as such, for it is known formally the "Doerle Electrified Signal Gripper".
Thanks for catching that one Bill!


Hi Rodger, nice to hear from you! I can't claim the restore, but this one is not my handiwork, but rather than of John Kelly N3GVF SK.

As for the economy, right on point, back in the 1930s, money was tight and you had to roll your own, not too many Icom, Kenwood or Yaesu dealers about. Interestingly enough, this was a kit, offered by Gernback's "Radio Trading Company", Gernback of "Radio News" fame, whose booklet image follows.



Here is a link to the Gernback book in PDF -->> http://www.w1ujr.net/PDF%20Files/Doerle_Book.pdf

Bill Orr also shared about the Doerle sets -->> http://www.w1ujr.net/PDF%20Files/Orr%20Doerle%20article.pdf


-Bruce

[WQ9E]

Beautiful work Bruce and a timely article since the original set was motivated by economic conditions.   Thanks for sharing!

[WU2D]

Bruce - that thing is nice and I am sure that it does grip a few signals!

I am not going to be able to swing Rochester this year unless it is a last minute thing like last year!

Speaking of two tubes, I just rolled a regen over the past week. It is an update of a receiver from an article from 73 mag Dec 1966 called "The Novice Pair".  It is a two transistor bipolar job with a Hartley detector. Kind of an odd duck. Anyway I built it up and tamed it. I call it the Bipolar Two.

I have been listening to some New England stations on it this afternoon. Like the Doerle, it is a detector and one audio stage. Tunes from CHU at 3.3 MHz to 4.1 MHz. It is so stable that I was listening to the ESS slow net on CW while the unit was on its side and I was filing one of the rubber feet and it never moved frequency!.

Mike WU2D

[W1UJR]

Hi Mike, I can't attend Rochester this year myself, just far too busy at work.
I too have debated making the late night drive/dash, but the 20+ hour round trip thing is getting old...and my backlog in the radio workshop is building up..eats up my spare time. That and the YL and I have been loving exploring all the back roads in Maine in a new-to-us convertible.

Neat project, like the "bipolar" tag, you always were a good builder.
Sounds surprisingly stable for a regen, some of my regen sets change freq if you just blow on them!
73 used to have some good articles, and I was almost always entertained by "Uncle Wayne's" postings.
Miss that publication.

I've still got your award winning set from last year's AWA meet stashed in the barn.
I'll have to get it back to you during one of our trips to NH, or if you venture up here.
Or I can always trade you for some other goodies! :-)

Believe it or not, have not yet fired up the Signal Gripper, plan to do so this evening.
Was content to unpack it, check it over, read up on it..delayed gratification.

-Bruce

[Opcom]

Sir I am truly impressed with that. The OM did a good job for sure (if I read right). That is as beautiful a receiver as any I have seen.

I've messed with exactly one regen. It was a compactron design with an aluminum chassis having a thick steel bottom cover and rubber feet, pretty stable, with a 4" remote speaker on rubber feet to reduce vibration feedback, and two tuning controls, one the usual variable capacitor and the other a variable inductor. Very addictive. It was a real pleasure. The antenna was just a 50FT wire between the house and garage, but it really pulled 'em in. Pulled in Europe.

One of these days..

[KA0HCP]

Mike,
Lovely little rig!

-I see the Coupling knob on the panel, but don't see it on the schematic?

Bill

[Opcom]

If this is the 3-tube Signal Gripper, I think it is in the one on page 18 of the book pdf, but that one seems to call for 3 of the same condensers, and the ones in the unit's new color pictures seem like the two outside ones are larger than the center one.