This little 2-valve TRF set had most of its cabinet made from a 2-litre ice-cream container!
Back in 1989, when the Vintage Radio Club of North Eastern
Victoria Inc. was formed, one of its aims was to foster a cooperative spirit in
various areas of vintage radio – eg, education, restoration and the collection
of historical information on our radio/wireless heritage. In addition, as part
of the club’s activities, a competition has been conducted almost every year
with a different emphasis each time. These competitions have included: building
a 2-valve radio, restoring a wreck (and plotting your progress), building a
"Little Jim", building a "Little General", building a useful piece of test gear
and building a crystal set (Silicon Chip, October 1994), etc.
This competition is known as "The Hellier Award" in honour of
Les Hellier, one of our early radio broadcasting pioneers. Les Hellier
established the first country-based broadcasting station in Victoria (and
possibly in Australia), according to the club historian. That station was 3WR
Wangaratta, which later became 3SR Shepparton on 1260kHz. 3SR has
since closed down on the AM band but the transmitter is now operated by the
racing fraternity.
The last Hellier Award
Back in April 1998, I proposed that the award should be for the
construction of a small 2-valve (envelope) receiver – basically, a radio
somewhere between a "Little Jim" and a "Little General" in complexity and
performance. These sets appeared as constructional articles in "Radio &
Hobbies" over many years and were built by enthusiasts between the late 1930s
and the early 1960s.
