Blacksheep and mcdhu
Modesty prohibits me from claiming the height finding methods of WW11 or WT operator enjoyed by my father or the rare privilege of sitting behind an old radial sleeve-valve.
But in Oz from the mid sixites for me up to the early eighties crystal locked raw HF was the mode for most journeys.
You generally only carried those frequencies (3-4)for the area in which you operated as the limitation of the number of channels (10 if I recall) available on your AWA whizbang did not usually allow universal Oz coverage and the sheer expense of getting a crystal cut and fitted (I seem to recall $500 in the days when that would buy a good used car).
I have kept a souvenir FISCOM which was printed in colours that disappeared when viewed at night with the then fashionable red cockpit lights.
I seem to recall once when the dear old DCA issued about 100,000 pads of new Flight Plan forms with the same disappearing colour ink. The first experience when you picked it up after take off to enter your best guess for the next reporting point was a little bewildering.
Plastic funnels and fences, the first you new usually, was when there was a whirring noise from the HF aerial reel as it ran out to its limit then "twang" followed by the backlash. Fishing rod reels have a lot of design features derived from this experience. OR a very short arrival.
The new Codan SSB thingies were a joy, providing endless amusement with "Donald Ducking" by playing with the Clarifier and the King 93 Godzillion frequency synthesised toys miraculous indeed.
And if all that was too hard, there was what they call music from China and Koran reading competitions from Indonesia helping to while away the long nights.