interociter

 The anti-Heathkit:

 

https://archive.org/details/Thrilling_Wonder_Stories_v34n02_1949-06

See page 74, only one part supplied, the builder only gets a catalog and no instructions either - although the ARRL handbook is mentioned.  It kind of reminds me of that ship model my Dad purchased, inside the box was a block of wood although it did come with instructions and a few other parts :)

Now we know how the Professor (from Gilligan's Island) got his start:

Watch out for the virtue/liability of vacuum tubes:  the are repairable/copyable but also easy to break.

BTW, be sure to disable the self-destruct inherent in the interociter, otherwise it's a one-time use device !

Also, the story is continued in two more issues of Thrilling Wonder Stories:

https://archive.org/details/Thrilling_Wonder_Stories_v35n02_1949-12

https://archive.org/details/Thrilling_Wonder_Stories_v35n03_1950-02

The story ends differently than the movie: This Island Earth.

Best Regards,
Chuck, WB9KZY
http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm