Who was Practical Wireless' 'Henry'? - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

'LIVEWIRE?' · 14th Dec 2019, 10:22 pm

Like many others I suspect, I used to enjoy reading 'Practically Wireless' by 'Henry', but who was 'Henry'? Apologies if this question has been answered before.

electronicskip · 15th Dec 2019, 9:03 am

Wild stab in the dark but was it Henry William Hellyer?
He did write a book called Practical wireless service manual in 1967.

https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/r.../1565274213PJB

Very probably not , others would know better than myself no doubt.

'LIVEWIRE?' · 15th Dec 2019, 10:15 am

You may be right, es, but I wonder if anyone actually knows 'Practically Wireless; was a column which regularly appeared in PW during the 60s & 70s. My question was prompted by the thread about 'G.A. French', Dick & Smithy, etc., currently running on here.

Dave Moll · 15th Dec 2019, 10:52 am

I do wonder whether "Henry" was actually more than one person writing under a pen name derived from Joseph Henry after whom the unit of inductance is named.

rontech · 15th Dec 2019, 10:55 am

Henry was a miserly fellow who, one Faraday afternoon was sat at Ohm gloating over his Joules. A robber broke in, knocked Henry to the Earth and made off with the Joules on a high powered Megacycle.

Henry rushed down the hall,tripped over a picnic Ampere and was delayed in calling the police.

All turned out well though; the robber was run to Ground in a nearby Magnetic Field and eventually imprisoned in a Weston Primary Cell.

Sideband · 15th Dec 2019, 11:24 am

Oh...so it wasn't the Henry that took Milli Amp on his megacycle and Induced her....?

Lancs Lad · 15th Dec 2019, 11:28 am

Oh, I am loving this! Actually made me laugh out loud, thanks so much.

Brilliant comedy writing - more please

'LIVEWIRE?' · 15th Dec 2019, 12:17 pm

I love both your post, rontech, and yours, Sideband. They made me chuckle. Good 'wordplay' puns in those posts. both. As 'Lancs Lad' says 'more please!

Radio Wrangler · 15th Dec 2019, 1:10 pm

There are whole books to go at:

Jane Aerial
The lord of the ring modulators

For those interested in personal betterment:

'How to make fields and influence charges' Dale Carnegies less familiar work.

Mind you, it's not all electronics. The photographers have a popular novelty song which once was in the charts "Leap up and down, wave your Nikkors in the air"

David

Tractionist · 15th Dec 2019, 1:22 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sideband

Oh...so it wasn't the Henry that took Milli Amp on his megacycle and Induced her....?

No - she threw a tantalum before he could take her through the curves ... !

ms660 · 15th Dec 2019, 1:25 pm

Meanwhile back on the chassis the nut said to the bolt "No no, not without a washer"

Lawrence.

15th Dec 2019, 2:29 pm

Watt a load of...

Craig Sawyers · 15th Dec 2019, 3:56 pm

Reward Offered

A reward of 500 microfarads is offered for information leading to the arrest of the desperate criminal Hop-A-Long Capacity.

This unrectified criminal escaped from a primary cell where he had been clamped in ions, awaiting the gauss chamber.

He is charged with the induction of an 18 turn coil named Millihenry, who was found choked and robbed of valuable joules. He is armed with a carbon rod and is a potential killer. Capacity is also charged with driving a dc motor over a Wheatstone bridge and refusing to let the band pass. If encountered, he may offer resistance. The electro-motive force spent the night searching for him in a magnetic field, where he went to ground. They had no success and believe he returned ohm via a short circuit.

He was last seen riding a megacycle with his friend
Eddy Current, who was playing a harmonic.

Skywave · 16th Dec 2019, 2:57 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by electronicskip

Wild stab in the dark but was it Henry William Hellyer?

Somewhere in the back of my memory, I'm sure that I read something that confirms that. Moreover, the writing style of Henry and HWH was decidedly similar.

Al.

'LIVEWIRE?' · 16th Dec 2019, 6:09 pm

Reading those humorous answers with all the clever puns (thanks, rontech and others) reminded me of a little poem to do with detectors, which was featured on the forum some years ago, but all I can remember is a line about 'anode bend', and another bit about being 'earthed at his positive end' Can anyone recall the complete poem?

ms660 · 16th Dec 2019, 6:20 pm

There's this one:

https://vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=34757

Lawrence.

'LIVEWIRE?' · 16th Dec 2019, 11:35 pm

Thanks for that link, Lawrence. Good to read that poem again.

wd40addict · 16th Dec 2019, 11:58 pm

HW Hellyer seems to have ceased writing for other magazines in 1972 and appears to have died in 1974. Did the PW Henry articles appear after these dates?

'LIVEWIRE?' · 17th Dec 2019, 9:11 am

Without looking out my copies of PW from that era, I don't remember when the 'Henry' Articles finishes. Perhaps someone else does??

Craig Sawyers · 17th Dec 2019, 9:25 am

July 1973 was the last Practically Wireless by Henry.

All PW's are on https://www.americanradiohistory.com/

14th Dec 2019, 10:22 pm	#1
'LIVEWIRE?' Rest in Peace Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: N.W. Oxfordshire(Chipping Norton) Posts: 7,306	Who was Practical Wireless' 'Henry'? Like many others I suspect, I used to enjoy reading 'Practically Wireless' by 'Henry', but who was 'Henry'? Apologies if this question has been answered before.

15th Dec 2019, 9:03 am	#2
electronicskip Nonode Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Gloucester, Glos. UK. Posts: 2,150	Re: Who was Practical Wireless' 'Henry'? Wild stab in the dark but was it Henry William Hellyer? He did write a book called Practical wireless service manual in 1967. https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/r.../1565274213PJB Very probably not , others would know better than myself no doubt. __________________ Oh I've had that for years dear!!

15th Dec 2019, 10:15 am	#3
'LIVEWIRE?' Rest in Peace Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: N.W. Oxfordshire(Chipping Norton) Posts: 7,306	Re: Who was Practical Wireless' 'Henry'? You may be right, es, but I wonder if anyone actually knows 'Practically Wireless; was a column which regularly appeared in PW during the 60s & 70s. My question was prompted by the thread about 'G.A. French', Dick & Smithy, etc., currently running on here.

15th Dec 2019, 10:52 am	#4
Dave Moll Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK Posts: 6,130	Re: Who was Practical Wireless' 'Henry'? I do wonder whether "Henry" was actually more than one person writing under a pen name derived from Joseph Henry after whom the unit of inductance is named. __________________ Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley)

15th Dec 2019, 10:55 am	#5
rontech Heptode Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Southport, Merseyside, UK. Posts: 646	Re: Who was Practical Wireless' 'Henry'? Henry was a miserly fellow who, one Faraday afternoon was sat at Ohm gloating over his Joules. A robber broke in, knocked Henry to the Earth and made off with the Joules on a high powered Megacycle. Henry rushed down the hall,tripped over a picnic Ampere and was delayed in calling the police. All turned out well though; the robber was run to Ground in a nearby Magnetic Field and eventually imprisoned in a Weston Primary Cell. __________________ Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana

15th Dec 2019, 11:24 am	#6
Sideband Dekatron Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Croydon, Surrey, UK. Posts: 7,578	Re: Who was Practical Wireless' 'Henry'? Oh...so it wasn't the Henry that took Milli Amp on his megacycle and Induced her....? __________________ There are lots of brilliant keyboard players and then there is Rick Wakeman.....

15th Dec 2019, 11:28 am	#7
Lancs Lad Heptode Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Blackburn, Lancashire, UK. Posts: 729	Re: Who was Practical Wireless' 'Henry'? Oh, I am loving this! Actually made me laugh out loud, thanks so much. Brilliant comedy writing - more please __________________ Best Regards, Peter.

15th Dec 2019, 12:17 pm	#8
'LIVEWIRE?' Rest in Peace Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: N.W. Oxfordshire(Chipping Norton) Posts: 7,306	Re: Who was Practical Wireless' 'Henry'? I love both your post, rontech, and yours, Sideband. They made me chuckle. Good 'wordplay' puns in those posts. both. As 'Lancs Lad' says 'more please!

15th Dec 2019, 1:10 pm	#9
Radio Wrangler Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Fife, Scotland, UK. Posts: 22,901	Re: Who was Practical Wireless' 'Henry'? There are whole books to go at: Jane Aerial The lord of the ring modulators For those interested in personal betterment: 'How to make fields and influence charges' Dale Carnegies less familiar work. Mind you, it's not all electronics. The photographers have a popular novelty song which once was in the charts "Leap up and down, wave your Nikkors in the air" David __________________ Can't afford the volcanic island yet, but the plans for my monorail and the goons' uniforms are done

15th Dec 2019, 1:25 pm	#11
ms660 Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Cornwall, UK. Posts: 13,454	Re: Who was Practical Wireless' 'Henry'? Meanwhile back on the chassis the nut said to the bolt "No no, not without a washer" Lawrence.

15th Dec 2019, 2:29 pm	#12
Guest Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Who was Practical Wireless' 'Henry'? Watt a load of...

15th Dec 2019, 3:56 pm	#13
Craig Sawyers Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Oxford, UK. Posts: 4,992	Re: Who was Practical Wireless' 'Henry'? Reward Offered A reward of 500 microfarads is offered for information leading to the arrest of the desperate criminal Hop-A-Long Capacity. This unrectified criminal escaped from a primary cell where he had been clamped in ions, awaiting the gauss chamber. He is charged with the induction of an 18 turn coil named Millihenry, who was found choked and robbed of valuable joules. He is armed with a carbon rod and is a potential killer. Capacity is also charged with driving a dc motor over a Wheatstone bridge and refusing to let the band pass. If encountered, he may offer resistance. The electro-motive force spent the night searching for him in a magnetic field, where he went to ground. They had no success and believe he returned ohm via a short circuit. He was last seen riding a megacycle with his friend Eddy Current, who was playing a harmonic.

16th Dec 2019, 6:09 pm	#15
'LIVEWIRE?' Rest in Peace Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: N.W. Oxfordshire(Chipping Norton) Posts: 7,306	Re: Who was Practical Wireless' 'Henry'? Reading those humorous answers with all the clever puns (thanks, rontech and others) reminded me of a little poem to do with detectors, which was featured on the forum some years ago, but all I can remember is a line about 'anode bend', and another bit about being 'earthed at his positive end' Can anyone recall the complete poem?

16th Dec 2019, 6:20 pm	#16
ms660 Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Cornwall, UK. Posts: 13,454	Re: Who was Practical Wireless' 'Henry'? There's this one: https://vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=34757 Lawrence.

16th Dec 2019, 11:35 pm	#17
'LIVEWIRE?' Rest in Peace Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: N.W. Oxfordshire(Chipping Norton) Posts: 7,306	Re: Who was Practical Wireless' 'Henry'? Thanks for that link, Lawrence. Good to read that poem again.

16th Dec 2019, 11:58 pm	#18
wd40addict Octode Join Date: May 2009 Location: Stevenage, Herts. UK. Posts: 1,518	Re: Who was Practical Wireless' 'Henry'? HW Hellyer seems to have ceased writing for other magazines in 1972 and appears to have died in 1974. Did the PW Henry articles appear after these dates?

17th Dec 2019, 9:11 am	#19
'LIVEWIRE?' Rest in Peace Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: N.W. Oxfordshire(Chipping Norton) Posts: 7,306	Re: Who was Practical Wireless' 'Henry'? Without looking out my copies of PW from that era, I don't remember when the 'Henry' Articles finishes. Perhaps someone else does??

17th Dec 2019, 9:25 am	#20
Craig Sawyers Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Oxford, UK. Posts: 4,992	Re: Who was Practical Wireless' 'Henry'? July 1973 was the last Practically Wireless by Henry. All PW's are on https://www.americanradiohistory.com/