August ICYMI & September Picnic
ICYMI, at the August Monthly MARC meeting, Art WB9CHR brought an unusual item for Show and Tell. It’s his spark gap “Ol’ Sparky” Model A Ignition coil, manufactured in Pontiac, MI by the Pontiac Coil Company, circa 1923, as per the date inside the box. According to Art, they are known as a buzz box, a trembler and an ignition coil. Almost the same principal as a starter coil and distributor used in cars and trucks today. In addition to creating a spark, a side round disk would spark as well.
“This unit was obviously a display model as most that I see on e-bay are weathered and in poor condition. The capacitor seems to be in good order. I may “fire it up” soon, so if you hear a loud explosion, it may be coming from my shack. (I could use some new equipment anyway).
“Four of these were mounted beneath the dash board in a metal box and were ignited via a 6 vdc battery and a key switch. Earlier models (Model A & Model T) used a magneto with a crank that sent a charge into the coils and they would operate with some synchronous measure to fire each of the four cylinders. Tin Lizzies would sputter and kick and eventually go.
“Hams in the early 1900s would purchase these for about $1.00 from Sears and Roebuck and would use them as a spark gap transmitter. The spark would send a “dampened” wave (as opposed to a continuous wave) described as splatter and was harsh to the ears and was extremely broad band and would bleed over into several bands including our cellular service today. The sparks were several thousand volts and were dangerous and full of ozone. The FCC will probably pay you a visit if you try to be nostalgic.
“Other uses were as a tattoo pen driver. Quack Medicine used to cure schizophrenia and other bothersome brain issues. Might be used to spark your memory.”
For September, it’s the Annual MARC Picnic, Fox Hunt and monthly meeting with various equipment demos on September 21. The location is the same as last year at Northwest Park Annex on Fry Road in Greenwood. Go to Northwest Park Annex which is west of Northwest Park.
The address is Northwest Annex Park, 1600 Fry Road, Greenwood, IN 46142.
Plan to gather at 11:00 AM.
