I just found out the air ambulance in Australia 1930s communicated with remote areas who had pedal powerd radios, you sat on a chair and pedalled, I assume that's where the idea for clockwork comes from. I suppose everything can be found in history

 

During the early 60s my ham radio collection included a Navy TBX 3. The transmitter was powered by a hand crank generator which could be strapped to a tree and that sucker was hard to crank. It was a WW II vintage radio transmitter and receiver and the receiver included a large battery box. The hand crank generator is pictured in the link. Pretty cool stuff.

Ron

 

Nothing exists until it exists. Then it's copied.

 

During the early 60s my ham radio collection included a Navy TBX 3. The transmitter was powered by a hand crank generator which could be strapped to a tree and that sucker was hard to crank. It was a WW II vintage radio transmitter and receiver and the receiver included a large battery box. The hand crank generator is pictured in the link. Pretty cool stuff.

Ron

I bet cranking that generator would make you look like Charles Atlas.

 

I dare to bet that the system made for communications, models of clarity and, above all, brevity.

 

I remember watching Jack LaLane.

I said "Watching".

 

During the early 60s my ham radio collection included a Navy TBX 3. The transmitter was powered by a hand crank generator which could be strapped to a tree and that sucker was hard to crank. It was a WW II vintage radio transmitter and receiver and the receiver included a large battery box. The hand crank generator is pictured in the link. Pretty cool stuff.

Ron

Also there was at least one military radio that used a setup like a hammock with a foot pedaled generator in the similar manner. That was how to get power back then. now we have wind-up radios.
And that blasting thing with the plunger was a rig that spun a magneto to generate a lot of voltage at enough current to fire a blasting cap. Similar to a telephone magneto of the era.