Don't think you are the only amateur who is troubled with static.
Don't expect to eliminate interference if the amateurs around you are sending with spark sets.
Don't lay out or assemble your set on a panel first. Connect it up on a board and find out if everything is right.
Don't try to connect up your set without a wiring diagram in front of you.
Don't fail to shield radio frequency amplifiers.
Don't set the axes of the cores of radio frequency transformers in a line. Set them at right angles to each other.
Don't use wire smaller than No. 14 for connecting up the various parts.
Don't fail to adjust the B battery after putting in a fresh vacuum tube, as its sensitivity depends largely on the voltage.
Don't fail to properly space the parts where you use variometers.
Don't fail to put a copper shield between the variometer and the variocoupler.