Ted, AJ8T, alerted me to this very interesting page.
"The CK722 holds a unique place in the history of the transistor.
Introduced by Raytheon in early 1953, the CK722 was the first low cost junction transistor available to the general public. It was an instant success.
Countless "build it yourself" articles were published in the
popular electronics press and electronics/hobbyist magazines describing how to use the CK722 to build all types of devices such as radios, oscillators, electronic voltmeters, photoelectric alarms and
hearing aids.
Eager to learn about the exciting new transistor technology, the public responded enthusiastically to the CK722 - hundreds of thousands of these transistors were bought by experimenters, radio hams, engineers and others interested in this technology over the next few years. In addition, there is a sentimental aspect to this device.
Many of the talented and dedicated professionals and amateurs who have been responsible for the tremendous rise of the electronics industry over the past four decades can still remember the time when, as a young hobbyist, they were able to scrape together enough money (maybe through saving allowance or cutting the neighbor's grass) to buy that first CK722 - can you still recall the
smell of solder and the absolute delight of hearing a
local radio station coming through "loud and clear" on the newly constructed one
transistor radio powered by, of course, a gleaming, bright blue CK722?
This webpage and book have been constructed to help preserve the special legacy of the Raytheon CK722."
Check it out:
http://www.ck722museum.com/
Ron Sparks, AG5RS, sent us this very cool picture. My kids take great delight in shooting those tiny red laser pointers out the window, and as described in SolderSmoke we actually built a simple laser communications system. But so far we haven't achieved the kind of "beam shooting into the sky" effect pictured here.
Ted, AJ8T, alerted me to this very interesting page.
Payload Master Mike WA5TWT and the main payload for BLT-24 
I briefly thought about a title for this blog entry that would declare Philo T. Farnsworth to be a Knack victim, but in his case that just seemed a bit flip. Read Chapter One of Paul Schatzkin's excellent book and I think you'll see what I mean. What an impressive guy.
Sure, some of your guys have solar panels and wind-powered generators, but how many of you have NUCLEAR FUSION goin' on in the shack? These guys do. They DEFINITELY have The Knack. Be sure to watch the video in which the guy admits that he has an agreement with his wife to replace the house if he actually blows it up!
This image (by Michael Weasner) is very similar to what we see when we look at Jupiter through our six inch reflector telescope. Billy and I were up on the roof last night, looking at Jupiter and the moons. Sky and Telescope magazine publishes a nice chart showing how the moons will be configured each evening. Arnie Coro, CO2KK, in the most recent edition of Radio Havana Cuba's "DXers Unlimited" program mentions how easy it is to receive radio signals from Jupiter. I haven't tried that yet, but as a Knack victim, I feel the urge to do so.
These guys definitely have The Knack. Check out Jeff, K7JPD's Carl and Jerry web site:
Harry Mills, K4HU, passed away recently. Harry was 100 years old and was active on the ham bands right up until the end. National Public Radio featured Harry and his ham station in an "All Things Considered" segment about early radio. It came out in 2001. I don't know how I missed this one -- it is really great. Have a listen: NPR program on KDKA, K4HU
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