|
Crystals and
Minerals Tried
In
Crystal Radios
Some Work Well, And Others Don't
If you have any others, email me!!
Most
of the mineral below were tested with a copper wire as the
"catswisker". Some of the list is from Edgar T. Wherry's 1925
article in "The American Minerologist". Other were sent in to me or I
have tested. If there is a "?" mark in the bias
column, then it was done with out bias and I do not know the effects if
biased.
|
Photo
of
Mineral
(if available)
|
Mineral
|
Catwisker
|
Needs bias power to work
well
|
Good/Fair
or
Poor
Detector
If
known
|
|
Aikinite
CuPbBiS3
|
Copper
|
?
|
Poor
|
|
Aguilarite
Ag2(S1, Se)
|
Copper
|
?
|
Fair
|
|
Alaskaite
|
Copper |
?
|
Poor
|
|
Altaite
PbTe
|
Copper
|
?
|
Poor
|
|
Anglesite PbSO4 |
?
|
?
|
Fair
|
|
Anthracite
|
Copper |
?
|
Poor
|
|
Argentite
Ag2S
|
Copper
|
?
|
Poor
|
|
Argyrodite
|
Copper
|
?
|
Poor
|
|
Arsenic
As
|
Copper
|
?
|
Poor
|
|
Arsenopyrite
FeSAs
|
Copper |
?
|
Poor
|
|
Antimony
Sb
|
Copper
|
?
|
Poor
|
|
Auitermanite
Pb3As2S4
|
Copper
|
?
|
Fair
|
|
Beegerite
Bp4Bi2S9
|
Copper
|
?
|
Fair
|
|
Berzelianite
Cu2Se
|
Copper
|
?
|
Fair
|
|
Bismuth
Bi
|
Copper
|
?
|
Poor
|
|
Bismutoplagionite
Pb5Bi2S17
|
Copper
|
?
|
Poor
|
|
Bornite
Fe Cu4 S4
|
Copper |
?
|
Poor
(by itself)
See perkon det. below
|
|
Boron |
? |
|
|
|
Brookite
|
Copper |
?
|
Fair
|
|
Calaverite
AuTe2
|
Copper
|
?
|
Fair
|
|
Calcium Sulfide
(Anhydrite)
|
?
|
?
|
|
|
Carborundum |
gold, silver, brass,
copper,
steel |
yes |
|
|
Cerussite PbCO3 |
?
|
?
|
|
|
Chalcocite
Cu2S
|
? |
? |
Fair
|
|
Chalcopyrite
Fe CuS2
|
Copper |
?
|
Fair
|
|
Clausthalite
PbSe
|
Copper
|
?
|
Fair
|
|
Chiviatite
PbBi4S7
|
Copper
|
?
|
Fair
|
|
Cobaltite
CoCAs
|
Copper |
?
|
Poor
|
|
Coloradoite
HgTe
|
Copper
|
?
|
Fair
|
|
Covellite
CuS
|
Copper
|
?
|
Poor
|
|
Domeykite
CuAs
|
Copper
|
?
|
Poor
|
|
Empressite
Ag1S
|
Copper
|
?
|
Poor
|
|
Enargite 3Cu2S.As2S5 |
? |
? |
Good
|
|
Eucairite
CuAgSe
|
Copper
|
?
|
Poor
|
|
Galena PbS
|
gold, silver, brass, copper, steel,graphite
|
no
|
|
|
Galenobismutite
PbBi2S4
|
Copper
|
?
|
Poor
|
| |
Galena Steel
|
gold, silver, brass, copper, steel,graphite
|
no
|
|
|
Glaucodotite
CoSAs
|
Copper |
?
|
Fair
|
|
Graphite
|
Copper |
?
|
Fair
|
|
Guanajuatite
Bi2SSe2
|
Copper
|
?
|
Fair
|
|
Hematite
|
Copper
|
?
|
Fair
|
|
Hessite
Ag2Te
|
Copper
|
?
|
Fair
|
|
Ilmenite
|
Copper |
?
|
Poor
|
|
Lamatinite
Ci2SbS4
|
Copper
|
?
|
Fair
|
|
Lilanite
Bp2Bi2S4
|
Copper
|
?
|
Poor
|
|
Linneite
Co3S4
|
Copper
|
?
|
Fair
|
|
Loellingite
|
Copper |
?
|
Fair
|
|
Magnetite
Fe2O2
|
Copper
|
?
|
Poor
|
|
Metacinnabarite
HgS
|
Copper
|
?
|
Poor
|
|
Molybdenite MoS2 |
? |
? |
Fair
|
|
Nagyagite
|
Copper
|
?
|
Poor
|
|
Naumannite
Ag2(S,Se)
|
Copper
|
?
|
Fair
|
|
Octahedrite
TiO2
|
Copper |
?
|
Fair
|
|
Onofrite
Hg(S,Se)
|
Copper
|
?
|
Poor
|
|
Pentlandite
(Fe, Ni) S
|
Copper |
?
|
Poor
|
|
Petzite
AgAuTe2
|
Copper
|
?
|
Poor
|
|
Polydymite
|
Copper |
?
|
Fair
|
|
Psilomelane
MnOOH
|
Copper |
?
|
Poor
|
|
Pyrite (Fools Gold)
(See second photo below)
|
gold, silver, brass, copper, steel
|
no
|
|
|
Pyrrhotite
|
Copper
|
?
|
Fair
|
|
Pyrolusite MnO2 |
? |
? |
Fair
|
|
Rammelsbergite
NiAs2
|
Copper |
?
|
Fair
|
|
Rickardite
CuS
|
Copper
|
?
|
Poor
|
|
Silicon
|
gold, gold plated,
Tungston,
Molly |
yes |
|
|
Smaltite
(Safflorite
CoAs2
|
Copper |
?
|
Poor
|
|
Stannite
|
Copper
|
?
|
Poor
|
|
Stromeyerite
CuAgS
|
Copper
|
?
|
Fair
|
|
Sylvanite
AgAuTe4
|
Copper
|
?
|
Fair
|
|
Taenite
Fe, Ni
|
Copper
|
?
|
Fair
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tennanite
|
Copper
|
?
|
Good
|
|
Tetradymite
BiSTe2
|
Copper
|
?
|
Poor
|
|
Tetrahedrite
|
Silver
|
yes
|
|
|
Tiemannite
HgSe
|
Copper
|
?
|
Fair
|
|
Titanium Oxide
(Anatase)
|
Silver Telluride
|
yes
|
|
|
Ullmannite
NiSSb
|
Copper |
?
|
Poor
|
|
Zinc
Oxide
ZnO
|
Copper
|
?
|
Good
|
Natural
Man made
|
Zincite
|
Copper
|
?
|
Fair
See perkon det. below
|
Three Articles On Detector Mineral.
PDF Format
They require Adobe Acrobat reader (free)
The American Minerologist August
1922
by Roberts and Adams
Click
Here
The American Minerologist August
1925
by Edgar
T. Wherry
Click Here
Crystal and Solid Contact Rectifiers by Alan Flowers
Click Here
Above Donated by
Dave WA4QAL
Common Perikon
Detector
Minerals
(two minerals)
If you have any others, email me!!
|
