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July 1946 Radio-Craft
 [Table of Contents]
Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics.
See articles from Radio-Craft,
published 1929 - 1953. All copyrights are hereby acknowledged.
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Both of these vintage electronics-themed
comics, which appeared in a 1946 issue of Radio-Craft magazine, have a
unique feature. The first is one of the very popular (then and now) "Radio Term
Illustrated" comics where a reader suggested a way to relate a common term or phrase
to a situation in the technical realm which can be similarly interpreted. In this
case the subject is a "dynamic speaker." It is a form of a
double entendre. The
other comic mocks the use of "handie-talkies" as a prop for abetting an unlawful
act. In this same issue is an article titled "Inside the Handie-Talkie"
that is sort of a reverse engineering exercise on what was a relatively new technology
from the recently ended World War II era. This cartoon was considered profound
enough to warrant an editorial remark by the magazine.
Electronics Themed Comics
Radio Term Illustrated - Dynamic Speaker
Suggested by: James Tannehill, Ft. Wayne, Ind. (Page 694)
A "Handie" Aid? To Burglary? (Page 710)
The old saw "Many a true word's spoken in jest was never better illustrated than
by the above cartoon. Hardly had the Peoria story been dropped from the last editions
of the newspapers than than the New York City police rounded up a gang of youths
accused of committing 75 robberies with the aid of handie-talkie radios. The 20-year-old
leader of the gang, it was said, was not satisfied to use only radio, but was working
on an infra-red device to give the gang "invisible light" for their burglaries.
Although he is a former Navy technician, there is no indication that the use of
radar was planned! The threat to public safety from the criminal use of highly mobile
and portable radio is so grave that New York's Police Commissioner believes "we
will have to have some kind of controls to keep such things out of the hands of
criminals." He pointed out that not only handie-talkies but short-wave automobile
radio apparatus similar to that used by police might also be a menace. Equipment
to link moving motor cars to the telephone network can also be dangerous. Another
truism verified by the alleged youthful "scientific criminals" was the old saw about
.crime not paying off. The average haul amounted to $200, to be divided among five
participants. Considering the time and technique required, honest labor might have
been more remunerative!
Posted November 9, 2021
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.
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