s special chum was Joe Atwood, a boy of about his own age and the son of
a leading doctor of the town. While both were tall, Joe was of a fair
complexion while Bob was dark, and the dissimilarity extended to other
things than mere appearance. Joe was impulsive and quick-tempered, and apt
to act on the spur of the moment, while Bob, although never shirking
trouble or a fight if it came his way, was more self-controlled. But their
points of likeness were more numerous than their points of difference, and
they were the warmest of friends. Where one was to be found the other was
usually not far off.

Closely associated with them were Herb Fennington and Jimmy Plummer,
slightly younger but nearly enough of an age to be good comrades. Jimmy
was round and fat and fond of good living, a trait which had earned him
the nickname of "Doughnuts." Herb was rather easy-going and fond of
telling jokes, of which he always had a stock in store.

In one way or another the four friends frequently came into conflict with
Buck Looker, the bully of the town, and his two boon companions, Carl Lutz
and Terry Mooney, who were of the same stripe, though they deferred to
Buck as their leader.

Ever since the wonderful new science of radio had come into such
worldwide prominence, Bob and his friends had been intensely interested in
it. That interest had been fostered by the stimulating advice and
information given them by Dr. Amory Dale, the pastor of the old First
Church of Clintonia. How they had made their own receiving sets in
competition for the prize offered by the member of Congress for their
district; the difficulties they surmounted and the triumphs they achieved;
how Buck and his gang sought to wreck and steal their sets and the
thrashing Buck received in consequence; how by the agency of the radio
they were able to detect a swindler, one, Dan Cassey, and force him to
make restitution to Nellie Berwick, an orphan girl he had tried to cheat;
all this and many more exciting adventures are told in the first book of
this series, entitled: "The Radio Boys' First Wireless; Or, Winning the
Ferberton Prize."

The winning of the prizes, the first by Bob and the second by Joe, with
honorable mention for Jimmy, was a spur to fresh efforts in mastering the
wonders of radio. This they carried out at Ocean Point, a seashore resort,
at which they spent their vacation. How they advanced to the use of the
vacuum tube receiving set from their first crys