# Could a radio detector be built with 12th century tech?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-radio-detector-be-built-with-12th-century-tech/964085>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 6, 2022, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-radio-detector-be-built-with-12th-century-tech/964085 "2022-05-06T20:50:22Z")\
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**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2022, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-radio-detector-be-built-with-12th-century-tech/964085/38 "2022-05-08T20:53:45Z")

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> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#):
>
> You also need a coil of wire, and lastly a way of sending a large current through the wire.

You can make a (weak) magnet by heating steel and hammering/vibrating it aligned with the Earth’s own magnetic field, no wires or generator needed. I don’t know if that will suffice for radio purposes.

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