Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics.
See articles from Radio-Craft,
published 1929 - 1953. All copyrights are hereby acknowledged.
Here are a four more
technology-related comics from
magazines of the days of yore, this time from a 1948 edition of Radio-Craft
magazine. Readers would submit ideas for funnies
and then artist Frank Beaven would draw the comics. The page 37 comic is an
example. Evidently E.R. Donohue, of Walla Walla, Washington, had issues with his
phonograph featuring a record changer mechanism. My interest in
rockets makes
me really appreciate the page 82 comic with the missile's flight being affected by the musical
"interference." In the early days of remote control, audio tones modulated onto
a carrier commanded tuning-fork-like (tuned) "reeds," which acted as channel
filters for separating and directing signals, in the airborne receiver section
to control surface actuators (see video below). I added the color to the original B&W drawings. It is rare to find a comic in a technical or hobby magazine these
days. I don't know why that is. Enjoy.
Electronics Themed Comics
"There, see? ... I put the records on and it throws them right
back at me!" (Page 37)
Vintage Radio Control System with Tuned Reed Receiver. Note audio tones.
"It's Elmer again, playing jive over
the control system! (Page 82)
"Have I been getting too many cigarette commercials?" (Page 52)
"Don't you have one with a better-looking announcer?" (Page 84)
Posted March 22, 2023 (updated from original post
on 4/7/2015)
These Technically-Themed Comics Appeared in Vintage Electronics Magazines. I
personally scanned and posted every one from copies I own (and even colorized some).
275 pages as of 5/13/2026.
RF Cafe began life in 1996 as "RF Tools"
in an AOL screen name web space totaling 2 MB. Its primary purpose was to provide
me with ready access to commonly needed formulas and reference material while performing
my work as an RF system and circuit design engineer. The World Wide Web (Internet)
was largely an unknown entity at the time and bandwidth was a scarce commodity.
Dial-up modems blazed along at 14.4 kbps while tying up your telephone line,
and a lady's voice announced "You've Got Mail" when a new message arrived...
