| General > General Technical Chat |
| Identify 1929 photo with radio |
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| soldar:
--- Quote from: BrianHG on March 13, 2024, 11:02:19 pm ---I clicked on the photo to see the hi-res version. It is not AI generated... All his fingers are there... Also, the text on the 'BRIGHT STAR Radio Battery' logo is correct. AI would have screwed this up as the battery is not in the foreground. Same for the 'Philco' battery. --- End quote --- I do not think the comments saying the photo was AI generated were meant seriously. At least I hope not. The fingers are just placed around a round knob and all can be seen in the reflection on the panel. There is absolutely nothing strange there. It is a glass negative from the Harris & Ewing collection from the Library of Congress. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris_%26_Ewing I hope nobody is seriously arguing that the photo is a fake because that would be deep into conspiracy territory. It is probably a posed photo on the roof of a building for better lighting and space. They took all the gear outside and positioned it for best showing. Maybe a Stock Electronic Image FAIL? |
| Wallace Gasiewicz:
Maybe it is not RF but a Power Supply for some sort of signage? Possibly those steel supports hold up a sign of some nature? |
| nfmax:
Possibly an acoustic system for detecting aircraft? The large structure might be a 'sound mirror' although these were generally made of concrete |
| soldar:
Definitely radio gear with tube valves visible, inductance coils, etc. Because it was done by a professional photographer who specialized in portraits I am arriving at the conclusion that it was posed and the radio gear was not really in use when the photo was taken. The photo was taken to show the man and his gear. Very possible the gear was actually used in a small room with little light where the conditions for a photo were not good and the photographer suggested setting it up outdoors, on the roof but out of the direct sunlight, so they chose the shade of a big sigh or structure. Also, the pose is such that it can be kept still for enough time to get a sharp picture. One hand resting on the knee and the other on the knob. The subject is not looking directly at the knob he is handling but more to his left so his face can be better seen by the camera. On the other hand, the decking is wood so it does not look like it would exposed to the elements... unless it were the deck of a ship. But the walls are brick and concrete so not a ship. I am not sure if in the background there are letters of a sign. |
| floobydust:
I think WHERE was the pic taken would give more clues. It's really weird. I see a large concrete post with some oddball steel structure and wood panels, some with lights (wiring?) in them. Like a sign, he is behind. There is a pic (left) opening that looks like a huge outdoor flats, like this is at a ball park or football field? It's all on hardwood flooring. Oh, there's a BOMB on far right. Yeah, I leave those outside all the time. I think it's gotta be at a military facility. Mains power cord on the left, and the right has a simple antenna wire strung low. edit: all the knife switches are open, this thing is largely turned off. Added bomb pic. By 1936, there were 22.5M radios in American households. It was an absolutely huge technology boom, radio. Every month- new tech in tubes, components etc. Wow. One tube was $8 or $180 in today's dollars. |
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