Over the years the CVRS Alberta Chapter has benefited from the expertise of members with literally centuries of combined experience in Radio, Communications, Power, Refinishing, Scientific research, Engineering, Electronics - you name it. There’s probably been someone who knows about a particular field and was willing to share their knowledge and experiences.
The Alberta Chapter has an extensive video library of presentations from its monthly meetings and selected videos from this library are now freely available! These are excellent presentations covering all aspects of our hobby, from historical talks on the history of radio, to the construction of plastic boxes for construction projects. The first videos are available for viewing on our YouTube Channel now, and more will continue to be added.
You can access the CVRS YouTube Channel at
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKtFR79hlEtH00hcnIA6ttw
While you’re there, become a Subscriber and look for new videos – we’ll keep you informed as they’re posted!
The Fessenden Connection with Bob Fessenden
We are proud of the monumental achievements of world class radio pioneer, Reginald Fessenden, who at the turn of the twentieth century, many believe was the first in the world to invent AM radio and provide the first voice and music broadcast to a startled group of radio listeners who never thought that such a feat was possible.
This video is a celebration of that outstanding contribution and a wonderful opportunity to hear more about the Fessenden family and their thoughts about Reginald’s place in history as Bob Fessenden http://www.scienceadvice.ca/en/assessments/completed/science-tech/expert-panel/fessenden.aspx
provides us with some of the interesting background to the story that made radio history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yia90x1ie18&feature=youtu.be
A Newbie’s Experience with Portable Tube Radios
A techie retires and finds time to return to the radio hobby he left 40 years earlier. He relates his experience restoring a pile of portable tube radios that had followed him home from local radio club events. Details apply mostly to Zenith Trans Oceanic’s, their batteries and their clones.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxy5TPNbS3E
The All-American Five
Don Killips takes us through a 3-part series on All American Five Radios: how they work, how they evolved, and some unusual quirks he has uncovered from his experience servicing them over his long career.
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxy5TPNbS3E
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AebFRI6bfHs
Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zsjkZjSJsg
Vacuum Tube TVs – How They Work
Before flatscreens, before digital, even before transistors, the early TVs used vacuum tubes in circuits reminiscent of AM radios of the day. Our own Don Killips was a pioneer in servicing these vacuum tube sets and leads us through a detailed description of how they work, what test equipment is needed to service them, and his experiences operating a sales and service business.
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm4v3FuDk-0&t=2s
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvMXz1019zE
1MW Steam-Powered Radio Station
Built in the early 1920’s the Rugby Radio station in England was the largest radio transmitting station in the world. Designed as a very low frequency (VLF) transmitter, the station was designated GBR and used originally to transmit messages across the Commonwealth and later to submerged submarines during the cold war. Our own Don Cheeseman worked there during his career and gives us an insider look at it’s history and it’s operation.
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lEwvrBqLDs
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdzMcj5ZBjI
Who Invented Radio?
Who invented radio? Was it David Edward Hugues in 1879? Amos Dolbear? (who?) Nathan Stubblefield? J. C. Bose? Alexander Popov? Our own Murray Dickerson, as well prepared with in-depth research as ever, leads us through a controversial look at the names, the exploits, and the achievements of the electrical pioneers during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His conclusion? It’s all in the videos - check them out!
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nk6HDW0qYz8&t=8s
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xMxQG7F6FU
Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWwcjBuiPhI&t=12s
Capacitor Testing and the ESR Meter
When is a capacitor not a capacitor? What is Equivalent Series Resistance anyway, and when is it important? How do we measure it? Gerry Shand of the Canadian Vintage Radio Society leads us through a look at capacitors, the myths and realities of their operation, and gives us practical examples of testing and using capacitors from his real-world experience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx3AwvWdIUs
Making Plastic Boxes
How often have you thought how much better your project would look in a custom plastic cabinet, or wanted a custom plastic box for parts? Gerry Shand of the Canadian Vintage Radio Society shows us it’s easy using common woodworking tools and leads us through an example of how he made a plastic enclosure for one of his battery projects.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ogl8z7MG9YM&feature=youtu.be
We have the full list of titles available as follows. Please email our Alberta Representative to order.
We have the following titles available:
| Presentation Date | Sequence | Title | Presenter |
| 2005-03-13 | 2005-1 | History of Radio | Don Killips |
| 2005-04-10 | 2005-2 | Electronics | Murray Dickerson |
| 2005-05-15 | 2005-3 | Wood Cabinets | Charlie Calarco |
| 2006-09-18 | 2005-4 | Who invented radio | Murray Dickerson |
| 2005-10-23 | 2005-5 | All American 5 | Don Killips |
| 2006-01-22 | 2005-6 | Plastic Radio Repair | Dennis Vriend |
| 2005-12-11 | 2005-7 | Golden Age of Radio | Mike Robichaud and Murray Dickerson |
| 2006-01-22 | 2006-1 | Transformers | Don Killips |
| 2006-01-22 | 2006-1 | Battery Radio Power Supply | Jim Wightmore |
| 2006-04-16 | 2006-3 | Vacuum Tubes | Murray Dickerson |
| 2006-05-28 | 2006-4 | Primitive Radio | Morley Edwards |
| 2006-09-17 | 2006-5 | The Theremin: History and Restoration | John Williamson & Don Killips |
| 2006-10-22 | 2006-6 | A Complete 1937 Rogers Majestic Restoration | Bill Elmer and Jim Wightmore |
| 2006-11-19 | 2006-7 | Quack Machines 1 | Murray Dickerson |
| 2006-12-17 | 2006-8 | The Fine Art of Radio Alignment | Don Killips |
| 2007-01-21 | 2007-1 | Northern Communications | Frank Kiss |
| 2007-02-25 | 2007-2 | Quack Machines 2 | Murray Dickerson |
| 2007-03-18 | 2007-3 | Practical Electronics Formulas for Radio/Audio Work | David Thompson |
| 2007-04-22 | 2007-4 | Radio Fields and Energies that affect the Human Body | Don Cheeseman |
| 2007-05-27 | 2007-5 | Vacuum Tube TV - How it Works | Don Killips |
| 2007-06-24 | 2007-6 | Vacuum Tube TV - How to Restore it | Don Killips |
| 2007-10-21 | 2007-7 | Radio Safety | David Thompson |
| 2007-11-25 | 2007-8 | Northern Comm2 + Safety | Frank Kiss |
| 2007-12-16 | 2007-9 | Steam Powered Radio | Don Cheeseman |
| 2008-01-20 | 2008-1 | The Life and Inventions of Nikola Tesla | Murray Dickerson |
| 2008-02-24 | 2008-1b | The Life and Inventions of Nikola Tesla - Pt. 2 | Murray Dickerson |
| 2008-03-16 | 2008-2 | Early Radio Navigation and How It Worked | Tom Savage |
| 2008-04-20 | 2008-3 | Rebuilding Television Picture Tubes | Don Killips |
| 2008-10-19 | 2008-4 | A Radio Parable" LaLa Land | Don Cheeseman |
| 2008-12-21 | 2008-5 | Before Superhets - 1 | Murray Dickerson |
| 2009-02-22 | 2009-1 | Before Superhets - 2 | Murray Dickerson |
| 2009-04-11 | 2009-2 | Modulation | Don Cheeseman |
| 2009-06-20 | 2009-3 | High Voltage and Its Effects, Wirtanen Electric | Don Cheeseman |
| 2009-10-18 | 2009-4 | Atwater Kent | Murray, Bill, Jim |
| 2009-11-22 | 2009-5 | Radio Astronomy | Bruce McCrudy |
| 2010-02-21 | 2010-1 | Stories from the North | Gordon Wilson |
| 2010-03-21 | 2010-2 | The March of Tubes | Murray Dickerson |
| 2010-04-18 | 2010-3 | Muchow Museum Tour | Bill Elmer |
| 2010-06-20 | 2010-4 | How to Repair Transistor Radios | Murray Dickerson |
| 2011-02-13 | 2011-1 | Gordon's Collection -Part A | Gordon Wilson |
| 2011-04-30 | 2011-2 | Tropo Scatter | Peter Hancock |
| 2011-06-25 | 2011-3 | Automobile Radios | Bill Muller |
| 2011-10-23 | 2011-4 | Effective use of Tube Tester | Murray Dickerson |
| 2011-11-20 | 2011-5 | Stark 9-66 Maintenance and Calibration | Murray Dickerson |
| 2012-03-18 | 2012-1 | How digital TV Broadcasts work | Evan Cameron |
| 2012-06-17 | 2012-3 | Reading A Tube Manual Like A Book | Murray Dickerson |
| 2011-11-18 | 2012-4 | Design and Development of a High End Vacuum Tube Amplifier | Murray Dickerson |
| 2011-12-16 | 2012-5 | Batteries For Your Antique Radio | Alan Johnston |
| 2013-01-20 | 2013-1 | How To Protect Your Antique Electronics | Murray Dickerson |
| 2013-02-17 | 2013-2 | Sound - The Journey From Mouth to Ear | Don Cheeseman |
| 2013-06-23 | 2013-3 | Alberta's Electrical Regs and Radio Work | Gerry Shand |
| 2013-10-20 | 2013-4 | Newbie Chronicles | Gary Albach |
| 2014-06-22 | 2014-1 | Portable Logic Controllers | Gerry Shand |
| 2014-10-19 | 2014-2 | The Newbie Chronicles - The Trouble With Portables (Transoceanic, Stratoworld and Hallicrafters restoration) | Gary Albach |
| 2015-03-22 | 2015-1 | Just Remembering (Radio Men's stories from the far north) | Gordon Wilson & Milt Watts |
| 2015-06-28 | 2015-2 | How to build plastic boxes for your projects | Gerry Shand |
| 2015-11-22 | 2015-3 | The Fessenden Connection - 3 videos | Bob Fessenden |
| 2015-12-20 | 2014-4 | Smart Battery Eliminator for Vacuum Tube Radios | Gerry Shand |
| 2016-01-17 | 2016-1 | Using oscilloscope for radio work (2 part series) | Murray Dickerson |
| 2016-04-17 | 2016-3 | Restoration ofa Philco 37-602 plus bonus session 2016-2, Capacitor ESR tester | Greg Bilodeau and Gerry Shand |
| 2017-10-15 | 2017-1 | Restoration of Harman Kardon AX20 & HK250 | Greg Bilodeau |
| 2017-11-19 | 2017-2 | European Tubes | Murray Dickerson |
| 201-01-18 | 2018-1 | Restoration of a Philco TV37 | Greg Bilodeau |