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•35CENTS

How to Build a Second-Harmonic "Super"

Is Radio Moulding Politics?
The Listeners' Point of View

International Broadcasting
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RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

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Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

BROADCASTING THE UNITED STATES MARINE
BAND

At the Sylvan Theatre in Washington. The announcer of
WCAP, the station which broadcast the concert, is comfortably
seated inside the coupe with a microphone at his side. The soft
upholsferr at the car makes an excellent announcer's booth

RADIO
BROADCAST

Vol. 6, No. i

November, 1924

Will Radio Make the People the

Government?

Democracy Is Government by Public Opinion and Radio Broadcasting is
Bringing Politics Into the Front Parlor— Will Those Who Listen Vote?

BY MARK SULLIVAN

ONE afternoon during the Demo-
cratic Convention in July, a
Texas delegate remarked, "This
will cost Texas a million dollars
in its cotton crop through farmers staying
away from the fields to listen in on the radio.
But," he added, "it's worth it. It'll let every-
body know just
who's who and
what's what in
this conven-
tion."

Whatever ac-
curacy his judg-
ment may have
had about the
money i n -
volved, his de-
duction about
the effect of the
radio on that
Democratic
Co n v ent ion
was correct.
There was one
day in which
the news of it
might have

JOHN W. DAVIS

Democratic candidate for President, campaigning by radio. Radio
is aiding the people to find out just what each candidate says he
stands for. Probably the most notable feature of the 1924 cam-
paign is the use of radio by all three candidates

been compressed by the practitioners of that
most compact of arts, the headline writers
into something like: "Western Radio Fans
Listening-in On Convention, Hear New York
Hiss Bryan, and Telegraph Delegates to
Stand by Commoner." That quickness of
response on the part of public feeling is going

to be one of the
effects the radio
will have on
politics. Coup-
led with its
widespread use,
its ultimate un-
iversal it y, it
will work sev-
eral political
t r ansforma-
tions. In polit-
ical conven-
tions, and in
every other sort
of political dis-
cussion, the
thing most ard-
ently desired by
everybody who
has confidence

Radio Broadcast

that his position has popular support, is quick
access to that public, and facility for the pub-
lic to express itself.

This increase of facility is one of the things
the radio will bring about. Popular support
existed to some extent before; and to the
degree that it existed, it was the most powerful
of political leverages. For the fact that
Woodrow Wilson had a political career, the
largest single contributing factor was an in-
cident at the Democratic Convention at Balti-
more in 1912. During all the early days of
that convention, Champ Clark was in the lead,
with Wilson a second, at one time so destined,
apparently, to be permanently a second, that
some of his advisers counseled him to with-
draw, after Clark had pushed his leadership
to the point of an actual majority. Just
about that time, however, the convention
adjourned over Sunday. During that week-
end adjournment, the convention and the
individual delegates were flooded with tele-
grams demanding that Wilson be made the
nominee. It was through this pressure from
the country that the Democrats took the
unprecedented step of refusing the necessary
two thirds to a candidate who had already got
more than half the delegates, rejected Clark,
and nominated Wilson.

BROADCASTING CONGRESS

THAT is the kind of thing that is going to
be greatly accelerated by the radio. We
have already had the radio for the first time
this year in the conventions and in the ac-
ceptance ceremonies of the candidates. Un-
doubtedly the proceedings of Congress will
soon be broadcast, I think. A public that
got so much interest out of the Democratic
Convention will insist on the same access to
Congress. And Congress as a whole won't
be disposed to deny it. There is already a
bill pending providing for the installation. The
bill was introduced by Senator Howell of
Nebraska. Senator Howell was one of the
very earliest radio zealots in America. He
was acutely interested in it and active about
it long before most of us paid any attention
to it. Senator Howell has a scientific thread
in his training that he got from his education
at the Annapolis Naval Academy. Also,
he is a most earnest believer in the public
ownership and management of utilities that
concern the public generally. Before he came
to the Senate he was, as the manager of the
city gas system of Omaha, one of the earliest,
and possibly the most successful, director of a
publicly owned utility in the United States.

Senator Howell heard about the use of the
radio in Europe quite early, and some three
years ago made a trip to Vienna to study its
working in that city. He thinks strongly
that the radio should be facilitated in every
possible way as a medium between the people
and the Government. Due to his own bent
and experience, he would take an earlier and
longer step toward identification of the radio
with the Post Office, for example, than most
of his fellow senators now think practicable
or desirable. Short of that, however, there is
little doubt that his bill to equip the two
Houses of Congress for the broadcasting of
speeches and other public business will be
adopted. I don't know of any public man
who opposes the idea of the maximum possible
radio dissemination of all forms of public busi-
ness and public discussion. If any of them
have qualms, they won't state them publicly,
for they know it is an innovation that cannot
be stopped. Theoretically, a politician may
believe in some other form of government than
through public opinion or public emotion.
But practically they know that it is the form
of government that is now here. And if you
assent to the principle of government by
public opinion, you must assent also to the
doctrine that the wider the dissemination of
public information, and the greater the
number of persons enabled to participate in
the formation of common judgments and
common reactions in the shape of emotion, the
more logical it is.

HOW IS RADIO GOING TO BALANCE POLITICAL
FORTUNES?

POSSIBLY we shall have some erratic,
some curious and unanticipated results in
the fortunes of individual politicians and
leaders. There appears to be such a thing
as a radio personality. In the present cam-
paign it is claimed that Coolidge has it,
while Davis has not. A correspondent of a
Democratic paper, Mr. Charles Michelson of
the New York World, wrote about this:

Mr. Coolidge is no orator. There is a wire
edge to his voice, due in some degree to the
regular nasal twang of the thirty-third degree
Yankee and in part to his meticulous enuncia-
tion of each syllable; but according to the pro-
fessors of the new art, he has a perfect radio
voice. The twang and shrillness disappear
somewhere along the aerial, and he sounds
through the ether with exact clearness as well
as softness. Mr. Davis, on the contrary, has a
voice which to the direct auditor has that bell-
like quality of resonance that doubles the

Will Radio Make the People the Government?

quality of his delightful rhetoric. Via radio,
however, this muffles and fogs to some extent.
The radio was perfected just in time for Mr.
Coolidge. His adversary has all the best of it
in presence and personal magnetism. Davis
is tall, with a face that would fit in a group
picture of the signers of the Declaration of
Independence and features like an idealistic
medallion. Coolidge
looks shorter than he
is; his features are
sharp and give a
probably unjust im-
pression of peevish-
ness. Before an
audience Davis
glows, while the Pres-
ident always looks un-
happy whether he is
or not. Under these
circumstances, the
radio must be Mr.
Coolidge's salvation.
He doesn't look as if
he had the physique
to stand the strain of
an old-fashioned cam-
paign—half a dozen
speeches a day and
traveling every night
for months — in the
first place, and in the
• second his hard, sta-
tistical, analytical
method of expression
is scarcely calculated
to counterbalance the
unimpressiveness of
his appearance. So
the advent of radio
must be listed as one

more item in the total of the Coolidge luck
or destiny or whatever it is that seems to make
things come right for him politically.

ARE OUR SPEAKERS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT?

T HAVE speculated a good deal, without
*• arriving at any very competent conclusions,
about what the effect of the radio will be on
Congress as a whole and on individual politi-
cians. Just what type of public speaker will
the people prefer to listen to? One of the
premier Marathon talkers in the Senate is
Heflin of Georgia. Without having measured
the lines in the Congressional Record, I
should say off-hand that Heflin is one of the
greatest long-distance speakers, one of the
most nearly ever-flowing fountains of words, in
public life. When a newspaper man hurries
into the press-room on his way to the gallery,
fearing he may be missing something im-
portant, and finds the bulk of the newspaper

Who Is the Government?

Some pessimists like to think it is the Sen-
ate, some the House, more think the Govern-
ment is the President, and some few seem to
think it is the Supreme Court. But when
the broadcasters began sending out the
Republican and Democratic conventions,
the political observers with their ears to the
political ground began to wonder. It took
no seer to observe that the "peepul" were
again taking an interest in politics. And
during this campaign, very largely being con-
ducted by radio, politics is prowling right
into the front parlor.

What is going to happen? Mark Sullivan,
who contributes a political article to World's
Work each month, and whose daily stories
from Washington in the New York Herald-
Tribune are counted some of the most au-
thoritative and interesting in the field of
political writing, considers these questions:

— Is Congress Going to Broadcast?

— What Is Radio Personality?

— Can Broadcasting Replace the Con-
gressional Record?

— What Is Going to Become of the Old
Line Political Speaker? — THE EDITOR.

men chatting in the ante-room, the explana-
tion they most generally give him for their
temporary retirement is that "Heflin is
talking." Or they remark, "There is noth-
ing important on. Heflin is delivering the
twenty-third installment of his attack on the
Federal Reserve Board."

As it happens, it is
the depraved taste of
the writer of this
article that elevates
him to the distinc-
tion, rather uncom-

mon among news-
papermen and among
senators, of liking to
listen to Heflin talk.
Heflin is not a beauti-
ful person, but he has
two engaging quali-
ties: He has that
agreeable intonation
of the South — and he
can tell Negro stories
better than any other
man in public life. I
would venture more
and say that Heflin
can tell more Negro
stories and better
ones than any prcK
fessional entertainer.
Heflin knows the dif-
ference between a
stage-carpentered
Negro story and the
true Negro story, the

kind that reflects the real soul, the habit of
thought, the way of looking at things, of
the genuine unsophisticated Southern colored
man. And Heflin doesn't tell his stories
merely for the sake of being amusing. He
adapts them to the situation he is discussing
with an art that is often rather more effective
than heavy logic.

As to the soundness of Heflin's economics,
or the high-mindedness of his political arts,
there is some difference of judgment. They
tell a story about Heflin. That is, they re-
peat something that Heflin is alleged to have
said on the stump in Alabama some years ago.
I never heard Heflin address an audience of
Alabama farmers in the hills far back from the
railroads. I should like to. For there, I
should imagine, Heflin would be at his best.
In any event, disavowing personal responsi-
bility for the authenticity of the story, I repeat
it in the same spirit in which Heflin repeats his

Radio Broadcast

stories about Black Sam and Mollie the cook.
Heflin made a campaign for the Lower
House in the year at the beginning of the War,
when cotton was at six cents a pound. Then
he made his appeal for the Senate in 1918,
when the war-time demand had got under
way and raised the price of cotton to upward of
thirty cents a pound.
All this economic and
political history Hef-
lin is alleged to have
summed up to the
Alabama farmers in

Let the Non-Voter Beware

a passage running
thus:

"You good folks,
you-all sent me to the
Lower House of Con-
gress when cotton was
six cents a pound, and
then you saw cotton
go right straight up to
thirty cents a pound.
Now, good folks, you
send me to the Upper
House of Congress, to
the high-up place—
you send me to the
Senate, and then you
watch whe/e the price
of cotton will go to."

Unhappily it was
soon after Alabama
elevated Heflin to the
Senate that the War
ended and cotton de-
scended rapidly to under ten cents a pound^-
which unkind reversal of fate, some members
of the Federal Reserve Board believed, had
more than a little to do with Heflin's Sena-
torial attacks on them as the authors, accord-
ing to his theory, of the deflation of the price
of cotton.

SENATORIAL NEGRO STORIES BY RADIO?

\ A /ILL the radio audiences want to listen
Y.» 10 Heflin's Negro stories? Or will they
prefer the less ornate, the less mellow and
mellifluous but rather more austerely accurate
facts and figures of a speech on the tariff by
Senator Smoot? If the radio audience has the
same reaction as the personal presence audi-
ence, it should work out all right. Last winter
the two senators whose speeches were most
certain to draw an audience to the Senate
galleries were Borah of Idaho and Walsh of
Montana. In those two cases, the size of the
gallery audiences were in direct proportion

For this year, great efforts are being made
to bring the sluggish voter to the polls. With
radio interesting great additional groups of
citizens in the affairs of government, many
organizations are pushing a "Get-Out-the-
Vote" campaign. The National Association
of Manufacturers is cooperating with the
American Radio Association to appeal to
the voter by radio and by newspaper an-
nouncement. And the Boy Scouts of Amer-
ica are going to make a personal canvass
designed to reach every voter. James E.
West, Chief Scout Executive, says in a letter
to RADIO BROADCAST, "It seems to us that
this problem offers the Boy Scouts of Amer-
ica an excellent opportunity for applying its
method of 'learning by doing' by having
scouts make an earnest effort to increase the
voting average of their respective cities and
towns, beginning with their own homes and
neighborhoods, entirely on a non-partisan
basis." There are many who think that the
noticeably increased interest in practical
politics is due in a large measure to radio.
— THE EDITOR.

to the fundamental merit of the speeches and
the speakers.

A good many questions will arise about dis-
tribution of time. We have already seen
that the radio is making its own imperious de-
mands about a preferred hour. In 1920, before
the radio came, the two candidates for the
Presidency, Cox and
Harding, both timed
their acceptance
speeches for the after-
noon, because from
three to five o'clock
were the hours most
convenient for the
greatest number to
be there in person.
This year both the
candidates timed
their acceptance
speeches with a view,
not to the audience,
that could actually
be there, but to the
radio one. Eight
o'clock in the even-
ing, in the Eastern
territory where popu-
lation is densest,
seems to be the hour
accepted as best
adapted for the larg-
est number of radio
listeners. Presum-
ably, when the radio
reaches into Congress,

that will be the most prized hour. If it is,
there will result a change in the hours of the
sessions for the common system now, except
in the congestion at the end of a session, is for
Congress to sit from eleven in the morning
until five in the afternoon.

CONGRESS WILL BOW TO RADIO

THAT mere change of working hours will
be minor compared to complications
about assigning the preferred hour to the
speakers who will want it. Probablv the
outcome will be a wholesome increase in the
potency of party leadership. It would seem
probable that with the radio installed, each
party will tend to gravitate about one leader
or a small group of leaders, and will tend to
give these leaders the preferred hours for the
formulation and dissemination of official party
policy. One hopes that there will not be too
much disposition on the part of the radio
listeners to give their ears to the entertaining

Will Radio Make the People the Government?

speaker rather than the sound one, or the ones
chosen to give official expression of party
policy. One wonders just how it will be de-
termined what speakers the radio listeners
want to hear — and what ones they want to
"walk out on."

RADIO NEEDS A "GET OFF THE EARTH" SIGN

THE radio so far provides no means for the
listener to shout "Get Off the Wire!" or
"Get Off the Air!" or "Get Off the Earth!"
or whatever else it is that an irritated radio
listener should say to a politician who bores
him, or excites his opposition. Of course, the
radio listener, so far as he is concerned in-
dividually, has the most effective possible
means of giving a boresome speaker per-
mission to "take the air" in another than
the radio meaning of that phrase. All the
listener has to do is to turn his dials and put his
mind on the more agreeable harmony of a
concert. The difficulty is, that this method
lacks a certain kind of personal satisfaction.
It does not provide the listener with a me-
chanism for conveying to the speaker thn

A TELEPHONED PHOTOGRAPH
Of the Republican convention at Cleveland. The
linking of wire photography and broadcasting has
brought the Nation in almost immediate touch with
political events. Mrs. Florence C. Porter, of Cali-
fornia, is seconding th? nomination of Calvin
Coolidge. The microphones can be seen at the top
of the lectern

NIGHT SESSIONS OF CONGRESS

Will become very important if the legislative arm
"speaks" through the microphone, for only a
comparative few could listen during the daylight
hours

information that the listener is through with
him. It fails to give the listener that agree-
able and wholesome outlet for a surging emo-
tion that comes from rising in his seat and
marching stiff-necked toward the door. At
the same time, it has compensations for the
less combative and the more courteous. From
a radio audience you can tiptoe your way out
without suffering the embarrassment of the
feeling that you may be disturbing your
fellow-auditors.

YOU CAN'T FOOL THE RADIO

THE fundamental merit of the radio in
Congress will be that it will enable the
public to get its information direct. At
present, aside from those speeches from men
who, because of one distinction or another,
have all their speeches printed in full — aside
from these, the public is now dependent on
the vicarious censorship of the newspaper re-

Radio Broadcast

porter. It is the reporter who ignores some
speeches, makes mere allusions to some, and
transmits extracts from others. In all this
exercise of judgment or taste, there are the
aberrations that inevitably accompany any
individual judgment. Undoubtedly one of
the chief defects of the present method of re-
porting Congress is that it lays undue em-
phasis on the bizarre, the picturesque, the
humorous, or the sensational. These, fre-
quently, are the high spots picked out of
speeches by the reporters, and therefore the
only portions of the
speeches that ever
reach the great mass
of the public. This is
a constant and legiti-
mate occasion for
complaint on the part
of public men.

I once spent some
weeks at Carlsbad.
It was a time when
the proceedings of
Congress were unusu-
ally important, and
when I happened to
have unusual interest
in them. Again and
again, in the depend-
ence on the news-
papers enforced by
that exile in Europe,
I was impressed with
the inadequacy of
the information I
could get through the

HENRY MORGENTHAU

Before a microphone in New York. Public men
welcome the opportunity to address and interest the
greatly increased audience the radio gives them

newspapers. I recall

one day when the only news of our Congress
in the European edition of an American paper
consisted of a brief account of a personal
controversy the late Senator Penrose of
Pennsylvania had with a fellow-senator. The
only direct quotation transmitted was a bit of
caustic sarcasm.

RADIO: DEMOCRACY'S FINAL SUPPLEMENT

WITH the radio, all this will be changed.
The person who wants to listen to Con-
gress will be able to do so, and there will be
many who will want to listen. Let there be no
doubt of that. There has always been in this
country an immense unfilled demand in this
field. I have heard it said by a competently
thoughtful person that the absence of com-
plete reports of the proceedings of Congress in
a form and with a promptness available for
all the public, was a real impediment to the

functioning of our American democracy, an
impediment so serious that it might be ade-
quate cause for apprehension. In London,
the proceedings of Parliament, with compara-
tively little condensation, and with only such
editing as makes for clarity, are printed in full
in at least three morning London newspapers.
In America we have nothing like that. The
nearest we have is the case of two or three
New York papers which print a few speeches
in full, and have a condensed summary of the
rest. The reason for the difference between
England and the
United States is not
any lack of thought-
ful interest on the
part of Americans in
their national legisla-
ture. Americans read
much more and sup-
port many more news-
papers in proportion
to population than
the English. The dif-
ference is largely me-
c h a n i c a 1 and geo-
graphical. So far as
regards proceedings
of Parliament in the
newspapers, all Eng-
land is practically one
city. The British
Parliament is in the
largest city, whereas
our Congress is in one
of our relatively small
cities. More than
this, a London news-
paper that goes to press at two o'clock in the
morning can be in the hands of readers in the
most distant hamlet of the Kingdom before
evening. With us, California is some four
days distant from the Capital, and the cost
for telegraph tolls to a San Francisco news-
paper that might be ambitious enough to print
all the proceedings of Congress, would be
prohibitive.

To offset this difficulty of ours, William
Jennings Bryan and some others have re-
peatedly proposed some kind of official news-
paper that should, through the machinery of a
non-partisan Board of Editors, make and dis-
tribute an adequate official summary of the
work of Congress. That idea has been pro-
posed again and again. It has never got any-
where, for the reason, among others, that a
Board of Editors sufficiently non-partisan to
satisfy everybody is a dream impossible of

Will Radio Make the People the Government?

WHEN SHALL WE LISTEN-IN ON THE GOVERNMENT? .

Mark Sullivan thinks that the time is not far distant when the proceedings of Congress will be broadcast.
The average newspaper cannot give full reports of the two Houses, and the Congressional Record reaches

but a few of the people

realization. The only thing that would meet,
without criticism, what Bryan had in mind,
would be a literal transcript. We already have
a literal transcript in the shape of the Con-
gressional Record. With that, the difficulty is
its rather too great literalness. It includes such
immense masses of irrelevant quotations in-
troduced under "leave to print," and so much
parliamentary minutias about resolutions and
the like, that it is forbidding, even to a
reader with the most ardent desire to follow
the proceedings of his government with in-

telligence. I find it a strain to read the
Congressional Record, and it is a part of my
business to do so. The consequence is that of
the aggregate circulation of the Congressional
Record, which is something like thirty-two
thousand, the bulk, under the system of dis-
tribution now practised, goes to little country
newspapers as a complimentary gift from the
local congressman; and finds its ultimate
usefulness more in providing little print-shop
stoves with fuel, than in the information of the
public.

CAN STATIC INTERFERENCE BE ELIMINATED?

U/' ALTER VAN B. ROBERTS has written a dis-
cussion of this much discussed subject that is as infor-
mative as it is interesting. What are the engineers doing
to eliminate the present difficulties? What are the most
productive lines of experiment? What results are likely
to occur from the present line of investigation?

The Ways and Means of Audio
Frequency Amplification

Applying the Family Tree Method to a Non-Technical Treat-
ment of this Highly Important Adjunct to Radio Receivers

BY JULIAN KAY

"THIS is the third article by Mr. Kay in the "What's In a Name?"
* series. The first article appearing last June, sorted out and classified
the various types of radio receivers in present use. The second, in
July, told the story of radio-frequency amplification. It is no secret
that many new members of the radio fraternity glibly use terms of
whose meaning they have not the slightest idea. The articles in this
series, each a complete unit, by the use of the unique and helpful
Family Tree diagram, and a praiseworthy non-technicality of treat-
ment, aim to clear the radio air for those who find it a bit thick. — THE
EDITOR.

THE criteria by which an ideal radio
set is measured are two: distance and
clarity. Both of these prime quali-
ties are attained through the proper
kind of amplifiers.

Preceding articles of this series have dis-
cussed the merits of various detectors, that
essential radio "ear," and the means of aiding
a detector to eavesdrop over a wide area —
namely, radio frequency amplifiers — were
explained. The super-heterodyne will be
cited in a succeeding article and discussed
as the most efficient combination of radio
receiving apparatus known to-day.

Radio sets are now nearly complete. One
can listen over great distances, and so far at
least, what we hear is a fairly accurate repre-
sentation of what is
being transmitted at
the distant station.
The final problem is
to supply "pep'.' in
sufficient quantity
and in such a manner
that what is heard is
still something like
what is being trans-
mitted.

Fig. i shows the
position of audio-
frequency amplifiers
in the usual radio
circuit. These am-

Do You Know —

— How to judge a good amplifier?

— What audio frequencies are?

— How much an amplifier amplifies?

— What types of audio frequency amplifi-
cation there are?

— How "quality" and "quantity" both can
be secured from an amplifier?

— Why the "frequency characteristic" of a
transformer is important?

— What the function of the C battery is in an
amplifier?

— What a power amplifier is?

plifiers derive their specific name from the
fact that they follow a detector. In other
words, they appear in the low or "audio"
frequency part of the circuit. The band of
frequencies which they will be called upon to
amplify lies between about 100 and 5,000
cycles per second.

The careful construction of an audio ampli-
fier is really more important than most radio
fans appreciate. To rush out to the corner
radio shop, to grab a cheap transformer, and
to jam the parts together is not the way to
make a good amplifier.

There is still a morbid inclination among
certain of the nouveau radio public which
takes the indefensible form of boasting of
listening to respective sets a half dozen blocks
up the street, and the
thrall of hearing hor-
ribly distorted music
over a distance of a
thousand miles seems
to hold many. The
fortunate tendency,
however, is toward
" how well " one hears
rather than " how far"
or "how loud."

An amplifier as the
name implies, is any-
thing that returns to
you with interest
whatever you give it.

The Ways and Means of Audio-Frequency Amplification

DETECm

AUDIO

AHD

FffiQU&ICY

Tvn&

WIPLIFIK

FIG. I

Audio frequency amplification
comes after the tuner and detector

A savings account, or a prize fighter incognito,
are good examples. The particular type of
amplifier in which we are now interested is a
vacuum tube affair, like most of our present
day radio equipment, and is one of the most ,
uncomplaining contraptions that man has pro-
duced. As long as you do not treat it too
roughly it returns to you with interest exactly
what you give to it.

The motto of a well behaved amplifier stated
in classical language might well be:

"Small favors thankfully received and
large ones granted in return."

It amplifies, some "an hundred fold" and
then some more.

TYPES OF AUDIO AMPLIFIERS

""THERE are two general classes of ampli-
* fiers in which we are interested. These
two divisions depend upon the matter of
coupling two or more together. As the
Family Tree shows, the first large group is
made up of those which are "conductively
coupled," that is, in which the output of one
amplifier and the imput of the next are actually
connected together either by a metallic

conductor or by means of a condenser. The
second group depends for the transfer of energy
from one unit to the next upon magnetic
coupling existing between the two windings
of a transformer.

Resistance-coupled amplifiers, of which the
general type is shown in Fig. 2, have one great
advantage — (if properly constructed) in that
they are distortionless. On the other hand,
there is one great objection which has not as
yet been overcome — they require much higher
voltage B batteries for the same amplification
than do the transformer or choke coil-coupled
types.

If a choke coil is substituted for the resis-
tance, the B battery objection is partially
remedied, but the amplifier now has a "fre-
quency characteristic," that is it tends to
amplify some frequencies more than others

{

(*——

S -•

o!
o

Hfc2

FIG. 2
A resistance-coupled amplifier unit

FIG. 3

A transformer-coupled amplifier.
Note the use of the C battery

with a resultant distortion. This may, how-
ever, be overcome by proper design.

TRANSFORMER COUPLING

AT THE present time, the transformer is
the all important link between signals
that are detected and signals that are actually
heard. Upon its efficiency depend the quan-
tity and the quality of the music we hear.
Unfortunately, quantity and quality seldom
come in the same package, and in the case of
the usual amplifier, when you have one you
want the other and vice versa. And it is
possible to have both.

Fig. 3 shows the customary transformer-
coupled amplifier. In this diagram, the trans-
former looks like a simple and guileless piece of
electrical apparatus — just two coils of wire on
an iron core — but as the quaint saying goes:

Q
UJ

o
o

tL
CO

o
o

p
o

o
n:
o

of
o

The Ways and Means of Audio-Frequency Amplification

FIG. 4
How an output transformer is used

" You haven't heard the half of it."

QUANTITY VERSUS QUALITY

THE two aspects of the amplification
problem — quantity and quality — are in-
dissolubly bound up in the transformer. The
first is controlled to a great extent upon what
is known as the "turn-ratio." For instance,
if the secondary has ten times as many turns
of wire as the primary, the turn-ratio will be
ten, and at the secondary terminals will ap-
pear ten times the voltage that was applied
to the terminals of the primary.

If we use a vacuum tube with an amplifica-
tion factor of six, the overall amplification
of this combination — theoretically at least —
ought to be six times ten or sixty. Actually,
this is not realized since half of this voltage
is consumed in the tube itself.

At this point, the question naturally arises,
why not use a turn ratio of fifteen or twenty?

The answer lies in our discussion of the
second amplification problem, "quality" or
clarity, as it is often called.

QUALITY AMPLIFICATION

THE "frequency characteristic" of a trans-
former is a measure of how well the device
will transmit various frequencies.

When we realize that we are amplifying
musical sounds of frequencies that may lie
anywhere between 100 and 5,000 cycles per
second, and that each individual frequency
should be reproduced for us exactly as they
are transmitted, we see the value of a "flat
characteristic."

Fig. 7 shows the characteristics of two audio
transformers, the other apparatus being the
same in the two cases. One transformer
transmits all frequencies very much alike,
while the other gives a tremendous amplifica-
tion around a thousand cycles. Such a trans-
former would not give accurate reproduction
and would probably present any soprano as
nothing better than a terrible squawk.

Any one can make a transformer that will
have a "hurnp" around 1,000 cycles. In
fact the majority of cheap transformers enjoy
such camel like humps.

The difficulty is to make an instrument with
a flat frequency characteristic. If we strive
for high quantity amplification, we must
use many turns on the secondary, and that
means a large distributed capacity which in
turn means that the high frequencies will be
lopped off and will not get through. If we
make a cheap transformer, we economize
on core and wire, and as a result the primary
has a low inductance. Accordingly, the low
frequencies are cheated.

And there you are.

To make a good transformer costs good
money and the manufacturer must compro-
mise. He is between the devil and that awful
deep sea. If he is reliable, he makes a low
ratio coil, which keeps down the distributed
capacity and amplifies the high frequencies,
and puts as many turns on the primary as he
can afford, which brings in the bass viols and
drums, and then juggles the remainder of the
apparatus until he gets a good characteristic.

If people were willing to pay, say ten or
more dollars for a transformer, they might
get quantity and quality at once, say a high
ratio transformer with, a flat characteristic,
but, in the immortal words of the prophet,

"What a pity we weren't all born rich."

OVERLOADING

THERE is another important aspect to
the high turn-ratio coil that deserves more
attention than is usually paid to it. .This is
the phenomenon known as "overloading,"
which takes place as soon as the grid of an
amplifier tube becomes positive. Figs. 4
and 5 show one method of overcoming this
trouble which is evidenced by "blare" and
flattening of notes when an especially loud
signal comes through.

Suppose, for example, that the grid of an
amplifier is normally maintained at a negative
potential of five volts. As soon as the voltage

ourwr

FIG. 5

The way a resistance-coupled
push-pull amplifier unit is built

Radio Broadcast

o
o
o
o

OUTPUT

FIG. 6

A transformer-coupled push-pull amplifier. This
type is quite generally used and produces much

volume

applied to this grid is greater than incoming
signals by five volts, the grid becomes
positive during one half cycle. The result is
that the positive and negative halves of the in-
coming signals are not amplified alike and
distortion occurs.

Here is where the C battery comes in, as
shown in Fig. 3. It serves two purposes, to
place a negative potential on the grid and
thereby to advance the overloading point,
and to decrease the. drain on the B batteries.

It is worth while to note at this point that a
high ratio transformer with a hump near
1,000 cycles may overload at that point only
— which may explain some of the wondrous
squawks that occasionally greet us. Often a
horn has a resonance point in the same neigh-
borhood as the hump of the transformer, and
what a wicked racket these two phenomena
may produce!

Listen to any of the cheap horns that hang
outside the average dinky radio shops, and
then judge for yourself, if you can still think
after the experience.

Another method of eliminating distortion
due to overloading, is to use large tubes, say
a Western Electric 2i6-A, and then more C
and B battery voltage. Or, a push-pull
amplifier of the resistance, or transformer-
coupled type, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. A
resistance-coupled push-pull amplifier, which
has no frequency characteristic and also quito
a power capacity because of the push-pull
feature, makes a good last stage in such an
amplifier unit.

HOW MUCH AMPLIFICATION HAVE 1 ?

"""PHE overloading limit, then, is the input
* voltage at which the grid goes positive.
This point is controlled by the kind of tube,
the C battery, and the turn-ratio of the coup-
ling transformers.

In general, the following rule may be a safe
one to follow:

Any signal that can be heard with the
phones plugged into the detector circuit will
overload the last stage of a properly con-
structed two-step amplifier using "five-to-
one" transformers. Fig. 7 shows exactly
what this means.

Suppose each tube has an amplification
factor of 6, and the turn-ratio is 5. Then the
overall amplification, taking losses into ac-
count, may be around 150. An alternating
current then flows in the plate circuit of such
an amplifier which is 150 times that which
flows in the detector circuit. If only .006
volt alternating current exists in the de-
tector, then we must use about 9 volts
negative potential on the grid of the second
amplifier.

POWER AMPLIFIERS

SO FAR, we have spoken only of "voltage
amplifiers." Now, then, what is a
power amplifier? One hears the term very
commonly used. Now it is power that runs
our loud speakers, not voltage alone, and
power is usually represented as the product
of a current squared and a resistance. For
example, if the resistance of a loud speaker
element is 1,000 ohms and we have .001
ampere flowing through it, the power
P = i,ooo x (.ooi)2 = .oo4 watts.

That means that an amplifier that is to
deliver music for a large hall must have a
comparatively large plate current output.
This means large tubes with large plate
currents, for it is the fluctuations of these
plate currents that actuate the receiving
device.

The last stage of a good amplifier may well
be a power amplifier employing a low ratio
coil, say three to one, and a large tube such

GOOD TKAMSFOKMEK

FKEQUEhCY CYCLE5
_J I

2000

A curve which shows the difference between a good
audio-frequency transformer and a poor one. As
the curve shows, a good audio transformer should
amplify well over the entire range of audio frequen-
cies, an end extremely difficult to attain

The Ways and Means of Audio- Frequency Amplification

as the Western Electric 2i6-A. Better still is
the push-pull already described in RADIO
BROADCAST which has a very high overloading
limit and a larger power output.

If one is to listen-in after the first stage of
audio-frequency amplification, the high ratio
coil should come first, but if a horn is to be
used at all times on the second stage, it matters
little the order of the transformers. If there
is enough voltage to overload the last tube,
it will take place regardless of whether the
high ratio coil is in the second stage, or

whether the coils are switched. The ampli-
fication is there in either case.

As stated previously, the ideal arrangement
would be a single stage of resistance coupling
followed by a push-pull amplifier with plenty
of B and C battery. Finally should come a
good loud speaker, usually coupled to the
amplifier with an "output" transformer.
Neither of these two stages of amplification
would introduce noticeable distortion, and if
a good horn is used, reproduction should be
as faithful as is normally possible.

'^DIOLATRT

By ARTHUR GUITERMAN

rrv
1A

1HE worst oj all idolaters
Are jealous radiolaters

Who wreck the peace of erstwhile

happy homes
With drool oj variometers,
Detectors, galvanometers,

Antennae, switches, batteries, and ohms.

Their eyes devoutly glistening,
They'll sit for ages listening

With clumsy rubber muffs upon their ears,
And hail the shrieking mordancies
Of far-away discordancies

As though they were the music of the
spheres.

They'll stand for prosy summaries
And monologues and mummeries

Of folks you couldn't wheedle them to see,
The rant of revolutionists,
And awful elocutionists,

Because they come from Newark, XYZ.

They'll take the driest serial
So long as it's aerial;

They'll take the saddest sentimental gush,
The ambient may squeak to them;
But if you dare speak to them

The only sound you'll get from them is,
"Shush!"

In Nome or sweet Lafcadio
There's no escape from Radio !

Then, since you cannot dodge the atmos-
phere,

My songs shall cheer or trouble you
From station PKW,

Because, at least, I'd rather talk than hear!

EPILOGUE
(With the kind assistance of Mr. Longfellow)

/ breathed a song into the air;
That little song of beauty rare
Is flying still, for all I know,
Around the world by Radio.

(Reprinted by permission of the author from his The
Light Guitar, copyright, 1923 by Harper and Brothers)

•iniiiinnnnn iiiniiiiiinnngmnmii**!

Courtesy American Architect

THE WINNING DESIGN FOR THE PARIS PRIZE

Of the Society of Beaux Arts. The problem set was the design of a transportation institute, devoted to
the study of all means of transportation. The institute was to contain experimental laboratories, museums,
and a hall for experiment with current inventions. The plan illustrated is the work of H. K. Beig, of the
Armour Institute of Technology, Chicago. The feature of the plan is the great central mast which is
designed for a radio station and a mooring mast for aircraft. Mr. Beig's application of a radio tower to a

large building is an unusual piece of design

THE MARCH OF RADIO

President, Institute of Radio Engineers

International Revision of Wavelengths is Necessary

WE HAVE just received a copy of
a letter written by Alfred M.
Caddell, Secretary of the Amer-
ican Radio Association, which
is an illustration of the good work this organ-
ization is carrying on.

As we have repeatedly stated in these col-
umns, the amount of spark interference en-
countered in the broadcast range is certainly
more than is necessary. Dot and dash
signals, with lots of power, come in on almost

any kind of a set tuned-in on the lower wave-
lengths of the radiophone channel. And how
unnecessary much of this traffic seems. The
power used is frequently enough, it seems, to
reach to Chicago even though the traffic is
being carried on over a span of perhaps fifty-
miles.

The boats of the New England Steamship
Company have frequently been the culprits
in the matter. They sail from New York and
a short distance up the New England coast, and

The March of Radio

they surely seem to have lots to say over the
radio channel. Naturally the authorities of
the steamship company think that this traffic
is important. In this case, it seems that their
opinion cannot be considered very seriously
in view of the hundreds of code-reading lis-
teners who hear everything said by their
ships. Many of these listeners know the code
and the proper procedure for carrying on radio
traffic perhaps better than their own operators.
The tone of Mr. Caddell's attitude toward
the steamship company is well shown by the
following paragraph from his letter.

Undoubtedly you know that there is a national
regulation that specifies that all communication
must be carried on with the least possible power,
but qualified observers who have logged this Long
Island Sound traffic, report that your operators use
a considerable excess of power. And this, com-
bined with the obsolete spark system employed
results in a very coarse, poorly tuned signal
that blankets the upper scale of the broadcast
wavelengths and hashes up the finest programs.

In his answer to Mr. Caddell's letter, C. J.
Pannill, General Manager of the Independent
Wireless Telegraph Company, which con-
trols the offending ships, disclaimed responsi-
bility for the situation, stating that it was a
question of wavelength assignment only, as
the 600 meter (calling wavelength) and 706

meter (traffic wave) channels were too close
to the broadcast channels so that it was im-
possible to carry on his traffic without the in-
terference complained of. The letter made
no comments regarding the alleged improper
practices of his operators. Apparently the
broadcast listener is not the only one who feels
that the Radio Corporation is charging all the
traffic will bear, as one sentence in Mr. Pan-
nilFs letter indicates—-
You ask that the company change the apparatus
at present employed (spark) to tube transmitters,
but this is not possible owing to the prohibitive price
asked for these transmitters.

His letter, even though it did not promise
any relief from the interference caused by the
ship traffic, did bring up a question which will
certainly bear investigation at this time, that
is, the general matter of wavelength assign-
ments. When the present allocation of wave-
lengths was made by international convention
in 1912, radiophone did not exist to an extent
worthy of attention, so naturally no consid-
eration was given to the probable demands
of the broadcast channels. Broadcasting was
undreamed of then.

It is just possible that the marine radio
traffic may well becarried out on a much longer
wavelength than at present, as Mr. Pannill

RADIO IN THE GRAND CANYON

Of the Colorado. A recent exploring party of the United States Geological Survey brought with them a
radio receiver. A 2oo-foot antenna, secured to one of the walls of the canyon, brought in signals from many
broadcasting stations. Station KHJ, Los Angeles, broadcast them nightly news and weather reports

Radio Broadcast

suggests, and it is also possible, in our opinion,
that the naval service is monopolizing an alto-
gether too wide a frequency band. In time
of war, of course, the naval service should have
any and all wavelengths it needs. In peace time
there is no reason for shutting other services
out of such a wide frequency band as is now
done. A reasonable curtailing of the fre-
quencies now set aside for the army and navy
would not seriously interfere with the needs
of these services. Certainly it would make
available channels much needed for other
purposes.

Real Romance In Radio Science

IN THE most recent list of "Standard wave-
length stations" published by the Bureau
of Standards, station WBZ, of Springfield,
Mass., appears. This station has shown a
maximum deviation from its assigned fre-
quency of 890 kilocycles of zero per cent,
since the Bureau began their measurements in
May of this year. The physicists of the Bu-
reau measure and record their readings to
o.i per cent, and as WBZ is recorded as zero
per cent., this means that the observed fre-
quency was never as much as 0.05 per cent,
away from its assigned value.

To a technically trained man, such a per-
formance means much more than it does to the
average broadcast listener, who has never had
to make any accurate measurements. To
illustrate what this precision means, let us
suppose that we are ordered to cut off lengths
of copper wire exactly one inch long. Could
we do this as accurately as the radio station
engineer maintains the specification for his
frequency? And remember that measuring
an inch with a rule, or whatever else we use, is
apparently a much easier task than to measure
the frequency in hundreds of thousands of
cycles per second, of an electric current which
cannot be either seen or held while the mea-
surement is being 'made. And remember also
that the current to be measured is generated
in Springfield, Mass., while the measurer is
stationed in Washington, hundreds of miles
away.

What would it mean to be able to cut the
piece of copper wire an inch long, an inch
within 0.05 per cent.? Well, this would require
that the wire would have to be an inch long to
within one half of one thousandth of an inch.
If your hair is light in color, one hair is about
0.003 mcn m diameter, whereas if you are
fortunate enough to have red hair it is as much

THE WORLD AT THE EDGE OF A MAINE LAKE

This radio set did yeoman service in breaking the deadly quiet of long summer evenings in a Maine
Camp. The home-made birchbark loud-speaker horn gives plenty of camping "atmosphere"

The March of Radio

OFFICERS OF THE RADIO MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION

Recently organized in Chicago. The association was formed for the purpose of "improving and stabiliz-
ing the industry" and more than one hundred million dollars of capital is represented. H. H. Frost, Presi-
dent, is in the center, Frank Reichmann, Vice President, at the left, and A. J. Carter, Secretary, at the right

as 0.005 incn in diameter, so we can say that
the piece of wire would have to be cut to the
right length to within one tenth of the diameter
of a red hair!

Pretty difficult to carry out, you will admit,
yet this percentage of error allowed is the same
as that within which the radio station keeps
when the Bureau of Standards specifies that
its frequency is as accurate as they find it for
WBZ.

The engineers of the Western Electric Com-
pany talk nonchalantly of measuring the fre-
quency of a radio station to within o.oi per
cent., and are actually making measurements
to within o.ooi per cent, with only a small
probable error! Sometime in the future a
note on this remarkable achievement will be
included in these columns, as this work surely
is indicative of the March of Radio.

Pershing's Farewell Address

TREATS of broadcasting occur so often
' these days that their recording excites
but passing interest. When broadcast-
ing began, the charmed and thoroughly in-
terested listeners were content to marvel at
the mystery that allowed them to sit in the
fastness of their own libraries and hear the
voice of a distant singer or speaker. But now,
and broadcasting is still young, the world's
folk have accepted radio in the sense of broad-
casting, and made it a part of their daily lives.
If one were inclined to doubt that, a little more
than casual glance at the daily newspaper
would convince him how true this is. When
cartoonists are using radio loud speakers and
variously labelling them "Loud Politician,"
"Public Appeal," and the other tags so dear
to the cartoonist, and newspaper humorists

phrase their daily fun in radio terms, they are
truly reflecting the thought of the. times.

So when John J. Pershing, the retiring Gen-
eral of the United States Army, made his fare-
well speech on September I2th from eighteen
broadcasting stations, fairly blanketing the
nation with his voice, there were probably
not many who listened who marvelled at the
event. Stations from New York to Cali-
fornia, and from Illinois to Texas were linked
together by the wire lines of the Bell system to
a microphone in the office of Secretary of War
Weeks, where the ceremonies took place.
There is probably 'not a town in the United
States where the signals did not penetrate.

When Washington made his farewell to that
handful of officers and men gathered at Rocky
Point, New Jersey, in 1783, his voice was heard
by that scattering few only. But now, the re-
tiring General of our Army speaks to the
Nation.

The linkage of these stations was a feature of
the much-discussed National Defense Day and
has furnished an excellent example of the
service broadcasting may be to the Nation in
time of national need. One wonders if the
country would have been more deeply and
perhaps quickly influenced in 1917, could they
have heard Woodrow Wilson give his famous
message to Congress, urging it to declare
a state of war against Germany. It is certain,
anyhow, that through radio broadcasting, the
whole Nation can be linked to Washington,
and brought into the very halls of government
when necessity arrives.

We think it a bit unfortunate that the radio
amateurs were not given an opportunity to
show what they could do. The American
Radio Relay League is now so well organized,
and has so many expert member-stations,

Radio Broadcast

THOMAS EDISON
-Inventor; East Orange, New Jersey

" There is not much in the radio being used
for political campaigns this year. People like
ja^ music; they like to hear about contests such
as the Democratic Convention, hut to sit and hear
a political speech — I'll tell you a story.

"A reformer -went to Sing Sing to deliver a re-
form talk to the prisoners. He started in with
that reform talk, you know, and kept up talking
and talking until he had them all bcred to death.
He talked for an hour, and then some one — a
colored man — let out a yell. A guard lit him
over the head and knocked him senseless. When
he came to in about an hour, the reformer -was
still talking. The man called the guard and
said: 'Hit me again, boss, I can still hear it.'"

most of which are efficiently run and well
equipped, that the organization should have
been recognized in the same fashion as have
the broadcasters.

Censorship in Radio Broadcasting

THE suggestion that the broadcasting
stations of the Radio Corporation arc
censored, with all the sinister thoughts
that such an idea arouses, soon drew an em-
phatic denial. The statement was made in

one of the newspapers that "Officials of the
Radio Corporation of America explained that
it was their custom to require written copies
of proposed radio addresses in advance of
delivery, and to forbid any utterance that they
considered unsuitable for transmission."

The next day, the President of the Corpora-
tion, General Harbord, wrote a letter to the
paper in question stating that "it is not at all
the policy of the RCA to censor the political
speeches of the accredited political represen-
tatives in the coming elections." He further
states that "when we have asked for an ad-
vance copy of a scheduled broadcast speech
it has been when the subject was of a commer-
cial nature, or other than political, and with one
of the ends in view, either when it was desired
to give advance publicity to the speech or
when it was desirable to make certain that the
speech was of a nature at once acceptable to
the listening public."

Shall Prisoners Have. Radio?

THE day has gone by when prisoners are
hung up by the thumb or stretched
on the rack periodically to convince
them that the way of the law is best. We
nowadays see to it that prisoners have light
and fresh air — two of life's necessities without
which any human being is soon transformed
into a society-hating beast. Theoretically,
any influence which will instill into the prison-
er's mind the idea that law breaking doesn't
pay, that the life of unharried freedom outside
the prison walls is the only one worth while,
should not only be allowed in the prison but
should be incorporated as part of its regular
regime.

What then about radio sets being allowed in
prison cells? The contact with the outside
world which radio makes possible for the pri-
soner cannot do him any harm, the social
reformers say, and may do him some good.

A recent letter to us suggests that we ex-
press an opinion on the use of radio in prison.
Having the normal amount of sympathy for
the fellow who has been unfortunate enough
to break the law and get caught (there are
many law breakers who are not caught) one's
natural reaction is to say, "Surely, let radio do
its bit to make the prison life a little brighter."
About the time we reached this conclusion,
along came an announcement from the warden
of the Pennsylvania State Penitentiary that
a prisoner who had been allowed to have a
radio set in his cell had been receiving code
messages from one of his pals on the outside

The March of Radio

as to how dope would be smuggled into the
prison. The scheme, according to the story,
had been working successfully.

All of which goes to show that one's sym-
pathy may lead to an unjustified decision.
So now we would say let the possession of a
radio receiving set be allowed for "good con-
duct" to be immediately taken away for in-
fringement of the prison rules. Such use of
radio might prove quite an incentive to good
behavior.

Telephoning to England

WE ARE always inclined to think of
the United States as the one place on
earth where things are planned and
carried out on a tremendous scale. We have
ranches in the West which have more space
in one field than that in the largest farm in the
little island across the sea; our buildings have
fifty stories, our corporations have a capitaliz-
ation of a billion dollars, we have more tele-
phones in two of our cities than there are in
four of the world's continents, and so on.
Naturally we have thought of radio in America
in larger terms than that of England and other
nations. According to information of the De-
partment of Commerce, we are surely to be out-
done, in no uncertain way, in the size of radio
stations. The English are putting up a

station with an antenna a mile and a half
long and half a mile wide, supported on
twelve masts each 820 feet high! Each of
these masts weighs 300 tons, and are being
moved in sections so large that the transpor-
tation can be carried on only at night. With
each mast an elevator is installed, large enough
to take up four men.

It is understood that with this station the
American Telephone and Telegraph Company
expects to establish transatlantic radiophone
communication. With the radio link estab-
lished, the feat of telephoning from one's
home to that of a friend in England will be an
every day possibility.

Radio Invades the Apartment House

THE tendency to make the modern
apartment house thoroughly up to date
is well illustrated by the attempt on the
part of the builders to incorporate radio re-
ception as part of their service. In many
apartment nouses the antenna question is
acute — and is becoming more so every day.
One of our friends told us the other day that
he had succeeded in discovering which of his
fellow cliff dwellers persisted in using a blooper
for a transmitter of unassigned and variable
wavelength. Having been told by the oscil-
lating set owner (after judicious questioning)

News Picture Service, Inc.

Independent Progressive nominee for President, rehearsing a speech for Dr. Lee De Forest's "talking mov-
ies." All of the Presidential candidates intend to use this device in the 1924 campaign. It should be
possible to use this device for radio speeches, such as Senator La Follette gave on Labor Day

Radio Broadcast

where the offending antenna was located on the
roof of the apartment house our friend crept
up in the quiet darkness of that evening and
with a vigorous tug, dislodged the pole on
which the howling receiver antenna was
fastened. To his surprise he learned the next
day that he had also pulled down seven others.
Evidently such a situation, and there are
many like it, bids fair to start a real intra-
mural war.

To avoid just such a situation, one apart-
ment house has just been fitted with four an-
tennas and receiving sets located in a "radio
central" with an operator in charge. Each
apartment has wires leading to the radio room
and these can be plugged into any one of the
four stations which the operator has tuned-in.
It is necessary for the apartment house
dweller to buy for himself an audio amplifier
and loud speaker. This service will be ap-
preciated by those who listen to complete
programs. The real radio enthusiast we fear
will have to buy a super-heterodyne, or a
"knock-out" set of some sort, in addition
to the apartment house set. Many are
the listeners who still spend interesting

hours in the absorbing chase of the DX signal.
Maybe the stuff is no good when he gets
it, but getting it — that's the thing that still
fascinates.

Radio in the Modern Hospital

AT THE new Hunts Point Hospital, in
the Bronx, New York each room is
equipped with a radio plug. On the
roof of the hospital, is the operator and the
radio set. The audio output of the set can
be received in each of the rooms by the use of
head phones, which is the only feasible scheme
of reception in a hospital where loud speakers
are out of place.

The President of the hospital board, in
commenting on the installation said:

We have spent $500,000 in making this hospital
the most modern institution of its kind in the
Bronx. Its equipment, from the operating room
down through the entire plant, is the most modern
and scientifically perfect obtainable. But I do not
believe that there is a single modern feature that
can compare in its ultimate effects for good on the
patient with the radio installation.

Underwood & Underwood

HUNTS POINT HOSPITAL

New York, which is completely equipped with radio. A central receiving set whose output, greatly
amplified, furnishes broadcast programs to each bed, through individual head phones. The hospital
officials expect the radio to do much to break the tedium of the weary and often lonely hours of convales-

The March of Radio

Interesting Things Interesting
People Say

SIR ROBERT DONALD (London; former
editor, The Daily Chronicle, speaking be-
fore the London Rotary Club): "In 1913. I
predicted that the chief competitor of the
newspaper would be new developments in the
dissemination of news. What I did not fore-
see was the development of broadcasting. In
the future, I think that broadcasting will be-
come the chief competitor of the newspaper.
News that can be broadcast is limited in many
ways, for broadcasting can give the facts and
no description, which is an advantage, because
many newspapers give a description and no
facts. However, if people who hear speeches
over the radio do not find them reported to a
sufficient extent in the newspapers, they may
be disposed to ask the reason why. This will
stimulate the newspaper."

CRANK E. SEAVY (Somerville, Massachu-
P setts; Department of English, Tufts
College, in a letter to WGY): "When I think
of the thousands of homes into which you are
sending excellent music daily, homes in which,
three years ago, no music above street songs
was known, I feel that your work in education
is vastly more important than ours."

pAPTAIN H. J. ROUND (London; En-
\~; gineer, British Marconi Company, in the
London Morning Post, regarding the use of
loud speakers): "The engineer (in developing
loud speakers) has to be satisfied if he can retain
intelligibility in all cases with not too great a
divergence from the human quality. . . . One
cannot forecast the feelings of the electorate if
politics becomes merely a matter of noise."

C C. MORTIMER (New York; "Topics
r of the Times" in the New York Times):
"It has been noted as a curious fact that
several minutes before more than a small part
of the enormous crowd gathered at Epsom
Downs knew the name of the Derby winner,
it had become old news to many people in
such far away lands as India, South Africa, and
South America. That, of course, was an-
other of radio's many miracles, for it took
only a fraction of a second for the mysterious
vibrations to reach the other side of the
world. . . . Anybody could survive wait-
ing a few minutes for the winner's name, and
the episode may be taken as illustrating anew
that fact that, in respect to most of the ma-
terial broadcast by the new device, chief
interest lies in its manner of transmission."

CDWARD S. VAN ZILE (New York; in
JLJ the New York Times Book Review): "If
more books are being distributed in this coun-
try than ever before, it follows that the out-

WILL ROGERS
Humorist and Rope-Twisting Monologist

"// you- have a radio, now is a good time to
get it out of fix. All you will bear from now on
until the 4th cf November will be: 'We must get
our government out of the hands of Predatory
Wealth.' ' The good people of this Great Country
are burdened to death with Taxes; now what I in-
tend to do, is. . . .' What be intends to do
is try and get elected. That's all any of them in-
tend to do. Another one that will hum over the
old static every night will be: ' This country has
reached a Crisis in its National Existence. Can
we afford to stand aloof from our worldly obliga-
tions? . . . Of the defeated candidates, I
am the only one that had the nerve to remain in
New York.'"

(©, 1924, the McNaught Syndicate. Inc.)

standing new features in our social and family
life, namely, the motor car, the movie, and the
radio are exerting not a centrifugal, bi^t a
centripetal force on the library. . . . The
fact is ... that the radio has tended
toward the integration rather than the dis-
integration of the family. . . . The aver-
age American family is more united in its hours
of leisure than ever before. . . . The
cosmopolitan impetus to the mind vouchsafed
by the radio inevitably intensifies the interest
of the average American household in the en-
lightenment to be got from books. . . .
Why, then, despair about the Republic?"

CAPTAIN ECKERSELY (London; Chief
\_> Engineer, British Broadcasting Com-
pany): "The present receptive range of the
average crystal set is approximately twenty-
five miles. My belief is that by transmitting
from a sufficiently powerful station, this range
can be increased to one hundred miles at least."

How to Build a Six-Tube Second-
Harmonic Super-Heterodyne

Whose B-Battery Consumption is Exceptionally Low — A Set
for the Constructor Interested in Efficiency and Economy

By ALLAN T. HANSCOM

POR some time we have been looking for a super-heterodyne which required fewer
*• tubes and was more economical to operate than those we have described here-
tofore. Mr. Hanscom brought one of his six-tube receivers to our laboratory and demon-
strated its superiority to our entire satisfaction. It is easy to tune, selective, sensitive,
and produces exceptional volume with clarity far above the ordinary.

This receiver, because it is necessary to make rather than purchase some of the coils, is
somewhat more difficult to construct than those standardized receivers we have previously
described. Receivers of this type are going to improve beyond our powers of imagination
and this improvement is indicated very clearly in Mr. Hanscom's work, which we feel is a
long step in the right direction. — THE EDITOR.

THE purpose of this article is to outline
the theory of operation and to describe
in detail the construction of a receiver
that can be built successfully by the
fans who like to make their own sets.

There are several types of super-heterodynes
available, and in most cases the results are
accomplished by using eight tubes or more,
with corresponding large drain on A and B
batteries. This is the factor that has caused
the super-heterodyne to be called the "Rolls-
Royce." The receiver performs excellently but
at exceedingly high first cost and high main-
tenance.

The super-heterodyne designed by the
writer is not an expensive set to build, it is not
a freak, and it will bring in all stations that
any good set will with a B-battery consump-
tion of less than fifteen milliamperes using
2OI-A tubes and an eighteen-inch loop. When
we consider that commercial types of five-
tube neutrodynes draw about twenty milli-
amperes from the B battery, it is apparent
that this super-heterodyne is not an expensive
set to maintain.

The biggest advantage that a super-
heterodyne has is its ability to operate on a
loop. A good set of this type will positively
get down to the sound level of the atmospheric
electrical disturbances when using a loop,
and it is therefore of no advantage to use an
outdoor antenna. A poor super-heterodyne,

with a low factor of amplification, will work
better on an antenna, but so will any type of
set, for that matter.

WHAT A SUPER WILL DO

WHAT you will hear with a super-
heterodyne is exactly what you will
hear with any good set, except that the direc-
tional effect of the loop will prevent some
interference and the ease of tuning makes
the stations easier to obtain. A super-
heterodyne will not amplify a signal if the
signal isn't there. By that I mean that a
broadcasting station a thousand miles away
cannot be heard unless the carrier wave is
stronger than the static disturbances when it
reaches the receiving set. But for the ability
to go out and get a lot of stations quickly and
easily when conditions are right, the super-
heterodyne can't be surpassed.

Radiation, sometimes incorrectly called
"re-radiation" is a fault of many super-
heterodynes. In general, any circuit which
has an oscillating vacuum tube coupled to a
loop becomes a miniature transmitter. This
condition is greatly aggravated by the use of

INPUT

FIG. I

How to Build a Six-Tube Second-Harmonic Super-Heterodyne 41

a large antenna. The super-heterodyne de-
scribed herein does not radiate because the
oscillator isn't coupled to the loop. In addi-
tion, the oscillator frequency is nowhere near
the frequency of the received signal, because
the principle of the "second harmonic" is
used.

ADVANTAGES OF THIS SUPER

AT THIS point it may be well to consider
the essential parts of the super-hetero-
dyne as shown by Fig. i .

The only reason for this type of set is the fact
that it is better to amplify on the long waves
than at the usual broadcasting frequencies.
Assuming a 3OO-meter wavelength which has
a frequency of 1,000,000 cycles per second, the
super-heterodyne changes this frequency to
the exact value that will pass through the long-
wave amplifier (see Fig. i). The frequency
of this long-wave amplifier is not variable, and
because it is in the neighborhood of 40,000
cycles per second, the amplification per stage
is very high. Because the amplifier is designed
to pass only a narrow band of frequencies,
the selectivity is also high.

The manner of creating this new low fre-
quency is a puzzle to many people, but it is
accomplished by a combination of the signal
frequency with a new frequency which is
generated within the set. Arithmetically,
the case is as follows: Assuming the incoming
carrier wave with a frequency of 1,000,000
cycles, if we generate a frequency in the set of
1,040,000 cycles, the difference between the
two will be 40,000 cycles. If the generated
frequency is 960,000 cycles, the difference
between that and 1,000,000 cycles is still
40,000. Because the two frequencies are
combined, the resultant frequency is the differ-
ence between the two. There is also a
frequency equal to the sum
of the two, but this is not
utilized.

PRINCIPLE OF THE SECOND
HARMONIC

ANY frequency has cer-
tain harmonics. By
this we mean that a
frequency double or triple
the original will bear a
certain fixed relation to
it at all times. If we as-
sume the case of a man
and a small boy walking
up the street together, t hit-
man may be taking strides

of exactly thirty inches. Now, if the boy is
taking two steps to the man's one, and the
boy's steps are exactly fifteen inches, then they

TUB* »4

FIG. 2

will always be in line. In this case the man's
step is the second harmonic of the boy's
step.

In applying this principle to the super-heter-
dyne, the arithmetic gives us this:

Incoming signal . . . i ,000,000 cycles
Second harmonic of this . 500,000
Generated frequency . . 480,000

The difference

20,000

But 20,000 cycles is the second harmonic of
40,000 cycles, which is the frequency of the
long-wave amplifier. By this method we
generate a frequency in the set which is so
different from the signal frequency that for
practical purposes it is entirely independent
of it.

It must be understood that the amplifier
frequency does not have to be exactly 40,000
cycles. The lower this value is, the closer it
approaches the audible frequencies, which
extend up to about 12,000, while as it goes
higher, the problem of amplification becomes
more difficult.

Fig. 2 shows the path of the signal through
the first four tubes. The dotted lines repre-
sent the frequency of the received signal, the
solid line shows the amplifier frequency.

The incoming signal is amplified at radio

THE FRONT OF THE PANEL
Extreme simplicity of control is a notable feature of this receiver

Radio Broadcast

frequency by tube No. i, and passed into tube
No. 2. This tube is oscillating and generating
a frequency which combines with that of the
incoming signal to produce a new low fre-
quency which is fed back into tube No. i and
amplified. This is known as reflexing. From
No. i the output now goes to No. 3, where it is
again amplified and then detected by tube
No. 4.

ABOUT REFLEXING

WHAT are known as reflex receivers are
those in which the audio frequencies
are fed back through the tubes which are
already amplifying radio frequencies. In this
type of super-heterodyne, the audio frequencies
are not reflexed, but the same conditions ap-
ply.

It is obvious that a tube may be reflexed
for both radio and audio frequencies, but the
intermediate frequency which is utilized in
the super-heterodyne must necessarily be
above audibility.

Fig. 3 represents a typical reflexing arrange-
ment where the fixed condensers are used to by-
pass the radio frequencies. Most people do not
realize that the shortest path for radio fre-
quencies is the best path. This is shown in
Fig. 4, which is exactly the same as Fig. 3
except that the radio frequencies are bypassed
directly back to the filament.

As will be seen in the circuit diagram, the
first tube acts as a radio-frequency amplifier

FIG. 3

while the second tube is an oscillator and
detector. The output of the second tube
consists of three frequencies: first, the fre-
quency of the incoming signal; second, the
frequency of the oscillator; and third, the beat
frequency, which is the difference between the
other two.

The higher frequencies are bypassed back to
the filament of the oscillator tube but the
beat frequency is fed into the primary of
the first intermediate-frequency transformer.
The secondary of this transformer is connected
in the manner indicated by Fig. 5 which is done
in order to neutralize the tube capacity which
is accomplished by means of the neutralizing
condenser N.

The coils A, Fig. 5, are the secondary of an
intermediate-frequency transformer. If they
are equal and the condensers C are equal,
then the tube is neutralized, provided the
condenser N is equal to the grid-plate capacity

REAR VIEW
Of the receiver, showing the method of mounting the fixed condensers between the tube sockets

How to Build a Six-Tube Second-Harmonic Super-Heterodyne 43

of the tube. The high-frequency voltage
from the loop cannot pass a current through
the coil A, because of its high impedance, and
the low-frequency voltage generated in A
cannot pass a current through the loop because
of the condenser C in series with the loop.
And because the first tube is neutralized, it
cannot oscillate and no potentiometer is
required.

AIR-CORE TRANSFORMERS

MANY super-heterodynes use transformers
with iron cores, and in most cases they
use one sharply tuned transformer or filter to
make the intermediate frequency sharp enough
for good selectivity. The disadvantage is
that the iron-core transformers are not as
efficient, but the difficulty with the air-core
transformers has been that the tuning is apt
to be too sharp. This has been overcome in
the set pictured by a special design of coils
with a provision for moving the coils to tune
each stage for the most efficient amplification.
By this means great selectivity is obtained as
well as great amplification with an absence
of the hissing sound which is so prevalent in
some super-heterodynes.

As might be expected, the tuning of the set
is very sharp. A 5OO-watt station ten miles
away can be completely tuned out in less than
one point on the oscillator scale. The dial
readings are always the same for the same
station, and with the proper number of turns
in the loop the settings of both condensers
are approximately the same for any particular
wavelength.

HOW TO BUILD THE SET

WITH the foregoing explanations, the
circuit diagram, Fig. 6, may be easily
understood. It is not essential that the ap-
paratus be mounted as closely as shown in
the photographs, but it is absolutely necessary
to keep all grid and plate leads as short as pos-
sible and remember that the fixed condensers
are bypassing objectionable radio frequencies
back to the tube where they come from. Keep
these condenser wires short and direct.
The materials needed are as follows:

i Panel 9" x 18" x ,Y' (Don't use wood)

i Panel 8" x 18" x A" (Don't use wood)

i Panel 4" x 10" x ,Y'

3 Hard rubber strips — \" wide, A" thick,
2" long

5 Hard rubber strips — i" wide, A" thick
3 4" long (2 for oscillator, I for terminals)
2 3" long (i for oscillator, i for loop
terminals)

6 Sockets — Composition, not metal

2 Jacks — i double circuit, i single circuit
2 Rheostats — i 6 ohms, i 30 ohms, any good

make
2 Variable condensers — .0005 mfd. — Any good

make with vernier dials or knobs (not

separate vernier plates)

7 Fixed Condensers — 2 .0005 mfd. 2 .00025 mi&.

3 .002 mfd.

1 Grid leak and condenser combined, .00025

mfd. and from 2 to 5 megohms.

2 Audio-frequency transformers — (low ratio)

6 Binding posts

Square tinned bus bar, A screws and
nuts, etc.

9 Coils for intermediate-frequency trans-
formers

4 Coils for oscillator

i Dubilier Duratran radio-frequency trans-
former

i Neutralizing condenser

i Bypass condenser, i mfd.

The first step in the construction of the set
is the assembly of four sockets on the 4" x .10"
rubber panel as indicated in Fig. 7. After
mounting the sockets the — F connections are
joined with bus bar and the +F connections
of tubes i, 2, and 4 counting from the left are
joined. This is shown in the photograph of
the top view of the set.

The next consideration is the intermediate-
frequency transformers. Each transformer is
made of three small honeycomb coils which
are clamped on the rubber panel by strips of
hard rubber and small screws. The center
coil is the primary and the two outside coils
form the secondary. The coils are mounted
at an angle of 55 degrees as indicated in Fig.

7 with a space of about iV between adjacent
coils. By loosening the screws which hold
the small hard rubber strips, the coils may be
moved endwise for accurate tuning after the
set is finished.

It is very important that the wires from the
coils be connected in the right direction.
The inner ends of the two outside coils are
connected and the coils are mounted so
that the outer ends of these two coils face

FIG. 4

Radio Broadcast

LOOP

FIG. 5

in opposite directions. Looking at the end
of the coils, if the wire runs clockwise starting
at the outside of the first coil, it must continue
to run clockwise starting at the inner end of
the coil in series with it. See Fig. 8. The
center coil, which is the primary, may be
mounted either way.

After this, the Dubilier transformer is
mounted midway between sockets i and 2
on the under side of the panel with the— F and
+ B connections at the rear. Then the grid
leak is mounted on the under side of the panel
near the grid connection of socket No. 4. At
this point it is optional whether the mounted
parts are wired or the wiring left until the
socket assembly is fastened to the front
panel.

• The photographs clearly show the arrange-
ment of parts on the front panel (9" x 18")
and the base panel (8" x 18"). Owing to the
different parts which may be used, it is not

possible to give absolute dimensions. Look-
ing at the front view of the set, the left-hand
dial tunes the loop and the right-hand dial
tunes the oscillator. The left-hand lower
knob is the rheostat which controls all the
tubes and the right-hand lower knob is the 30-
ohm rheostat which controls the filament of
the third tube for the regulation of the volume.
It is suggested that the audio stages be wired
before the base panel is joined to the front
panel, although this is not absolutely neces-
sary.

The bus bar may be rigidly secured to the
sub panel by boring a small hole and bending
it as in Fig. 8A.

In soldering, use only resin-core solder.

FIG. 7

If panel-mount sockets are used, it is possible
to fasten the four-tube assembly to the front
panel of the set by using the socket mountings,
otherwise use brass angle irons. In fastening
the front panel to the base panel, it is possible
to drill the edge of the base panel and tap
for ^g- machine screws, but this may also be
avoided by using brass angle irons.
The variable condensers should be connected

FIG. 6
Complete diagram of the six-tube super-heterodyne

How to Build a Six-Tube Second-Harmonic Super-Heterodyne 45

.SECONDARY-'
FIG- °

so that the fixed plates go
to the grids of the tubes
and the movable plates are £
connected to the C-battery is
negative.

To avoid errors, it is an
excellent plan to draw over
the wiring diagram with a
colored pencil as each wire is
connected.

The C battery is fastened
to the base panel with a piece of bus bar as
shown in the photographs.

NEUTRALIZING THE FIRST TUBE

IT WILL be seen from the photographs
that the coils in the first intermediate
transformer are not evenly spaced. This is
because with a fixed value of neutralizing
condenser the neutralizing can best be done
by moving the coil A in Fig. 9. The value of
the neutralizing condenser is about equal to the

BUS BAR

HARD RUBBER

FIG. 8A

full capacity of a neutrodyne condenser when
the rod is connected to one terminal and
the sleeve to the other. See Fig. 10.

A flexible wire connection may be made to the
metal tubing to allow further variation. Once
set the position of the metal tubing may be
fixed with a drop of wax.

HOW TO MOUNT THE OSCILLATOR COILS

The wrong way is shown at the top of the photo-
graph and the correct way at the lower part of the
cut. Both windings should be placed so the wires
run in a similar direction

THE OSCILLATOR

THE oscillator is composed of four coils,
two in series in the grid circuit and two
smaller coils in series in the plate circuit.
The manner of connecting these coils is very

TOP VIEW OF THE RECEIVER
Which shows quite clearly the mounting and position of the intermediate transformer and oscillator coils

Radio Broadcast

important, and is indi-
,COILA cated in the photographs.
They are connected so
that the direction of the
current if clockwise in
one coil will be counter-
clockwise in the coil in
series with it. This is
done to provide a closed
magnetic field as indicated
in Fig. 1 1.

To make the tube
TUBE*1 oscillate it is also neces-

FIG. 9 sarY to place the grid

and plate coils together
so that the direction of rotation of the grid wire
is opposite to that of the plate wire in the
other pair of coils. See Fig. 1 1 .

The manner of mounting the oscillator is
clearly shown in the photographs. It is sup-
ported by the bus wire leads which are fas-
tened to each corner of the lower rubber strip.
The intensity of the oscillations can be varied
by changing the thickness of the spacer be-
tween the pairs of coils. For best results this
should be about TV'-

OPERATING THE SET

AFTER the set is completed and the tubes
are in place, connect the A battery and
light the tubes. If they light, then turn them
off and connect the - B battery to the + A
binding post. Then touch the + B wire to the
+ B binding post. This may spark the first
time it is touched because of the capacity of
the bypass condenser, but it should not do so
more than once. Then the + B 45 may be
connected and the set is ready for adjusting.
Turn the volume control rheostat full on and
then light the tubes to normal. With phones
plugged in the last jack, it ought to be possible
to tune-in a powerful station after connecting
the loop. Oscillation in the first tube may
be noted by a series of bird-like whistles as
the dials are turned. This may be stopped by
moving the coil A, Fig. 9, to the proper point,
or by varying the neutralizing condenser.
If the set is wired properly, this adjustment
is not very critical.

CAUSES OF FAILURE TO OPERATE

AMONG the various causes of trouble in
operation of this receiver, some of those
most apt to be encountered are:

i — Wrong wiring

2 — Faulty tubes

3 — Short-circuited fixed condenser

4 — Wrong polarity on C battery.

&US BAR TO COIL A

It will be found that a station can be tuned-
in at several places on the oscillator dial, but it
is usually heard best at a setting about the
same as the setting of the loop-tuning dial,
provided the loop is of a value that will bring
a 36o-meter station at about 35 on the con-
denser scale.

THE LOOP

\ A/1TH the various loops now on the mar-
* ' ket, it is easier to buy one ready made
than to make one, although a suitable loop
can be made of single
lamp cord (stranded)
of 13 or 14 turns on a
frame 18 inches square,
with the turns spaced FIG. 10

from ^ to |" apart.
Don't use fine wire and green wood. The largei
the loop, the fewer the turns for a given wave-
length and the greater the signal strength.
The writer has used a variometer for a loop
on stations 200 miles away with enough in-
tensity to operate a loud speaker, but don't
penalize the set with a poor loop. Get a
loud signal and then control it with the
rheostats.

A HINT TO HOME CONSTRUCTORS

DON'T solder lugs on the end of bus bar
when it is going to be connected to
terminals on sockets or transformers. It is

far better to
invest in a pair
of round-nosed
pliers and bend
an eye on the
end of the bus
bar. Don't screw
down the termi-
nals with your
fingers, because

TO PLATE

MAGNETIC FIELD
FIG. I I

they will not stay tight,
wrench.

Use pliers or a

A TEST PERFORMANCE

IN OUR laboratory in Garden City we were
able to bring in Philadelphia and Schenec-
tady in daylight with good loud speaker
volume, using this set and a small loop and
five tubes in daylight.

During two tests made at night, each of two
hours duration, using five tubes and a loud
speaker, the following stations were logged.
The dial settings were as indicated, and may
be generally helpful to those who duplicate
the receiver just described. Some idea of the

How to Build a Six-Tube Second-Harmonic Super-Heterodyne 47

selectivity of this receiver may
be had by noting the number of
stations logged between WEAF
and wjz, both of which are l%ess
than twenty miles from Garden
City. Both were operating most
of the time during which the four
distant stations were logged.

DIAL WAVE

SETTINGS LENGTH

LOOP OSCILLATOR

WNYC 78

WIP 75

WEAF 66

WHAA 65

WOC 64

WDAF 6}

WCAP 59

wjz 55

WSB 5!

WLW 48

CFCA 48

WTAM 41

WGY 39

WMAF 38

WEBH 37

WJAR 33

WLS 32

WHN 32

WCBD 32

WBZ 30

KDKA 28

WTAS . . 22

81
73

69
66
62

52
64

54
65
50
42
42
37
35
38
36
34
32
26

Many stations not included in this list were
heard but were not logged because call letters
were not heard. It is to be noted that
most of the stations on this list are not
local.

This particular receiver we used is not a

SIDE VIEW
Showing the output end of the set

freak. We have tried two. and Mr. Hanscom
has made several others. They all have the
same characteristics.

We were so favorably impressed with this
new departure in storage battery tube outfits
that we contemplate using one at the tempo-
rary receiving station we are going to equip
somewhere on the coast of Long Island for our
International broadcasting tests. Another re-
ceiver of this type will be used by Mr. Hanscom
at his home in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, for
the same purpose, and he will arrange to report
reception directly to our Garden City Labor-
atorv. — THE EDITOR.

THE material appearing in this magazine is fully protected
by copyright, and editors of periodicals are advised that
unauthorized publication of circuit diagrams, technical de'
scriprions, and parts or the whole of articles, without due
permission and credit is an infraction of the law. Those
who wish to reprint material appearing in these pages are
asked to communicate with the editor.

(L>ennie Irene

Is Radio Standardizing the American Mind?

THE discussion that has of late been
carried on in this department, regard-
ing the relative adaptability of the
masculine and feminine voice to radio
broadcasting, is still calling forth opinions
from many of our readers. These opinions
are often supple-
mented by others
having to do with
various different
features of broad-
casting. This goes
to prove that some
radio listeners are
doing their own
thinking, and are
not, as President |
Faunce of Brown |
University recent-
ly said, becoming
possessed of the
"mob mind."

This ''mob
mind," according
to President
Faunce, is being
created by the ra-
dio because, day

after day and ETHEL MILLER

night after night, Mezzo soprano. Miss Miller was soloist at one of the series
of concerts given by the Kudisch Ensemble from station wjz,
New York. The programs by this ensemble have proved
one of the most successful among the musical features intro-

hundreds of thou-
sands and at times
millions of people
listen to the same

speeches, music, drama, stories — all of these
features brought down to the level of mass in-
telligence. This is rapidly creating, in his
opinion, a standardized taste along educational
and amusement lines. A standardized mass
taste means mediocrity. This is not a direct
quotation of his statements, but is the gist of
their meaning.

If the radio were never to rise above the
level of its present daily achievements, all
that President Faunce has said. would be true.
But there are many indications that, as soon
as owners of radio sets lose the desire to
listen-in simply for the novelty of the thing,

a portion of the
public will demand

)**&& 4^. something better

than the sort of
education or enter-
tainment that ap-
peals to the mob
mind. And as soon
as they make this
demand it will be
granted. The fact
that such people
are among the lis-
teners-in, proves
that ultimately
the radio will not
standardize the
American mind. It
may seem to be
doing so now. In-
deed, President
Faunce can find
much to support
his opinion. But
he very likely is
not closely in

duced at this station

touch with the in-
ner workings of

this new and great medium of enjoyment. If
he were, he would realize that a goodly num-
ber, instead of swallowing all that they hear,
whole and without thought, are listening with
discrimination, and voicing whatever objec-
tions they feel in no uncertain terms.

Radio music, justifiably, comes in for the
largest amount of such criticisms, and next

—Trinity Court Studio, Pittsburgh
ETHEL WHITTLESEY
As she appeared when featured in a costume recital of old time songs at station KDKA

Radio Broadcast

to music come the speeches. It is not the
quality of the speeches that brings forth this
criticism, but rather the manner of their
delivery. The large majority of radio speeches
are, of course, read from manuscript, which is
as it should be, for reasons too obvious to
mention. But why should they sound as if
they were read? As you listen, you can fairly
see the speaker's eyes fixed on his manuscript.
The effect is even worse
than when a speaker in a
public auditorium reads an
address without the manu-
script being in evidence in-
stead of delivering it. If a
man once read a public
address in the monotonous
tone employed by radio
speakers he would never get
an engagement twice in the
same town.

Radio Speeches Are Too

Much a Colorless

Monotone

A MYTH ING even ap-
proaching oratory
is obnoxious over the
radio. Familiarity is worse.
But why a colorless mono-
tone? Many speeches orig-
inal in construction which
contain ideas well worth the hearing, sound for
all the world as if they were being read verba-
tim out of an encyclopedia. An announcement
of tremendous import broadcast would sound
like a platitude if given in a pedantic tone.
The spoken message by radio can never rise
above the quality of the speaker's voice and
diction.

As for the diction of most radio speakers,
it is well to let one who has frequently broad-
cast, and who has given much thought to
this subject, express his opinion. This opinion
was received by the present writer in a letter
commenting on various matters discussed in
this department. The writer of the letter is
Richard K. Morton of South Boston, Mass.,
who has broadcast speeches from stations
WBZ, WJAR, WGI, and WEAN, his subjects
including historical and scientific themes,
citizenship, humor, and biographical sketches.
He has also conducted musical programs at a
number of broadcast stations. So, taken
altogether, he knows whereof he speaks when
he expresses an opinion on radio talks. He
writes:

HELEN KLOUGH

Motion picture correspondent and screen
star, has been heard with distinct success
through station WOR, Newark, N. J.
One of Miss Klough's most popular talks
is on "How I Interview Famous Stars,
and What they Say"

I believe that the radio is showing us how few
speakers have really good voices and delivery. It
is showing the effect of a decline in forensic art, in
practice of reading aloud, and, above all, in careful
articulation and enunciation. We are lip-lazy, and
we clip our syllables and sounds. We do not have a
pleasant variation in tone quality. We mumble
down our shirt fronts. We do not know when to
breathe while speaking. We affect a sanctified
monotone or an excited staccato, in our delivery.
Any listener-in can add faults
to this necessarily brief list.
There are few listeners-in who
do not fervently await better
radio phonetics.

All who do their own
thinking, and there are a
goodly number of them in
radio audiences, will hail
with joy the day when the
faults just quoted are elim-
inated from broadcast
speeches. But the short-
comings in this feature of
radio are not wholly due to
the speakers, according to
Mr. Morton. Note what he
has to say about studio
management.

What can the radio station
do in this matter? It can test
voices before putting them on
the air. A sign, "Careful
Enunciation," would be more
valuable to a studio than the injunction, "Quiet."
Fit power of the transmitter to the locality. Place
the microphone better. Prevent stuffy atmosphere
in the studio. Do not permit many to be close by a
speaker while he is on the air. Remove from
speeches difficult words and phrases, ambiguities,
poor transitions, and current banalities. Prohibit
too many freak broadcasts, and cheap humor. The
best radio stations demand an advance copy of all
proposed talks, but, from experience, I know that
they should also have a guarantee as to the nature
of the voice which they propose to put on the air.
. . . Through good radio phonetics, public
interest will be maintained in worthwhile radio
speeches. The radio will then have a better chance
to serve the community.

To all of which many of our readers will no
doubt give their unqualified approval.

Some of the Worst and Some of the Best

FOR radio nuisances, we desire again to
go on record with the statement that the
worst of them all is the announcer with
that nice, chummy, familiar manner, who takes
you into his confidence. Who tells you that if

The Listeners' Point of View

you will stand by for a moment he is going to
give you, oh, something just too sweet, or
lovely, or funny for anything. Who says,
"Well, here we are again, feeling fine. How're
you?" Who tells you, "Say, this man is go-
ing to sing the latest love song about a sweet
young thing, and he's been married twenty
years! Hope wifey isn't listening-in." Who
signs off with, "Good night. Sleep tight.
. . . Turn off the
switch, George."

Time cures many
evils, and time will
cure this one. The
instant you hear an
announcer at a sta-
tion you know what
class of station it is,
and in what sort of
town it is located.

Of late, this de-
partment has been re-
ceiving numerous
comments, all lauda-
tory, anent the an-
nouncing of "Uncle
John," of KHJ, the
station conducted by
the Los Angeles
Times. Uncle John,
whose full name is
John S. Daggett, bids

fair to rival the cli-
mate of California as
a source of praise
from people all over
the state, which is

equivalent to saying that this praise is all in
superlatives. Yet there is always a good rea-
son given for the praise, which is more than
can be said about the eulogies of the
climate!

In a letter containing much of interest
about the men and women heard over the
microphone in California, Mr. J. M. McKey
has this to say of Uncle John:

Our most popular station here in southern Cali-
fornia is KHJ. While some of this popularity is
undoubtedly due to the fine quality of the programs,
one of the main reasons is none other than their
announcer, known to listeners as "Uncle John."
I have never heard any one speak anything but the
highest praise for this man. His announcements are
always made in a clean-cut, even voice and are to
the point. He seems to have no enemies on earth,
and is never perturbed or tiresome.

This, following a good many similar com-
ments not only from California but from other

HOUDINI

Who has talked on the art of magic from station
WOR. But even he, the greatest of living magicians,
cannot tell us whence comes the mystery called-

Radio

states as well, prompted us to send to Uncle
John for his photograph to be published this
month. But it did not arrive in time.
Why not have sent it by air mail, Uncle John?
From KGO, California, came a letter via air-
plane. Why not a picture from KHJ?

Upon second thought, perhaps the airplane
route did not occur to Uncle John because he
was too modest for it to enter his head that his
likeness could be of
that much importance
to any one. If this is a
true surmise, then it
but goes to prove that
even the best of an-
nouncers can some-
times be mistaken.
And directors, too.
Mr. Daggett serves in
both capacities at
KHJ.

Of a certain woman
announcer in his vicin-
ity, Mr. McKey
writes, "She is invari-
ably long-winded and
tiresome, as she goes
into details in which
the public is not in-
terested, and always
uses a patronizing
tone which disgusts
the listener." And of
a certain man an-

nouncer, " He is good
and knows it. In fact
he will almost tell you

how much better he is than the artists ap-
pearing on various programs and what an
awful dub you are."

As for the discussion about women speakers
that has called forth so many opinions, Mr.
McKey adds his views briefly and to the
point: "With few exceptions our stations
out here employ men announcers, and they
are always far superior to the women. I have
heard some very fine talks rendered by
women, but will say I prefer men all the
time."

Yes, there are radio listeners who think for
themselves and will never have the "mob
mind." By the same token, there are others
who, either through intellectual incapacity
or laziness, follow the mob in radio as in all
other things. They are the ones who, as
President Faunce so aptly put it, "will accept
the platitudes which are acceptable to all
mankind."

Radio Broadcast

Good Things Are In Store for Radio
Audiences

WHILE it is the custom of this depart-
ment to speak of individual per-
formances heard over the radio, such
mention is omitted this month because little
of outstanding merit has been heard since our
last number appeared. This was no doubt
due to the inevitable letting down of the
programs during the late summer and early
fall. But now that the regular season for
music and like entertainments is advancing,
material for such comment should be ample
for many months to come. The advance
announcements of the broadcast directors
show that some good things are in store for
the radio audiences.

But, as usual, the music promises to be the
least improved of all the features which are an
established part of broadcast programs. It
looks very much as if, after listening to a
speech on some big subject given by one of
authority, we shall still have to hear the
announcement:

"The next number on our program this
evening will be: 'What Does the Kitty Mean
When She Says Meouw?' played by the XYZ
Orchestra."

Can you imagine such a thing happening in
a lecture hall before a real audience? Then
why should it continually happen to a radio
audience?

The director will say that he must please all
kinds of listeners. Very well, let him please
all kinds of listeners. No one is objecting to
that. But why try to please them all during
one program? One might as well try giving a
Shakespeare drama in the theater in conjunc-
tion with the latest musical comedy.

However, enough of this for the present —
but only for the present. For this is one of
the most discussed subjects among owners
of radio receiving sets.

Franz Schubert and Robert Burns

THE explanatory remarks that often
precede the broadcasting of classical
musical numbers are frequently ex-
tremely well prepared and given, and then,
again, are somewhat confusing. As a case
in point, there was the statement made from
station WGY, preceding the performance of a
Schubert number, that Franz Schubert was
the Robert Burns of music.

Granted that we know much more about
Schubert's music than we do about the

poetry of Burns, nevertheless we cannot see
how the one can be likened to the other.
Burns was always the Scotsman, and often
colloquial, given to the interpretation of
life as he saw it in his rather limited scope of
vision. Schubert, although born the son of a
schoolmaster and raised in bourgeois sur-
roundings, was, as a composer, among the
aristocrats of music. As a writer of songs he
stands forth as the noblest of them all, and
it is significant that he chose, as the texts for
these songs, poems of enduring literary quality
and some of them masterpieces. With all due
credit to Robert Burns, when did he ever
conceive, to say nothing of achieving, poems
to be classed with such Schubert songs as
Der Erlkonig, Die junge Nonne, Der Tod und
Das Mddcben, Der Atlas, Der Doppelgdnger,
Gruppe aus dem Tartarus?

In the thirty-one years of his life — he was
born in 1797 and died in 1828 — Schubert
raised song writing to a height that has never
since been equalled. Two of his symphonies,
the piano Impromptus and Moments Musicals
would alone place him among the Immortals.
To compare him with Robert Burns is an esti-
mate incomprehensible to those of us who
know his music well.

AN ANTI-PROHIBITIONIST claims that
the man who made up a certain short
program recently given at station WGY, must
also be an anti, for it contained the following
numbers:

The Importance of Appetite
Any Old Port in a Storm
The Old, Old Love
In Cellar Cool

These Radio Listeners Had Good Taste

ALONG as a subject remains of interest
in the public mind, it justifies comment
among current events. So it is in order
that mention should be made at this writing
of the winners who contested for honors at one
of the closing concerts given by the New York
Philharmonic Orchestra at the Lewisohn Sta-
dium of the University of the City of New
York during the latter part of August.

It will be recalled by those who listened-in
to this concert that five young musicians
entered this competition which awarded to
the two best among them a debut recital in
New York this fall. As such a debut costs
anywhere from $750 to $ 1,000, the competi-
tion was worth while to these aspirants for a

The Listeners' Point of View

concert career in this country. Before each
contestant's performance, and after it as well,
announcement was made that from the votes
of the audience present at the Stadium — close
to ten thousand people — and of the radio au-
dience, the decisions would be made.

It seemed as if any listener-in who had
heard enough music to have mature judgment
could not hesitate in making these decisions.
Ignace Hilsberg, pianist, and Miron Poliakin,
violinist, being the ones that quite eclipsed
the others through their all-round proficiency.
But what would the public think? That
was the question. There were two singers on
the program, and it is the general belief that a
vocalist of average excellence is always more
popular with the masses than an instrumental-
ist of exceptional merits.

But it was not so in this case. The pianist
and the violinist just named won by a large
margin.

Yet people are forever saying that you must
bring yourself down to the level of the public
if you would succeed. The truth is, the public
practically never fails to respond to the best

if given opportunity to pass judgment upon it.
There is a moral in this for makers of radio
programs, a moral so obvious that it does not
need expression in words.

Another Plan to Pay Radio Artists

THE announcement made recently in
the Musical Courier, "Radio Perform-
ers Are Hereafter to Be Paid," was
somewhat premature. It was based on the
published opinions expressed by the com-
mittee appointed last spring by Mr. E. F.
McDonald, Jr. of Chicago to devise some plan
whereby this much needed reform could be
brought about. One of the chief proponents
of the plan is Mr. Paul B. Klugh, executive
chairman of the National Association of Broad-
casters. In its public statement, the commit-
tee went on record as endorsing the paying of
radio performers as a means toward raising
the standard of broadcast programs, and sug-
gested a way whereby this change might be
brought about.

But the desired goal has not yet been

— Thomas Coke Knight, New York

JOSEPH KNECHT'S WALDORF ASTORIA DANCE ORCHESTRA

Talk about a performance of Hamlet without the Melancholy Dane! What about an orchestra sans the
instruments? It's up to those who see this picture to guess Who's Who so far as who plays what is con-
cerned. The only easy guess is the man at the piano, who is Mr. Knecht himself. The men look as if
playing a joke on us by trying to make us think that one instrument can make an orchestra although one
swallow never made a summer. They are frequently heard through station wjz, New York

Radio Broadcast

reached. It will be, however, and soon. There
is absolutely no question as to the dissatis-
faction of large numbers of people with radio
programs as they are now transmitted. The
committee that is trying to solve this problem
is working along the right track, though
there is some question as to the practicability
of the plan.

Ho! For a Contest of Dramatic Readers!

MRS. R. J. QUIEN, dramatic reader
of Camden, N. J., who has broadcast
from various stations in that vicinity,
has risen up in wrath at the statements made
in this department by our contributors against
women radio speakers in general and dramatic
readers in particular. She tilts her lance
especially at Mr. Corley Kirby of station wwj
who came out just as hard against the women
readers heard through his station as those
heard through other stations. Knowing Mr.
Kirby, we are quite sure that he would stand
his ground and give good reason for it against

MYRNA SHARLOW

An American dramatic soprano who has gained many admirers
among the patrons of the Chicago Civic Opera Company, of which
she has for eight years been a member. She has broadcast a number
of times from Chicago stations and is among those who believe
that the radio will become a great musical factor in American life

the onslaughts of an army of critics. And
enjoy the controversy too.

"I wish," writes Mrs. Quien, "that Mr.
Kirby could read some of the letters I have
received about my broadcast performances,
and then perhaps he would not be so prejudiced
against all women readers who broadcast,
and remember the old saying, 'All rules have
an exception.'"

But this is not all. Mrs. Quien comes forth
with a challenge. We quote her regarding
this discussion that has been going on and is
still being merrily waged in this department
by our readers:

Since there seems to be so much discussion, why
not suggest to WEAF, New York, or some central
station to have a dramatic readers' contest? /
should love to appear some evening with a male
competitor and both cover the same line of dra-
matic work, humor, pathos, and melodrama. Let
the public decide whether they like it. I would
contest with any male competitor.

So much for the challenge. Now the ques-
tion is — who will accept it? We await the
answer. Or should we say "an-
»*zis swers"?

The Impressive Hour When
Pershing Spoke

ON THE morning after
Defense Day, the ma-
jority of the papers
throughout the country carried
front page stories of how the two
Chicago murderers, Nathan
Leopold and Richard Loeb,
spent their first day in the peni-
tentiary, even what they ate for
dinner being told in detail. And
in some of these papers, no men-
tion whatever was made of the
fact that on the evening of De-
fense Day probably the greatest
achievement in human commu-
nication ev.er known in the
world was accomplished. This
was the conversation carried on
by General Pershing at Wash-
ington with four generals of the
United States Army, located re-
spectively at New York, Chi-
cago, Omaha and San Francisco,
heard by millions of radio lis-
teners.

History was made during that
hour when General Pershing as
their commanding officer bade

The Listeners' Point of View

farewell to these generals with whom he had
long been associated. But it was considered
insignificant as a news item compared with
the dinner menu of two murderers. Yet
it will remain in the memory of some of us
as about the most impressive hour ever lived
through. All those who listened-in owe a
lasting debt of gratitude to the American
Telegraph and Telephone Company and to the
various broadcast engineers who brought
about this miracle as their contribution to
Defense Day.

"Thank You For Thanking Me"

IT IS not unusual to hear people complain
that they have written this or that broad-
cast station telling of their enjoyment of
this or that feature, and received no reply.
If they would look at the matter in a general
rather than a personal way they would realize
that a broadcast station would need to em-
ploy, at much expense, a special staff to an-
swer such correspondence. And, for that
matter, when we thank a person for doing
us a favor we do not expect the reply, "Thank
you for thanking me." Why then expect
this of a broadcast director?

Among Other Things.

AT STATION WBZ, Springfield, Mass., ex-
*» periments have been made to find out
whether the radio listener does or does not like
to hear the noise of the crowd when big public
events are broadcast. So far as our personal
experience and knowledge of the radio public
goes, the answer is "Yes!" If the noise of
the crowd is not heard now and then the real
atmosphere of the event is wholly lacking.
So let us hear the audience every time, WBZ!

let it be said that the announcers
at all the broadcast stations conducted
by the General Electric Company are unex-
celled in the quality of their work, which is
always clear, concise, and characterized by
that good breeding one has a right to expect
but does not always find in a broadcast an-
nouncer. This being so, one error made by
these announcers is conspicuous. Why do
they say, "Gen-a-ral //-lec-tric" instead of
"Gen-^-ral E-lectric"?

U never can tell how reforms may be
brought about. Sometimes the uncon-
scious indirect method does what the consci-
ously applied direct method fails to accomplish.
All of which is preliminary to saying that if

MAJOR A. G. RUDD

The polo expert of the U. S. Army who broadcast
the International polo games direct from the Mea-
dow Brook Club. Authority sits well upon him and
we would trust him to get away with anything he
undertook. We've an idea he's tackled easier
jobs than broadcasting a polo match. Some speed,
that takes, before the microphone

broadcast stations keep on giving occasional
programs of old-fashioned dance music the old-
fashioned dances may come back into favor.

MOTION picture stars are, with rare ex-
ceptions, better seen than heard. It
is a bit risky for them to reach the public
through the radio because their glory "is
dimmed as soon as they open their mouths.
A case in point is the famous film star who,
speaking not long ago through a Chicago
station said, "Being as there's no motion
picture studio in this city" — etc.

ANY day or evening you can tune in and
hear from one station or another some
of the latest books discussed. It may in-
terest the broadcast directors to know that
many people enjoy this feature who are not
among those inclined to write letters ex-
pressing their commendation.

THE young woman who, each evening at
7.30, from station WBZ, Springfield, talks
to the kiddies is one of the star radio enter-
tainers along this line. She gives the children
such worthwhile stories that they are also en-
joyed by grown-ups, which is the test that all
stories for children must meet before they can
be called literature.

RADIO ADVENTURING IN THE 'ARCTIC

By
Yred
James

NEITHER Greenland's icy mountains
nor India's coral strand are now
remote and isolated. Folk there-
abouts are likely to be pretty familiar
with the latest, from the up-to-the-minute
developments in the presidential election
campaign to the harvest returns in all parts of
Canada. Such is the extent of the mystic
Bond of radio.

Since the Canadian Government ship Arctic
left her berth in the St. Lawrence River at
Quebec early last July, en route on a trip to
the Arctic Archipelago, she has been in touch
with the outside world from the time she left
and will continue to be so until she returns
next October, assuming, of course, that no
serious accident happens. This stout little
vessel, built back in 1900, has been tripping
up the Arctic Seas these twenty years. This
year the Arctic has her two regular radio
equipments consisting of a standard 600 meter
2 KW spark equipment and a continuous
wave transmitter working on 2,100 meters,
with which they keep in touch with the long
wave ship station at Louisburg, Nova Scotia,
and in addition a short wave icw outfit
which will transmit on wavelengths between
100 and 150 meters. The installation of this
short wave equipment is for the purpose of
carrying on tests with the United States and
Canadian amateurs to ascertain how short

wave signals come through from the far north
during the full daylight period in the land of
the Midnight Sun.

The operator on the Arctic is Bill Choate
of Toronto, owner and operator of Canadian
amateur station 3 co. An enthusiastic youth
is this Bill Choate, so his superiors say. He
hoped when he left to meet another Canadian,
Donald Mix, the operator on Donald Mac-
Millan's ship Bawdoin, somewhere tolerably
near the North Pole, but up to the end of Au-
gust he had not been able to do so.

The interesting facts about the watch the
CGS Arctic is maintaining on short waves are:

Call Sign VDM

Wave Length 120 meters,

Eastern Standard Time,

Daily except Wednesday n p.m. to Midnight

Saturday only 1 1 P.M., to 3 A.M.

The radio branch of the Canadian Govern-
ment, Department of Marine, has authorized
all Canadian amateur stations to use a wave-
length of 1 20 meters during the foregoing
hours for the purpose of communicating with
VDM.

The test transmitter comprises two ad-
miralty T4A tubes, operating on 8,000 volts
on the plate with an output rating approxi-
mately 500 watts per tube, using a standard
Meissner circuit. In order to make the

Radio Adventuring in the "Arctic"

transmission as penetrating as possible, no
filter system is being used and the character-
istic 480 cycle note will enable amateurs to
place VDM immediately they hear Bill Choate's
note, even if they do not get his call sign.

THE MISSION OF THE "ARCTIC"

THE cos Arctic went into the Arctic Archi-
pelago, whose islands measure more than
500 square miles, and spread over an area of
more than 520,800 square miles, to relieve
outposts of the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police and other Canadian Government officials
who have spent one or two years in the
Arctic Circle. She
will establish new
police posts, cus-
toms houses, post
offices, and com-
plete numerous
surveys and com-
parisons of previ-
ous observations.

There is, it seems,
an abiding passion
on the part of the
Government of
Canada for estab-
lishing and main-
taining the ma-
jesty of the law
even to its most
remote outposts.
Establish a police
post at the North
Pole or anywhere

ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE

Going aboard the Arctic, bound for the far North, to take duty

at one of the solitary posts there. The admiring crew on the

dock may be speculating as to whether or not these stalwart

three will "get their man"

else with a red-coated mountie in charge and
law and order will prevail. The Eskimos
have learned this. Noo-Koo-Lah, one of
these Eskimos, killed a Newfoundland trapper
in the neighborhood of Pond's Inlet in Baffin
Bay two years ago. Last year he was brought
out of the Arctic and is now languishing in a
Canadian penitentiary. The Canadian Gov-
ernment also has some commercial interests
in the Arctic that need protection. There
are reindeers and musk ox by the millions up
there that may some day play a part in the
world's food supply. Trading companies
under different flags are getting busy in some
favored places and they need, it seems, both
protection and watching.

The expedition this year is in charge of
F. D. Henderson of the Northwest Territories
Branch of the Canadian Department of the
Interior. He will go as far north as Ellesmere
Island, 823 miles from the North Pole, the
farthest point reached last year by the Craig

expedition in the Arctic. Captain J. E.
Bernier, the master of the Arctic, is now mak-
ing his two hundred and fifty-eighth voyage.
For fifty-five years he has been sailing and
steaming up and down and across the seven
seas and many of the waterways running
into them. 'For twenty years he has been
going into the far north on the good ship
Arctic, a three-mast top-sail schooner of 650
tons gross and 436 tons net, 165.4 feet 'ong
and 37.2 foot beam. She has a triple expansion
engine of 275 horsepower and can make seven
knots under steam in clear water.
She has three masts, 80 feet high, and this
year a short top-
mast has been
added to the main-
mast to give more
clearance between
the antenna wires
and the mass of
rigging wires which
sailing ships are
compelled to carry.
The working of
the radio set in a
ship fitted with sail
is not as satisfac-
tory as in a steam-
ship on this ac-
count. The an-
tenna wires have
to be erected in a
position where
they will not foul
the sails, booms,

or running rigging, and the heavy steel guys
necessary to support the spars drain away
a lot of the energy which would otherwise
be radiated. Since the Arctic is built of
wood, Bill Choate has to cast an anxious
eye over the side as soon as they run into
Arctic floe ice. And his chief concern is the
welfare of the 200 square feet of copper
plate, on the ship's bottom, which constitutes
his main ground connection. If he is lucky,
he escapes. If the ice nicks off the copper, he
has to rely on the engines and propeller for
his connection, and there will be a lamentable
drop in the efficiency of the transmission.

RADIO EXPERIMENTS IN ARCTIC SEAS

TN ADDITION to the regular tests with
I Canadian and American amateurs, special
tests have been arranged with station KDKA
through the courtesy of Mr. George Wendt of
the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing
Company. Experiments occur every Monday

Radio Broadcast

night on their short wave set. KDKA
is using its experimental call sign 8xs
when working with Choate. The rer
suits obtained from the short wave
set while the Arctic was proceeding
down the Gulf of St. Lawrence were very
satisfactory, American amateurs as far west
as Oklahoma having been worked. They have
heard KDKA on short wave transmission, eleven
degrees from the North Pole.

Great rivalry exists between the Pacific
and the Atlantic Stations. Amateur operator
Jack Barnsley at Prince Rupert has rather put
it over the Atlantic Division in working
with Mix in the Bowdoin, but IAR and other
notable amateurs in the vicinity of Halifax
have been holding Bill Choate to the last gasp.

In addition to the regular code apparatus
aboard the Arctic, the Westinghouse Com-
pany has provided her with special short
wave receiving equipment for receiving the
concerts transmitted on KDKA'S short wave.
Recent tests have indicated that Captain
Bernier and his crew have been able to enjoy
the short wave concerts long after the regular
broadcast transmissions on the higher wave-
lengths have faded away.

The Northwest Mounted Police Posts in

the far north at Craig Harbor and Pond's
Inlet were equipped with radio receiving
apparatus last year but until the Arctic re-
turned early in this year no data was available
as to what concerts, if any, they were able to
receive up there last winter and the full details
will not be known until the Arctic is back in
Quebec.

CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE USE RADIO

E battery problem is a serious one in
the case of these sets in that supplies
are only taken in once a year. The receiving

WHAT HAPPENED TO ONE POLAR BEAR
When the crew of the Arctic went bear-hunting. It
does not seem such a difficult task to hoist a fairly
weighty bear over the side, as the photograph shows.
The "three men in a boat" appear to enjoy the
rather novel occupation of towing the defunct bear

sets at the Police Posts are equipped with
Northern Electric peanut tubes and use special
batteries prepared by the Eveready Battery
Company for filament lighting. In addition
they are provided with 300 ampere hour
Edison-Lalande primary batteries with ample
refills to see them through. For B batteries
they are provided with both Burgess and Ever-
eady standard units and in addition an ade-
quate supply of what are termed "inert
cells," which are made up specially for the
Canadian Department of Marine and Fish-
eries by Siemans Brothers in London, England.
These latter are small dry cells containing no
liquid. To put them in operation, the cells
are filled with water when they are good for
the normal life of an ordinary B battery.

It will be interesting to hear how these
different batteries have made out under the
severe climatic conditions prevailing in those
latitudes.

The Police Station is also supplied with the
portable long wave receivers specially built for

Radio Adventuring in the "Arctic"

surveyors by the Radio Branch, Department
of Marine and Fisheries, Ottawa. Strong
long wave signals are received up north from
the high power stations in the United States
and Europe on this receiver, and with the
numerous press schedules in effect the Police
Posts frequently receive news items actually
before they appear in our own newspapers.
Last year the report of the death of President
Harding was received by the Arctic within
a few minutes of its occurrence. By some
accident the Bowdoin did not receive this press
message and it was not until she encountered
the Arctic about a week later that her crew
became aware of their country's great be-
reavement.

While the Arctic plans to be back at Quebec
sometime in October, she has aboard supplies
sufficient to last for more than a year. About
the first point of call she made on her outward

voyage was Godhavn, Greenland, where there
is a Danish settlement, where she arranged
to leave mail for Captain Donald A. Mac-
Millan, the American explorer on the Bowdoin.
Among the party on the Arctic are six men
of the Rojal Canadian Mounted Police, who
are going to man a new post farther north
than any police post has yet been established.

NO CRUSHING CROWDS HERE

THE Arctic Archipelago is one of the
greatest realms of unexploited treasures
of natural resources in the world. Whether
the Arctic Archipelago will ever be of economic
value is still uncertain, but it is quite prob-
able that before very long a radio station
will be established in the farthest north which
will be in communication with the uttermost
ends of the earth. Meanwhile try your luck
through the ether and listen for VDM.

THE CANADIAN COAST GUARD SS "ARCTIC"

Her Captain Bernier (upper left circle), and radio operator Bill Choate (lower right). The sturdy little
vessel, which has voyaged up the Arctic seas for twenty years, is now on another trip, more notable than
preceding ones because of extensive radio experiments being carried on with broadcasting stations and
amateurs on short wavelengths. The top photograph shows the transmitting equipment which is a 2100
meter, one kw continuous wave set, and a 120 meter cw, two kw transmitter. The receiving equipment

is shown in the lower photograph

Will This Circuit Ever Work?

Theoretically, the Receiver Described in this Article is Possible: the
Addition of Super- Regeneration to the Roberts Circuit — If it is Possible,
the Circuit Should Surpass any Receiver Now Known, Using Two
Tubes— Here is the Technical Problem: Can You Make it Work?

BY WALTER VAN B. ROBERTS

ONE of the questions most fre-
quently asked about the two-
tube circuit described by the
writer in the April, 1924, number
of RADIO BROADCAST is: "Will that receiver
work with a loop antenna?" Unfortunately,
the circuit is not sufficiently sensitive to
produce good loud-speaker results with
a loop antenna except in the case of very
strong signals. Not only is this true, but if
the loop is placed near the set, unwelcome
oscillations occur
when the loop is
turned so that suffici-
ent magnetic coupling
is established between
it and the other coils.
Hence, the circuit as
it stands cannot be re-
commended for use
with a loop.

LOUD-SPEAKER VOL-
UME ON A LOOP AND
TWO TUBES?

Not a How-to-Make-It Article

THE idea, how-
ever, of obtaining
good loud speaker vol-
ume with two tubes
and a small loop is
very intriguing and it
is proposed to outline
an arrangement that
looks as if it might
turn the trick. The

writer has tried out the arrangement only in a
very sketchy fashion, and although the results
were very promising, it must at present be
considered as founded upon theory alone. To
make a thorough investigation into the best
method of actual construction for this circuit
would take much more time than the writer
has available, and so it is hoped that some of
the many enthusiastic and able experimenters
who read this magazine may take up the

Walter Van B. Roberts, whose articles on
trie super-heterodyne, super-regenerative, and
remarkable reflex circuits have been a feature
of RADIO BROADCAST for many months, is,
without question, one of the most capable of
our practical radio engineers.

He has vision, and his vision is tempered
by a scientific background which adds prac-
ticality to his ideas. In this article, Mr.
Roberts outlines some very interesting and
exceptionally valuable fields of experiment
for those whose knowledge and experience is
sufficient for such work.

This is not intended to be a how-to-make-
it article. We cannot undertake to answer
questions about it. Unless the experimenter
is able to figure proper inductances and
capacities and similar problems of radio
design, we do not advise that he attempt the
solution of this problem. — THE EDITOR.

constructional development work and in due
time add another to RADIO BROADCAST'S list
of Knock-Out, non-radiating receivers.

Briefly stated, the idea is to make the above-
mentioned two-tube set (described in this
magazine for April, and May, 1924, and with
other modifications, in August and September)
sufficiently sensitive for loop reception by
substituting super-regeneration for regenera-
tion in the second tube, and to take measures
to prevent magnetic coupling between the
loop and other coils in
the set. It may also
prove necessary to
take special pains to
by-pass as nearly as
possible all the inter-
ruption -frequency
current around trfe
audio - frequency
transformer in order
to avoid overloading
the first tube with
this frequency. The
circuit would then be
something like that
shown in Fig. i . The
chief characteristics
to be expected of such
a circuit when prop-
erly built are:

1. It would make a

truly portable
set.

2. Its sensitivity

could be made

greater than that of a simple super-
regenerative circuit on account of the
stage of radio-frequency amplification.

3. Its selectivity would be greater than that of

any ordinary super-regenerative circuit
because the loop circuit is never damped.

4. Its volume, for any signal reasonably

above the static level, should be ample
for a medium-sized room, and

5. Its quality should be good because its

sensitivity should be so great that the

Will This Circuit Ever Work?

super-regenerative action would rarely
need to be pushed very far.

In general, this circuit, if properly built by
a constructor who is familiar with the prin-
ciples involved, should be satisfactory for
signals above the interference level, and where
the utmost selectivity is not required. For
very long distance work, however, it probably
would not give as good year-round results as
the present two-tube regenerative arrangement
using a good outdoor antenna.

PROBLEMS CREATED BY THE LOOP

THERE are several methods by which
magnetic coupling between the loop and
other coils may be prevented. If this coupling
is not completely eliminated, or if the capacity
coupling is not completely balanced out by
the neutralizing condenser, the strong oscilla-
tions in the circuit of the second tube will force
oscillations in the loop circuit, and these
latter oscillations, persisting in the low-resis-
tance loop circuit will re-excite the super-
regenerative circuit after its periodical inter-
ruption, even in the absence of any incoming
signal, and thus render the set inopera-
tive. Hence the necessity for the care in
eliminating all the coupling between the two
circuits.

Moving the loop some distance from the
set is not an elegant solution of the problem,
and it would be difficult mechanically to
place the loop on the set so that it could be

FIG. 2

One form of the Armstrong super-regenerator which

every one admits does more work with a single tube

than any other known circuit

rotated without introducing any coupling in
any position. It might be possible, but not
easy, to wind all coils on toroidal forms or their
equivalent, so as to eliminate all external
field. Shielding, of course, may be added to
any scheme used, provided the shielding itself
does not introduce coupling. Probably the
simplest and best method of all would be to
make the loop an integral part of the set,
fixing its position once for all, then rotating
the whole set whenever during operation it is
desired to rotate the loop.

FIG. I

Here it is, all in a nutshell. Tuned radio frequency of the neutralized type — super-regeneration of the
single tube type — audio amplification by the reflex method. This circuit has infinite experimental pos-
sibilities that should result in the development of a remarkable receiver. Can you make it behave ?

Radio Broadcast

FIG. 3

Here is a circuit which Mr. Roberts offers as a possibility. No constants are given because they are
unknown and must be determined by experiment. The left hand half of this circuit is almost a direct
copy of the R. F. section of Mr. Roberts's now famous two-tube set — the right half is a super-regenerative
circuit of practical design. After these two have been joined satisfactorily you may start on Fig. i,

which is the last word

HOW TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM

IN WORKING up a circuit such as this,
1 the difficulties should be overcome, one
by one, whenever possible. A good procedure
would be to start with the super-regenerative
circuit alone, as shown in Fig. 2, which differs
from that published by the writer in the May,
1923, number of RADIO BROADCAST, in that
provision is made for varying the grid and
plate circuit couplings to the interruption
frequency oscillation circuit independently
of each other by means of a large number of
taps on the inductance. Local stations can
readily be received without a loop, the grid
coil being sufficient to pick them up. After
this one tube "super" is working perfectly, it
is time to put the radio-frequency amplifier
ahead of it, as Fig. 3 suggests. This, when
properly adjusted for zero coupling, should
make a tremendous difference and the set
should now give loud-speaker volume with
greatly improved selectivity.

When the builder is satisfied with the oper-
ating characteristics of this set, the final step
may then be taken. This is the reflexing to
obtain a stage of audio-frequency amplifica-.
tion. At this point, it may prove necessary
to try some such filter arrangement as shown
in Fig. i. It may even be necessary to shift
the position of the primary of the audio
transformer in the circuit so as to bring it to
ground potential. In this figure, C is as large
a capacity as can be used without spoiling the
quality, and L is the inductance required to
annihilate the reactance of the shunt circuit
LC at the interruption frequency. The
series resistance may help to make the by-
passing more complete.

The above hints on construction and ex-
perimental procedure are rather indefinite
and unaccompanied by values for the various
quantities, but they will be more than sufficient
for experimenters capable of doing such work
successfully. It is not desired to lure others
into so difficult and tedious an undertaking,

HOW A PACK RADIO SET FINDS TROUBLE

DOBERT H. MARRIOTT, a former President aj the Institute of Radio Engi-
neers, now an engineer on the Pacific Coast, has written a very interesting
story about how he uses a pack radio set to "shoot" such radio troubles as arise
from radiating receivers and bad power lines. The article is written in Mr.
Marriott's interesting style and is full of ideas and suggestions. It will appear
in an early number.

The Story of Powel Crosley

Often Called the Henry Ford of Radio — How the Search
for a Child's Radio Set Started an Immense Business

BY MYRA MAY

SOMETIMES it really pays to gratify
your children's desires. There have
been several instances in which the
wish of a child has resulted in the
discovery of a good toy, or the invention of
some delight to the heart of some youngster.
Who knows but that through the doll Jane
wants or the bicycle Jimmy dreams of, fame
and fortune may seek you? Consider the
case of Powel Crosley.
Crosley's little boy
wanted a radio set
and, like all fathers,
Crosley agreed to buy
one for his son. The
boy was only nine
years old but already
he was on familiar
terms with antennas,
inductances, grids, B
batteries, and the
rest of the jargon of
the true radio fan.
He planned a set that
would bring in dis-
tance and anticipated
hearing all the base-
ball games right at
home ; he even invited

his young friends to enjoy the broadcasting as
his guests.

So on Washington's birthday, 1921, Crosley
and his son set out to buy the long promised
outfit. The Precision Equipment Company
offered them a small receiving set for $130, far
too expensive a one for a father in moderate
circumstances to buy his son. There was
nothing cheaper to be had and the father broke
the news to the youngster that they would
have to postpone buying the "toy." The
boy, remembering his nine years, winked
back the tears and mastered his disappoint-
ment. For a compromise, however, Crosley
bought the child a practice key buzzer and a
text book on radio.

Thereafter father and son spent their eve-
nings mastering the intricacies of wireless.
The boy studied his lessons in the afternoons

It All Started With an Idea

Powel Crosley, as Miss May tells in this
story, found that radio equipment a few
years ago was entirely too expensive. And
so, after some business troubles, he started
out to make radio sets which could be pur-
chased by the "average man." Some of
Mr. Crosley's admirers have called him the
Henry Ford of radio. What is certainly
true is that the idea of large scale production
of not-too-expensive radio equipment sat-
isfies a decided public demand. Mr. Crosley
is an interesting person, both because of
himself and of what he has done; and Myra
May has quite caught the spirit of his per-
sonality.— THE EDITOR.

so that the evenings might be free for the
alluring radio. Crosley himself fell under
the spell of these after dinner sessions. Within
a short time they had a working knowledge
of the principles of wireless. Crosley soon
bought a simple crystal set. His antenna
was made of hay wire.

"Every rock crusher around town came in
like a ton of brick," Crosley says of that out-

fit. "Wecouldn'.t

get any music so we
added an audion de-
tector and heard a
concert seven miles
away! That evening
is one of the red
letter days in my life.
I don't know whether
my son or I was
prouder of the per-
formance. I uncon-
sciously joined the
class of radio bores.
I told everyone I met
about the distance
our home-made set
had covered.

"Finally the boy and
I, by this time hope-
less radio fans, bought a three-barreled multi-
control set. When the wind was blowing in
the right direction, we frequently heard
Pittsburgh — a remarkable achievement from
our home in Cincinnati, we thought. Our
total outlay on our set that the boy and I
had made, had been only $35. The new out-
fit was an extravagance we permitted our-
selves now that we were going deeper into the
mysteries of wireless. Moreover, we had
gained a good knowledge of radio, could rig
up a set and were able to diagnose our trouble
when the apparatus wasn't working properly.

THE HENRY FORD IDEA IN RADIO

ON THAT Washington's birthday, I
wondered how other men on salaries as
small as mine could afford to buy radio sets
at the prices I was asked. I knew that ex-

Radio Broadcast

pensive equipment such as I had been shown
was out of the question. I knew that many
men lacked the mechanical ability or the
desire to make their own outfits. Yet I was
confident that radio was not a rich man's
toy and I believed that it should be within
the reach of everyone.

"As my boy and I tinkered with our home
made set, the idea was born in my brain that
a big market awaited inexpensive radio
equipment. The possibilities of cheaply man-
ufactured apparatus on a production basis
appealed to me more and more. I was sure
that here was an untrodden field in a brand
new industry. There the opportunity was,
waiting for someone to realize its value. I
decided to go into the radio business on a very
limited scale."

Crosley, at this time, had a small wood
working factory where he manufactured
phonograph cabinets. The slump of 1920
had hit his business so hard that trade was
practically at a standstill. It was a godsend,
therefore, to be able to use the idle machinery
to turn out radio cabinets. For a time he
made the cabinets for other companies, but
his son's enthusiasm for radio finally convinced
the father that this new art was no fad, that
it was an invention here to stay and that it
had unlimited possibilities. Instead of mak-
ing cabinets for other concerns, he began to
sell them direct.

Through contact with the manufacturers
of radio parts, he discovered that there was
no popular priced equipment on the market.
From the time that he and his son had bought
a book of directions, and started to make their
own set, Crosley had seen the need of inex-
pensive parts. The lack of a moderate priced
vacuum tube socket particularly impressed
him. Although a novice at radio, he was a
trained automobile mechanic, so using his
knowledge in a new capacity, he designed a
socket made of porcelain. Its success led
him further in this new field. He produced a
book-type variable condenser made with two
flat pieces of wood and working on a hinge.
Then he manufactured a special switch.
Now that he turned out cabinets, sockets,
condensers, taps, and switches, the next logical
step was to make a complete set.

"Our first outfit," Crosley relates, "was a
simple crystal set." It was a very simple set,
but it laid the foundations of a million dollar
concern and carried out a precept that said
experience had taught him. He had learned
the wisdom of beginning a new business on a
small scale, although it had taken several
failures to do it.

At the time he graduated from college, he
wanted to go into the automobile business.
His father was a wealthy attorney of Cincin-
nati, and wished his son to join his firm. Young
Crosley, accordingly obediently went to law

A CORNER IN THE TESTING LABORATORY
Of the Crosley Manufacturing Company. Mr. Crosley is
testing the operation of a radio receiver picked from the stock

The Story of Powel Crosley

school. Once out of college, however, he
announced that he was going to make mechan-
ics his life's work. His father answered this
by telling him he must make his own way in
his chosen profession.

So this likely young lawyer with automo-
tive leanings got a job as a chauffeur for a
private family. Crosley did just that. He
had some valuable experience for a few
months and learned what it is that endears a
motor to a mechanic
and a chauffeur. And
he acquired the con-
sumer's point of view.

CROSLEY AS AN AUTO-
MOBILE PROMOTER

THEN on his
twenty-third
birthday he decided
to test an idea that
he had had for some
time. He believed
that there was a big
market for inexpen-
sive six cylinder auto-
mobiles that would re-
tail for about $1,700.
So he organized a
company and manu-
factured his first car.
Interest was aroused
everywhere. The
young man seemed to
have hit on an idea
that the world had
long awaited. It
seemed as though
success must crown
his efforts. But that
first car was the one

and only that the company ever manu-
factured. Not long afterward, the defunct
corporation was buried with appropriate
ceremonies.

"Not enough capital," Crosley explains
succinctly. "I had already borrowed money
to organize the company and I could not
secure additional funds. I think that failure
was the greatest diappointment in my life.
I have never counted on anything so surely and
taken a reverse to heart the way I mourned
that automobile disaster. From the time I
was in college, I had planned to be firmly
established and on my way to becoming a
millionaire at the age of thirty. I had fondly
imagined that I had found a short cut to
fame and fortune and that at twenty-three I

ON A TOUR OF INSPECTION

Mr. Crosley's plant is one of the largest of the inde-
pendent radio manufacturers. Three years ago,
he came to this same plant to purchase a radio re-
ceiver for his son. He now owns it. The story of
how that came about is most interesting

could go to my father and say 'I have suc-
ceeded!' But then I was utterly discouraged.
Never had the future looked so dark.

"Still despondent, I drifted to Indianapolis.
That city was just showing signs of becoming
a great automobile center. Here I got a job
as a driver for the Carl Fisher Company.
You may have heard of it; they are promi-
nently identified with the Prestolite business.
My knowledge of motors and sheer nerve put
me on the payroll of
the concern and when
the great Indianapo-
lis Speedway was
opened, the company
selected me for one
of their entries.

"A few days before
the race I broke my
arm cranking an au-
tomobile and thus
was unable to drive
a car. Lady Luck
seemed to have
turned her back on
me forever. As for
Opportunity, I de-
cided that she had
forgotten my address
and so couldn't knock
at the door. In quick
succession, I worked
as assistant sales
manager, copy writer,
and manager for sev-
eral automobile com-
panies."

Crosley was trying
to find himself, search-
ing desperately for the
right place. But as he

neared the thirty mark, he was not a whit closer
to the millionaire class than when his own
company had gone broke, nearly seven years
before. He was still not established; he was
still not ready to go to his father with the
news of his success. If any one had wanted
to bet that Powel Crosley was to be a mil-
lionaire in five years' time, he could have had
100 to i odds and the sympathy of the on-
lookers for wasting his money that way.

It did not seem that he was ever to realize
his ambitions. Returning from his wander-
ings in Indiana to Cincinnati, his home town,
he again organized an automobile company.
This time the chances for success looked
good. He arranged to handle the designing,
the production, and the sales end of the pro-

Radio Broadcast

posed business while the other partners ad- ciently engaged, he took over a wood working

factory where he made phonograph cabinets.

Every time a new business loomed up on
Crosley's horizon, he saw the pot of gold.
The idea of supplying an inexpensive article
was inherently sound, though he applied the
principle in many different trades. He
seemed to be drifting when he went from one
line of work to the other; in reality, he was
learning the limitless possibilities of medium
priced goods, in high priced lines.

After each successive failure, he would
rebound from the disappointment with the
conviction of still another business which
would make the fam-

vanced the money. It was an ideal combina-
tion with only one drawback. They lacked
sufficient capital. For the second time, a
company he had organized died for lack of
money. Crosley, who had lost his youthful
illusions about any short cut to success did
not take his second defeat as hard as the
first.

SUCCESS AT THIRTY?

HIS ambition to be firmly established by
thirty looked as far off as ever. Undis-
mayed he once more tried to capture the
elusive fortune. In
1913, the popularity
of cycle cars seemed
to offer a splendid
field for a new inex-
pensive make. Cros-
ley organized another
company, but the
concern languished
and died just as its
predecessors had
done. The autopsy
revealed [the same
fatal lack of capital
as the cause.

"It was then that
I woke up" Crosley
says. "I thought that
I could finance million
dollar corporations on
small amounts of cap-
ital that did not even
belong to me. I prom-
ised myself then and
there not to attempt
more than I could
safely manage, not to

run my business on other people's money, and
above all, to be strictly independent in my
financial dealings. I made up my mind that I
would finance myself even though I had to run
a popcorn stand and that I would quit trying
to fly too high on wings that were too big for
me."

But Crosley was a born organizer. Al-
though he stuck loyally to his resolution to
manage his own affairs without outside help,
the popcorn stand was not in his scheme of
life. He started a mail order business and
when it prospered he bought out one of his
clients who sold automobile specialties. Next
he purchased a printing plant where he ran
off the advertising matter required in his other
lines. And as if he were not already suffi-

POWEL CROSLEY AND GEORGE LEWIS
Mr. Lewis is the general man-
ager of the Crosley Company

ily fortune. When
this new company be-
gan paying surtaxes,
he would buy his
wife the long prom-
ised Rolls Royce and
chinchilla coat, and as
the day of hisultimate
success seemed far-
ther and farther re-
moved, his wife never
lost faith. She was
sure that some day
Powel Crosley would
join the millionaire
class and then she
would have the Rolls
Royce and the chin-
chilla coat. Her belief
in him set him on
the road to gratify
his ambitions.

With all of the ven-
tures he was running,
Crosley was still not
satisfied. He entered

still another field. This time he found the

one that led to the pot of gold.

THE CROSLEY IDEA

HE TRANSFORMED his wood working
factory into a plant to make inexpen-
sive radio parts. Then he introduced the
making of medium priced parts and grad-
ually built up his gigantic concern. But
he was perfectly content to start in a
small way and gradually increase the busi-
ness as finances warranted. He has learned
the value of the humble beginning and has
clung to his resolution to manage his own
affairs without outside help.

Just two years after he had taken his little
boy to buy the promised radio set, at the

The Story of Powel Crosley

AT WORK AND AT PLAY—

Mr. Crosley tracing the intricacies of a blu e print in the shop office of his plant at Cincinnati.
The circle shows the radio manufacturer and a very good friend, in a moment of repose

Precision Equipment Company, Powel Cros-
ley bought out the concern.

" I worked out the details of the transaction
at my sister's wedding and bought the com-
pany the next morning," he chuckles reminis-
cently. "When I'm figuring on some sort of
deal, I can't put it out of my mind no matter
how great the occasion. I believe in intensive
work, however, and find you can accomplish

much more by that means. Work hard while
there's work to be done and then when the
leisure comes, make the most of it.

"Any one can accomplish whatever he
sets out to do. If he doesn't succeed at
first, he will succeed eventually, provided
he has ambitions and ideals and thrusts
aside everything that interferes with his own
progress."

SHOULD A CITY BROADCAST?

TS THERE a legitimate field for the city in broadcasting, or should that form of entertain-
ment and instruction be left to commercial enterprise? James C. Young has prepared
a highly readable article on the subject. He tells particularly what they are doing at WNYC,
the new New York City station. It will appear in an early number

A MIDGET ONE-TUBE REFLEX

A THIS issue of RADIO BROADCAST
reaches the hands of the reader, it is
just one year ago that we published
the original article on the building of
the single-tube reflex receiver — the "Knock-
Out." The passing year has seen the interest
in this phenomenal receiver increase rather
than wane, and while it is now essentially what
it has always been — the finest one-tube set
possible — suggestions from our readers and
research in this laboratory have greatly in-
creased the possibilities of the set. Almost
every issue of IN THE R. B. LAB, since the
article last November, has contained addi-
tional data on the construction and improved
design of this receiver. The latest possibili-
ties of the one-tube "Knock-Out" to be
brought to our attention are embodied in the
midget edition built by E. L. Faler, of Phoenix,
Arizona, and are
illustrated in the
accompanying photo-
graphs.

The tuner unit is
pictured in Figs, i
and 2. This is pri-
marily a vacation set.
Compactness with
the accompany ing
ease of transportation
was the first con-
sideration of Mr.
Faler. With the not
incorrect idea that
portability of this re-
ceiver varies indi-
rectly with the size,
he has greatly com-
pressed.

What the Lab Offers You This
Month

— How to build a midget one-tube reflex re-
ceiver according to the famous Knock-Out
design.

— How to wind tiny inductances for a cigar
box receiver.

—How to install pilot lamps to record the
filament lighting of tubes in de luxe equipment.

— Facts about resistance-coupled amplifica-
tion with dry cell tubes.

— How to choose the right rheostat for your
tube.

— How to build an ultra efficient inductance:
a combination honeycomb and spider web coil.

— Suggestions for the amateur laboratory.

— Hints on radio construction and operating.

The over-all dimensions of the set are ap-
proximately those of the average cigar-box.
In fact, the designer started out with the
definite idea of confining the set to this size,
and the cabinet might well be one of these
boxes improved with a little sandpapering
and stain. A second cabinet, of the same size,
was provided to hold the batteries — flashlight
A cells for the uv-igg tube, and four small
block B batteries.

Fig. 2 shows the back-of-panel construction
and gives a general idea of how compactness
is achieved. The radio transformers, Ti and
T2, are the Midget Harkness coils manufac-
tured by the Phoenix Radio Laboratories. A
Hedgehog audio frequency amplifying trans-
former takes the place of the usually rather
bulky T3, and the flat Variodon condensers
are substituted for the conventional inter-
leaving plate vari-
ables. This last,
however, is a rather
doubtful innovation,
as the air condensers
are necessarily more
efficient and desir-
able. The interested
constructor is advised^
to employ the usual
1 5-plate variable con-
denser, which, with
the judicious placing
of the remaining
parts, should not in-
crease the over-all
dimensions of the re-
ceiver. An Erla fixed
crystal is used in the
detecting circuit.

In the R. B. Lab.

The hookup of the receiver will be found on
page 497 of RADIO BROADCAST for April.

MAKING YOUR OWN MIDGET COILS

THE reader interested in building a
midget one-tube reflex may very easily
wind his own small-size inductances.
Fig. 3 shows the coils manufactured by the
Phoenix Radio Laboratories, while Fig. 4
illustrates an antenna coupler (Ti) wound in
this laboratory on a thread spool, which works
very well in the single-tube circuit. Referring
to the diagram shown on page 497 of RADIO
BROADCAST for April, 1924, the following
winding specifications hold for Ti and Tz.

The average spool has a diameter of about
three quarters of an inch and a winding sur-
face of a little over one inch. Spools of these
dimensions were used in the RADIO BROAD-
CAST Laboratory. The secondaries of both
transformers are wound with 112 turns of
No. 32 enameled wire. The primary of Ti
has 28 turns while that of T2 is wound with
65 turns. The primaries may be wound with
slightly larger wire than are the secondaries,
if desired. In our experiments, the primaries
were wound first, followed by a layer of paper,
a'nd then the secondaries. As the secondaries
take up practically all the winding space, the
result is a little more neat than if the smaller
windings are superimposed upon the larger.

The leads from the primary are brought out
through small holes in the winding surface of
the spool, while the ends of the secondary are
passed through holes in the sides.

If slightly larger spools are used, subtract
two to five turns from the primary and secon-
dary, and add them in case of a smaller spool.
While these midget coils compare well in
operation with the standard size, the latter
are to be preferred when they are equally
convenient.

RESISTANCE COUPLING AND DRY-
CELL TUBES

THE growing and what we believe to be
permanent popularity of the resistance-
coupled amplifier has given rise to
questions concerning the resistor and con-
denser values for different tubes, particularly
in reference to the possibilities of the dry-cell
bulbs.

Experiments in the R. B. LAB. indicate that
the resistance-coupled audio amplifier can
be used successfully with any amplifying
tube on the market to-day. The dry-cell
tubes function very nicely, and the resistor
and condenser values are exactly the same as
those recommended by RADIO BROADCAST
for use with the uv-2oi-A. For the uv-
2OI-A, the uv-igg, the wo-12 (and the
corresponding Cunningham and De Forest

FIG. I

The front of the midget receiver. The cabinet is the size of a cigar box

Radio Broadcast

FIG. 2

Behind the panel. The compactness is achieved through use of midget transformers

bulbs), the Meyers tube (an exceptionally
good amplifier for this circuit) and the West-
ern Electric N tube, ioo,ooo-ohm coupling
resistors should be used in each stage. The
isolating condensers are most conveniently .006
mfd. Micadons. The proper grid leaks, re-
spectively in the first, second, and third stages
are: 1,000,000 ohms, 250,000 ohms, and
50,000 ohms. The circuit for a three-stage
resistance-coupled amplifier
will be found on page 103
of RADIO BROADCAST for
June.

None of the above
mentioned tubes are recom-
mended for a fourth stage,
as the power handled will
often exceed the capacity
of the tube, with resulting
distortion. A power tube,
such as the Western
Electric 2i6-A is suggested,
using a coupling resistor of
100,000 ohms, a grid leak
of the same value and a
.006 mfd. isolating con-
denser. On distant and
low-power stations, the
uv-2Oi-A will function
satisfactorily in a fourth
step. Excepting that a

FIG. 3

A manufactured

midget coil, for

the Knock-Out

reflex

5O,ooo-ohm grid leak is recommended, the
values are the same as those given for the

UV-2I6-A.

Using the 2i6-A throughout the amplifier
(a very fine arrangement) the values are the
same as suggested for the lower-power tubes,
excepting that the grid leaks for the first three
steps should be 2,000,000 ohms, 500,000 ohms,
and 100,000 ohms.

The plate voltages should be at least the
maximum potential recommended by the
manufacturer of the tube, which may be
safely doubled with considerable increase in
amplification. The plate resistors effect a
drop in the battery potential.

SIGNAL LIGHTS ON DE-LUXE
EQUIPMENT

THE day of exposed sockets or peepholes
is fast disappearing, and fashionable
radio sets (for engineers are actually
bowing to mode) postulate completely en-
closed bulbs. In many cases, lack of room
for tube mounting in evenly spaced lines of
visibility provides a more legitimate excuse
for the hiding of the tubes. Such reasons,
however, by no means obviate the desirability
of knowing what tubes are burning, and in
case of trouble of immediately either elimi-
nating the A battery circuit as the source of

In the R. B. Lab.

FIG. 4

A home-made
small edition
coil wound on
a thread spool

difficulty, or affirming that
the trouble lies there.

Instant knowledge of fila-
ment circuit conditions is
made artistically possible
through the inclusion of signal
lights in the set — small pilot
lamps placed in the filament
circuits and behind colored
jewels on the front of the
panel.

There are two possible
methods of connection — in
parallel with the individual fila-
ments, and in series with them. In the parallel
arrangement the signal lamps are wired from
the sockets — on the bulb side of the rheostats.
The burning of the shunt bulb indicates the
perfect condition of the A battery circuit as
far as the tube, but does not necessarily mean
that the bulb is lighted. Unless special
lamps can be secured, this method is the better
of the two.

Low amperage lights (that is, those which
draw between ^ and \ amperes) should be em-
ployed, having approximately the same volt-
age as the tube. Lower voltage lamps may
be used in conjunction with small fixed resist-
ances. Connected in this manner, the pilot
lamps draw an additional current from the A
battery — about one ampere for three indica-
tors. This may or may not be a negligible
disadvantage.

In the second or series connection, the pilot
lamps are placed in series with each filament,
being used as ballasts in place of rheostats
which are completely eliminated.
Connected in this manner, the extra
lamps place no additional drain on
the A battery, but operate on the
energy which ordinarily would be
dissipated as heat in a rheostat.
The correct lights for this highly
efficient arrangement should operate
on the normal current of the tube
and on a voltage equal to the
voltage of the A battery, minus
the operating voltage of the tube
(the potential drop across the usual
rheostat). Special ballast-indicat-
ing lamps for all popular tubes
are being manufactured and are
available to the fan in small
quantities. If ordinary indicating
bulbs are employed, the compara-
tively small potential drop through
the filament of the cold tube, when
the current is turned on, will place

a disastrously high voltage on the pilot
lamp.

This system indicates very definitely just
what tubes are lighted. This function and
the economical character of the arrangement
recommend the series connection.

The lamps are screwed into special sockets
that are easily made by breaking up the usual
miniature porcelain base. The metal parts
are salvaged, and the
long terminal strip is
bent over into a con-
venient bracket. Fig. 5
illustrates the manner
of mounting the skele-
ton socket on the panel.
The jewels, which can
be obtained in a variety
of colors from any
manufacturer of switch-
board supplies, are the
smallest size, fitting
tightly a -f$ inch hole
in the panel.

Figs. 6 and 7 show
a resistance- coupled
amplifier with automatic
filament and amplification control in which
pilot lamps have been incorporated. With
the control switch in the middle, all lights
are off. To the left, the output is switched
to one stage of amplification, and the left-
hand jewel flashes. With the switch to the
right, all bulbs are lighted, the output is
transferred to the last tube and the three
jewels glow accordingly.

PANEL

FIG. 5

How to mount the
pilot lamps. All the
necessary parts may
be had by breaking
up a miniature base

FIG. 6

Front view of an amplifier designed in the R. B.
Lab. in which signal lights are incorporated

Radio Broadcast

THE RIGHT RHEOSTAT

THE association of high-ohmage rheo-
stats with the uv-199 and similar three-
volt .06 ampere tubes, has given rise to
a mistaken idea in regard to the proper
resistances for dry-cell, quarter-ampere tubes.
High-resistance rheostats, in the neighborhood
of thirty ohms, are not required for the correct
operation of such bulbs unless the battery
voltage is considerably in excess of the oper-
ating potential of the tube.

A rheostat is included in the filament circuit

to drop the battery potential to the operating
voltage of the tube. It accomplishes this
through a very fundamental electrical func-
tion— the voltage drop which necessarily
takes place when a current passes through a
resistance, and which is numerically equal
to the resistance in ohms times the current
in amperes.

The correct value of the rheostat for any
tube is very easily determined. The best
operating voltage of the bulb is always speci-
fied by the manufacturer. Subtract this
from the voltage of the A battery from which

FIG. 7

Back view of the de luxe amplifier, showing method of
mounting lamps. Parallel connection is used in this set

In the R. B. Lab.

An ultra efficient homemade induc-
tance. It is easily made and will
improve the operation of many sets

you will operate it. This gives you the re-
quired voltage drop. The current consump-
tion of the tube in amperes, at the correct
A-battery voltage, will also be found in the
operating directions. Divide the required
voltage drop by the current. The result is
the minimum resistance that will permit the
most efficient operation of your tube. For
instance:

Operating a Cunningham C-3OI-A from a
six-volt storage battery. The correct opera-
ting potential for this tube is five volts.
6 — 5 = i — the required voltage drop is one.
The 0-30 1 -A is a quarter-ampere tube,
therefore, 1^-5=4 — i.e., at least four ohms
should be used. Thus a six- or ten-ohm
rheostat will be sufficient.

In cases where the adjustment of the fila-
ment temperature is at all critical (using the
uv-20i-A as a detector in regenerative cir-
cuits, for instance) the lower resistances will
permit a finer variation of current.

The inter-relation of volts, amperes, and
ohms, in regard to filament resistances and A
batteries, will be found treated with especial
regard to the principle of this very fundamen-
tal law in the October 1923 issue of RADIO
BROADCAST.

A NEW-TYPE HOME-MADE
INDUCTANCE

IN A recent issue of the Lab Department,
we stated that the ideal inductance would
be a self-supporting coil wound with
uninsulated wire on air. Like many ideals,
this arrangement is hardly practicable. Never-
theless, it can be approached, and in Fig. 8
we have what is probably the closest practical
approach to this ideal condition, a coil wound
by one of our readers, Mr. Horace A. Wood-
ward, of New York City. The Sickles
coil is a commercial form of this type of

winding. It is essentially an exaggerated
honeycomb.

The winding form is a disk of wood about
three inches in diameter and three quarters of
an inch wide. Into the periphery of the disk,
one eighth inch from each edge, two rows of
twenty-five evenly spaced pins are driven.
Two-inch, No. 14 finishing nails are convenient
for this purpose. Notches, which facilitate
the last part of the work, should be cut be-
tween the pegs (Fig. 9) with a three-cornered
file.

The coil is wound by passing the wire over
two right-hand pins, diagonally across and
over two left-hand pins as illustrated in Fig. 9.
When the last turn is wound, the coil is sewn
with a waxed thread and a flexible needle
made of a short length of twisted wire. The
needle is passed beneath the coil through the
filed notches, taking the direction shown by
the black thread in the photograph. If the

NOTCHES •-'--''

FIG. 9
The winding form for the low-capacity coil

experimenter prefers, collodion may be used
as a binder and the sewing dispensed with,
though this is theoretically inferior to the
method employed by Mr. Woodward.

The nails are finally removed and the coil
slipped off. The inductance is self-supporting
and will withstand an extraordinary amount
of mechanical abuse. The ingenuity of the
individual experimenter will suggest the most
convenient manner of mounting.

These coils may be substituted for single-
layer inductances in any circuit with probably
an increase in efficiency. Mr. Woodward
finds them decidedly superior to the spiderweb
coils in the Roberts set. Assuming a three-
inch diameter for the usual flat wound coils,
the same number of turns on the improved
inductance will give approximately the same
wave range.

BUILDING YOUR OWN LAB

ONCE again we are rather prodigal,
and for November we recommend two
purchases to the owner of the growing
lab — an automatic center punch and an ad-
justable square, shown in photographs Figs.

Radio Broadcast

10 and ii. (These tools cost $1.44 and $1.05
respectively.

The center punch is an efficient substitute
for the comparatively noisy and laborious
older type on all materials but metal, and is
from twice to three times as fast. The point
is placed on the marking and the punch pressed
down with the hand as far as the spring ar-

FIG. 10
The automatic center punch. 'A speed tool

rangement permits. This will result in a
definite and satisfactory indentation.

The square is an improvement over the
ordinary fixed carpenter's tool. It consists
of an accurate rule which is adjustable as to
length, with readings in both directions on
each side. An angular surface on the grip
also permits the drawing of lines at an angle of
45 degrees to the straight edge.

Both tools are made by Starrett and add
quickness and accuracy to the work of the
radio builder.

HELPFUL HINTS ON BUILDING AND
OPERATING

DON'T BLAME everything on static.
There are many similar noises that are
produced in your set. Disconnect your
antenna. If the sounds stop, it is genuine
static, and nothing, as yet, can be done about
it. The nature of static and bona fide signals
are so similar, and a static eliminator must
necessarily also eliminate signals.

CHIELDING A RECEIVER is bad
*P practice. It is only a pound of cure.
It in no way affects the fundamental cause of
capacity troubles, and it adds resistance to the
circuit with resulting inefficiencies.

Mount tuning coils and inductances as far
behind the panel as possible, and always
connect the stationary plates of a variable
condenser to the grid.

FIG. I I

A combination square that
adds its bit to efficiency

A properly designed receiver needs no
shielding. (This does not apply to the
individual shields about the intermediate
stages in the super-heterodyne, though even
here the successful elimination of the metal
would probably be an improvement.)

[N CONSTRUCTING or designing radio
* apparatus endeavor to keep inductances
and tuning coils away from the panel and
necessary metal supports. Eliminate all
metal work that can possibly be done away
with. Precautions of this sort will add
selectivity and sensitivity to the receiver.

NOT all bus wire is tinned. The real tinned
bar is satisfactory for wiring purposes
but very often nickel-plated wire is palmed off
on the unsuspecting purchaser. This kind is
not desirable since the nickel-plating increases
the resistance of the circuit. Resistance is all
right in its place — in rheostats and potentio-
meters — but otherwise it should be kept at a
minimum.

THAT old, discarded three-cornered file
may be resurrected and with a few
changes will serve as a tool of many uses in
the radio lab. On a grindstone remove all
traces of the file ribs and sharpen the three
edges to a keen knife-edge. Panel holes may
be enlarged with this instrument or with a
handle on both ends it will serve as a scraper
to smooth the rough edges of panels.

NO MATTER what size holes are to be
drilled in a panel, drill all with a small
drill first — then enlarge with the proper size
drill for the holes to be made. This results
in evenly centered holes and will reduce the
wear and tear on your larger drills. Put a flat
block of wood underneath the panel to prevent
the holes from chipping around the edges.

MANY of the binding posts now on the
market are made of some sort of compo-
sition, easily affected by heat. Before solder-
ing connections to a binding post, remove the
top, or cover the entire post with a wet cloth.
This will prevent the post from melting or
otherwise losing its shape.

AN OUNCE of prevention is
worth a pound of cure, so
follow the practice of the manu-
facturers and see that all socket
nuts, transformer bolts, and
other like parts are securely
tightened before the units are
permanently mounted in a set.

What News on the Radio Rialto?

Experiences Social, Radio, Mechanical, and General, of the Crew of
RADIO BROADCAST'S COVERED WAGON, Direct from the Roadside

BY CAPTAIN JACK IRWIN

ON A journey such as the RADIO
BROADCAST COVERED WAGON is
making, it is difficult to confine
oneself strictly to radio topics.
The writer feels that his readers would rather
read about some of the side-issues which
can be counted as some of the most inter-
esting features on a transcontinental tour
such as ours.

Are we meeting with
conditions that we antici-
pated? Yes and no. In
the congested area sur-
rounding Greater New
York and extending be-
yond Philadelphia, we
found the same happy, ar-
gumentative fans who re-
joiced to meet us and swap
stories of various circuits
they had tried. We lis-
tened to variations on the
same theme over and over
again. In this area, prac-
tically the only source of
complaint was of "bloop-
ing" receivers. Indeed,
they have reason to com-
plain. Throughout New
Jersey and in the vicinity
of Philadelphia, there was
hardly an occasion upon
which we set up our super-
heterodyne receiver that
we did not have constant
interference from radiat-
ing receivers. It was im-
pressed upon us that the campaign against that
type of interfering receiver which this maga-
zine is making must be extended. Education in
the use of non-radiating receivers, however
lengthy a process it may be, is the only way
eventually to eliminate this annoying source
of trouble. A concerted educational cam-
paign, together with close cooperation from
manufacturers and reputable dealers would
go far toward remedying the situation, which
in the districts this WAGON has traversed are

HOW THE LAUNDRY IS DONE

Captain Irwin spending part of a Sunday
in necessary work. Earlier in the day
from this camp in Pennsylvania, he lis-
tened to the services from St. Thomas' in
New York. Dr. Stires preached on the
subject "Cleanliness and Godliness Com-
bined"

almost intolerable. Here is another method
— an appeal to the better nature of the offend-
ers. This fall and winter we will have in-
numerable radio shows and expositions
throughout the United States. Those in
charge of the exhibitions ought to make an
effort to organize a campaign during the
period of the radio exhibition season to bring
the "blooper" users to see
the error of their way.
Again radio broadcasting
stations could better con-
ditions by periodically
calling attention to the
annoyance these sets cause
to those in their vicinity.
One thing this mobile lab-
oratory has discovered is
that nine tenths of those
employing radiating re-
ceivers do not understand
that they are offending
and actually rail against
their neighbors employing
the same sets for interfer-
ing with their reception!
We have endeavored,
daily, to educate such in-
nocent "bloopers" and
point out that, if they are
unable to change their re-
ceivers, they can at least
so adjust their regenera-
tive sets that a minimum
of interference to their
neighbors will result. Few,
indeed, realize that the
maximum amount of satisfactory regeneration
is reached at the point just before the tube os-
cillates and that it is almost criminal, to allow
persistent oscillation while searching for DX.

THE TRAIL WESTWARD

AFTE.R leaving the Metropolitan area ot
Philadelphia, we hit the Lincoln High-
way directly on the trail westward. Begin-
ning with Lancaster, Pennsylvania, we found
radio folk were up against real hard luck.

Radio Broadcast

When we pulled in to the above mentioned
city, almost the first fellow to greet us was a
disgruntled fan who offered to buy our din-
ners if we could obtain results right where
we were parked in the main thoroughfare of
the town. Our eight-tube super-heterodyne
was working like a charm. In other localities
we dissipated the idea that such things as
"dead spots," existed, we immediately took
him up with the expectation of a good, free
meal! A half hour later this fan went on his
way, chuckling at us. We found the greatest
source of "man-made" static we had ever
heard. It was impossible to diagnose the
cause, it was just one jumble of discordant
noises which made the air crackle hideously.
We learned later that this condition was gen-
eral in the business and downtown residential
districts of the city. The lighting and power
plant is an ancient one with all overhead
conductors. The only source of comfort the
resident fans of this perturbed district have,
is the rumor that the plant is to be modern-
ized with underground conductors distributing
both light and power. One enthusiastic ex-
perimenter had just graduated from a crystal
receiver, to a six-tube super-heterodyne for
which he spent several hundred dollars. He
complained to the writer of the extraneous
noises he had obtained, totally obliterating
good strong radio signals. Another friendly
fan had erroneously diagnosed his trouble as

B battery faults, but the writer upon investi-
gation discovered the noise to be nothing else
than the old "man-made" static. His set
was in perfect order, but the conditions sur-
rounding his residence made it impossible to
obtain the satisfaction that he should have
with his excellent receiver. Such are the
conditions that the good radio users of Lan-
caster and Harrisburg are up against. The
same is practically true for the adjacent
smaller towns.

RADIO AND REAL ESTATE VALUES

WHILE pursuing this line of investiga-
tion in Pennsylvania, I learned to what
influence faulty generators and power con-
ductors had when leasing or selling real
estate was considered. While parked in a
quiet neighborhood in one of the larger cities,
a gentleman approached the WAGON and asked
how the reception was in that particular vi-
cinity. Upon" learning that it was fairly good
and freer from interference than in other local-
ities in which we had demonstrated in the same
city, he expressed gratification. It appeared
that he was the real estate operator handling
property in that district and that prospective
buyers or lessees invariably asked if radio
reception was good in that neighborhood. It
transpired that "man-made" static was so
prevalent in the town that real estate values
were affected. This gentleman assured us

HENRY FORD S SEA GOING YACHT

The trim Sialia and the COVERED WAGON. A special berth
at River Rouge, Michigan, near the great Ford plants at Dear-
born and River Rouge is used for the yacht which, by the way,
is completely equipped for radio telephone and telegraph. Her
call is WSY. A group of her crew are inspecting the radio
equipment of the WAGON

What News on the Radio Rialto?

A WAYSIDE CAMP

Of the COVERED WAGON and its crew of two. George A. Eckweiler, Captain
Irwin's assistant, is in the foreground, behind an old Pennsylvania tree

that it was not an isolated inquiry from a
particularly enthusiastic fan, but that such
inquiries were very frequent. He thought
probably the same inquiries were made in
every community. I had to confess that his
was the first case of which I had heard when
the fate of a piece of property depended upon
radio conditions. This example illustrates
what poor conditions exist in certain com-
munities for broadcast reception. The eli-
mination of the causes of "man-made" static
will be compulsory once the pocketbook of
property owners is affected.

THE INTERFERING CASH REGISTER

PURSUING the hunt for unnecessary
* interference in a certain western Penn-
sylvania city we ran across an amusingcase, but
nevertheless a serious one from the point of
view of the man with the receiver. Dis-
cussing the cause of interference in this par-
ticular spot with a nearby resident, he ex-
plained that he had no cause for complaint
except one. It seemed that he was the for-
tunate possessor of a well-known make of
super-heterodyne receiver which gave him
excellent results until the man in the store
under him installed a new cash register oper-
ated by a small electric motor. Since that
time his satisfaction and contentment had
disappeared as he now listened to radio
signals interspersed with the ringing up of

sales on his neighbor's cash register. He
further exphained that the busiest time ap-
peared to be when the best features of the
various programs happened to be "on the
air." However, he added that his interfer-
ing friend closed before DX came on!

TOURISTS AND PORTABLE SETS

SPEAKING with several of my friends
who are radio dealers in New York, I
gathered that the sale of sets for portable use
had received a decided boost this summer.
This was further borne out by the large
amount of space devoted to these sets in both
the newspaper radio columns and in maga-
zines. I have camped with hundreds of well
equipped automobilists who are touring the
continent, and to date have found but one
carrying a radio outfit, and that a simple crys-
tal unit carried by a boy in a party. If many
portable sets are in existence, it would seem
that they are carried to more or less permanent
camps and that the strictly auto camper has
no use, or perhaps, space, on his overloaded
car for what he may regard as a luxury. For
this reason, the advent of RADIO BROADCAST'S
Traveling Laboratory into a camp peopled
with tourists is always a welcome event.
They are astounded at the results obtained
from a mobile station and with the apparent
ease with which loud, clear signals are ob-
tained without the use of antenna or ground.

Radio Broadcast

Many a comment I have heard that "next
year we must carry a radio." We are be-
sieged with visitors, often to such an extent
that it becomes embarrassing. Imagine, for
instance, when you are changing into your
other shirt, the flap of the wagon will be swept
aside and a delightful, cheery voice ask, "Say,
Mister, how about a little jazz!" But se-
riously, I have found that the possession of a
radio outfit in good working order induces a
wonderful friendliness from your fellow camp-
ers in quiet spots. The owner of a radio set
in a tourist camp attracts much attention
and is the means of meeting some intensely
interesting people from all over the country.

AND WE HAVE OUR TROUBLES

MANY of my friends have assumed, after
visiting the COVERED WAGON, that it is
a mission devoid of trouble. Is there a man
in the radio game who can truthfully say that
he can manipulate six different receivers, in
turn, and not run against seemingly inexplic-
able faults in one set or another? Add to
those six sets, a housing on four wheels pro-
pelled over more or less rough roads, and your
radio troubles will correspondingly increase.
During the earlier stages of our journey, we
were comparatively free from such annoy-
ances, due, of course, to the smooth roads of
closely populated areas. During that period

we had no hesitation in coupling up one of our
sets and expecting instant results. However,
as our journey progressed, we found the road
shocks increased and, correspondingly, our
radio faults occurred more frequently.

An old friend of mine always insisted that a
"law of cussedness" existed! I can assure
him, if these columns meet his eye, that un-
doubtedly he is correct. Our experience would
indicate a most pronounced law of that dis-
cription. Now we never attempt to display
our wares in public without first staging a
rehearsal in some secluded spot in order first
to ascertain how much damage bumps and
ruts have caused en route. Our instrument
tables are slung upon springs. An abundance
of sponge rubber is employed to resist road
shocks, nevertheless, a broken inaccessible
connection is very frequent. Invariably this
occurs at the most inopportune time. An
instance of this inopportunity recently oc-
curred when we were the guests of the Kiwanis
Club of a certain city. This club maintains
a camp for boys in a most delightful spot in
their attractive city park. We had been
accorded the hospitality of the camp and
the privileges of the "old swimmin' 'ole."
At noon I had given, by request, a talk to the
boys and concluded with a promise that we
would entertain them with a radio concert
that night at our camp.

THE WAY A RADIO LECTURE ENDED

Captain Irwin and a group of the sons of members of a Kiwanis Club of an Eastern city in swimming.

The boys had previously shown much interest in the radio equipment aboard the WAGON and Captain

Irwin told them about it, and some of his interesting experiences "in the old days" of wireless

What News on the Radio Rialto?

AT DETROIT

The WAGON parked alongside the Detroit River during the time the September motor boat cup races were
held. Progress of the event was followed by a broadcaster in a motor boat. Captain Irwin took part in

the announcing

"TROT OUT YOUR RADIO"

AT THE appointed time a half hundred
real, healthy young Americans descended
upon us and with lusty cries demanded that
we "trot out our radio." Anybody who has
had much acquaintance with youth ranging
from ten to fifteen years of age will s.urely
sympathize with us when I confess that the
alleged expertness of both Mr. Eckweiler, who
accompanies me, and myself, failed to make
that set "perk"! There is no more critical
audience in this world than a bunch of Ameri-
can youngsters. On this occasion, the in-
explicable part of the trouble was that there
was no apparent fault and after the boys had
departed and retired to bed, the set suddenly
decided to work wonderfully. To make
matters worse, the following night found us
in the same camp with the worst static storm
I have heard in progress. Do you think that
group of boys believed our old static alibi?
But there isn't much need of answering this
question.

EPILOGUE AND EPISODE

NOR are all our troubles on this expedition
radio ones. Of course tire troubles are
to be expected. But who would look for a

punctured tire caused by a gramophone needle
on top of Mount Tuscarora? Yet that is
what we experienced. Some misguided tour-
ist had taken a phonograph along instead of
a radio receiver and cast the discarded needle
directly in our path! Another amusing epi-
sode not connected with the radio side of our
journey was caused by an innocent enough ap-
pearing bug called the Japanese Beetle. It
is not so innocent as it appears. Tae De-
partment of Agriculture lists it as one of the
most destructive pests ever to find its way
into our fields. Just after leaving Philadel-
phia we were stopped on the highway by state
police who began to search our wagon. I
facetiously remarked "We haven't a drop in
the house" thinking they were searching for
prohibited beverages! To my huge surprise
they confiscated all our vegetables which we
had stocked a few miles back at a ridiculously
low price! We were then allowed to proceed,
but only a few hundred yards further on was
a well stocked vegetable stand, doing a land
office business! Nobody can convince the
crew of this wagon that that stand is not run
by the Pennsylvania State Police ! That night
a stray dog stole our supply of ham. Yes —
life on the COVERED WAGON is great!

ITHATOui
Readers
Write Us

A Marvel in a World of Marvels

NEW receivers and new equipment of all
sorts and descriptions come piling into
the office every day, but the technical and edi-
torial staff was greeted the other day by an
incoming piece of "new equipment," the like
of which had never before been seen. We
have seen many designs of portable receivers,
but never before has any swimmed into our
ken which combined the features of the horse
age, the automobile age, and the radio age.
The accompanying letter and photograph
tell the story better, it is quite certain, than
any of these rather breathless words here.

Editor, RADIO BROADCAST,

Doubleday, Page & Company,

Garden City, L. I.
DEAR SIR:

Confident, as you are, that the millenium
had been reached when you announced your
"Knock Out" series, we are keenly desirous
of taking the puff out of your sales by pre-
senting to you herewith one of ou.r MOXIE
DX RADIO RECEIVERS. Designed for us by

THE RECEIVER ON WHEELS

Complete without reservation, what with horse,

driver, rubber tires, binding posts to match and a

shiny crystal

the Hunchback of Neutrodyne, it represents
a life's endeavors among the many closed doors
in the realm of science. It is very much
more than a toy. It is an electrical instru-
ment calculated to satisfy the demands of the
most critical brass pounder and yet orna-
mental enough to minimize, if not to prevent
entirely, the "r^-radiation" of the whiniest
kind of wife. This little MOXIE DX RE-
CEIVER is a veritable globe-trotter, too. We
can, if pressed, produce a certified letter
testifying to the reception of 2LO via Pekin,
China. Our little set is daily causing the
users of supers to abandon the Christmas tree
type of tuner for ours. We do not desire to
upset a struggling industry, however, and
do not wish to have our circuit published.
For quality of reproduction the MOXIE DX
RECEIVER is unsurpassed. The crystal used
is a chip from one of the priceless toe rings of
old King Tutankhamen. Major White at
the ringside comes in like Mozart's 666th
overture. We regret exceedingly that we
cannot place one in the hands of Zeh Bouck
before he sails to Europe, for our receiver is
especially efficient on water. If you can
induce him to design resistance-coupled radio-
frequency and audio-frequency amplifying
circuits for it, we are confident that you will
be able to announce another ;" Knock Out"
before Christmas. Seriously, though, try
your antenna circuit with this little gem.
You are in for a continuous series of surprises.
Yours very truly,

The Moxie Company

F. B.Walker, New York.

P. S. The writer wishes to take this op-
portunity to include his check for 15.00 in
payment of a subscription for RADIO BROAD-
CAST. It may interest you to know that he
is doing so largely because of Zeh Bouck's
barrage attack on the advertisers and users
of one-tube squealers.

Wliat are the Ethics of Radio?

IN THE "March of Radio" for July ap-
1 peared an editorial about a New York
church which broadcast a Holy Communion

What Our Readers Write Us

service. At the time, in New York, there was
a considerable amount of criticism. The
writer of the letter printed below takes ex-
ception to the editorial, which he thought
was directed against the broadcastingof church
services. As a matter of fact, the editorial
deplored the broadcasting of the Communion
service and questioned the advisability of
sending this most sacred ceremony of the
church into the air. Church broadcasting
itself seems to be thoroughly established, for
even in the early days, KDKA, the first broad-
casting station to go on the air, in the sense
that we now think of broadcasting stations,
sent out the services of a certain Pittsburgh
church. It is a new art, radio, as has often
been observed, and its ethics are slowly being
developed.

Editor, RADIO BROADCAST,

Doubleday, Page & Company,

Garden City, L. I.
DEAR SIR:

I read the announcement of your $500
Prize Contest, "Who Is to Pay for Broadcast-
ing?", in the July RADIO BROADCAST.

Well, who pays for anything? Who pays
for the double page ads, in the daily papers
and magazines that cost thousands of dollars
for a single insertion? Radio is simply the
latest method of advertising, as your article
"Holy Communion By Radio" on page 221 of

Columbin, Ohio, .. 192 .

Gentlemen :-

... and . M. Eastern Standard Time wi

on my Radiola Super-Heterodyne. It came in

especially enjoyed..,

en the hours of

received by me

and I

I thank both you and the artists.

TIIE COLUMBUS SLATE Co., H. W. WEBB,
WHOLESALE ROOFING SLATE 233 Preston Road,
16 E. Broad St., Columbus, O. Columbus, Ohio.

AN APPLAUSE CARD OF GOOD DESIGN

the same issue admits. The buying public
pays, of course, and always has paid, or the
advertiser goes out of business. Why should
there be any objection to church advertising?

At the end of the editorial mentioned, I
find, "At the risk of being called old fashioned
and out of date, we venture the opinion that
this minister did the Church a dis-seryice by
distributing his Communion service, his most
precious possession, in places where it wasn't
welcome."

Wrong! You cannot force radio where it is
not welcome. A twist of the wrist and it is
gone. I catch my news or music just the

same while church services are going on. Such
services are no bother to any one who does
not wish them. You sit back in your com-
fortable steam-heated apartment and take
life easy. Consider those who are not so
fortunate, those who are miles from any
means of transportation, who haven't even a
flivver, and if they have one, the roads are so
bad that they dread a trip over them. These
folk may have their little radio set and can
enjoy their religious services, if they are wel-
come, or jazz, as their wills dictate. After
all, it is a matter of opinion.

G. K., San Francisco, California.

Another Applause Card Design

ALL radio listeners are by no means as
lethargic as some of the distressed pro-
gram managers of broadcasting stations would
have us believe. One of the best reasons for
this conviction is the increasing number of
listeners who are having their own applause
cards printed. Perhaps the broadcast listen-
ers have taken a leaf from the well-filled book
of the amateurs who have long been in the
habit of sending each other printed cards an-
nouncing that the station of the recipient
had been heard. At any rate, the writer of
this letter sent us one of the cards he sends to
broadcasters who please him. His design
may suggest a similar one to other listeners.

Editor, RADIO BROADCAST

Doubleday, Page & Company,

Garden City, L. I.
DEAR SIR:

A recent letter in "What Our Readers
Write Us" on applause cards has made me
think that the least we of the listening class
could do is to write the broadcasting stations
in appreciation.

I have made a form, as per copy inclosed,
and have had them printed on postal cards.
I keep them on my radio table to use when
anything extra good comes in.

If enough listeners will do the same, it
may give the broadcasters and artists the
proper encouragement.

H. W., Columbus, Ohio.

Who Was the First to Broadcast?

C VERY once in a while the discussion starts
J-* about who was the first to broadcast. Mr.
Cannon's letter raises a point which should
interest other experimenters who were carry-
ing on wireless telephone tests about the same
time as he was. We suggest that those who
are interested write Mr. Cannon directly.
Without entering into the ; discussion our-

Radio Broadcast

selves, it is interesting to recall that Dr.
Lee De Forest was carrying on experiments
with wireless telephony from a studio at 103
Park Avenue, New York, in the spring of 1908,
when he broadcast "Cavaleria Rusticana"
from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera
House.

Editor, RADIO BROADCAST

Doubleday, Page & Company,

Garden City, L. I.
DEAR SIR:

One hears off and on quite a bit of dis-
cussion as to who really ran, in a practical
manner, the first broadcasting transmitter.

This interests me, as I have quite an in-
clination to believe that this station handled
the first phone of this type. During the
months of December, 1916, and January and
February, 1917, I ran quite a regular schedule
from 9:30 p. m. to 10:30 p. m. Press was
broadcast. Phonograph records were sent
out and several instrumental artists con-
tributed.

The range of transmission was about two
hundred miles maximum. The modulation
compared very favorably with that of the
stations of to-day. There were only about a
dozen special tubes in existence I believe,
and the ones I used would now be rated at
about fifty watts. Our efficiency was low,
naturally.

I have numerous documents to prove the
above contention and wonder just where my
station ranks among the first of broadcasters.
GEORGE C. CANNON,
Radio Station 2ZK
183 Drake Avenue,
New Rochelle, New York

Captain Irwin and the "America"

Editor, RADIO BROADCAST

Doubleday, Page & Company,

Garden City, L. I.
DEAR SIR:

I was interested in Jack Irwin's article
"At Sea with the America." It recalled some
pleasant memories to me. Just a short time
before the America sailed, I was down at
Atlantic City and rebuilt the United Wireless
radio station on the Million Dollar Pier.
Operator Miller, whom Irwin mentions, was
at that time assistant operator. It is a far
cry from those days to Radio of to-day. When
one considers the few stations at that time
and the difficulty of getting through the New
York radio traffic jam from a vessel at sea,
the change is marvellous. I have several
times come up on a coastwise steamer and
seen the operator try to get his stuff through
and finally deliver it by personally taking it
to the office when the ship docked. In those
early days when a fellow wanted some wireless

material, he had to make it. However, I
remember getting New York regularly at
Sterling, New Jersey, thirty miles from the
city, with a paper-tube inductance, a car-
borundum detector, and an 80 ohm standard
phone receiver. What a splash a Roberts
circuit would have made in those days!

A. A. WEISS, Copperhill, Tennessee.

Radio Comes to Tennessee

Editor, RADIO BROADCAST,

Doubleday, Page & Co.,

Garden City, L. I.
DEAR SIR:

I think from the first time I ever heard of a
radio I was interested and anxious to own one.
But not so with my husband. He felt that
it would be money wasted. After some talk-
ing, I finally persuaded him to buy third in-
terest in a community radio which we could
keep only a third of the time.

We missed the set so much when the other
partners had it that finally we had a discussion
at home as to whether or not we could afford
to buy one right then and there. However,
all my arguments were settled speedily when
one night we heard Daniel Macon, that great
banjo player who is known all over the coun-
try, as the Dixie Dew Drop. He is an old
friend of ours, but we had lost account of him
for a few months. We bought a new radio at
once and, needless to say, we have enjoyed
hearing Uncle Daniel playing through our
listening-in to him, almost as much as we did
when he was in our own home.

It is impossible to tell the pleasure the radio
has given us. There are only six radios in
our area of thirty square miles. So quite
often, we invite our friends in to enjoy a good
program of music or lecture of some special
interest. The weather forecasts were broad-
cast last spring when almost everyone around
had large numbers of little chickens. If there
was to be bad weather, I would call to my
nearest neighbors and telephone the others.
In that way, we could get our chickens up
and saved much work and worry.

We have a friend who cannot walk and who
hasn't been outside her own home for two
years. Every few Sundays, we carry our set
to her home. The only way she can hear a
Church service is when we bring our set to
her. She says that it seems like Church in
her own home, not only are the sermons
splendid, but we get such beautiful singing.
They are mostly old sacred songs that we all
know and love.

My son is only five, but he never retires
until nine o'clock when we get the chimes
playing "Old Kentucky Home" from Louis-
ville. They never grow old.

Mrs. W. H. T.,

Christiana, Tenn.

The Importance of the Radio

Amateur

The High Place the Experimental Operator Occupies — How High and
Low Alike Have Each Contributed Their Share to Radio Development

BY Dr. W. H. ECCLES, F. R. S.

IM IG HT remind you of what you all know,
that the Radio Society of Great Britain ex-
ists for the benefit of those who practise
or study wireless for its own sake, whether
or not they happen to make any money by
part of their work in the subject. Meetings
are held for the inter-communication of
scientific information, for mutual instruction
and assistance, for bringing together people
interested in wireless, and for the circulation of
ideas of all sorts by all feasible means. During
the last few years
the influence of the
Society has rapidly
extended as the result
of the enormous
growth of public in-
terest in wireless, and
also as a result of the
policy of affiliating
societies scattered
throughout the
country; and thus the
Radio Society has
found itself becom-
ing, almost in spite of
itself, the center of
the amateur move-
ment of the whole
country. Therefore, in
addition to the func-
tions which I have
just enumerated, the
Society is confronted
with the task of
holding the amateur

movement together in the most difficult times
this movement has yet experienced. It is also
faced with the task of watching political and
other circumstances that are likely to react
upon the amateur. Almost simultaneously
with these duties there came the need for
taking over the management of an ambitious
program of work projected by the British
Wireless Relay League and for helping the
inauguration of the Schools movement. The

Fishing in the Electrical Ocean

Some one is going to write a fascinating
story some day, and it is going to be called
" The Romance of the Radio Amateur."
The realm of wireless has from the very
beginning been explored by enthusiastic,
deadly earnest, and often, very gifted persons
who were held in it much more from the
love of it than because of any mere money
they might gain. As Dr. Eccles points out
in this very interesting article, which by the
way, was an address to the Radio Society of
Great Britain, "A man cannot always ex-
plain to you why he keeps rabbits." No
more can the wireless amateur tell you why
he loves the art. Dr. Eccles is a well-known
and respected English scientist and his story
will be read with interest by broadcast
listener and confirmed amateur alike. And,
to misquote Kipling, all radio amateurs, no
matter in what country they live, "Are
sisters under the skin." — THE EDITOR.

former piece of work was separated as the
Transmitter and Relay Section, and the latter
has become the Schools Radio Society and
holds the rank of a section of the Society as
defined by the new rules. Both these new
burdens on the Society are nation wide in their
scope, and meet needs that were strongly felt.
In carrying out these tasks, the Society finds
itself in the midst of two great popular currents
which affect its future very deeply. First,
there is the increasing use of wireless for public
and commercial mes-
sage services and for
the distribution of
entertainment by the
broadcast. The lat-
ter, of course, is a
newcomer, and yet it
overwhelms the cider
use enormously. Be-
sides this, there is the
increased public in-
terest in wireless
science chiefly as the
result of the arrival
of the broadcast. The
former current is
making the spectrum
of usable wavelengths
more and more
tightly packed, leav-
ing less room for
each user, including
the amateur. The
second current, i.e.,
the increasing popular

interest in wireless generally, is bringing more
and more persons into the ranks of the student
and the experimenter. Many a holder of a con-
structor's license is turning his attention to a
study of the subject and is already a recruit, of
greater or less merit as the case may be, to the
ranks of the amateurs. Thus we have the
rather unpleasant result that there are more
amateurs than ever before, and they have to
be accommodated inside a narrower region of

Radio Broadcast

the spectrum than would have been available
before.

TWO BIG PROBLEMS

TT SEEMS to me that in consequenceof these
I new circumstances, there are two big prob-
lems immediately in front of the Society. One
is to ensure that the amateur and student of
wireless telegraphy obtains his rightful share
of the spectrum in accordance with his relative
importance among all the other users of wire-
less. The other big job for the Society is to
help in the establishment of order among the
users of wavelengths appropriated to the ama-
teur transmitters and the broadcast listen-
ers. Regarding the rights of amateurs to
bands of wavelengths, there are many people,
I believe, who say that amateurs have no right
at all to any wavelengths, presumably because
they are not making money out of it. Ours is a
nation of shopkeepers, and this attitude of
mind is to be expected from such a nation, but
it is the duty of this Society to show the nation
that the work of the experimenter is worthy of
encouragement from the point of view of the
long-sighted shopkeeper and the industrialist.

THE TWO TYPES OF WIRELESS AMATEUR

THERE are two main types, it seems to me,
of wireless amateur. First, there is the
man who wants to construct apparatus and
see it work; and, secondly, there is the man who
wants to experiment in and practise the art
of communication by wireless. The first type
of man is at home with many other mechan-
ical and electrical hobbies, and 1 addressed
this Society last autumn in the endeavor to
show that he was, in virtue of his hobby, a very
useful member of the community. The
second type of amateur follows his hobby
because he simply dotes upon the doing of it.
He cannot explain his affection for it any
more than another man can explain why he
keeps rabbits, for instance, or still another
man explain why he goes fishing. I con-
fess that I myself cannot conceive why
anybody does either of these latter things
unless it be that the men in question consider
rabbits or fish to be delectable articles of food.
I am always particularly perplexed by the
angler, though I respect his, to me, unfathom-
able motives; but I think I can sympathize
with and understand the passion of the wireless
amateur who goes fishing in the electrical
ocean, hoping to draw a congenial spirit out
of the unknown depths. This type of amateur
sits in his laboratory and sends out a little
message, baited with 10 watts, say, and then

listens with beating heart for a response from
the void. Usually his cry is in vain. He draws
a blank. But sometimes he hears, mixed up
with his heart throbs, a reply from another
"brass pounder" calling him by his sign
letters. What a thrill! And when the re-
sponse is faint and seems to come from very
far away, with what excitement does he strug-
gle to maintain touch? I can imagine the
anxiety and enthusiasm with which he deci-
phers the Morse, say, of an American amateur,
is overpowering; and I can imagine the despair
with which he battles against the demons of
fading and interference. I can feel it is a very
exciting and thrilling sport, but it is more than
that. It teaches a wonderful skill in mani-
pulation, and it screws up the efficiency of the
apparatus and the man to the highest pitch.
The DX man, striving to get across enormous
distances with minute power, becomes far
more expert than the professional operator.

AMATEURS AND THE WAR

1 REMEMBER very well that men of this
type altered the whole standard of trans-
atlantic reception during the War. After the
United States came into the War the receiving
stations on the Atlantic coast, particularly
the large station at Otter Cliffs, which many
of you have heard of, were manned by young
fellows practised in DX work. They succeeded
marvelously, and read a record number of
words per day. At that time Lyons was
enlarged by the addition of a bigger arc, and
Bordeaux, just after the close of the War, was
brought into operation with another arc, and
these men succeeded so marvelously in receiv-
ing the messages transmitted that the Govern-
ment experts of the United States came to the
conclusion, and announced very emphatically,
that at last the Atlantic was conquered,
and that it was possible to ensure a regular
uninterrupted twenty-four hour service per-
day in summer and winter, without delays,
by the aid of such transmitting stations as
the arc station at Lyons. Then came demobil-
ization and the DX men went home from the
Atlantic coast. Their phones were picked
up by the orthodox operators, the standard of
reception fell immediately, and so, as far as I
know, has not yet risen to its former glory. It
will not, I think, rise to the same height with
the same apparatus again.

THE IMPORTANCE OF DX WORK

AS ANOTHER example of the utility of
this DX work, consider the recent results
achieved by a small band of private workers

The Importance of the Radio Amateur

who, during the last month or two, have been
trying to find lanes under the Heaviside layer,
across the Atlantic. You all know the success
which has been attained with short wave-
lengths throughout an unexpected number of
hours in the twenty-four. I do not doubt
that if these amateurs had left the problem
alone we should to-day be ignorant of its possi-
bility. It might have been many years before
these facts would have been revealed in the
ordinary course of things. The feat is not an
easy one, as is shown by the fact that if they

could have done it,

some of the com-
mercial wireless
companies would
certainly have made
very profitable ad-
vertisement out of it.
Moreover, the gov-
ernments on both
sides of the Atlantic
maintain large staffs
of men, some of whom
have very little more
to do than listen in to
signals. I am think-
ing of the naval and
military and air
forces particularly, in
France, in America,
and in this country.

These facts escaped their notice and, indeed,
would have been regarded as incredible.

From all this I deduce that in wireless, as in
many other pursuits requiring concentration
and skill, the best results are often achieved by
men who are not brought up to work at it for a
living. This holds good in yachting, in cricket,
in marksmanship and many other sports. It
holds still further, in my opinion, in the
sciences and in the applications of science; and
especially in the scientific hobbies, including, of
course, amateur wireless, which, in addition
to its fascination as a sport, possesses also the
qualities of immediate importance in com-
merce and of utility in national emergency. It
is quite conceivable that these discoveries of
the properties of short waves may be of great
commercial service, and certainly might be
of immense military significance in time of
war.

The last time I addressed you— last autumn
— I paid most attention to the merits of the
class of wireless amateur who is fond of his
hobby because he can make and work some-
thing, and I tried to show you that he deserved
the support of every intelligent citizen, and

certainly of this Society, which is largely
constituted of him and by him. I said nothing
of this other kind of man, however, partly
because there was no time, and partly because
it did not occur to me that such remarkable
results could be achieved by him in the im-
mediate future. I am therefore specializing on
this other type of wireless man to-night in the
hope of showing you that the "fisherman"
type, if I may call him so, is worthy of his salt,
worthy of our support and encouragement, and
merits the granting of every possible facility

that we can find for

him.

The Importance of the Radio
Amateur

". . . I can imagine the anxiety and
enthusiasm with which he deciphers the
Morse, let us say, of an American amateur, is
overpowering, and I can imagine the despair
with which he battled against the demons of
fading and interference. I can feel it is an
exciting and thrilling sport, but it is more
than that. It teaches a wonderful skill in
manipulation, and it screws up the efficiency
of the apparatus and the man to the highest
pitch. The DX man, striving to get across
enormous distances with minute power, be-
comes far more expert than the professional
operator. . . ."

INEXPERIENCED
AMATEURS

T HAVE been speak-
1 ing so far — both
last autumn and this
evening — of the best
of the amateurs who
form, I believe, the
larger portion of the
membership of this
Society and the Affili-
ated Societies. But
there are others, and
many of these lack
skill and produce con-
siderable interference
with military and

naval services and sometimes with broadcast-
ing services. Amongst these must be included
the kind of amateur who uses 20 or 30 watts to
establish communication between himself and
a friend a mile away, and thereby agonizes
everyone within 20 miles. Then there is the
amateur who blares forth, without provocation
or excuse, recitatives from corrugated gramo-
phone discs; there is the amateur who never
listens in either before or after shooting his
bolt; there is the man who specializes in
apparatus comprising every possible error of
design and who emits the broadest possible
band of waves. Perhaps many of these sinners
know not what they do; others there are who
do know, I think, what they are doing, and
do it almost, one might say, of malice afore-
thought. Many of this class have no call
sign, and others use fancy call signs, and there
are others, again, who use other people's call
signs, a tribe that is quite unlicensed. Besides
these there are other nuisances, but I am going
to refer to them a little later in another cate-
gory.

The state of affairs represented by what I
have just said appears to be getting worse

Radio Broadcast

rather than better. You will remember that we
formed last autumn a Transmitter and Relay
Section, and that we gradually built up a
scheme of relay work in different parts of the
country. The almost inevitable result of the
attempts to get relay chains working was a
crop of reports that so-and-so was washed out
by somebody else breaking in on the same
wavelength with some gramophone tune or
something of that kind; or that somebody
had been interrupted by a person using his own
call sign illegitimately. The state of affairs, as

I say, seems to be getting worse rather than
better. There are three parties interested in
this matter. There is the amateur who wants
to do his work in a reasonable manner; there is
the broadcast listener who is very often on the
same waveband as these interrupters; and
then, last but not least, there are chose who are
using wireless for transmitting messages on
government service or for com nercial pur-
poses. Of these three or four pai ties who are
injured by the erratic type of transmitter, the
Government and commercial users have be-
come tolerably free because they have devel-
oped means of taking care of themselves, and,
moreover, they can place good apparatus in
the hands of skilled operators. The broadcast
listener is the next in order of martyrdom, but
his interests are being ably protected by the
British Broadcasting Company, which, in this
aspect, is a solid single-minded organization
for looking after the broadcast listener. The
real martyr is, I think, the true amateur of
the kind that forms the bulk of our Society.
This man, when broadcasting began, bound
himself of his own initiative by a self-denying
ordinance to refrain from transmitting during
broadcasting hours on the wavelengths that
would interfere with broadcasting reception
anywhere. In addition to this sacrifice of his
experimental time, he found also that if he
lived near a broadcasting station he could do
no experimental reception during the time the
broadcast station was running, on account of
the width of band natural to a telephonic
station. His work, therefore, became post-
poned until after 1 1 o'clock at night. This
left the British Broadcasting Company to deal
with the inconsiderate or anti-social transmit-
ter who sometimes disturbs the peace. But
once these people were scared, they trans-
ferred their energies to the post-broadcast-
ing hours, with the dire result that the
self-disciplined amateur finds himself at

I 1 o'clock at night in the midst of a per-
fect thicket of noise, in many cities, at any
rate.

THE EVIL RADIATING RECEIVER

p\URING the past year the British Broad-
*~J casting Company has kept in close touch
with our late Honorary Secretary, Mr. Mc-
Michael, and have sent him copies of many of
the complaints which they have received from
disturbed broadcast listeners. Mr. McMichael
started last March a scheme for mobilizing
local wireless societies in the work of tracking
and, if possible, eliminating the disturbers;
but he found, I think, that it would require
much labor and much money to carry out
thoroughly any scheme of this kind, and I
think that in the end his efforts gradually
tapered off on account of the sheer impossibil-
ity of the task. Even in districts where it has
been possible to trace and stop one howler,
two or three new ones have started up for each
one stopped. The reason is that the rapid
expansion of broadcast listening brings in some
new beginner with a valve set every day or
every week, according to the district, and the
beginner requires time to learn the set. Some
of them learn to adjust it silently and to leave
it alone within a month; but the weaker vessels
take six months, and have then not yet con-
cluded.

Lately I looked through a batch of recent
letters of complaint of programs spoiled and
I tried to diagnose in each case the probable
source of the trouble. About three quarters
of the disturbers seemed to be valve learners,
but they, as a source of irritation, disappear
in a few weeks or months. A small fraction
were chronic crystal ticklers who, if very near
to sensitive neighbors, cause great mental
distress. I daresay that many of you know
that if your next-door neighbor insists on
scratching his crystal while his antenna is oscil-
lating strongly under the broadcast waves,
he radiates every scratch to you and spoils your
music and language. To these people one can
only quote Lord Palmerston and say: "Why
can't you leave it alone?" But it seems to be
too much to ask human nature to leave well
enough alone, for even after obtaining an ex-
cellent rendition they say to themselves, "I
wonder if it would be better if I turned that
knob a little farther," and so it goes on.

With these classes of disturbers very little
can be done by any society like ours, or by the
Government, or by the British Broadcasting
Company. We in this Society have seen
enough of the complaints and looked at them
carefully enough to be sure that the stopping
of that trouble is as great a problem as sup-
pressing the piano-playing of a neighbor or

The Importance of the Radio Amateur

suppressing the nocturnal cat. It is just a
nuisance, and it may have to be tackled in due
course under the common law as a nuisance.
As a rule the common law has succeeded in
adapting itself in due time to deal with all
newly invented nuisances that civilization
brings; but to return to the analysis of com-
plaints of broadcast listeners, I think about
ten per cent, of the disturbances are due to
amateur transmitters, and under ten per cent,
due to wilful interference. You will, I think,
agree with my seemingly harsh diagnosis of the
latter category, the wilful interferer, when I
tell you that in the interferences sometimes
recorded, the interpolations consist of re-
marks, at apparently appropriate points of the
sermon, of such words as "rats!" Now, of
course, that cannot be accident, it is someone
with a transmitting set and a gramophone who
is intentionally creating a nuisance. I say that
less than ten per cent, of the broadcast com-
plaints seem to come into the category of
wilful disturbance.

MEETING THE COMPLAINTS

/^ASES like this do, in a sense, concern the
^ wireless societies, and they must be grap-
pled with if we can trace them to our mem-
bership, but the cases where the genuine
amateur transmitter is interfering with the
broadcast listener is in a different category
and requires special consideration. In the
first place, many of the complaints of the
broadcast listener arise because his apparatus
is so badly designed or constructed that though
it is tuned to 365 meters it is easily disturbed
by a transmitter at 180 meters, for example.
From the scientific point of view, the remedy is

simply a filter circuit in the listener's antenna;
but from the popular point of view, the amateur
is a person who is merely playing with wireless,
and when the would-be listener to the broad-
cast concerts comes near to him and installs
poor apparatus, the assumption is that it is the
amateur who must shut down. This, of course,
is a gratuitous assumption that the broadcast
listener has a stronger right to install poor
apparatus than the transmitter has to transmit
on a reasonably sharp wavelength. But it does
not follow that because a man listens in to, is it
Uncle Jeff (?), that he is therefore a better
citizen than an experimental transmitter.
But that kind of thing has always haunted
scientific inquirers. Entertainment, for in-
stance, is, to unthinking people, much more
important than any possible good, national
or social, that may flow from a scientific
study or hobby. This has been the attitude
of the crowd toward the discoverer and in-
vestigator throughout all history. In all such
cases those who know better have had to
combine and fight those who know nothing.
In this particular case we are combining as a
society, but we can only meet the unreasona-
ble complaints of the ill-equipped amusement
seeker by our being sufficiently strongly
organized to demand impartial inquiry and to
insure a just decision. On the other hand, we
can meet the justifiable complaints of the
other users of wireless, and can obtain more
time for ourselves and clearer times for our-
selves, by getting every well-intentioned ama-
teur to join our Society or an affiliated so-
ciety, and after that establish a code of honor
and a system of self-discipline amongst our-
selves.

THE RESULTS OF THE $500 BROADCASTING CONTEST

LT/7LL be announced in a forthcoming number of RADIO BROADCAST.
Over eight hundred manuscripts were entered in the contest and the task
of selecting the best is proving a difficult one for the judges. The contest
judges are Professor J. H. Morecroft, President of the Institute of Radio
Engineers, Powel Crosley, Jr., President, the Crosley Manufacturing Com-
pany, Frank Reichmann, of the Reichmann Company, Chicago, Senator
Royal S. Copeland, New York, and Harry Chadler, Publisher, Los Angeles
TIMES.

THE WHB RADIO ORCHESTRA
Whose lilting dance music floats out to receptive radio listeners all over the nation

"Meet" the Radio Voices from

Kansas City

A Bit About Some of the Popular Artists
Who Broadcast from WDAF and WHB

BY ERLE H. SMITH

BITTER war is on in the ranks of
radio listeners of the "Heart of
America" city — Kansas City. Un-
consciously and yet not unwillingly,
groups of these

whole

radio partisans have fallen
into clans. And in many
homes, radio dealers say,
arguments have grown so
heated that it has been
necessary to install a re-
ceiving set for each radio
fan in the household as a
final effort to lure the dove
of peace back to a perma-
nent roost on the domestic
antenna.

For it develops that
the listeners-in of Kan-
sas City in common with
those of many other
cities have their favorite
ether performers just

NELL O BRIEN
Who gained great popularity at
station WHB. She is a soprano

as decidedly as theater goers have their stage
favorites. And when WHB and WMAJ are
on the air at the same time and Sallie craves
to listen to the Sweeney orchestra, Bill is out
of luck for that lecture on
wave traps over WMAJ. So
Bill has his receiving set,
be it ever so humble, and
Sallie has hers and there
is peace in the domicile
of the listeners and, I
think, a smile on the face
of the radio dealer.

LOCAL RADIO FAVORITES
IN KANSAS CITY

OUTSTANDING
among the radio fav-
orites of Kansas Cityans
are the Kansas City Star's
"Nighthawks." The regu-
lar "Nighthawk" enter-
tainers, known from coast

"Meet" the Radio Voices from Kansas City

to coast and Gulf to Lakes, are the Coon-
Sanders orchestra and Leo Fitzpatrick, Radio
Editor of The Star and "Merry Old Chief"
in charge of
the midnight
frolics of
the "Night-
hawks " in
the grill of
a downtown
hotel. The
"Merry Old
Chief" also
appears be-
fore the mi-
crophone i n
The Star's
studio as
"R. A. Dio"
in regular
weekly min-

strel pro-
grams.

The "Night-
hawk" pro-
grams were among the first attempts at
midnight broadcasting on a regular schedule
six nights a week and have been running
full blast every night except Sunday for

THE RADIO TRIO

Often heard from WDAF, at Kansas City. Carson Rob-
inson (left), Steven Cady (center), and Harry Kessel

Ranking second in popularity with Kansas
City listeners in the ranks of the WDAF enter-
tainers is the Radio Trio, composed of Carson

Robinson,
Steven Cady,
and Harry
Kessel. Mr.
Robinson is a
pianist and
whistler, if not
of note, at
least of great
popularity,
and has writ-
ten several
"blues" song
hits and
chimes in with
his effective
baritone when
the trio is
singing en-
semble. Mr.
Cady has
an excellent

tenor voice, and Mr. Kessel is the trio's "lead"
and usual soloist.

Assisted by "R. A. Dio," the trio gives a
popular program weekly over WDAF, which,
judging from the hundreds of letters pouring
into the office of The Star's radio editors, in-
dicate nation-wide approval.

The station of the Sweeney Automotive and
Electrical School, WHB, claims to be the first
broadcaster west of the Mississippi River to
employ a regular orchestra. George C. Parrish,
known among music critics of the Southwest as
one of the most able and versatile pianists in
Kansas City, is director of the orchestra.
The popularity of Mr. Parrish's orchestra is

LEO FITZPATRICK
Radio editor of the Kansas City
Star, WDAF, and "Merry Old Chief" of
the Star "Nighthawk Frolic" programs

nearly two years. Listeners-in, picking up
the "Nighthawk Frolic" and writing or
otherwise communicating with the WDAF sta-
tion are enrolled on the membership roster of
the "Nighthawk" organization and awarded
membership cards. The roster includes
thousands of names.

ELIZABETH R. HINTON
A popular soprano at. station WHB

Radio Broadcast

JOE SANDERS (left) AND CARLETON COON

Leading lights of the Coon-Sanders "Nighthawk" or-
chestra who regularly play at station WDAF. Mr.
Sanders is a pianist and composer. Mr. Coon is the
trap drummer. Both have excellent voices

proved by the great quantity of enthusiastic
letters that are received by the Sweeney station
weekly from all sections of the western hemi-
sphere.

The Sweeney orchestra is probably one of
the most popular dance combinations with
Kansas City listeners-in. Far-away owners of
neutrodyne and super-heterodyne sets nightly
notify the Sweeney station that they are con-
centrating on bringing in WHB "strong" to
provide music for dancing. And then, Mr.
Parrish and John T. Schilling, the WHB an-
nouncers, get their heads together and release
some of the "steppin'est" music that travels
through the ether from what the local boosters
call the "Heart of America" city.

Miss Nell O'Brien and Mrs. Elizabeth
Ranson Hinton, sopranos, are popular
radio stars appearing exclusively before the
microphone of WHB. Both have except-
ional voices, and nights when they are on
the programs are certain to be busy ones
for the telephone operators at the Sweeney
switchboard, for its "Please have Miss
O'Brien sing" this and "Please have
Mrs. Hinton sing" that.

And so it goes with the radio listeners of
Kansas City and the surrounding territory.

JOHN T. SCHILLING
Announcer at WHB, at Kansas City,
the Sweeney Automotive School

They have their radio favorites and they keep
the telephone wires warm telling the two large
broadcasting station operators just what they
desire to hear.

A REPORT FROM THE RADIO PILGRIMS

ABOARD the RADIO BROADCAST COVERED
** WAGON, in charge of Captain Jack Irwin, will
be a feature of this magazine for December. Cap-
tain Irwin relates his impressions of radio life in
the Great Lakes district. His "Log of a Radio Hobo"
is worth reading.

Modern Receiving Circuits

The Function of the Crystal Circuit— The Types of Regenerative
Circuits — Receivers Using Untuned Radio-Frequency Amplification—
The Super-Regenerative Circuit and Its Value— The Inverse Duplex

WHAT MAKES THE WHEELS GO 'ROUND: VIII
BY WALTER VAN B. ROBERTS

A S AN excellent conclusion to Mr. Roberts's discussion of the workings of
•* the various elements of receiving circuits, the present article, the eighth
in his series: "What Makes the Wheels Go 'Round," discusses in very clear
fashion some of the most generally used receiving circuits. This series of in-
formative and exceptionally lucid explanatory articles can be read with profit
by every broadcast listener, even he who feels his technical knowledge is perhaps
a little better than the rest. — THE EDITOR.

FIGURE 44 shows the simplest possible
receiving set. Tuning is sufficiently
well accomplished by a switch con-
necting to different taps on an in-
ductance coil of any type. A cylindrical
coil with a sliding contact is often used.
This type of receiver is very good for re-
ception of stations up to about 25 miles
distant provided there is no interference. It
is about the least selective of any radio cir-
cuit and cannot tune out interfering signals

FIG. 44

A simple crystal receiver. Probably the
least selective of any circuit in use

even if on a different wavelength. Fig. 45
shows a two-circuit or loosely coupled type.
The sensitivity is about the same as that of
the single circuit but there is considerably
better selectivity. Any circuit using a crystal
is subject to the nuisance of having to keep
the crystal in adjustment. Some crystals

jar out of adjustment very easily and a search
must then be made for a "sensitive spot."

66. SIMPLE DETECTOR CIRCUITS

A VACUUM tube may be used instead of
a crystal in either of the above circuits,
thus eliminating the trouble of finding a
sensitive spot. Otherwise the results will
be about the same, except for a gain in se-
lectivity. See Figs. 46 and 47.

67. REGENERATIVE CIRCUITS

THE chief advantage in replacing the crys-
tal by a tube is the possibility of using
regeneration. Figs. 48 and 49 show regen-
eration accomplished by inserting inductance
in the plate circuit of the tube. If this is a

.I/ h

FIG. 45

An inductively coupled crystal circuit. Both an-
tenna and detector circuits are tuned and hence the
circuit is more selective. Receivers based on this
circuit were standard for many years until the vac-
uum tube came into general use about 1915

Radio Broadcast

FIG. 46

A simple vacuum tube circuit, in which the tube
does not oscillate, but is used as a rectifier, serving
the same purpose as the crystal detector in Figs.
44 and 45. Note that the antenna and detector
(or secondary) circuits are conductively coupled

small fixed coil it is coupled to the grid coil
and acts as a tickler. If it is not brought up
near the fixed coil it must be a variable in-
ductance, i. e., a variometer. The two cir-
cuits shown are called the single-circuit and
the three-circuit method of using regeneration.
This nomenclature is obviously inconsistent
but it is customary. The two are equally sen-
sitive and for differentiating between equally
faint signals of nearly the same wavelength
they are almost equally selective, but with
the three-circuit arrangement, it is possible to
shut out strong local stations of considerably

FIG. 47

The same circuit as Fig. 46 except that
the antenna-secondary coupling is inductive

different wavelength while the single circuit
cannot do this. The single circuit is easier
to tune properly, but if allowed to oscillate it
is usually radiating more energy from the
antenna and hence causes worse interference
— that is, the familiar squeals that are often
heard while the neighbors are tuning-in.
For this last reason there is a growing senti-

ment against the use of single-circuit regen-
erative receivers in thickly populated regions
or indeed, anywhere else.

There are a great many apparently different
regenerative circuits in use, but the above are
the standard forms. No one kind is any more
sensitive than any other if properly built, as
the sensitivity is determined by the tube.
Single-circuit receivers are usually built with
an eye to the best possible selectivity. They

FIG. 48

The circuit of Fig. 46 with the addition of a "tick-
ler" coil, whose purpose is to make the tube de-
tector oscillate, increasing the sensitivity of the
circuit. It is a malignant radiator of energy.
Sometimes called a "blooper"

are made very "stiff," that is, the antenna is
tuned with a large inductance and a small
capacity and a comparatively low short an-
tenna (not more than 150 feet over all) is
recommended.

68. UNTUNED RADIO FREQUENCY TRANS-
FORMER SETS

WHERE greater sensitivity is required
some form of radio frequency amplifica-
tion is necessary. Fig. 50 shows a typical
three-stage transformer-coupled R. F. am-
plifier with potentiometer stabilization. Re-
ceiving sets of this type are not very selective

FIG. 49

Regeneration is secured by the use of the variometer

in series with the plate of the tube. Simply Fig.

47 with the variometer added

Modern Receiving Circuits

^ ) 1 ) J 1 J )

) 1

FIG. 50

A radio-frequency circuit with air-core transformer
between the amplifier tubes. Note the stabilizing
meter

as there is only one tuned circuit to do the
selecting. They are easy to operate as the
tuning condenser and the potentiometer are
the only controls. They are subject to the
limitations imposed by the transformers in
the matter of range of wavelengths that can
be received. Unless an arrangement for
plugging in different transformers is provided,
the range is usually only about two hundred
meters. (From 300 meters to 500 meters for
example.)

69. THE NEUTRODYNE

FIG. 51 shows a typical neutrodyne ar-
rangement. Only two stages of amplifi-
cation are used because three condensers are
enough to tune. As each of the three trans-
formers is fairly selective, the result of using
all three at once is very good selectivity. An
open type antenna is used (this, however, need
not be large. Thirty feet or so strung around
a picture moulding gives good results except
for very weak signals) because a loop is likely
to have energy fed back to it from the trans-

very selective and hence not very
good for working through interfer-
ence, but where the desired signal is
the strongest incoming ether disturb-
ance in its region of wavelengths,
a loop and a single tube can be made
to work a loud speaker as well as
about three tubes used any other way.
The principle of super-regeneration is
explicable qualitatively by a mechani-
cal analogy. A clock was used in
a previous article as an analogy to give an idea
of the mechanism of an oscillator circuit.
We shall use the clock again. Suppose it to

coupling
potentio-

W,000~ OSCILLATOR

NEC. Sl»t OF Fi.S
SIGNW. FREQUENCY CIRCUIT

FIG. 51

A neutrodyne arrangement

formers, which are not usually shielded.
They could be shielded, but they are usually
cylindrical and set at such angles with each
other that they do not feed back to each other.

7O. ABOUT SUPER-REGENERATION

\A7HERE loud signals are required from a

* * loop and the number of tubes is limited

to one or two, super-regeneration rules the

field. Super-regenerative circuits are not

FIG. 52

The Super-regenerator. When the low-frequency
oscillator grid is negative, the connection "c"
between the two oscillators has no effect, and os-
cillations build up at signal frequency. During the
half cycle when the grid of the low-frequency oscilla-
tor is positive, oscillations are damped out of the
signal-frequency circuit just as if its own grid were
positive. The signal is picked up by a loop con-
nected across the tuning condenser

be wound up but the pendulum is placed care-
fully in its lowest position and left there.
The clock will not start itself. But now
suppose puffs of air come along at
the proper interval to start the
pendulum swinging slightly. Once
it starts ever so slightly, the ideal
spring and escapement mechanism
we have assumed cause its swinging
to increase even if the puffs of air
stop coming in. The oscillations of
the pendulum "build up" and in
due time the amplitude of swing
reaches a limit determined by fric-
tion, air resistance, etc. But if
we confine our attention to a
sufficiently short period of time after the
swing starts to build up we will find that the
amplitude attained during this time is pro-
portional to the strength of the incoming puffs
of air. At the end of this period let the
pendulum be stopped and set again at its
lowest point so that the whole thing can take
place again. By this arrangement, a great
deal more swinging is done by the pendulum,
on the whole, than if the clock were not wound

Radio Broadcast

up, in which case the pendulum would only
swing the very small amount caused by the
air puffs alone.

In the electrical case we have a circuit all
set to oscillate, but "balanced" so to speak
so that some incoming ether wave is required
to start oscillations building up. The ampli-
tude to which oscillations build up during, say,
one twenty thousandth of a second, is pro-
portional to the strength of the incoming sig-
nal. The circuit automatically extinguishes
the high-frequency oscillations in itself every
ten thousandth of a second and "rebalances"
itself for another start. Thus, on the average,
there is a good deal of high-frequency current
in the circuit, and as the amount is propor-
tional to the incoming signal strength at any
time, its rectification by the curvature of
the tube's grid potential-plate current char-
acteristic yields the signal ready for the loud
speaker (unless it is desired to filter out the
10,000 cycle note that is due to the periodic
interruption of the oscillator circuit).

Another way of looking at the action of
super-regeneration which may seem simpler
to some, is to consider the action as mere
multi-stage radio-frequency amplification per-
formed by a single tube by the simple process
of connecting the secondary of the trans-
former back to the input of the same tube

FIG. 53

The super-regenerator. Both low-frequency and
signal-frequency oscillator circuits are attached tc
the same tube. The signal-frequency circuit is at
the top of the diagram. High-frequency oscillations
pass readily through the bypass condensers B-P.
The low-frequency circuit (here a Hartley, with or
without mutual inductance between coil?) is sup-
posed to be oscillating all the time. During part
of each cycle the grid and plate potentials favor
the building up of high-frequency oscillations in
the upper circuit, but during the other part, con-
ditions are unfavorable and cause oscillations, if
any have built up, and die out again

instead of the input of another tube. A small
impulse comes into the grid of the tube and
is amplified and fed to the primary of a trans-
former, the secondary of which feeds it back to
the grid. It then makes another round trip,
and another, and another, and sooner or later
would grow so great that the tube could no
longer amplify it any more. But before that
happens, the interrupting mechanism comes
into play and wipes it out entirely. The
interrupting mechanism then stands aside,
figuratively speaking, and lets the tube
amplify whatever is supplied to its grid for
another twenty thousandth of a second or so,
then steps in and quiets everything down
again. Thus on the average there is much more
radio-frequency current than the incoming
radio waves alone could produce without help.

The reason that super-regeneration works
best at short wavelengths is that the time
between interruptions is then enough for a
large number of round trips and the current
can build up to large values before being
interrupted. The interruption frequency can-
not be lowered to less than about ten thousand
per second or it becomes annoyingly audible.

Three systems for doing the interrupting
are —

(1) making the grid so positive, once every
ten thousandth of a second, that the oscilla-
tions are killed as explained under stabilization
by potentiometer in radio-frequency amplifi-
tion,

(2) by periodically cutting off or reducing
the amount of plate potential and allowing
the oscillations to die out, and

(3) by combining these two methods.

The first and the third are recommended, the
third having the advantage of using only one
tube. The second is difficult as the oscilla-
tions do not always die out rapidly enough
by themselves even when the plate potential
is reduced far below the value necessary to
make oscillations build up. It is important
not to have any tuned circuits around in which
oscillations can persist, as they will re-excite
the oscillator even if no signals are coming
in. For this reason the selectivity can not
be improved by the ordinary loose coupling of
tuned circuits, although advantage may be had
by operating the set in the same room with
the lead-in of a tuned antenna. Fig. 52 shows
the first system, 53 the third.

71. PRINCIPLE OF REFLEXING

WHEN a tube capable of amplifying a
strong signal is used merely to amplify
a weak one, its power-amplifying capability

Modern Receiving Circuits

FIG. 54

A simple reflex circuit, using a crystal detector.

The one tube in the circuit acts both as a radio-

and audio-frequency amplifier

is not being made efficient use of. "Re-
flexing" is a system for getting more out of a
tube by making it
amplify two things, the
incoming signal at radio
frequency, and the
detected, or audio
frequency current. So
long as the variations
of grid potential due
to both frequencies are each of small amount,
neither interferes with the other. Fig. 54

FIG. 55

Diagram of the cur-
rent flow in a reflex
circuit

FIG. 56

Diagram of the en-
ergy flow in a reflex
circuit where the
energy is amplified
through two audio
stages

shows a very simple
reflex circuit using
a crystal detector. The
radio-frequency cur-
rent after being ampli-
fied is fed by means of a
tuned transformer to
the crystal. The audio-
frequency current is
then fed to the grid and
amplified, the phones being in the plate cir-
cuit of the tube. The frequency of the radio
current is so much great-
er than that of the audio
that the two kinds of cur-
rent are easily separated
whenever necessary.
Fig. 55 shows the flow of
energy in diagrammatic
form. Fig. 56 shows
the energy flow in a two-stage amplifier.

72. THE INVERSE DUPLEX SYSTEM

A REFINEMENT of reflexing as shown
**• above is the arrangement called the
inverse duplex, shown in Fig. 57. It is ob-
vious that the tube carrying the least radio
frequency energy is the one that handles
the greatest audio-frequency energy,
and vice versa. Thus the point of over-
loading is not reached so soon. Also,
as the audio energy is not fed directly
back to the first tube, any accidental
radio-frequency feed back that might
occur along with the audio feed back
will not be so likely to cause oscilla-
tions.

FIG. 57

The inverse duplex

arrangement, which

is an elaboration of

the reflex idea

T. M. STEVENS

Assistant Traffic Manager of the Radio Cor-
poration of America. Mr. Stevens has charge
of the radio message traffic operation of the
many passenger and cargo ships controlled by
this company

Final Plans for the International
Broadcasting Tests

News of Importance for Every Radio Listener in
the Outline of RADIO BROADCAST'S Tests for 1924

By ARTHUR H. LYNCH

THERE is little time left for you to
get ready for the international broad-
casting tests which are to take place
between November 24th and 3oth,
inclusive. For the first time you will have an
opportunity to -test the possibilities of your
receiver for picking
up long distance
broadcasting, under
the best conditions
obtainable.

RADIO BROADCAST
carried on a similar
series of tests last year
and hundreds of lis-
teners in the United
States and Canada
were able to pick up
parts of the programs
from England, while
our English friends
were even more suc-
cessful in picking up
our programs. If you
remember, there were
man y prominent
speakers in this coun-
try who said a few
words for our English
friends and prominent
Englishmen spoke to
us. The reception of

the English stations

in this country could

hardly be called a

complete success,

even though we have had verified reports from

American listeners who were located as far west

as Washington State. We have every reason

to believe that the tests this year will be even

more successful and, having this in mind, we

have set out on a rather enlarged program.

The principal difficulty in connection with
the tests last year was the very limited
time we had to get them under way and the
failure on our part to recognize until it was too

Editor of the London Wireless World and Radio
Review, who is working in close cooperation with
RADIO BROADCAST in directing the second inter-
national broadcasting test. Mr. Pocock has
charge of arrangements for England and the Con-
tinent and is working with Captain A. G. D. West,
assistant chief engineer of the British Broadcasting
Company

late, the terrific amount of detail work the
tests would involve. Most of communications
were with Hugh S. Pocock, Editor of The
Wireless World and Radio Review (London),
whose hearty cooperation made it possible for
us to work so closely with the British Broad-
casting Company.

The time for pre-
paration was so short
that most of our com-
munication with the
American broadcast-
ing stations had to
be done by telegraph,
and if you remember,
even that method of
communication
proved futile in sev-
eral instances because
the managers of sta-
tions had important
events scheduled for
the hours of the test
periods. Other broad-
casters were not con-
vinced that the listen-
ers in their audience
were as much inter-
ested in attempting
to pick up London as
they were in hearing
some really good
music from the home
station. For the first

few nights of the tests,
many of the broad-
casting stations in this country and Canada
did not shut down and it was only by tele-
graphing them individually that we were able
to secure a comparatively quiet ether for the
last night.

Then, too, in the larger cities and other
comparatively thickly populated areas there
was a terrific amount of interference caused
by radiating receivers. Interference of this
nature was so great in the vicinity of New

Final Plans for the International Broadcasting Tests

York, Boston, Chicago, and several other
cities, that even those in the suburbs found
it difficult to hear anything but the squeals.
Many newspapers published editorials criticiz-
ing the "bloopers" unmercifully.

There were many other reasons for our not
having scored a complete success, but they are
of little interest now, other than object lessons,
and we are making every effort to surmount
the difficulties and there is every reason to
believe that we will do it.

WHY WE LOOK FOR SUCCESS THIS YEAR

IN ENGLAND, we still have the active co-
* operation of Mr. Pocock and Captain
Eckersley of the
British Broadcast-
ing Company as
well as the addi-
tional effort of the
Radio Retailers'
Association, of
which Clifford and
Clifford are the
Honorable secre-
taries, and the
Radio Trade As-
sociation of New
York. L.A.Nixon
is Secretary. All
are working to-
gether, to make
every possible
wheel move in the
correct direction
and without either
lost motion or fric-
tion.

In Canada,
Jacques Cartier,
Manager of the La
Presse Broadcast-
ing station, at
Montreal is doing
his best to co-
ordinate the efforts
of the Canadian
stations.

In Cuba and
Porto Rico we ha ve
been able to enlist
the services of

PWX, 2MN, 2BY,

Havana, 6KW,
Tuinucu, Cuba
and WKAQ.

In this country
no effort is being

spared. A circular letter, addressed to every
broadcasting station in the United States has
resulted in replies having been received from
most of the important broadcasting stations in
the country. The larger stations have signified
their intention to take part in the transmission
tests and even the smaller stations, which do
not feel that there is a possibility of being heard
by European listeners, have very generously
volunteered to keep off the air during the
periods during which we will attempt to hear
from Europe.

Captain Jack Irwin, who is piloting RADIO
BROADCAST'S COVERED WAGON across the
country in an effort to reduce the amount of

HOW THE NEWS WILL REACH ENGLAND

The masts of Radio Central of the Radio Corporation of America at Riverhead,
Long Island. Direct radio telegraph communication will be maintained through
the Broad Street control office (in the insert) direct from the RADIO BROADCAST
Laboratory at Garden City to the office of the British Broadcasting Company
in London. When the English programs are heard, the flash will go from a tele-
graph key at the magazine's laboratory which will signal the English company
a fraction of a second later in their London offices

Radio Broadcast

interference from power lines, etc., has visited
a number of broadcasting stations and told
the story of these tests to thousands of listen-
ers, to say nothing of the manufacturers and
dealers with whom he has discussed our plans.

Other members of RADIO BROADCAST'S edi-
torial staff have visited broadcasting stations
in the Eastern, Middle Western parts of this
country and a portion of Canada. In almost
every instance these
talks have been
brought to a close by
an exortation to the
listeners to prevent
their receivers from
squealing during the
tests and it is hoped
that these requests
will be complied with.

Since last year the
British and other
European stations
have been improved
greatly, and there is
little doubt but that
many of them will be
heard throughout
North and South
America this year.

VAST IMPROVEMENT
IN RECEIVERS

DURING the past
year there has
been a marked im-
provement in the de-
sign of receiving ap-
paratus used in this
country. For instance,
there were but few
neutrodyne receivers
in operation during
the tests last year and
many of them were

home-made and not very well adjusted. We
have learned a lot about the neutrodyne since
that time and there is no reason why hundreds
of them will not pick up the other side this
year. This is particularly true, if the detector
is made regenerative, which may be done with-
out a lot of trouble.

Then, it will be remembered that but little
was known of the super-heterodyne, except by
the old-timers, and it is expected that there
will be many "supers" focussed on Europe
during the coming tests. Many of them will be
successful. And right here it may be well to
say a word about the operation of "supers."

JACQUES N. CARTIER

Manager of station CKAC, La Presse, Montreal, who
will work with RADIO BROADCAST in arranging the
international broadcasting tests as director of Cana-
dian broadcasters during the tests

Where it is necessary to use an outside
antenna with a super-heterodyne in order to
insure proper signal strength, there is some-
thing the matter with it. Where an outside
antenna is used, it is folly to waste tubes and
batteries with a "super," there are other re-
ceivers capable of similar results, with a great
saving. There is every reason to believe, from
the tenor of the reports we receive from our
readers, as well as
from our own obser-
vation, that many of
the English stations
will be picked up this
year on our own Two-
Tube Knock-Out Re-
ceiver. It is gaining
in popularity because
it performs extremely
well, is easy to build
and is very, very eco-
nomical. Where an
antenna is used, it is
doubtful that many
home-built super-
heterodynes will be
able to boast a better
performance record.

Nearly every news-
paper in the country
has printed some-
thing about these
tests, and we wish to
express our apprecia-
tion for this cooper-
ation. It is also grat-
ifying to be able to
tell you that the Gen-
eral Electric Com-
pany, which coope-
rated so thoroughly
with us last year is
doing the same thing
this year. Then, too,

it would be almost impossible for us to keep
in close touch with the other side, during
the tests, without seriously interfering with
the program, if it were not for the assistance
given us by the Radio Corporation of America.
This corporation has arranged to have a direct
wire connecting our receiving station at Gar-
den City and its New York office, and thus
connected with Europe via its high power radio
telegraph circuit.

The Westin-ghouse Electric and Manu-
facturing Company ihas also agreed to take an
active part in our tests and has promised that
.all of its stations will conform to our schedules

Final Plans for the International Broadcasting Tests

as well as arrange special programs for our
foreign friends.

To outline the plans of the various compa-
nies which are cooperating with us would be a
tremendous task and space does not permit,
so it may be well to confine our description to
a few of the preparations we are making our-
selves.

PREPARATIONS AT GARDEN CITY

RADIO BROADCAST'S Laboratory is
situated about three hundred feet from
our main building and was erected principally
to house the elaborate receiving equipment
used by those engineers who came out last
year and set up their outfits beside our own.
Here there will be a direction finding loop
antenna, of the Bellini-Tosi type about eighty-
five feet high. There will also be a number of
smaller loops, for use with various receivers.
The Lab. will, as we have stated, be in direct
wire connection with the Broad Street office of
the Radio Corporation of America, as well as in
telephone connection with our main building,
and radio telephone communication with the
two or more field stations we are placing on
the seashore about ten miles from our main
building.

At the field stations there will be as complete
equipment as is necessary, and we expect to use
several of the Knock-Out Receivers as well as
a series of super-heterodynes. At these field
stations there will be radio telephone trans-
mitters, operated on short waves to communi-
cate with the Lab. The reason for using radio
telephone is to permit us to use a shack right
on the shore and as far from telephone, tele-

graph, trolley wires, and whistling receivers as
it is possible to get. The location of our field
stations has not yet been decided, because
their choice must be made after covering
the ground with a portable super-heterodyne
receiver in an automobile. This work is
under way and all the preliminary work will
be done before this magazine gets in circula-
tion.

Licensed operators of RADIO BROADCAST'S
staff will be in charge of the field and Lab
stations and will keep the wheels moving
properly. A number of receiving sets are to
be installed in the field stations by independent
engineers, in the same fashion as last year, and
a number of receiving sets of various kinds
will be located in various sections of the
country with direct wire connections, so that
immediate reports may be made to our lab
station, which will be the center of activity,
just as it was last year.

It is impossible for us to keep you properly
informed of the developments, as they occur
through our own pages, so we have arranged
a weekly press release service, which goes to
all the broadcasting stations and the news-
papers. From these bulletins you may secure
all the necessary information concerning wave-
length, power, and so forth of the foreign and
American stations taking part in the tests.
If you are successful in hearing the foreign
stations, write, or wire Test Editor, RADIO
BROADCAST, Garden City, New York, giving
us as much definite information as possible
to aid us in preparing the official report of the
tests. We cannot undertake to verify all of
the foreign programs.

A SHORT ANTENNA RECEIVER

C'OR some little while we have been watching for a
receiver which would perform in good style with
a short piece of wire for an antenna and employed
standard coils and parts. Such a receiver would,
we felt sure, maJ^e a very good portable. We have
it and it is an extremely good one. It is a 4-tube
set and will be described in RADIO BROADCAST for
December, by G. H. Browning of Harvard Univer-
sity. A how-to-make-it article of great interest and
value.

The Facts About Resistance

Answering Your Unasked Questions about Potentiometers, Grid Leaks,
and Rheostats in Receiving Sets. A Where, When, Why, and How Article

By THOMAS O. SHEARMAN

THERE are three fundamental units
in radio, upon which are based all the
various types of receiving circuits.
They are inductance, capacity, and
resistance. While inductances and condensers
have been perfected to a high degree, and are
used as the important factors in most radio
circuits, very little has been said about the
variable resistance, yet if properly utilized,
it plays a very important part in obtaining
better results from present-type equipment.
Resistances are used in receiving circuits as
Variable Grid Leak B-Battery Control
Rheostat Radio- Frequency Amplifier

Potentiometer Audio- Frequency Amplifier
Audio-Frequency Filter and Tone Modifier

THE VARIABLE GRID LEAK

TO UNDERSTAND properly the variable
grid leak, it is necessary to know just what
happens when it is placed in the grid circuit of
the detector tube. This action is as follows:
When the filament of a vacuum tube is brought
to incandesence by the A battery, a large
quantity of negative particles (electrons) are
liberated from the filament, and if the grid and
plate connections are left open, the electrons
will fall back on the filament so that a state of
equilibrium will exist. If, however, the posi-
tive terminal of a B battery is connected
to the plate, the negative charges instead
of returning to the filament will be at-
tracted to the positively charged plate in
accordance with a fundamental law of
electricity, which states that, "like charges
repel each other while unlike charges at-
tract." This invisible stream of electrical
energy acts as a conducting path for the
B-battery current which flows steadily
and uniformly.

Situated between the filament and the
plate is the grid element, and it is the ac-
tion of this member which causes fluctua-
tions in the plate current by controlling
the action of the electronic stream.
When the grid is connected to the antenna
circuit in the usual manner through the
grid condenser and the circuit tuned to

resonance with the incoming radio-frequency
currents, it will acquire a positive and negative
charge according to the positive and negative
cycle of the incoming radio-frequency wave.

Assuming the first part of the cycle im-
pressed upon it to be positive, a small
amount of the electrons given off by the in-
candescent filament will be attracted to it,
and the plate current will be unaffected, but on
the negative part of the cycle when the grid
acquires a negative charge, the electronic
stream will be practically blocked.

This action can be more clearly understood
by Fig. i, where A represents a radio-fre-
quency impulse caused by the closing of a key
in a spark transmitter, thus at O the con-
denser begins to charge and reaches its maxi-
mum at point i whence it again decreases
to zero at point 2, the same action takes
place at 3 and 4 but is of opposite polarity.

The positive charge impressed upon the grid
causes a small amount of the electrons to be
attracted to it at each positive charge which
will also cause a negative voltage to accumu-
late upon it. If the tube is of the high-vacuum
type and the socket constructed of perfect
insulating material, there will be no possible
way for this negative charge to leak off of the
grid and will completely repel the flow of

A- 0

INCOMING

OSCILLATIONS

B- 0

FIG. I

The Facts About Resistance

101

FIG. 2

electrons from the filament, thereby causing
the tube to "block." This action is shown as
a dotted line X in Fig. iB. To prevent this
accumulation of negative voltage upon the
grid, a high resistance is placed either across
the grid condenser or from the grid to one ter-
minal of the filament as shown in Fig. 2 A and
B, this resistance should be of such a value that
it will prevent the radio-frequency carrier
wave from leaking off. It would allow only
the modulated audio-frequency wave to leak
off at the proper moment; when this occurs
the grid potentional curve will follow the
modulations of the incoming oscillations as
shown in Fig. iB.

Because of its high resistance the grid leak
is measured in megohms, (Meg is the Greek
prefix for one million,) so when a grid leak is
said to be of five megohms value it means five
million ohms. Various types of tubes when
operated as detectors require different values
of grid leakage; this range usually is between
one half to five megohms and for this reason it
is advisable to equip the receiving set with a
variable grid leak, but in purchasing this kind
there are four important points to be con-
sidered if good results are to be expected, they
are as follows: —

Mechanically Correct
Non-Microphonic
Non-Hygroscopic
Uniform Vernier Action

If the variable grid leak becomes micro-
phonic, a rasping sound will be heard
when it is adjusted and may continue as ^_
long as the set is in operation. When
the leak is composed of an india-ink
line or some other hygroscopic material
and left exposed to the surrounding
atmosphere a certain amount of mois-
ture will be absorbed, decreasing its re-
sistance.

This effect will be quite noticeable on
a damp day and will cause the grid leak
to become quite unstable in operation.

Quite a few variable grid leaks have been
placed on the market which are mechan-
ically imperfect. In some, after a few
turns on the handle, the resistance range
was changed entirely since the lever
rubbed off the resistance material. The
grid leak soon became inoperative.
Others composed of a semi-fluid ma-
terial soon dried out and became use-
less. Faults such as these in the
variable grid leak are so hard to find
that it is advisable to purchase the best
possible.

PROPER METHOD OF CONNECTING THE VARIABLE
GRID LEAK

THE most satisfactory type of grid leak is
one which is conveniently mounted on the
panel with the rest of the controls. The con-
nection should be as shown in Fig. 2 B where
the terminal farthest away from the panel
is connected to the grid and the terminal near-
est the knob is connected to one leg of the
filament. In this way the hand comes near
to the neutral filament side instead of the
grid and therefore prevents hand capacity
effects.

THE RHEOSTAT

THE most familiar use of resistance in radio-
receiving circuits is as the rheostat for
controlling the filament intensity. To under-
stand the importance of the rheostat one must
have at least an inkling of its technical func-
tion; this is briefly as follows. A metal as well
as all other substances is composed of a vast
number of electrons which are continuously
in a state of vibration. When heat is applied
to the metal the movement of its electrons is
so increased until they break away from the
metal and travel away from it at a high ve-
locity, this velocity depending upon the plate
voltage. If the amount of energy which heats
the metal (which in the case of the vacuum
tube is the A battery) is increased, the number
of electrons emitted is also increased, until we

-1 VOLT

FIG. 3

102

Radio Broadcast

reach the point of incandescence where a fur-
ther increase in temperature will cause the
metal filament of the tube to vaporize. When
this happens the tube "burns out" and is use-
less.

The function of the rheostat is to give accu-
rate control over the voltage and current pass-
ing through the filament. The temperature of
the filament governs the flow of electrons from
it. Thus the rheostat serves two purposes.
First it protects the vacuum tube, when
properly adjusted, and prevents an excessive
amount of current from flowing through the
filament. For example, the storage battery
type of vacuum tube operates at five volts
while the storage battery delivers six volts
(in practice this will be found to be a little
less due to the discharge and load applied to
the battery), therefore the resistance in the
rheostat must absorb the remaining volt. This
is shown in Fig. 3 where the rheostat is placed
on the negative terminal of the storage bat-
tery lead, and is so adjusted that only five
volts are applied to the filament terminals A
and B, while the other volt is dropped across
the rheostat resistance B and C. The second
action of the rheostat is that this one-volt
drop across the rheostat resistance is applied
to the grid of the tube through the filament
return lead, and causes the tube to operate at
its proper point on its characteristic curve,
provided that the plate voltage is about 45
volts. When it is more than this it is usually
necessary to use a greater voltage upon the
grid, and this is had in the form of a C battery
of three or four volts.

The three important factors to be considered
in purchasing a rheostat are:

Mechanical Construction
Current-Carrying Capacity
Resistance Range

In the wire-wound type of rheostat, the me-
chanical construction is quite important, and
the trouble most often encountered with
some now on the market is in the action of the
lever when it passes over the resistance wire.
If this lever action is not perfectly smooth,
a clicking sound will be heard, especially when
controlling the detector tube. And if the con-
tact of the lever is too light, the surface of both
the resistance wire and lever will oxidize and
collect dust which will offer a high-resistance
contact and cause the tube filament to flicker.
In the compression type of rheostats there
should be no side play. The action of the
thread should be perfectly smooth.

The current-carrying capacity of the 3o-ohm
wire-wound rheostat, due to the smaller-gauge
wire used, is not sufficient to carry the filament
current of the UV-2oo or other high-current
consuming tubes. The compression type of
rheostat in most cases will handle all of the
receiving tubes now on the market.

When the voltage and current at which
the tube operates is known the correct-size
rheostat can be determined. The normal
voltage of the UV-2OI-A is 5 and current .25.
By dividing the voltage by the current we
obtain the filament resistance, which is 20
ohms. A rheostat having a maximum resis-
tance of 20 ohms or more will give sufficient
working range. If three of these tubes
were to be used in parallel and all oper-
ated from one rheostat, the resistance re-
quired would be about one third or about
7 ohms.

In the article entitled "A Knock-out
Three-Tube set " in the February number
of RADIO BROADCAST three \JV-igg tubes
have their filaments connected in parallel
in the circuit shown, as in the usual
manner, and have an automatic filament
jack for each of the tubes, while a lo-ohm
rheostat is connected to the common
negative terminal, and the filament volt-
age indicated is 4.5 volts.

The LJV-I99 filament voltage is 3 volts
and the current is .06 ampere. When
one divides the voltage by the current,
the filament resistance, 50 ohms, is ob-
tained. When the first jack is closed
by plugging in, we have a circuit as
shown in Fig. 4A, where i is the fila-

The Facts About Resistance

103

ment resistance which is constant and 2 the
variable rheostat. When its full 10 ohms
resistance is in the circuit, a current of .015
ampere is flowing through it, and .06 ampere is
flowing through the filament of the tube.

Thus it is seen that the rheostat resist-
ance of 10 ohms is sufficient to absorb
the extra 1.5 volts of the 4. 5- volt bat-
tery and thus give the filament 3 volts
which is its correct amount, but there is
absolutely no chance for any filament
current variation below this value, for
as soon as the rheostat resistance is de-
creased the filament voltage will be
increased beyond its normal rating, there-
fore a lo-ohm rheostat for controlling one
tube is inadequate.

When the second jack is closed, which
lights two tubes, we have a circuit as shown in
Fig. 4 B where i is the first tube filament resis-
tance 2 the second tube resistance in parallel
with the first, and 3 the variable lo-ohm
rheostat in series with the complete circuit.
The total filament resistance of the two tubes
is reduced to one half of that of one, or 25 ohms,
while the total current consumed by them is
doubled, or .12 ampere. About .08+ of an
ampere will flow through the two tube fila-
ments and .04+ ampere through the lo-ohm
rheostat, thereby leaving .04+ of an ampere
for filament variation, which is quite sufficient.

When the last jack is closed the three tubes
light. Their total filament resistance is about
17 ohms, and the amount of current con-
sumed .18 ampere, and the lo-ohm rheostat is

ohms possible variation of the filament of this
tube.

The layman usually thinks that when the
rheostat is turned down and the filament

- 1 TO

VOLT

WATTS

\WATT

FIG. 6

temperature decreased the current originally
used for lighting the filament is then being
wholly absorbed by the rheostat. This how-
ever is not true as only a small amount of
the battery current is being dissipitated in the
rheostat. This is shown by the set of curves
in Fig. 5 which were taken from an actual
test on a UV-2OO detector tube and plotted
directly in watts, which is the electrical unit
for energy. (This is obtained in direct-current
circuits by multiplying the current in amperes
by the voltage).

Curve B Fig. 5 represents the watts con-
sumed by the rheostat. It reaches its maxi-
mum value when half of the applied voltage is
dropped across it, its value then being about
2.25 watts, while the maximum wattage con-
sumed by the tube filament (Curve A)
is 5.5 watts.

The consumption of electrical energy
in the rheostat can never equal that of
the vacuum-tube filament.

FIG. 5

quite sufficient to give full control over the
three tubes.

The only change then necessary for the
successful operation of the tube filaments
either individually or all together, is that
shown in Fig. 4C where a fixed resistance of
10 ohms is inserted in the negative lead of the
filament jack of the first tube, this giving 10

THE POTENTIOMETER

THE potentiometer in receiving cir-
cuits controlls the grid potential and
may be used to vary the plate voltage
of the detector tube. This second pos-
sible use of the potentiometer will be
discussed in detail under the heading of
B-Battery control. For controlling the
grid bias in radio-frequency amplifiers
the potentiometer has proved most helpful,
for in radio-frequency amplifying circuits
which are not neutralized there is a feedback
action "(caused by the transfer of energy from
plate to grid — via the tube capacity) which
will cause the circuit to oscillate. By varying
the grid bias we can control these oscillations
and Fig. 6 shows a potentiometer connected

1O4

Radio Broadcast

UV200

-B-

FIG. 7

across the A battery. I ts middle movable arm
makes connection to the grid through the coil
S. In reality it utilizes the voltage drop across
the rheostat and applies it to the grid as one
volt negative or one volt positive in respect
to the filament, or any value between these
two.

R is a rheostat of about 6 ohms placed in
series with the potentiometer and allows a
finer vernier action. When dry cells are used
as the A battery, it is advisable to use a
potentiometer of from 400 to 600 ohms, as one
having less resistance than this will cause
the battery to deteriorate in a short time due
to the quite considerable current that will
flow through a low-resistance potentiometer.

THE B-BATTERY CONTROL

*~pHE most sensitive detector tubes now on
* the market are the ones containing a small
amount of gas, such as the LJV-2OO. When
the filament liberates electrons, as described
under the heading of Variable Grid Leak, it
sends them forth at a certain velocity and
unless attracted to the plate by the charge on
it maintained by the B battery they will fall
back upon the filament. As the plate poten-
tial is increased, the electrons are attracted to
it at a speed corresponding to the increase in
plate voltage, and at a critical point the atoms
of gas, which are in the way of the electrons,

loose one of the electrons of which they
are composed, and then become positive
electrical charges and are termed ions.
Due to their larger size they offer a much
lower resistance path for the B-battery
currents, and if too many become ionized
the current will become so large that the
grid will be unable to control it and the
tube will block which can usually be de-
tected by the blue glow around the plate.
It is therefore necessary to accurately
control the plate voltage just below the
point of excessive ionization, where the
signal intensity is high. The two methods
for doing this are shown in Fig. 7, where
A is the potentiometer across the A bat-
tery. The middle movable arm connects
with the negative terminal of the B bat-
tery. When the arm is moved toward
the positive terminal of the A battery
(i), the 22 ! volts of the B battery are
placed in series with the cells of the A
battery; if this is of the six-volt storage-
battery type, when the lever has reached
(i) the total B-battery voltage will be 6
+22j volts or 28^ volts. For values lower
than 225 volts a tapped B battery must
be used, and the plate connected to the lowest
tap. Then the range will be from 165 to 22^
volts.

The second method is to insert a variabe
resistance directly in series with the B battery,
having a range of from 20 to 15,000 ohms, the
voltage can then be varied from about 8 to 285
volts and a tapped B battery will not be re-
quired. This is shown at Fig. 76 with a con-
denser of .001 mfd. capacity shunted across it
for bypassing the radio-frequency currents.

THE RADIO-FREQUENCY AMPLIFIER

^"PHE radio-frequency amplifier may be
* coupled by high resistances instead of the
more usual transformers. Resistances, when
used in this manner give very good quiet am-
plifications on wavelengths above 1,000 me-
ters, but below this wavelength the amplifica-
tion falls off and at the broadcasting wave
frequencies it operates very poorly.

THE AUDIO-FREQUENCY AMPLIFIER

A MORE successful use for the variable high
**• resistance is in the audio-frequency am-
plifier circuit, where it has the advantage over
transformer-coupling because it amplifies all
of the audible frequencies with the same de-
gree of amplification, and when the tubes are
worked at their proper point on the character-
istic curve, the amplification will be free from

The Facts About Resistance

105

all distortion. The amplification per stage
will not be so great as when transformer
coupling is used, but this may be compensated
for by the advantage in being able to use
three or four stages of amplification without
howling.

Fig. 8 shows a three-stage resistance-coupled
audio-frequency amplifier. The coupling
resistances are variable high resistances
having a range of from 10,000 to 100,000
ohms, the fixed grid leaks, R2, about 2
megohms, depending upon the tubes used
and the audio-frequency bypass conden-
sers, C, should have a capacity of .01 mfd.

In operation the resistances Ri are ad-
justed until they match the tube im-
pedance, or when the greatest amount of
volume is obtained. The plate voltage
should vary from 90 to 150 volts, and
it may be necessary to insert a C battery in
each stage.

AUDIO-FREQUENCY FILTER AND TONE MODIFIER

PHE amplification ratio of the average
*• two-stage audio-frequency amplifier using
transformers, is about 1400 to i. It is there-
fore to be expected that any local noise, such
as that caused by a discharged A or B battery,
or mechanical vibration of the receiving set,
will be amplified to this high value and is
sometimes mistaken for static.

If after disconnecting the . antenna and
ground the noise continues, one can be certain
that the trouble is local. New batteries with
the proper protection of the set from mechan-
ical vibration would be the remedy.

Another simple method of reducing un-
necessary noise in the audio amplifier is to

shunt the last stage of the amplifier
input with a variable high resistance
having a range from 100,000 ohms to
2 megohms. The proper connection is
shown in Fig. g, and for convenience of
adjustment a variable grid leak with
such a range is mounted on the panel
with the rest of the controls.

Many amplifiers where the trans-
formers are close together and the grid
and plate connections parallel, with improper
plate voltage or grid bias, will under most con-
ditions emit an audio-frequency whistle which
becomes quite annoying. Rather than recon-
structing the amplifier which, in most cases is
quite impossible, a variable high resistance is
used as shown in Fig. 9; if the whistle still con-

FIRST STAGE

SECOND S1AGE

90V

FIG. 9

tinues, another variable high resistance across
the first transformer input, as shown at A, Fig.
9, when properly adjusted will in most cases
absorb all audio-frequency oscillations.

Another use for the variable high resistance
in the amplifier is to prevent distortion. Since
many broadcasting stations now are using high
power, there is a tendency for amplifiers to
become overloaded. A vacuum tube will
amplify a certain amount of energy and if this
amount is exceeded distortion occurs. This
could be prevented by decreasing the plate
voltage or filament current, but this would
mean retuning the whole circuit. A more
practical method is to use a variable high re-
sistance as described above, for by its use the
proper amount of energy passing into the
tube may be regulated thereby giving clear
undistorted amplification.

Avoiding the Squeal in Your
Regenerative Set

Simple Instructions on How to Tune Your Receiver so That It
Will Not Radiate — Some Golden Rules for the Broadcast Listener

BY A. K. PHILLIPI

Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company

THE opportunity afforded the public
to-day to listen to good concerts and
speeches by men prominent in all
branches of science and industry
without having to leave their own homes
was, a few years ago, unthought of. But
how many of you listening-in are sure that
your listening-in is not preventing some other
person from enjoying
some radio program?
By this I do not mean
that you should lend
them your receiving
set, but that you, by
the improper manip-
ulation of your set,
are causing a disturb-
ance in the air that
interferes with your
neighbors' proper re-
ception of the pro-
gram.

How many of you,
never having driven
an automobile, would
go to a dealer and buy
a car, get in, and
drive away, without
first being instructed
in driving and hand-
ling the car? Such a
person would be considered a public nuisance
and would soon be arrested.

While a person operating a radio set who
does not know just what he is doing with it can
not endanger the lives or property of others,
yet he can cause much annoyance and greatly
mar the pleasure of others. The majority of
people are good sports and play thegame fairly.
Those who do cause these radio disturbances
are usually those who are unfamiliar with the
operation of their receiving units.

When a receiving set of standard make is
bought, an instruction book which tells how

The Wail of a Lost Soul

Need not be heard from hosts of single-cir-
cuit regenerative sets if they are intelligently
operated. If the user keeps his detector tube
adjusted just below the point of oscillation
during reception, no wails, squeals, howls, or
other sounds not of this earth will be pro-
duced such as to drive even the listening min-
ister next door to unbecoming profanity. It
is easily possible for the average listener-in,
even though he be untutored in the occult
ways of radio, to use his single-circuit regen-
erator in a most harmless and neighborly
fashion. The time is not far distant when
single-circuit regenerative sets will have dis-
appeared from the radio horizon, but as long
as they are in use, their users ought to know
how best to operate them so the sets will do
as little harm as possible. — THE EDITOR.

to operate the unit is generally included with
the equipment. A careful study of this book
will give the purchaser a fair idea of what to
do and how to do it, in order to get the best
results as well as to cause the least interference
possible while tuning-in the desired station.

It is impossible for all of us to be electrical
engineers or radio electricians. Neither can we
all be automotive en-
gineers or auto me-
chanics yet thousands
of people drive their
own cars in such a
way that they bother
no one.

Radio listeners are
not all good sports,
but the majority of
them are, and the
reason they so often
cause disturbances in
the air is because
they are not gener-
ally aware that they
do so. It is my
purpose to point
out some of the
things to do and
what not to do when
tuning-in, so as to
prevent disturbances
which can be heard by other listeners.

HOW TO TUNE-IN — MORALLY

FIRST of all, the radio set should be of a
good design. Secondly, it should be
connected up properly. We now turn on the
filaments of the tubes to their proper brilliancy
which varies with the different types of tubes
used. With the tickler or amplification dial
or pointer turned to zero, we next move the
tuning dial or dials slowly from left to right
listening for signals. If no signal is heard, the
tickler or amplification dial should be advanced

Avoiding the Squeal in Your Regenerative Set

ioy

slightly from the zero position on the dial, and
again the tuner dials should be turned slowly
over their range. Should a signal be heard but
faintly, the tickler should be advanced as far
as possible without causing a hissing sound,
which indicates that the tube has passed the
point of greatest regeneration and isoscillating.
These oscillations produce the same effect as
another transmitting station sending out sig-
nals. They are heard by other receiving sets
and are known as " birdies." The tickler should
be turned back until the signal is cleared up or
even a little past that point, for a too strong
signal may cause the detector tube to break
over and oscillate again.

The best way to make sure your detector
tube is not disturbing others is to plot a tickler
diagram. This is done as follows: after the
tubes are lighted to the proper brilliancy, the
tuner is placed at zero and the tickler is ad-
vanced until a click is heard. At this point
the tube starts to oscillate. Then mark down
the readings in two columns, one marked tick-
ler and the other, tuner. Next the tuner is ad-
vanced one large division, and again the tickler
is advanced until the click is heard, and these
readings should be taken. This procedure is
carried out over the entire tuner scale, and it
can readily be seen that, with the use of this
set of readings, one will be able to set the
tickler or amplification pointer to a division
just below the oscillating point.

Now it is possible that the click or breaking
point of the tube may not be heard by merely
turning the tickler. If so, the operator should
tap the antenna post with his finger, and, when
the tube is not oscillating, he will hear only a
single click. As soon as the tube starts to
oscillate, the operator will get a click when he
touches the antenna post, and another click
when he takes his finger from the post, or in

other words a double click. Now it is not
advisable to do this during the program period
but the experiment should be tried during the
day when there is least chance of disturbing
others.

The ideal regenerative receiver and antenna
will have what is termed a flat tickler curve.
By this we mean that it will be possible to put
the tickler at a certain point and turn the
tuner any place and be at maximum regenera-
tion without causing oscillation. If the set
has this characteristic, much less trouble
tuning-in stations without annoying others
will be experienced.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO DISTURB THE NEIGHBORS

THE reception of signals at "zero beat"
causes more interference than any other
method of tuning and should be discouraged.
The results obtained are not at all satisfactory
unless one juggles the vernier or tickler dial.
Each movement of either dial causes the de-
tector tube to transmit weird signals and those
in turn are heard by all local listeners. Again
the varying strength of signals may cause the
detector tube to flop in oscillation from one
side or the other and ruins the program not
only of others near by, who may be listening,
but of the person tuning the set as well. The
crystal type of radio receiver, as well as those
having one or more stages of radio-frequency
amplification, cause no disturbance of this
kind.

Let me say that it is possible, with the co-
operation of all radio listeners, to clear the air
of "birdies," or the "wail of lost souls," if
each and every one of us will take precaution
to see that our detector tubes are not os-
cillating. To do so demands that we all
to the best of our ability observe the golden
rule.

A GOOD SINGLE DIAL REFLEX

T IV E manufacturers and dealers in all parts of the country have
*-» realized the sales possibilities of RADIO BROADCAST'S
Knock-Out Series. They know we have built up tremendous
demand for non-radiating receivers of above average quality.
They know that there is a ready market for any receiver we rec-
ommend to our readers and some of them have been working night
and day to produce improvements for us. One such receiver will
be described in our December number by Mr. John Clyde David-
son who is Consulting Engineer for a number af Radio manu-
facturing companies.

QUERIES ANSWERED

How CAN I BUILD A CRYSTAL RECEIVER? T. S. L., Flushing, L. I , N Y

WILL You EXPLAIN THE CORRECT USE OF SOLDER? C. P., Philadelphia, Pa.'

How MAY ADDITIONAL BY-PASS CONDENSERS BE USED IN THE ROBERTS

C1R<1UIT? M. C. G., London, England

WILL You PUBLISH THE FORMULA FOR CONVERTING WAVELENGTHS IN

METERS, INTO KILOCYCLES, AND VICE VERSA? A. L. L., Birmingham, Ala.

WHAT STATIONS MAY BE DEPENDED UPON AS AN AID IN CALIBRATING

RECEIVERS AND WAVEMETERS? Wm. T. M., Brooklyn, N. Y.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF A CRYSTAL RECEIVER

IN THIS day of "supers," neutrodynes and re-
flexes, we still receive inquiries for construction
data for the simple crystal receiver. And rightly
so, for this marks the inclusion of another fan within
the ranks of radio.

One of the most simple receivers consists of an
antenna, ground, tapped inductance coil, crystal,
fixed condenser, variable condenser, and phones.

ANTENNA

TUN
CO

£ Ci fj CRYSTAL
- .0005 mfd. f DETECTOR
IL,

ING
IL

§ .002 mfd.""

PHONES

GROUND

FIG. I

This set will not operate a loud speaker. See Fig. i .

The coil is wound as follows: On a tube 3! inches
in diameter and 6 inches long, wind 120 turns of
No. 20 DCC wire tapped every ten turns. This is
the only part that has to be home-made. A crystal
detector could easily be made, but at the prevailing
prices it is cheaper and more convenient to buy one.

The parts may be mounted upon a panel or upon
a flat board. Use bus bar wire for connecting and
solder all joints. The several diagrams and sketches
show the details of construction. See Fig. 2.

Roughly, this receiver will not have a range to ex-
ceed 25 miles and is primarily intended for use in a
large city boasting several local broadcasting stations.

To operate this crystal receiver, connect the an-
tenna, ground and phones to their respective binding
posts and set the tap switch upon one of the taps,
then, slowly rotating the condenser dial, adjust the

point of the detector catwhisker upon the crystal
until a sensitive spot is found. To select a station
having a different wavelength, it is only necessary
to readjust the tap switch and condenser setting.
With a little practise the operation of this receiver
is easily mastered.

SOLDER — AND HOW TO USE IT

IN PRACTICALLY every receiver made, solder
is used to insure a permanent and electrically
perfect connection between wires. Soldering,
by the way, may be considered a form of brazing.
The forms of flux that are used to clean and prepare
the wires for joining are deserving of more thought
than the constructor sometimes gives.

For radio use, the best solder is "half and half,"
that is, half tin and half lead. In bar form it is
unwieldy. In strip form, solder is most easy to use.

Hard solder, having an unequal proportion of lead
and tin, is quite difficult to use. A great amount of
steady heat must be used to insure a perfect joint.
In radio wiring where a small iron is generally used
it is hard to get steady heat because an iron of this
size loses its heat very rapidly.

Good soldering cannot be done unless the soldering
iron is clean. Often, when the iron is left in the
flame too long, it becomes red hot. When it cools
it is covered with a black oxide coating. To remove
this coating and clean the iron, place it in a vise and
file it until it is bright, then wipe it upon a chunk of
sal ammoniac. This restores the iron to its original
brightness. Apply solder to the tip until it is
entirely covered. The iron is then ready to use.

Do not put the tip of the iron in the flame as this
will burn the part which does all the work. The
rear part of the iron should be placed in the flame
and since it is larger, it will retain the heat longer.
There are three classes of soldering fluxes: dry,
paste, and fluid. Powdered resin may be mentioned
under the first class, but is not especially good, for
the resulting joints are caked, dirty, and imperfect.

Paste fluxes are good when used intelligently.
Very little flux is necessary for a good connection.
Flux is a cleaning agent and when a heated iron is
brought near, the flux melts and flows over the

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

109

MAGNAVOX

Receiving Sets which establish an authori-
tative standard of excellence for the daily
enjoyment of radio.

TONG identified with the most efficient
^ radio reproducing and amplifying equip-
ment, Magnavox has developed its new
Receiving Sets under conditions insuring
superior design, precision of manufacture,
and a gratifyingly low cost.

Exacting tests prove that the Magnavox Re-
ceiver is not only the simplest to operate but
one whose daily performance will satisfy the
most discriminating.

Magnavox Radio Receivers, Vacuum Tubes, Repro-
ducers, Power Amplifiers, and Combination Sets are
sold by reliable dealers everywhere.

THE JIJAGMWOX COMPANY, Oakland, California

New York: 350 West 31st Street San Francisco: 274 Brannan Street
Canadian Distributors: Perkins Electric Limited, Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg

11R

Paten led in

U.S.A.and

foreign countries

Receiving Set
TRF-5

A 5-tube tuned radio fre-
quency receiver encased
in handsomely carved
cabinet, as illustrated

$125.00

Reproducer
M4

A highly desirable acces-
sory for TRF-5, as illus-
trated . . . $25.00

Receiving Set
TRF-50

Same as TRF-5 but larger

cabinet with carved doors

and built-in Reproducer

$150.00

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

I IO

Radio Broadcast

WATER. PIPE GROUND

FIG. 2

metal and other parts. When too much is used it
veritably flows all over the parts and in some cases,
when one is soldering switch taps, this spreading
solder and flux forms a leak between adjacent taps
great enough to impair the efficiency of the receiver.

Liquid flux is also generally used with success
when not too much is applied to the joint. When
used in profusion it boils and spatters over adjacent
parts causing current leaks, etc.

The most common form of liquid flux may be pre-
pared by "killing" muriatic acid. This "killing"
process is accomplished by immersing slices of zinc
in the muriatic acid and letting it remain until all
the bubbles due to the chemical action have dis-
appeared.

Another liquid solution that has proved worthy
may be prepared by mixing a quantity of powdered
resin in alcohol to a consistency resembling molasses.

Some of our readers have had difficulty in solder-
ing wire having an enamel insulation. It seems that
the trouble has been caused by some of the enamel
remaining upon the wire and preventing a perfect
connection.

One of the easiest ways to remove the enamel
from wire is as follows: Fill a thimble with alcohol.
Heat the tip of the wire to be cleaned in a flame until
it is cherry red, then quickly plunge it into the al-
cohol and remove. Result — a clean wire easily
soldered.

KILOCYCLE-METER CONVERSION TABLE

THE Department of Commerce specifies radio
station assignments in both kilocycles and
meters. The tendency of radio engineering
practice is to use and express frequency in kilo-
cycles rather than wavelength in meters. "Kilo"
means a thousand, and "cycle" means one complete
alternation. The number of kilocycles indicates the

number of thousands of times that the rapidly alter-
nating current in the antenna repeats its flow in
either direction in one second. The smaller the
wavelength in meters, the larger is the frequency in
kilocycles. The numerical relation between the two
is very simple. For approximate calculation, to eb-
tain kilocycles, divide 300,000 by the number of
meters; to obtain meters divide 300,000 by the
number of kilocycles. For example, 100 meters
equals approximately 3000 kilocycles, 300 m equals
1000 kc, 1,000 m equals 300 kc, 3,000 m equals 100 kc.

For highly accurate conversion the factor 299,820
should be used instead of 300,000. The Department
of Commerce has prepared a table, which may be
obtained upon application. The table is 'based on
the factor 299,820, and gives values for every 10
kilocycles or meters. It should be particularly noticed
that the table is entirely reversible; that is, for exam-
ple, 50 kilocycles is 5996 meters, and also 50 meters
is 5996 kilocycles. The range of the table is easily
extended by shifting the decimal point; for example,
one can not find 223 in the first column, but its
equivalent is obtained by finding later in the table
that 2230 kilocycles or meters is equivalent to 134.4
meters or kilocycles, from which 223 kilocycles or
meters is equivalent to 1344 meters or kilocycles.
Briefly, the formula for computing kilocycles and
wavelength is as follows: — •

For finding the wavelengh, when the number of

y
kilocycles is given X=~

For finding the number of kilocycles when the

y
wavelength is given KC = J^

KC= Kilocycles
X = Wavelength in meters

v = Velocity of electromagnetic waves (300,000 or,
to be exact, 299,820)

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

Send for 32-page Il-
lustrated book, giving
latest authentic infor-
mation on drilling, wir-
ing, assembling, and
tuning the Model L-2
Ultradyne Receiver.

50c

SUPER-HETERODYNE
MODEL L-2

Modulation System ~Plu? Regeneration

"THE new Ultradyne, Model L-2 surpasses all conceptions of sensitivity and
1 selectivity — represents the peak of Super-Heterodyne engineering skill.

To the "Modulation System" which has previously made the Ultradyne
famous, regeneration is added in Model L-2. The result is ultra-sensitivity,
never before thought possible. The regeneration of infinitely weak signals
produces tremendous amplification.

Selectivity is so high and amplification so strong that distant stations
can be tuned in through local stations and put on the loud speaker.

This use of regeneration is the latest development of R. E. Lacault, A.M.
I.R.E., Consulting Engineer of this Company, and formerly Radio Research
Engineer with the French Signal Corps Laboratories, since his perfection of
the "Modulation System" which is used exclusively in the Ultradyne Receiver.

The Model L-2 Ultradyne compels so complete a revolution in all pre-
vious ideas of Super-Heterodyne performance, that you can only comprehend
its unusual selectivity, sensitivity, volume and range by operating this won-
derful receiver.

Write for descriptive circular

PHENIX RADIO

5-7 Beekman Street

CORPORATION

NEW YORK

Ultradyne Kit

Consists of one low loss Tuning Coil, one low loss Oscillator Coil, one
special low loss Coupler, one type "A" Ultraformer, three type "B"
Ultraformers, four matched fixed Condensers.

The Ultraformers are new improved long wave radio-frequency trans-
formers, especially designed by R. E. Lacault, Consulting Engineer of
this Company and inventor of the Ultradyne.

To protect the public. Mr. Lacault 's personal monogram seal
(R.E.L.) is placed on all genuine Ultraformers.
Ultraformers are guaranteed so long as this seal remains unbroken.

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

112

Radio Broadcast

A BY-PASS CONDENSER FOR THE ROBERTS RECEIVER

A DISTINCT addition and improvement to
the Roberts circuit has been made by the
placing of a .00025 n\^d. condenser across the
secondary of the reflex audio transformer and the
C battery. With this arrangement, a by-pass is
provided for the radio-frequency currents and, it is
roughly estimated, the efficiency of the receiver
has been improved by as much as 60 per cent.
The value of condenser given here will undoubtedly
vary with the type of transformer used, etc., so it is
well to experiment with several values to select the
one being found most successful. Fig. 3 shows dia-
grammatically, the position of this condenser in the
"first tube" circuit.

RADIO FREQUENCY /
BY- Pfr,SS COND.,/

.00025 mfd.

oooooo;

FIG. 3

STANDARD FREQUENCY STATIONS

AS A result of measurements by the Bureau
of Standards upon the transmitted waves of
a limited number of radio transmitting
stations, data is given in each month's Radio
Service Bulletin on such of these stations as have been
found to maintain a sufficiently constant frequency
to be useful as.frequency standards. There may be
many other stations maintaining their frequency
just as constant as these, but these are the only ones
which reached the degree of constancy shown
among the stations upon whose frequencies meas-
urements were made in the Bureau's laboratory.
There is, of course, no guaranty that the stations
named below will maintain the constancy shown.
As a means of maintaining constant frequency, the
highpower low-frequency alternator stations listed
below have speed regulators. Most of the broad-
casting stations listed use frequency indicators (one-
point wavemeters) and maintain a maximum de-
flection of the instrument on the frequency indicator
throughout the transmission. These broadcasting
stations, with rare exceptions, vary not more than
2 kilocycles from the assigned frequency. The trans-
mitted frequencies from these stations can be util-
ized for standardizing wavemeters and other ap-
paratus by the procedure given in Bureau of Stan-
dards Letter Circular No. 92, " Radio signals of
standard frequencies and their utilization." A
copy of that letter circular can be obtained by
a person having actual use for it, upon applica-
tion to the Bureau of Standards, Washington,
D. C.

Greatest

Period

Average
devia-

devia-
tion

Station

Owner

Location

Assigned
frequency

covered
by

of
times

tion
from

from
assigned

(kilo-
cycles)

measure-
ments,

meas-
ured.

assigned
fre-

frequency
since

months.

quency.

July 15,

1924

Per cent.

NSS

U. S. Navy

Annapolis, Md.

17.50

O.2

O.I

WGG

Radio Corp. of

Tuckerton No. i,

America.

N.J.

18.85

1 02

O.2

O.I

WII

Radio Corp. of

New Brunswick,

America.

N.J.

22.04

I 1

O.2

O.I

wso

Radio Corp. of

America.

Marion, Mass.

25.80

0.3

WWJ

Detroit News.

Detroit, Mich.

580

O.I

WCAP

Chesapeake &

Potomac Tel. Co.

Washington, D. C.

640

I I

O.I

O.O

WRC

Radio Corp. of

America.

Washington, D. C.

640

O.I

WSB

Atlanta Jnl.

Atlanta, Ga.

700

I I

O.I

WGY

General Elec. Co.

Schenectady, N. Y.

790

O.2

WBZ

Westinghouse Elec.

/
/

& Mfg. Co.

Springfield, Mass.

890

O.O

KDKA

Westinghouse Elec.

& Mfg. Co.

E. Pittsburgh, Pa.

920

1 1

116

O.I

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

113

EVEREADY

Radio Batteries

* - they last longer

No. 768

No. 766

EVEREADY RADIO . BATTERIES FOR EVERY RADIO USE

Each one supremely economical and efficient for the use for
which it is designed — each one made under the supervision
of the world's greatest electro-chemical battery laboratory

Eveready "B" Batteries
THERE are Eveready Bat-
teries for portable sets where
small size and light weight are
more important than long life.
There are Eveready medium
size batteries that come be-
tween the small and the
large sizes. There are Ever-
eady large size "B" Batteries
that afford maximum economy
and reliability of service when
used with average one, two,
three or four tube sets. And
now there is a newer Ever-
eady heavy duty, extra large
size "B" Battery that gives
similar economy to owners of
multi-tube heavy drain receiv-

ing sets and power amplifiers.

For maximum "B" Battery
economy, buy Evereadys,
choosing the large sizes (Nos.
766, 767, 772) for average
home sets, and the heavy duty,
extra large (No. 770) for
multi-tube heavy drain receiv-
ing sets and power amplifiers.
For portable sets choose the
Eveready No. 764 medium
size, unless space is very lim-
ited, in which case choose the
Eveready No. 763 small size
<(B" Battery.

Eveready " G" Battery

Eveready makes a long-lasting
"C" Battery with terminals

at \l/2, 3 and 4^ volts. May
also be used as an "A" Battery
in portable sets.

Eveready "A" Batteries

Eveready offers you "A" Bat-
teries for all tubes, both stor-
age and dry cell. For storage
battery tubes, use the Ever-
eady Storage "A." For dry
cell tubes, use the Eveready
Dry Cell Radio "A" Battery,
especially built for radio use.

Manufactured and guaranteed by
NATIONAL CARBON CO., INC.

Headquarters for

Radio Battery Information

New York San Francisco

Canadian National Carbon Co., Limited,

Toronto, Ontario

BUY THEM FROM YOUR DEALER

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

New Equipment

THE FRANCE SUPER-CHARGER

A multi-duty charger for both A and B batteries. A
distinctive feature is its ability to charge up to 120
volts of storage B batteries in series. Rectification
is by means of an improved vibrating unit with a
positive action which eliminates sticking and burning
of the contacts. Made by The France Manufactur-
ing Company, Berea Road and W. iO4th St., Cleve-
land, Ohio

MIDGET BATTERY
SWITCH

A very compact and
useful unit for the
radio set. The con-
tact springs are of
hard rolled bronze
and are insulated
from the metal frame.
Only one hole is
necessary for panel mounting. Made by The Yaxley
Mfg. Co., 217 North Desplaines St., Chicago, 111.

VESTA B

BATTERY
A B storage
battery for
radio use of
sturdy con-
struction. The
elements are
enclosed in
heavy glass
jars of ample size allowing room for plenty of electro-
lyte. The wiring is so arranged that they can readily
be charged in multiples of 12, 24 or 48 volts. Made
by the Vesta Battery Corporation, Chicago, Illinois

AMERICAN BRAND CONDENSER

A low loss condenser of good mechanical design and
workmanship. It is made from a heavy stock of
brass and the plates are spaced very evenly. It has
a worm drive vernier with a ratio of 100 to i which
insures accurate tuning. Made by the American
Brand Corporation, 8 West Park St., Newark, N. J.

THE BRANDOLA

A six-tube, one dial receiver which gives very satisfactory results. Its simplicity of control is noted in that

you have only one tuning dial to operate. Resistance-coupled amplification insures good tone quality.

Made by The J. F. Brandeis Corp., 36 Oxford St., Newark, N. J.

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

115

ypP^:.,'*.~i -- ~

new beauty, new perfection in

An EXQUISITE instrument.
Encased in beautifully finished
genuine mahogany. A gem of
the cabinet designer's art. A
piece of furniture that will
adorn any home.

Here in this new FAD A Neu-
trodyne is a real achievement
in receiving beyond anything
you ever heard. Wonderful
naturalness of tone. The high
C of the coloratura soprano
and the lowest bass of the hu-
man voice are reproduced pre-
cisely as sung. In selectivity
the FADA Neutrola is remark-
able.

FADA Neutrola
Grand

The de luxe five^tube FADA
Neutrodyne, with self-con-
tained loud speaker. Re-
ceiver and cabinet in genuine
mahogany, artistically dec-
orated with wooden inlay.
Ample space for all batteries
and charger. Drop desk
lid that hides receiver when
not in use. Price, exclusive
of tubes and batteries, $295.

Ease and simplicity of tuning
make it the ideal receiver for
all the family.

The FADA Neutrola Grand is
the finest of the complete line
of FADA Neutrodynes, which
includes a model to suit every
taste, every radio requirement,
every pocketbook. Three, four
and five tube FADA Neutro-
dyne receivers in plain or de
luxe cabinets are now available
at your dealer's. See them to-
day and make your selection.
You will never regret buying a
FADA.

You have a range from $75 to
#295 from which to select — six
models, each extraordinary in
results; each a remarkable
value.

F. A. D. ANDREA, Inc.

1581 Jerome Avenue, New York

FADA Neutro Junior

No. 195

Three-tube Neutrodyne. A
wonderful performer. Price
(less tubes, batteries, etc.) $75.

UTRO

. «*•

•l -* »

FADA Neutroceiver
No. 175- A

Mahogany cabinet. Inclined
panel and roomy battery shelf.
S tubes. Price Jess tubes,
batteries, etc.) $160.

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

Our ^Authors

MARK SULLIVAN is a Washington cor-
respondent for the New York Herald-
Tribune and contributor of regular articles to
the World's Work. His political pronounce-
ments are read nationally with much interest
because they are readable and authoritative.

JULIAN KAY is an old-time Middle West
J amateur who played with radio as soon as
he was able to climb his grandfather's barn.

He has been a
ship operator
for the Mar-
coni Com-
pany, Kil-
bourne and
Clark, the
Radio Cor-
poration, and
the Shipping
Board. Dur-
ing this "brass
pounding" ca-
reer he re-
ceived three
sos calls.

ALLAN T.
HANS-
COM, in addi-
tion to being a graduate electrical engineer and
radio merchandiser, is president of the Chamber
of Commerce at Woonsocket, Rhode Island.
He writes that he is a good Kiwanis member,
a rather inferior tennis player, and as the
final thrust, that he hopes to help elect Cool-
idge if he lives through the world's series.
The photograph shows Hanscom, Jr., in a
home made automobile.

FRED JAMES is a Canadian
man whose
typewriter and
home are now in
Ottawa. He was
an infantry
officer in the
Canadian forces
overseas and
after being
wounded, was
sent back to
France as official
Canadian war
correspondent.
His despatches FRED JAMES

newspaper

ERLE H. SMITH

were later pub-
lished in book
formbytheCana-
dian Government
under the title
Canada's Tri-
umph. Mr. James
admits that he
combines an ama-
teur interest in
radio with his
writing. Well, it
can be done.

T. O. SHEARMAN

RADIO came hard in the flying days at
Sacramento and San Diego in the train-
ing days of the war,"
writes Erie H. Smith,
from the office of the
Kansas City Journal-
Post where he is now
features editor. Al-
though he is pretty
busy during the day,
he finds time at night,
he says, to listen to
good radio entertain-
ment from San Juan
to Los Angeles on his five-tube receiver.

THOMAS O. SHEARMAN is a consulting
radio engineer for various radio firms.
Just now he is working on the manufacture
of a new resistance unit. In the past he has

done testing
and experimental
work for the
Western Electric
Company, the
Lowenstein Ra-
dio Company,
and the Electrose
Insulator Com-
pany. He makes
his home at Kew
Gardens, Long
A. K. PHILLIPI Island.

A K. PHILLIPI is now an engineer
«*• with the Westinghouse Company. For
a span of four years he served as an appren-
tice machinist in the Navy. And when
the Pittsburgh fogs cloud things up a bit, he
writes that he finds time to rough it in the
wilder or more wooded sections of Pennsyl-
vania.

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

209

AM Radiotrons Nou-
Reduced to $4.00

It isn't a genuine WD-11

unless i

It isn't
unless i

's a Radiotron.

a genuine WD-12
's a Radiotron.

It isn't genuine UV- 199

unless i

It is
unless i

Itisn'ta
unle

's a Radiotron.

enuino UV-200
's a Radiotron.

genuineUV-201-a
's a Radiotron.

This symbol of

quality is your

protection

those cKibes

Genuine?"

The question is heard at every radio counter: "Is it a
genuine Radiotron?" Almost every dependable manu-
facturer uses genuine Radiotrons in his sets. Everyone
who builds his own knows enough about radio to
know that nothing else but the genuine will do. And
the man who replaces used-up tubes in his set knows
that to get the same performance, he must have the
same tubes — genuine Radiotrons only. So everybody
asks "Is it genuine?" And asks to see the marks that
prove it — the name "Radiotron" and the "RCA" mark.

Radio Corporation of America

Sales Office: Suite. No. 311
233 Broadway; New York 10 So. La Salle St., Chicago, 111. 433 California St., San Francisco, Caf.

Radiotrons

REG. U. S. PAT. OFF.

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

"G.H.Q." FOR THE INTERNATIONAL RADIO BROADCAST TESTS

The offices and grounds of Doubleday, Page &• Company, at Garden City, Long
Island, where RADIO BROADCAST is published. The circle shows the Laboratory
oj the magazine where the transoceanic signals will be received. Special lines of
the telegraph companies lead to the laboratory, inhere messages to the magazine,
telling of successful reception of the foreign signals from all over the country mil
be received and tabulated. The results will then be scut at once by radio to Lon-
don. The Radio Corporation of America has made a special control connection
•with Radio Central at New York. A key in the Laboratory will control the
transatlantic telegraph circuit during the tests

RADIO
BROADCAST

Vol. 6, No. 2

December, 1924

Making Wireless History With

De Forest

Thrilling Days of Trial and Error in the True Pioneer Wireless Times—
A Ten-Kilowatt Set that Sent Four Miles— Thrills for the Natives
at the St. Louis World's Fair— Twenty Years of Wireless in Retrospect

BY FRANK E. BUTLER

Former Chief Assistant to Dr. Lee De Forest

TO BE able to look back twenty-odd
years, practically to the very incep-
tion of radio, and view the develop-
ment of this wonder art through
personal experiences gained from gruelling
years of hopes, disappointments, and successes,
is a privilege that only a
few of us can share with
Dr. Lee De Forest, the
famous radio inventor.

Surely, the most en-
thusiastic radio fan can-
not realize the exceptional
thrill which is now mine
as I listen-in on my radio
receiver and compare its
wondrous achievements to
those of the struggling,
experimental days when I
assisted Dr. De Forest in
his elementary pioneer
work; in the building of
his first few "audion
bulbs", and shared with
him the marvel of listen-
ing-in for the first time to
a wireless telephone.

MR. BUTLER IN 1904

A photograph of the author, taken by the
official photographer of the St. Louis
World's Fair, where he and Dr. De Forest
were exhibiting the marvels of wireless

For radio is not, as many believe, a new
thing. Its development has passed through
the crucible of a thousand failures with tfreir
resulting disappointments. Its progress .was
constantly blocked by unknown scientific
laws against which we pitted our puny knowl-
edge. Every secret ex-
tracted from Nature was
gained by relentless tests
carried on frequently with-
out funds and often with-
out adequate laboratory
equipment or tools, and
with comparatively little
encouragement from hu-
mans or from Nature.
But always there was the
inspiring guidance of " De-
termined De Forest."

It was in the early
spring of 1904 when, with
no more electrical knowl-
edge than that possessed
by the average telegraph
operator, I gave up a
promisingposition as train
dispatcher on the New

Radio Broadcast

York Central to take up the then new work
of wireless telegraphy. A short time before
this, Marconi had startled the world by suc-
cessfully sending and receiving telegraphic
signals over a short distance without wires.
De Forest, who was then a young student at
Yale, took up research work in this unknown
field of "wireless," and thereby became one
of the first American
experimenters to
turn his entire atten-
tion to this work.
When I joined him,
practically all of my
friends and relatives
with the exception of
my father, chided me
and advised against
the move. My father
thought best to let me
choose my own career,
and while he never
lived to listen to mod-
ern radio, he was
familiar with and
proud of the achieve-
ment I had made up
to the time he passed
away. The railroad
position carried a
large salary with
abundant opportun-
ity for advancement,
'while my new "job"
paid only a meagre
amount and offered

no apparent assurance of a future. The
idea of communicating through space without
wires was at that time considered fantastic,
an idle dream, an impossibility, a game for
fools. Many thought it was a fake.

WIRELESS STARTLES THE WORLD'S FAIR IN 1904

SO, AFTER "burning my bridges behind
me," I went to St. Louis and joined
De Forest at the World's Fair where he was
planning the first public wireless exhibit. Im-
mediately, my troubles began.

Due to some slip in the arrangement, I
found, upon my arrival, that our "financier"
had decided upon' another man for the job,
and the company could not afford to pay two
employees. After some scheming on ways
and means, the two of us decided to double up
on the salary question, and in that way we
both stayed. Within a week or two 1 was
chosen as special assistant to "De Forest be-
cause I could telegraph while he could not.

"The Man Is Crazy"

At least that is what almost everyone
thought of Dr. Lee De Forest back in those
early pioneer days, more than twenty years
ago. Then, you could easily count all the
men in the country who even pretended to
know anything about wireless. No one of the
few who were working with wireless then,
knew whether a set carefully put together
would work at all, and how far the signals
could be heard was nothing but a guess.
Transmissions of a hundred miles or more
were hailed as remarkable. Present-day
radio listeners are quite prone to think of
radio as nothing more than telephonic
broadcasting. But before the wireless tele-
phone, came tremendous amounts of hard,
sometimes discouraging, but always fascinat-
ing and essentially romantic work. Dr. De
Forest is one of those pioneers. Mr. Butler's
memories of the early days are mightily worth
reading, since he not only saw the early wire-
less drama, but himself acted in it. — THE
EDITOR.

From that time on, and for many years, I
was perhaps closer to him in his interesting
work than any other of his employees. Sub-
sequent events and severe trials in which I
stood by him through thick and thin con-
vinced me that he appreciated my efforts.
Others of his employees likewise never de-
serted him through even his most crucial
periods. He called us
his "Old Guard" and
we were as faithful as
Napoleon's followers.
Our working mottoes
were, "Never say
die," and "You can't
stop a Yank." We
never accepted failure
as a finality, but tried
to find out why we
met it, and then at-
tempted to overcome
it.

At that time there
was, of course, no
radio public, and the
range of wireless was
only a few miles. The
sending and receiving
instruments were un-
believably crude, re-
sembling in no way
the marvels of to-
day. Messages were
sent at the snail-like
pace of a few words
per minute, in the

dots, spaces, and dashes of the Morse code,
instead of the International code which is now
generally used. Sending music or talking by
wireless was then undreamed of. There were
many mountainous obstacles to meet and
conquer before we even had the vision of a
wireless telephone, which was the forerunner
of radio.

DE FOREST'S CHANGES IN THE NEW ART

ONE of the first changes to be accomplished
by De Forest was to use a headphone
for receiving instead of the telegraph sounder
used by Marconi in early experiments. The
first receiving device was called a "co-
herer" and was made of a glass tube filled
with metal filings. These filings "cohered"
when the ether impulse passed through
them, thus making an electrical circuit which
caused the sounder to click. This method
was extremely crude and inaccurate, and the
device had the unpleasant habit of occasion-

Making Wireless History With De Forest

213

ally failing to "de-cohere." In other words
it would not go back to normal after the
signal had passed through. It was some-
times necessary to tap the tube with a pencil
in the left hand while writing with the right.

we started to talk about certain waves of
different lengths, etc., and we used the tuning
fork as an illustration. Mathematics had no
place in the embryo radio of those days and
it was many years before we learned how to
measure the wavelengths and use such compli-
cated and fearful sounding terms as of me-
ters, kilocycles, etc. Leyden-jar condensers
of various kinds of hookups were placed
across the "spark-gap," and we noted the
phenomenon of changing the pitch or note of
the spark as we changed the capacity of the

WIRELESS AT ITS FIRST WORLD S FAIR

The De Forest tower — 300 feet high — was a re-
markable feature of the fair and was illumined at
night with great numbers of incandescent lights.
The insert shows a wireless automobile which was
equally in style for the period as far as radio and
automotive construction was concerned

Short words we guessed at,
while long words were so
badly disjointed that we
figured those out as a child
does a rebus puzzle.

The apparatus for send-
ing was a Ruhmkorff induc-
tion coil with a vibrator on
one end. Direct current was
used in the coil and the
vibrator converted it into
alternating current of slow
oscillations as compared
with those used to - day.
The power used then to
send six miles would to-day
send almost six thousand.

One of Dr. De Forest's
earliest achievements was
to produce a transmitter
operated by alternating cur-
rent of high frequency.
This gave a strong firm
spark and signal far superior in carrying
quajity, and far easier to read than the thin
weak notes from an induction coil. The
transformer coils were specially wound, and
near at hand were placed a "spark gap"
and "helix" or tuning coil, and thus "tuning
the signals" was brought into reality. Then

jars. We found that this new form of trans-
mitter easily outranked the old induction
coil, so a decided step in advance was made.
Little did we then think that this was the
beginning of the rocky, curved road over
which radio was to pass before reaching its
goal of to-day.

Radio Broadcast

PIONEER EQUIPMENT

A close-up of the De Forest transmitting equipment on top of the wireless tower at the World's Fair. Note
the anchor gap at the left of the direct connected helix, which, by the way, contains the open zinc spark gap

THE GOO DETECTOR

MANY experiments were carried on to
find a more sensitive receiver than the
coherer. We knew nothing about "rectifica-

tion" then. There were no text books on the
subject, nor any radio editors to write to for
advice. We were merely electrical eccentrics
playing with a dream, so one guess in the way
of an experiment was usually as good as

EAGER CROWDS SEE

MESSAGES FLASH FROM

WIRELESS TOWER

Post-Dispatch Sending Station for World's Fair News Fairly

Sings as Words Leaps Across the Copy— Visitors

Attracted Manifest Keen Interest.

WORLD'S FAIR GROUNDS,
Via De Forest Wireless.

Flashing messages through space from the Fair to the office
of the Post-Dispatch continues to be the wonder of Fair vis-
itors and crowds watch the process from morning until night.

The flash of 20,000 volts every time the operator presses his
key is to them a thing of fascination. Then they turn from it to
look from the great De Forest tower out eastward across the
jarge city, but they see no sign of the message which the click-
ing instrument is sending out there through space.

Sometimes they stop the operator at his work to ask him if it is
really so. They shake their heads in amazement when he
answers "yes," and explains that in the Post-Dispatch office
another instrument is ticking in response to his, and thu« car-
rying Fair news to the newspaper and the world. The loud

buzzing of the powerful instrument surrounding the operator 200
feet above the ground in the De Forest tower does not prevent
the visitors from crowding about him.

It is so loud that the operator must keep his ears full of
cotton. It fairly deafens visitors and sending them away with a
headache if they stay too long, but nevertheless they stay, for
the power of the mystery is very great.

This buzzing is caused by the powerful electric spark which the
operator's key releases and corresponds to the click of the
ordinary wire telegraph instrument. The dots and dashes are
so audible that operators for telegraph companies and the
police and fire departments anywhere within two blocks of the
wireless tower amuse themselves with reading the wireless mes-
sages as they are buzzed off by the sending operator.
— Published in tbe St. Louis Post-Dis[>atcb during 3rd Week o>
June. igoi.

Making Wireless History With De Forest

215

another. One day, while working on -re-
ceivers, it was discovered that a salvy mixture
of various ingredients reproduced the signals
in the headphone. The "discovery" was
thoroughly tried out but found lacking in
any definite merit, although it did get as far
as to receive a name. It was called the "goo"
receiver, and I believe that somewhere in the
archives of the Patent Office may be found a
formal application for a patent made for it by
Dr. De Forest. Finally the electrolytic re-
ceiver was introduced. This was such an
advance over anything previously introduced
that it seemed to be the height of perfection.
It consisted of a small glass cell containing a
dilute solution of
caustic potash and
water which form-
ed one anode of
the circuit. Into
this solution was
immersed a cath-
ode point, and the
incoming wave was
rectified by elec-
trolytic action.
Fessenden em-
ployed a fine wire
coated with silver
which was dipped
into nitric acid to
burn off the coat-
ing and make a
fine whisker point.
De Forest used a
different type
terminal called the
"spade electrode"
because of the
shape of the ter-
minal. This was
found to be both
practical and sen-
sitive and not sub-
ject to "burning
off points" in the
middle of a mes-
sage as was that
involved in the
Fessenden prin-
ciple. In this cir-
cuit was intro-
duced the poten-
tiometer, a name
coined for radio
work. This set
also contained the
first "variable

condenser." Instead of the movable plates
so common to-day, we used a small brass tube
split in halves lengthwise and rotated one
half within the other without moving them
backward or forward. We knew nothing about
"measuring" capacity. Either our experi-
ment worked or it didn't. If it failed, then
we would "change things" until it did work.

WHAT TO NAME THE CHILD?

IT WAS always characteristic of De Forest
I to call every new item discovered by a
simple homely name which was significant
of the act it did or the thing it resembled.
Most of the names coined by him many years

THE EXHIBIT

Sv/ft '^™rican De Forest Wireless Telegraph Company" at the St. Louis

World s Fair in .904 A sample transmitting and receiving set is installed in the

booth. Its noisy crackle could be heard for great distances

2l6

Radio Broadcast

ago, are still used in radio to-day. Some of these
are the "fan" antenna, the "helix," the "spade"
electrode, the "pancake" tuner, the "spider-
web" tuner, the "wing" (now called plate),
the "grid" of the audion bulb; the A and
B battery; and audio and radio frequency.

The first transmitters made were of 4-K.w.
power. They were soon supplanted by a
IO-K.W. set. It
was this latter size
that was used on
the large 3oo-foot
steel tower erected
on the World's
Fair Grounds at
St. Louis. Two
spacious elevators
carried visitors to
the top of this ob-
servation tower
where the wireless
instruments were
installed. Many
amusing incidents
happened. One
day, a lady desir-
ing her full share
of information,
listened intently to
our explanation of
wireless and then
bluntly told me in
front of the crowd
that the whole
thing was a fake.
She agreed that we
"sent without
wires," but she in-
sisted we did this
by using a silk

thread instead of

, , - years alter the others which appear with this article,

etween t Dr. De Forest is standing before one of his vacuum

two stations, thus tube telephone transmitters which he designed to operate
making it "wire- from the ordinary 60 cycle lighting current

less." Many per-
sons would go outside and look up to see
if anything was visible from the top of the
mast when the signals left.

From this tower we transmitted daily news
to the St. Louis Star and the Post- Dispatch, a
distance of five miles. Thus was established
the first newspaper radio service, and the
reprint on page 214 from the Post-Dispatch
during the third week of June, 1904, is the
first radio news message to be flashed
through the air and published in a news-
paper upon a predetermined and established
schedule.

DR. LEE DE FOREST
In a corner of his laboratory. This picture was taken

WIRELESS A MIRACLE — OVER FOUR MILES

AT NIGHT the tower was illuminated by
thousands of electric lights which could
be seen for many miles. In addition to this
station, another exhibit was maintained in the
Electricity Building and from both places we
demonstrated "wireless" to endless streams of

curious people. In
an adjoining booth
was displayed
"Wireless Auto
No. i," which was
the very first wire-
less automobile.
Its range of recep-
tion was only a few
blocks but it al-
ways created much
interest whenever
it was driven about
the streets or
viewed at its ex-
hibitor's stand.
Its design of chas-
sis in comparison
with present -day
automobiles shows
its antiquity.

Not content
with the honors
the IO-K.W. station
had won for him,
De Forest started
a special experi-
mental station on
the western limits
oftheFairGrounds
near the Boer War
Exhibit. The ob-
ject of this was to
increase distance
of transmission.
Obviously there
were but two

methods by which this could be done. We had
either to increase the power of the transmitter
or develop the sensitivity of the receiver. The
former plan was adopted and a twenty-kilowatt
station was planned— of exactly twice the
power used in any previous experiment. It
seemed as though when we doubled our power
we increased our troubles at a compound
ratio. As there were no stations operating at
that time it was not necessary to concern our-
selves about selectivity of tuning. The im-
mense void of ether above us was free to use
without the least fear of interference.

Making Wireless History With De Forest

217

I was placed in charge of this station, where,
in company with Dr. De Forest, we experi-
mented for many weeks in privacy and free
from the madding crowds around the other
wireless exhibits.

The new experimental station was called
the "Jerusalem station" because of its proxi-
mity to the Jerusalem Exhibit. It was the
first high-powered station in the world. It
was soon found that many of the principles
employed in the ten-kilowatt station did not
apply to the new station with its 60,000 volts
of oscillating current. Heretofore we had
been handling just a big lot of current, while
now, comparatively, we were playing with
miniature lightning of static electricity and
did not know very well how to handle it.

CONDENSERS SEVEN FEET LONG

THE spark-gap condensers, instead of
being Leyden jars, were made in heavy
two-inch plank boxes, seven feet long, two and
one half feet high and equally wide, and liquid-
tight to hold kerosene. Immersed therein

were two large sections of plate glass upon
which heavy sheets of tinfoil were pasted on
both sides. Each complete tray weighed
about a ton, and from four to six of these tanks
were used. Huge transformers six or seven
feet high "stepped up" the tremendous vol-
tage. The spark gaps had terminals one and
one half inches in diameter upon which a cold
blast of air from an electric blower was con-
stantly blown. Telegraph keys, even of
extra large design, were impossible to use, so
we devised a long handle arrangement which
operated like a pump. The contact points
were encased in a tank of oil to prevent arcing
and fusing. Imagine pumping water at the
old town pump for half an hour, — that's how
we sent signals before we discovered a better
way. Our test signal was always the Morse
letter "D" consisting of "dash, dot, dot."
This would be sent out for hours at a time.
We occasionally changed the helix adjustment
or the condensers.

Our experiments continued to result in
nothing but one failure after another. Some-

AT THE NEW YORK RADIO SHOW

Last October. Mr. Butler is talking into a microphone connected to a De Forest "singing arc," built in
1907. The "singing arc" was one of the earliest methods of producing continuous waves for wireless tele-
phony and the three-element vacuum tube of DeForest successfully superseded it

2l8

Radio Broadcast

times, after days and nights of hard, pains-
taking work building up the series of con-
densers we would "blow up" the entire set in
an instant, smashing the heavy glass plates to
small pieces, blowing kerosene all over us and
over the premises, only to gather up the
fragments, rebuild with new glass and tinfoil,
change the experi-
ment, and try another
hook-up. Static elec-
tricity was so free and
unharnessed in this
station, that it was
not at all uncommon
to get a "poke" in the
head or elbow if one
came within a foot of
the apparatus while
it was sending. The
roar from the spark
gap could be heard a
block away and it
held its own in noise
intensity with the
ballyhoo bagpipe of
the Jerusalem Ex-
hibit on the one side
and the cannonading
ih the Boer War Ex-
hibit on the other.
The odor of ozone,
mixed with kerosene,
was always present.
And hour after
hour, one of us was
listening-in with the

headphones with ears
strained to the ut-
most. Nothing in

that long period of experimenting was more
tiresome than this.

DOING THINGS NEVER BEFORE DONE

of the free air. No wonder folks doubted our
sanity. However, our longest waits were al-
ways rewarded, and finally, we accomplished
what we had aimed to do. The thrill then
was indescribable because the very thing we
had just accomplished had never before been
done by man. We never thought then that
in our little way we
were piecing together
some of the founda-
tion stones of the
huge radio structure
which exists to-day.
In his memoirs of
those days, Dr. De
Forest writes:

"Night and day
there is no respite
from care, from toil,
from interest. But it
is a life well worth the
living, the full accom-
plishment such, per-
chance, as is not given
to many. Those who
once enter this work,
on whom the enticing
spell of the wireless
once falls, never quit
it, no matter what
the demands on pa-
tience, nor how great
the sacrifices — always
hopeful, always in ef-
fort, fascinating for-
ever."

Control of the ap-
paratus having been

THUS, blazing the radio trail, we en-
countered the immensity of space. We
listened-in on this infinite space and heard
nothing. The silence was at times un-
bearable; the waiting, nerve racking; but
always there were hope and expectancy. It
was a royal game of angling. We changed
things, fussed and fussed and experimented,
still hearing nothing except an occasional
rift of static which at that time was a blessing,
because it meant that we were at least "get-
ting something." Oftentimes we were awed
at the thing we were trying to do. There
was something uncanny in trying to snatch
the tangible out of the intangible nothingness

1907-1924

Mr. Butler is holding a De Forest audion tube made
in 1907 and contrasting it with a tube made by the
same company in 1924. He hazards that the 1907
one is perhaps the oldest tube in existence. The old
tube was made with a fragile double filament so that
when one burned out, the remaining one could be
used. Their life was very short. The grid and
"wing" were on opposite sides of the tube. The
"wing" — now called the plate — was a flat piece of
metal and not a tube as is used to-day

achieved, we immedi-
ately began to smash records for distance.
The first event was on September 5th, when
communication was established between St.
Louis and Springfield, 111., a distance of 105
miles. On this occasion, President Francis of
the World's Fair sent the following wireless
message to Governor Yates of Illinois:

1 salute you as the distinguished executive of a
great commonwealth by the modern means of com-
munication, the wireless telegraph, a great achieve-
ment of science, of the marvelous advancement of
which this universal exposition furnished many
interesting evidences. I hope to see you within
these grounds often during the remaining three
months of the St. Louis World's Fair.

Shortly afterwards, communication was
established with the Railway Exchange
Building in Chicago, a distance of 300 miles.

Making Wireless History With De Forest

219

In writing of this event of September i8th,
1904, Dr. De Forest says:

"This was indeed a stride in progress, fulfil-
ling careful promises, crowning long and dis-
couraging efforts. Especially significant was
it that the formal opening of the St. Louis-
Chicago service should occur on Electricity
Day at the Fair with the Jury of Awards and the
Delegates of the Electrical Congress present."

It is amusing to recall the elaborate pre-
cautions this austere body of officials took to
make certain that this new service was actu-
ally by wireless. Some of the party was sta-
tioned at Chicago and the remainder at St.
Louis. Complete communication was main-
tained all afternoon to their entire satisfac-
tion, and as a result we were awarded the

Grand Prize which was one of the highest
honors bestowed upon any exhibitor.

Upon the strength of these singular ac-
complishments the United States Government
became so interested that a contract was
signed to erect five similar high-powered
stations in the West Indies, each station
guaranteed to work successfully one thou-
sand miles. This was a distance three times
greater than that we had just bridged, but
with light heart and high hopes we packed up
our tools and started south for new worlds to
conquer.

Little did we dream of the tremendous
difficulties awaiting us and the months of
tedious, sweltering days ahead before our
task was accomplished.

The next article of this series will describe and illus-
trate the events of this tropical venture. — THE EDITOR.

WEATHER BUREAU

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Program for Broadcasting Weather Forecasts
and Reports by Radio — Illinois Section

NA;, Great Lakes: (151 Kc.) 9.45 A. M. —
Morning lake forecasts; 4.00 P.M. — storm
warnings; 10.00 P.M. — evening lake fore-
casts. (In code).

WLS, Chicago: (870 Kc.) i.oo P.M. to
2.00 P.M., except Sundays (probably about
12 M. after Sept. 14) — morning state fore-
casts, general forecast, special forecasts,
weather — crop summary on Wednesday, spec-
ial warnings issued after sending hour, broad-
cast immediately.

KYW, Chicago: (560 Kc.) 12.00 noon,
( i i.oo A.M. during local "Daylight Saving")
— morning local forecast, state forecasts, lake
forecast; special warnings at 2.15 and 4.15
P.M.; 9.25 to 9.30 P.M. — evening local fore-
cast, state forecasts, lake forecast, aviation
forecasts. Monday, "silent night."

WAAF, Chicago: (1050 Kc.) 10.30 A.M. —
morning local forecast, state forecasts, general
forecast, general weather conditions, aviation
forecasts, shippers' advices during winter
season; weather-crop summaries on Wednes-
day during crop season; 12.30 P.M. — repeats
the 10.30 A.M. information and on Saturday
gives weekly outlook. Silent Sundays and
important holidays.

WON, Chicago: (810 Kc.) 10.00 A.M. —
morning local forecast, state forecasts; 9.35
P.M. or later, at end of regular program — even-
ing local forecast, state forecasts, lake fore-

casts, aviation forecasts, general forecast,
general weather conditions. Monday, "silent
night." Sundays and holidays irregular.

woe, Davenport: (620 Kc.) i i.oo A.M. —
morning local forecast, state forecasts, river
forecast, general weather conditions, weather
— crop summaries on Wednesday; 12.15 P-M-
— forecasts repeated; special cold wave warn-
ings sent as flashes. Tuesday, "silent night."

WJAN, Peoria: (1070 Kc.) 9.15 A.M. —
morning local forecast, state forecast, shippers'
forecasts, general weather conditions, special
warnings; repeated at 10.30 A.M. and 12.30 P.M.

WEW, St. Louis: (1072 Kc.) 10.00 A.M. —
morning local forecast, state forecasts, general
weather conditions, river forecasts; special
warnings at 5.00 P.M.

KSD, St. Louis: (550 Kc.) 10.40 A. M. —
morning local forecast, state forecasts, general
weather conditions, river forecasts and stages;
special warnings at 12.40 P.M., 1.40 P.M.,
and 3.00 P.M., 10.00 P.M. — evening state
forecasts.

Amateurs receiving weather forecasts are
requested to advise (by mail) Weather Bureau
Office, Springfield, 111., of the quality of ser-
vice received and how distinctly the stations
are heard.

W. F. FELDWISH

Meteorologist in Charge.

A Simplified Story of the Super-Heterodyne, Removing, for
the Layman, the Mystery of Its Workings — Who Developed the
Receiver and How It Works — Another Family Tree Diagram

BY JULIAN KAY

THE fourth article by Mr. Kay in his "What's in a Name?" series should be
of interest to the great majority of radio readers. His first article (June,
1924), sorted out and classified the radio receivers in present use. The next, in
July, explained radio-frequency amplification. The third (November, 1924),
discussed audio frequency amplification. Each article was accompanied by
the novel Family Tree diagram. One hears so much these days of the super-
heterodyne and what it will and will not do, and glib bandyings about of names
common to the "super," that it is not unnatural to wonder if all the radio con-
versationalists really. know their subject. Mr. Kay has here tried to bring together
the facts about the "super" without growing too technical. The Family Tree
diagram for the super-heterodyne will be found more than usually helpful.

— THE EDITOR.

Or ALL the dynes and supers of
modern radio, there is one receiver
that seems to have preeminent
claim to be both a "super" and a
"dyne." That receiver is the Super-
heterodyne.

The "superhet" as this receiver is familiarly
called, is the result of much work by many
men. The names most closely connected
with it, Fessenden, Armstrong, and Houck,
are only a few of those who have devoted time
and energy toward making the receiver an
electrical and a commercial possibility.

The invention of the "heterodyne" part of
the name is due to Professor Fessenden of
Pittsburgh, one of the earliest investigators
in the realm of wireless telegraphy. The
"super" part was at-
tached by Edwin H.
Armstrong after he
had applied the
heterodyne idea to
vacuum-tube cir-
cuits.

To this creator of
circuits is credited
much of the develop-
ment of this remark-
able receiver as we
know it to-day.

One of the most in-
teresting demonstra-

Do You Know —

— What "beats" are?

— What heterodyning is?

: — The principle on which the "super"
works ?

— Wloy the super-heterodyne is so sensitive?

— Why a super-heterodyne should not be
used with an antenna ?

— What the "local oscillator" is?

— The function of the "first detector" tube?

— The advantage of the second harmonic
simper-heterodyne ?

tions of the practical efficacy of the super-
heterodyne was given by Paul Godley, a very
well known Eastern amateur, in his famous
Scotland experiment three years ago. Using
a home-made receiver of this type, at Andros-
san, Scotland, he succeeded in receiving and
identifying many American amateur signals
at a time when neither transmitting nor re-
ceiving stations had advanced to their present
efficiency.

Although the fundamental idea underlying
the super-heterodyne is simple enough, the
practical difficulties are many, and to build
one of these " Rolls Royce" of radio is more
a task for an experienced radio constructor
than for the ordinary radio layman. From
the Greek origin of the term, one may gather
that this receiving
system has some-
thing to do with a
force that arises
through a "change."
A dyne in modern
science is a unit of
force equal to about
one five hundred
thousandth of a
pound, and "hetero-
dyne" suggests a
change or variation.
In fact this receiver
is a " frequency-

The Rolls Royce of Radio

221

changing" device, and therein lies its great
selectivity and the remarkable amplification
of signals it brings about.

WHAT THE SUPER-HETERODYNE IS

NOW, just what is the super-heterodyne
principle?

The fundamental idea is based on a physical
phenomenon known as beats, which occurs

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WPUflE?

FIG. I

The super-heterodyne idea. The frequency chang-
ing or mixing tube, is often incorrectly referred to
as the "first detector" tube

when two slightly differing vibrations are com-
pounded. For instance, if two tuning forks
are struck, one of them corresponding to
middle C, or 256 vibrations per second, and the
other, a few vibrations more per second, a
sensitive ear will distinguish three tones.
Two correspond to the vibrations of the two
forks, and the third will be much lower in
note, in fact it will be the difference between
the other two.

In the article in this series on radio-fre-
quency amplification, it was pointed out that
it is much more difficult to build an amplifier
for high frequencies than for low frequencies.
This becomes a real problem when we realize
that the middle of the broadcast
range (about 300 meters) corres-
ponds to frequencies of the order
of a million cycles per second.

The trick of the super-hetero-
dyne then, is to "beat" the in-
coming high-frequency signals
with a local oscillator, and to
amplify the resulting low-beat
frequency.

Now, strangely enough, this
beat frequency has all of the
irregularities of the original
radio frequency, that is, the
voice and music will appear in
the low beat as well as in the
high transmitted note.

And therein lies the efficiency

of this type of receiver — it amplifies compara-
tive low frequencies where it is easily possible
to build good amplifiers.

THE SUPER-HETERODYNE

THE "superhet" of Armstrong is really a
complete receiving system, consisting of
detector, "mixing tube," oscillator, and
amplifiers, for both beat and audio fre-
quencies.

Fig. i shows how the super-heterodyne per-
forms its function of frequency changing.
The input circuit, usually consisting of a re-
ceiving loop and a condenser, is tuned to the
incoming signals. Then beats are produced
by the local oscillator tube, then these beat
frequencies are amplified by the "intermediate
frequency" amplifiers to be finally detected
and passed on to audio amplifiers and the
usual output.

So much amplification is possible with this
receiver that a small energy collector, such as
a loop will suffice, thereby eliminating the
unsightly and unhandy antenna. The re-
ceiver, however, may be loosely coupled to an
external antenna.

The connection to the antenna may be
made by running a single loop of wire about
the cabinet, or by merely placing a turn of the
antenna-ground system near it. In some
cases the antenna may be attached to the
loop, and on distant signals the external con-
nection will be of aid, provided and only pro-
vided that the listener is out of the city away
from the noises that Mr. Van Dyck in his
series, "Man-Made Static," discussed in
RADIO BROADCAST.

If used with an antenna, the super-
heterodyne will radiate because of the local
oscillator. It is entirely possible to use a

nnn

OUTPUT

FIG. 2

OUTPUT

Various types of oscillator connections. The Colpitts system is

shown at the extreme left, and the others are two types of the

H:\rtlev circuit

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The Rolls Rovce of Radio

223

lhexcoH5 not courted

OUTPUT

FIG. 3

Various other types of oscillators. The Meissner
is at the left and a feedback system at the right

stage of radio-frequency amplification ahead
of the first tube. Such a stage may be one
of the several types described in the second
article of this series. This radio-frequency
amplifying tube will eliminate all possibility
of radiation. The better plan, however, is to
stick to the conventional method of using
loop, detectors, and amplifiers.

The real superiority of the super-heterodyne
actually fades almost to insignificance if its sat-
isfactory operation requires an outside antenna
because the development of modern receivers
with a reasonably large antenna will practically
duplicate in selectivity, volume, and distance
the super-heterodyne's performance. A very
striking example of such a receiver is the
Roberts circuit when used with a good push-
pull amplifier such as the four-tube arrange-
ment known as RADIO BROADCAST'S four-tube
Knock-Out.

WHAT THE SUPER-HETERODYNE WILL DO

A PROPERLY constructed super-hetero-
dyne is one of the most sensitive receiv-
ing systems, that is now available, although
not the most satisfactory from several points
of view. The only limit to its range is the
level of local noise, that is the interfer-
ence from "bloopers," arc lamps, door bells,
X-ray machines, street cars, elevators, etc.
The "superhet" will receive anything that is
in the ether, and anything that is above the
level of the noise can be picked up and identi-
fied. But so will other receivers, lately de-
veloped.

The writer's idea of a radio Utopia is an
island, say in the middle of Lake Superior,
where the noise level is 'way, 'way down with a
super-heterodyne to keep one company.
It is to be understood that this is a radio
Utopia!

On the other hand, if the owner lives in a
congested area where the noise level is high,

all the amplifiers in the world won't help him
to hear signals from great distances, and a
super-heterodyne will not work to full ad-
vantage.

THE LOCAL OSCILLATOR

FIGURES 2 and 3 show several common
*• types of oscillators. The Hartley cir-
cuit is probably to be preferred. It is a
simple, cheap, and good oscillator covering a
wide range without change of coils.

The latest development in the super-
heterodyne history is, as Major Armstrong
has pointed out in RADIO BROADCAST, the
"second harmonic" idea. Instead of using a
separate oscillator, the first detector is made
regenerative, and the frequency of oscillation
such that its second harmonic will beat with
the incoming waves. Use of the second har-
monic makes the two tuning controls inde-
pendent of each other, and eliminates one
tube, which is an obvious advantage.

THE FREQUENCY-CHANGER TUBE

THE first detector, or the tube in which
the actual shift in frequency takes place,
may be one of two general types as the

FIG. 4

The circuit of the frequency changer. The separate

oscillator uses the Hartley connection. The output

goes to the intermediate-frequency amplifier

Family Tree shows. The two frequencies
may be mixed in the grid or the plate circuit.
Of the two the former seems to be preferred.

Plate-circuit modulation may be used, as in
the Ultradyne circuit. The Radio Corpora-
tion second harmonic super-heterodyne re-
ceiver, however, uses grid-circuit modulation.
It may be pointed out here that broadcasting
stations use plate-circuit modulation, and
there seems to be no evident reason why this
method may not be applied to the receiver.
Fig. 5 shows a frequency changer of this type.

Another one of the tricks of the super-
heterodyne lies in this frequency-changer tube.
The output of this tube to the amplifiers that

Radio Broadcast

J 0000 v

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ffn)UFji(y

AMPLIFIER

FIG. 5

Showing the frequency changing circuit with plate

circuit modulation and C battery detection. In

Fig. 4 a grid condenser is used for detection. The

oscillator connection is the Hartley

follow, is dependent upon the product of two
voltages, namely, the signal or incoming
voltage and the oscillator voltage. For this
reason it behooves the builder to make his
oscillator as good as possible, for much of the
efficiency of the entire receiver depends upon
the proper functioning of this part.

Since the voltage of the second harmonic is
less than that of the fundamental, it seems
that the Radio Corporation super-heterodyne
might lose some amplification by use of this
feature, yet the advantages seem to outweigh
the objections. The second harmonic idea
was a brilliant one, and credit should be
given Houck, its originator, who was one of
Armstrong's associates in its development.

This business of multiplying two voltages
to get the amplifier input voltage explains
in a way why the receiver is so sensitive to"
weak signals. Suppose a station is tuned-in
whose signals are weak, that is, they impress
a small voltage on the loop. On an ordinary
receiver this voltage is what actually operates
the first tube. In the super-heterodyne this
small voltage is multiplied by the relatively
large one of the oscillator, and the vpl-
tage actually applied to the amplifiers is
proportional to this product, not merely
to the weak incoming signal.

Since the energy fed into the
first detector is relatively high,
in case of local reception, this
detector usually functions with
a C battery as shown in Fig. 5
instead of the usual grid con-
denser and leak. The reason
is that the more conventional
method may "block" if too
strong a signal is applied to
the tube. Any one can verify
this -by trying to receive when

a near-by amateur is sending, or when heavy
lightning occurs in the vicinity.

THE INTERMEDIATE AMPLIFIERS

CONFUSION seems to reign supreme on
^-> the matter of the intermediate-frequency
amplifiers. Perhaps it is because they belong
to the far-famed "superhet," perhaps it is
because it is difficult to buy, or more difficult
to build good ones.

Any of the amplifiers described in Haynes'
article on page 408 of the September number
of this magazine may be used in the super-
heterodyne— provided that it passes the re-
quired band of frequencies.

Now let us see what this signifies.

The usual band of frequencies broadcast
extends up to about 5,000 cycles. This means
that an amplifier must pass at least twice that
band in order that the speech or music be
true, that is, without lopping of the high
violin harmonics, or the "s's"

In the usual receiver operating at 300
meters, — or 1,000,000 cycles, the band re-
quired is - y— or one per cent, of the radio
frequency. That is, if the receiver is so
sharply tuned that it can differentiate be-
tween one million and one million ten-
thousand cycles, the reception will be poor.
Such sharpness is not attained, and the music
and voice frequencies are all received.

In our intermediate amplifiers, however,
another story must be told. Here we have a
beat radio frequency of 50,000 cycles, or 6,000
meters, and if the usual band of 10,000
cycles is to be faithfully transmitted by each
amplifier, they must be comparatively broadly
tuned. In this case the band :

50,000

twenty per cent, of the beat frequency.

In other words, the usual type of resonant
circuit will not suffice, for it is too sharply
tuned and part of the speech band will be
chopped off. This will result in distortion.
Transformers with flat characteristics are

QKUfT

REFLEX
AMPLIFIER
K4D/O
AttD

5EGOHD
HARMOniC

/sm/r/fp

LOOP

FIG. 6

The scheme of connections for the second harmonic super-heterodyne

developed by Armstrong and Houck. Reflexing is employed in

the first intermediate-frequency stage, which saves one tube

The Rolls Royce of Radio

225

L ML

FIG. 7

Diagram of a two-control super-heterodyne showing the principles described in the accompanying article.
There is a loop for receiving, tuned by a condenser, and the Hartley oscillator circuit is used. Grid con-
denser modulation is employed. The intermediate-frequency amplifier is coupled by untuned transformers,
and the tubes are neutralized. Detection is accomplished in the last stage by the usual grid condenser
method. No audio amplifiers are shown, but would be connected where the telephones are indicated

usually best for the interstage coupling.
Such transformers should be paired so that
they work together properly. This is a mat-
ter for the laboratory-equipped engineer.

THE SECOND DETECTOR

FOLLOWING two or more stages of inter-
* mediate or beat-frequency amplifica-
tion, the signals are fed into a second detector
from which they pass to the output circuit
as usual. This detector tube operates by
means of the usual grid condenser leak method.
It may or may not be regenerative, but if so,
it must oscillate at the beat frequency.

There is really no object in making this de-
tector oscillate, provided that the remainder of
the outfit is made properly. All the signal
strength that one can stand will be attained
before the second detector is reached, so there
is little use in making the apparatus more
complicated than necessary. If the inter-

mediate amplifiers are giving enough gain that
they have to be neutralized to keep them
from howling, one may rest assured that he is
getting all possible out of the equipment.

In one of the Radio Corporation models,
one of the intermediate amplifiers is reflexed,
thereby eliminating one vacuum tube and
bringing the total number down to six.

If a loud speaker is to be run from this
receiver — and it is not wise to try a pair of
phones on a strong and healthy "superhet"-
a stage or two of audio-frequency amplifica-
tion may be added. If the intermediate
amplifiers pass the required band, and if the
last detector and the audio-frequency ampli-
fiers are not overloaded, undistorted music and
speech should arrive at any part of the coun-
try from all other parts of the country, during
the winter and at night.

What more could any one ask of any re-
ceiver?

"THE VOICE OF THE CITY"

TS, IN New Yorl^, Q' least, a radio voice.
James C. Young's excellent article, telling
what station WNYC is doing in New York and
the possibilities of municipal broadcasting will
be one of the interesting features in the January

RADIO BROADCAST.

How to Build a Knock-Out

Amplifier

A Highly Efficient and Easily Built Amplifier Unit
Combining Resistance and Transformer Coupling

BY ZEH BOUCK

IT IS unfortunate that many radio writers
lack experimental data, personally gath-
ered, with which to bolster up their more
general theoretical statements. Were
such not the case, authors would have been less
hasty and definite in the repeated denunci-
ation of resistance-coupled amplification since
RADIO BROADCAST introduced this system to
the fan a half year ago.

There are few radio possibilities that have
been more maligned than this truly meri-
torious system of radiophone amplification.
Its economy of operation has suffered the most
relentless criticism which a half hour of actual
experiment and a half minute of unclouded
thought would have
demonstrated to be
unjust and without
sound foundation.

The sole objection
that holds more than
a negligible amount
of water is the fact
that transformer-
coupling permits
greater amplification
per stage than the re-
sistance-coupl ed
system. The resist-
ance-coupled ampli-
fier permits a the-
oretical maximum
intensification equal
to the amplification
constant of the tube.
That is, the potential
applied to a succeed-
ing tube is equal to
that applied to the
preceding tube times
the amplifying ability
of the repeating
bulb. This limit,
however, can only be
approached — never

attained. A transformer-coupled stage per-
mits a greater intensification that is roughly
equal to the amplifying ability of a resistance-
coupled amplifier multiplied by the turn ratio
of the transformer.

The truth is that neither resistance coup-
ling nor transformer "coupling is in itself per-
fect, each arrangement being deficient in
qualities possessed by the other. A consider-
ation of the characteristics of each amplifier
will be enlightening in that it will indicate a
method of combining the two systems. The
composite arrangement exhibits both the
superior amplifying ability of the transformer-
coupled amplifier and the perfect quality of
the resistor intensi-
fier.

Facts and Fancies

The resistance-coupled amplifier has come
in for a lot of criticism from many in the
radio industry who ought to know better.
If the laboratory tests they claim to have
made actually were made, there is some-
thing radically wrong with their laboratory
methods. In this timely article, Mr. Bouck,
who is widely known as one of the soundest
of radio technicians, describes a unique and
very satisfactory amplifier which happily
combines the desirable features of resistance-
and transformer-coupling. Two other ap-
plications of resistance-coupling to an am-
plifier have been described in this magazine
by Mr. Bouck, one in June, 1924, where
resistance-coupling was added to the one-
tube knock-out reflex and in October, 1924,
where a two-stage resistance-coupled am-
plifier was added to the Roberts circuit.
This amplifier unit should not be used with
any kind of a reflex receiver, because such an
arrangement would bring two stages of
transformer coupling into play.

To those who criticize resistance coupling,
we wish to extend an invitation to visit our
laboratory. If they wish to do so, they may
bring any receiver of this type with them for
comparative test. — THE EDITOR.

TRANSFORMER DIS-
TORTION

THE only objec-
tion to the usual
transformer-c o u pi ed
amplifier is the dis-
tortion which is al-
most invariably
evident when ampli-
fication is continued
to loud-speaker in-
tensity (that is, two
or more steps). As-
suming the proper
operation of a cas-
cade amplifier in re-
spect to the biasing
of grids, distortion is
promoted in several
ways. The first con-
sideration is the
ineradicable tendency
of the transformer to
favor certain frequen-
cies— usually those of
a medium high period.
In a well designed

How to Build a Knock-out Amplifier

227

transformer, this character-
istic is somewhat subdued,
to the extent that distortion
cannot be discerned even
by the trained ear, in a
single stage of intensification.
However, if amplification is
continued through addi-
tional stages, perhaps only
one, repeating through the
same general type of trans-
former, the following trans-
former will emphasize the
distortions originated in the first step. The
effect is thus cumulative, and the distortion is
finally evident to the average ear.

Another phenomenon which will result in
distortion is the non-uniformity of the mag-
netic action of a transformer when heavily
loaded. More technically, in such a case, the
inductive effect is no longer proportional to
variations in the magnetizing current as the
saturation point in the core is approached.
Some audio transformers evidence such an
action at comparatively small loads. The
ounce of prevention is a larger core, which in

FIG. I

The circuit of the combination amplifier. In the majority of cases Ci can
be eliminated. The detector is coupled to the amplifier in the usual way

turn is argued against by its inconvenient size
and more worthy theoretical considerations.
Distortion from this cause is probably encoun-
tered only in cases of excessive amplification,
with high plate voltage and little or no bias, in
which instances it is merely contributory to
the general strain. It should never be experi-
enced in the first amplifying stage.

Distortion in the tube itself is a phenomenon
of uneven emphasis similarly confined to the
last stage of transformer-coupled amplifi-
cation. For satisfactory amplification, vari-
ation in grid potentials is limited to voltages

FIG. 2

A rear view of the amplifier. The selection of panel mount-
ing parts makes a particularly compact and neat job

Radio Broadcast

FIG. 3

The panel layout of the amplifier described. The design may be varied in
order to maintain a consistent appearance of all receiving apparatus

projected by the straight portion of the
usual "characteristic curve." However, in
the transformer-coupled system, such varia-
tions are additionally confined to about half
this workable portion, the negative or lower
slope — which limits may be exceeded in the
case of a strong signal in the last stage
of amplification. Distortion will be the result.
The impedance and resistance-coupled ampli-
fiers are less restricted in this manner, for their
operating characteristics permit a greater
range of grid variations.

THE IDEAL AMPLIFIER AND ITS CIRCUIT

IT IS thus evident that the distortion in the
transformer-coupled amplifier may be
considered as being totally absent in the first
stage. In this position, its superior amplify-
ing ability recommends it as ideal. It is
equally obvious that the case of the resistance-
coupled amplifier has been similarly well
established in the second and third stages
where, free from the distorting characteristics
of] the transformer, it outputs an auditively
perfect signal.

The reader will now grasp the possibilities
of an amplifier consisting of one stage of trans-
former amplification followed by two stages
of resistance coupling. The accompanying
illustrations show such an amplifier, which
thoroughly justifies the theoretical consider-
ations outlined above.

Fig. i is the circuit of this ideal ampli-
fying arrangement. The various values
and connections have been determined experi-
mentally and will give the best results on the

average receiver. Trans-
former Ti is any reliable
audio-frequency trans-
former with a turn ratio no
higher than four to one.
The .00025 rnfd. condenser
across the secondary is a
Micadon, and connected in
this manner it will improve
the quality of some trans-
formers. The capacity
offers a comparatively low
impedance to the high fre-
quencies which may be over
emphasized by the trans-
former — a discriminating
"short" that irons out un-
even amplification. Its de-
sirability should be de-
termined by experiment.

Ri is the first coupling
resistor, having a value
of 250,000 ohms. This is considerably in
excess of the usual resistance of 100,000
ohms, which is employed in the case of the
second resistor, R2. Experiments have de-
termined the higher value as the most satis-
factory in the plate circuit of the first tube in
this particular amplifier.

C2 and C3 are the isolating condensers of
.006 mfd. capacity.

The grid leaks, R3 and R4 have respective
values of 500,000 ohms and 100,000 ohms.

The rheostat and jack connections are quite
self-explanatory.

THE PARTS

THE following is a list of the exact parts
used in the amplifier illustrated and de-
scribed. Equally reliable makes may, of
course, be substituted for the designated
apparatus with similarly satisfactory results.

One 7" by 10" panel;

One six- or ten- ohm rheostat;

One twenty- or thirty- ohm rheostat;

Three standard sockets;

One Haynes-Griffm audio-frequency amplifying
transformer;

Two Daven Resisto-Couplers with necessary grid
leaks and coupling resistors;

Two .006 Micadon or New York Coil con-
densers;

One .00025 mfd. capacity Micadon or New York
Coil condenser;

Two Pacent jacks (one open and one closed
circuit);

Six binding-posts;

And the necessary tail-washers, busbar wire, etc.

How to Build a Knock-out Amplifier

229

CONSTRUCTION

THOUGH the illustrated mechanical de-
sign is suggested to the average builder,
the amplifier admits of several minor electrical
and mechanical variations, such as a second
stage jack, automatic filament control, and
constructional changes to adapt the apparatus
to a tuner of rather different appearance. It
will be observed from the photograph, Fig. 2,
that all apparatus, including sockets, are of
panel-mounting design, which makes possible
an exceedingly neat and efficient construction.
The baseboard, may of course be used, if the
designated apparatus is inconvenient or un-
available. Fig. 3 shows the panel layout and
Fig. 4 is a descriptive drawing of the amplifier
described, and recommended.

OPERATION

THE operation of the transformer-resis-
tance-coupled amplifier is identical with
that of the more conventional types. The
indicated battery connections are made, and
the output of the tuner wired to the pri-
mary of the amplifying transformer, the
plus B battery and plate connections following
through to the respective apparatus in the
detector circuit. When inputting from the
detector of a regenerative receiver, a telephone
bypass condenser, which may be a Micadon.
.002 mfd., should be shunted across the primary
of the transformer, or from the upper (P) side
of the primary to the filament battery. In
most receivers, this condenser will be found
included in the original tuning circuit.

FIG. 4

A picture drawing of the layout and connections. This will be helpful to our less
experienced readers, who, however, should train themselves to understand Fig. i

Radio Broadcast

•-1 •

I •*»•<*

-of

-o~i

_Q !:

-O—

-o— i

?»

-CM

-p-

cr>
O

»v»«

P-*

-OH

-p-

O -
CO

o--.

:?-!

-o-

-o

FIG. 5

Front view of the completed amplifier. Only two jacks have
been used in the set described, in the first and third stages

How to Build a Knock-out Amplifier

Two plate voltage potentials have been
indicated and extra posts provided, isolating
the higher voltage from telephone receivers
plugged into the first jack. However, if an
amplifying plate voltage in the neighborhood
of one hundred is applied, the two upper right
hand binding posts may be shorted over,
eliminating the necessity for an additional
tap to the B battery.

TUBES

ANY of the standard tubes can be used in
the amplifier described. One secures
the best volume from the six-volt bulbs. The
plate potentials should vary with the type of
tube for best results. It is wise to keep close
to the upper limit recommended by the manu-
facturer with the bias in the straight trans-
former-coupled amplifier. No bias however,
should be used with the knock-out amplifier.

DISTORTION

/CORRECTLY operated, the output of the
^-^ amplifier described should be perfect
as far as the ear is concerned. On excep-
tionally loud signals, and with some tubes,
the final stage may "choke," which will
result in harsh, grating reproduction. This
strain can be remedied by lowering the re-
sistance of the last grid leak, R4. Placing
the fingers across the leak prongs on the
resisto-coupler (lowering the resistance by
shunting through the hand) is a simple test to
determine if distortion is due to the overload-
ing of the last tube. The uv-2Oi-A is some-
what limited in respect to the power it will
handle without distortion. For dance pur-
poses in a large hall, a power tube, such as the
Western Electric 2i6-A, with a separate
rheostat, is recommended for the last stage.
Flatness, or loss of the high tones will
generally be remedied by eliminating Ci (if
used) or by bringing the grid leak of the last
tube down to the plus side of the filament-

lighting battery. This places a slight positive
bias on the tube, operating the bulb a little
higher on its characteristic curve. As the
resistance-coupled amplifier "modulates
down," in fact very emphatically on the
higher audio frequencies, more room for a
useful grid variation is provided by this con-
nection. It is interesting to note that the
writer has operated resistance- and impedance-
coupled power amplifiers that were distortion-
less only when functioning with a positive bias,
supplied by a C battery.

However, distortion in an amplifier built
exactly as described will be rare. In the
majority of cases, unsatisfactory quality can
be traced to either poor tubes (generally boot-
leg) or the loud speaker, and should the simple
remedies suggested in the preceding para-
graphs prove of no value, the trouble may be
external to the amplifier.

ECONOMY

THE plate-current consumption of the
knock-out amplifier is unusually low,
with the exception of the last stage, being
under that of a well biased transformer-
coupled intensifier. With one hundred volts
plate potential, across both B battery posts,
the first tube, when the amplifier is passing
signals, draws about .17 milliampere (seven-
teen one hundredths of a thousandth of an
ampere)! Under similar conditions, tube
number two consumes one milliampere, and
tube three, five milliamperes. It will be
observed that the third tube consumes almost
five times as much as the total plate current
of the preceding amplifying tubes. This is
due, of course, to the substitution of the loud
speaker windings for the comparatively high
ohmage coupling resistors. The plate current
in the last stage can be materially reduced,
without appreciably affecting volume, by
including a five-thousand-ohm resistance in
series with the loud speaker.

A MOTOR GENERATOR FOR BATTERY CHARGING

AN EXCELLENT article, by James Millen will appear in an early
•^ number of RADIO BROADCAST, which describes the theory and con-
struction of a motor generator for charging radio storage batteries. The
entire unit is not expensive to build and to assemble, and gives a very
quick and economical method of charging the storage battery.

bint of View

Way Don't Great Musicians Aid Radio?

IF A majority of the leading musicians of
this country would take a constructive
interest in radio music, this particular
feature of broadcasting would soon show
marked improvement. At present they are
a detriment rather than a help to the cause.
They are^ quite willing to concede that there
are unlimited possibilities for musical achieve-
ments of value through the radio, but they
withhold activity in
helping toward the de-
velopment of these
possibilities. Yet when
radio music does finally
attain a level suffici-
ently high to command
the respect of the crit-
ical, these musicians,
who are waiting for
that day the while
they are doing nothing
to bring it about, will
be among the first to
seek the microphone
for the promulgation
of their work.

Perhaps this is only
human. For in this
commercial age, being
a musician is at best a
hard job. It may be
asking a good deal to
expect musicians to
give much considera-
tion to the radio as
long as the radio does
nothing for them in a
financial way. But,
now and then, one
does come across one

ROBERT D. BONIEL

Director and announcer at station WEBH, Edge-
water Beach Hotel, Chicago. It was from this
station that the delightful surprise commented
upon in these columns came not long ago

who is sufficiently interested in radio music to
consider it in its relation to humanity rather
than to his or her individual career.

Such a musician is Mrs. H. H. A. Beach,
the only American woman composer who has
gained distinguished international recognition,
and who, in addition to this, can hold her
own among the men composers. An opinion
on radio music from such a source is of far
more than passing im-
portance.

When asked to give
this opinion, Mrs.
Beach's reply, al-
though brief, showed
broad comprehension
of the subject:

I should say that, in
the main, its influence
has been for good. 1 know
that there are two sides
to the question of its
value to the composer,
but so far as the public is
concerned, I feel that
much interest must have
been aroused, especially
in the smaller places, in
the hearing of music. 1
have had personal knowl-
edge of many people who
live in remote districts,
who have had wonderful
happiness in listening to
the artists and musical
organizations which,
otherwise, they would
never have had an op-
portunity to hear. It is
not only bringing enjoy-
ment into lonely lives,

— Coloratura soprano. What radio programs will be like when professional musicians are regularly featured,
was demonstrated when Miss Lucchese, at present the leading coloratura of the San Carlo Opera Company,
was heard from station WIP, Philadelphia. The career of this young American girl is being watched with
much interest by connoisseurs of singing. WIP is to be congratulated on making it possible for a large radio

audience to hear her.

234

Radio Broadcast

but, in many instances, positive education as
well.

But I acknowledge there is another side to the
matter. I wish, of course, that the character of
much of the music sent out through the air might
be improved. In future this good may be brought
about, not only by the improvement in the musi-
cal taste of the people, but also by the higher grade
of artists performing.

This starts another and very vital question as
to the remuneration of the artists. Where they
give their time to music as a profession it seems
highly unjust that they should not be paid for radio
performances as for concert-giving. If such pay-
ment be not a regular procedure, then radio con-
certs will become merely a source of advertising
to performers of immaturity or small reputation,
who will take this method of making themselves
known.

The radio, 1 believe, is merely at the beginning of
its career, and what the future will show it seems
impossible to predict. On the whole, I believe that
it has already proved itself a blessing to many music
lovers. If certain disadvantages have shown
themselves, these may be remedied by concerted

action on the part of radio stations, artists, man-
agers, and the public itself.

This conclusion to a fair-minded estimate
of radio in its relation to music, suggests
what many of us believe to be the best method
by which the present shortcomings in radio
music can be done away with: "concerted ac-
tion on the part of radio stations, artists,
managers, and the public itself."

The only one among these influences that
could work this reform, single-handed, is the
public. But why wait for the public to take
the initiative? Combined action would bring
results much quicker.

Mrs. Beach has herself been heard over the
radio, having broadcast a group of piano
numbers some time ago from station WRC
at Washington. Mention of this performance
was made in the subsequent number of this
magazine. To play for a radio audience was
a gracious act on the part of this musician,
whose symphonic works have been performed

— Belden, Newark
PERRY AND RUSSELL

If any monologuist of to-day tried to get away with that once popular hit, "You Can't Play Every
Instrument in the Band," these clever chaps who are called, "The Two-Man Singing Orchestra" would
have the laugh on him. They not only play all those instruments in the picture, but sing while they're
doing it. If you happen to have a grouch when you tune-in on them they'll give you a quick hunch toward
cheerfulness. They have been making life joyful for listeners-in at station WOR

The Listeners' Point of View

235

by every orchestra of importance in this
country, and by orchestras in Europe and
in England; who has appeared as piano
soloist with these same organizations; whose
choral compositions have been sung by noted
choruses under the direction of the ablest
conductors; whose piano works and songs
are featured on many
concert programs;
and who, for many
years, has appeared
on the con-
cert stage as
a profession-
al pianist.

Some ra-
dio enthus-
iasts may
think it a
bit patron-
izing to say
that it was
' ' gracious' '
of Mrs.
Beach to
play for
them. But
let it be
asked of
such as
these: How
man\' mu-
sicians of
fame equal
to that of
Mrs. Beach

have you heard over the radio? Of course,
you have heard certain celebrated artists
when the public concerts in which they ap-
peared happened to be broadcast. But that
is quite a different matter from hearing these
artists play from a radio studio to which they
had gone for the express purpose of broad-
casting. We have a notion that you can
count the number of such artists on the fin-
gers of one hand and not use all the fingers
at that.

Radio Popularity on the Pacific Coast

WHEN E. M. B., of Gold Beach, Ore-
gon, wrote the letter on Pacific coast
broadcasting stations which was pub-
lished in a recent number of this magazine,
he probably had little idea of the protests he
would arouse. Not that any one has dis-
agreed with the fine things he has to say
about KHJ, at Los Angeles, or with his com-
ments regarding his enjoyment of KLK at

ROSE BROWN, LEADING LADY OF THE KGO PLAYERS

That lovely voice of hers prompted a rush request to station KGO for

Miss Brown's picture, for we felt sure that anyone with such speaking

tones would be good to look upon. A good guess, it proved as all will

agree who see the above photograph

Oakland, California, and CKCD at Vancouver.
It is his estimate of KGO at Oakland that has
raised the rumpus. He remarks, with final-
ity:

KGO is a wonderfully equipped and powerful
station with splendid programs of a certain high
class, but the people in general do not care for them.
They are not interested
in cantatas, radio
dramas, or operatic
singing. When listen-
ing-in with
me, visitors
often ask me
to shift from
KGO to KHJ,
KFI, or KPO,
and are bet-
ter satisfied
with what
they receive.

Where E.
M. B.
makes his
mistake is
in confusing
his friends
with "peo-
ple in gen-
eral." It is,
for that
matter, a
rather large
order to ut-
ter an ex
cathedra

opinion as to what "people in general," think
about anything unless by this term E. M. B.
means that large mass of people who do not
do much thinking on any subject.

Among those who have entered an objec-
tion to this verdict regarding the KGO pro-
grams is Mr. H. S. Gibson of Logan, Utah.
After stating that, as a constant reader of
RADIO BROADCAST and a loyal supporter of
KGO he cannot let E. M. B.'s letter go without
"considerable protest," he adds:

In marked contrast to E. M. B., when we tell
the neighbors that KGO has a play scheduled, we
are forced to get extra chairs. Our children, and
also the neighbors', recognize at once music by the
Arion Trio or other performers that have been on
KGO programs. These kiddies, all under thirteen,
base their respective vocal or instrumental abili-
ties largely as they have heard KGO performers.
. . . My only regret is that KGO does not have
a program every evening.

To which we wish to add personal testi-

236

Radio Broadcast

mony to the effect that KGO is one of the very
few radio stations putting on musical pro-
grams sufficiently well-balanced to hold our
attention to the end. A good program is
generally such throughout, and a popular
program is complete in itself.

It is but another case of "many people,
many minds." But it is always a bit dan-
gerous to judge many people by a few minds.

Can Radio Artists Play Only Chopin and
Liszt?

THERE is scarcely a broadcast station
of any importance from which we have
not heard times without number the
second, sixth and twelfth Rhapsodies of Liszt,
and his "Liebestraume." Why do we never
hear any of his "Etudes"? Or the "Annees
de Pelerinage"? Or some among his fifty
transcriptions of Schubert's songs?

As for Chopin, he is played almost as
frequently as Liszt, and represented within
an even narrower scope. A few Nocturnes,
with the hackneyed one in E flat major far
in the lead; a Waltz or two; and those
Impromptus of the kind within a conser-
vatory pupil's ability . . . this is the
radio Chopin, the petted darling of the
Parisian salon. Yet he was one of the most
superb among the Titans that have put pen
to paper to express their thoughts in music.

— Apeda, New York
MRS. H. H. A. BEACH

American composer of international renown
who sees great possibilities in radio music

Numbers of pianists have been heard over
the radio who seem quite capable of play-
ing some of this composer's Etudes . . .
the " Revolutionary," for instance. Like-
wise, the " Fantasie Impromptu," and the
"A flat Polonaise." The former has been
played, to be sure, but all too seldom. Yet
many people are hungering for just that sort
of music — people who were raised
in musical centers and now live far
from points where they can hear
great music. To them the radio
could and should be of a value it
does not now fulfill for them.

So, to the pianists who are ex-
pecting to broadcast during the
coming months, we suggest that they
try giving their listeners some of the
works by Liszt and Chopin that
have not already been presented by
radio times without number. Also
we would suggest that they give
some composers other than Liszt,
Chopin, and Rachmaninoff a chance
to be heard now and then. For
instance, we suggest Mozart, Bee-
thoven, Schubert, Schumann,
Brahms — to name but a few.

Musical Parodies Should Be
Announced As Such

— T. Kajiwara, St. Louis
MISS V. A. L. JONES

Program director and announcer at station KSD, St.
Louis, is praised far and wide for the quality of her work

IF ANY one recited over the
radio a parody of a well-known
poem it would be announced be-
forehand as a parody. Were the

The Listeners' Point of View

237

changed version given without anything
being said either by the announcer or by the
one reciting the poem, those who listened
would object to hearing the well-known verses
given other than as the poet wrote them.
Why, then, should such liberties be allowed
in music?

The specific instance giving rise to this
protest was the performance of a man heard
from station WTAM, who was announced as
"Our Wandering Musician." If memory
serves rightly, he was from Punxsutawney,
Pa. Well, he was a wandering musician, all
right. He did not jazz the numbers he
played, at least not those we heard, but he
added to them at his own sweet will. Rubin-
stein's "Melodic in F" lost all its simplicity
and wandered to the upper keyboard far from
the region where the composer placed it.
Octaves and chords unknown to the original
composition were added.

We hold that such performances should
be announced as the performers' versions and
not as the original compositions. Such ver-
sions are not unusual in concert programs, but
when did one ever hear of their being played
without the program bearing the explanation
that they were adaptations?

How Dramatic Readers Are Rated at
Station wwj

IT WILL be recalled by those who read
this department regularly, that in the
number preceding this one, Mrs. R. J.
Quien, dramatic reader of Camden, N. J.,
objected strongly to Mr. Corley W. Kirby,
director of station wwj, having said that
he had never heard a woman reader over the
microphone who was not "terrible." And
she then and there issued a challenge to com-
pete with any man reader at some leading
broadcasting station, that the public might
decide between them. She also said that
as proof of her success, she would like to have
Mr. Kirby see the letters of appreciation she
receives after each broadcast performance.

To which comes the following reply from
Mr. Kirby:

I am sure that Mrs. Quien has received many
letters from those who have heard her give dra-
matic readings. You can do anything over the
radio and get letters of commendation, because
the radio audience represents a better cross section
of the American nation than can be obtained in
any other way.

The problem of the radio station is to please the

— Strentz, New York
HARVEY MARBURGER AMD HIS KEITH VAUDEVILLE ENTERTAINERS

If you have seen the Cafe L'Aiglon in Philadelphia, you'll know that the exotic setting arranged for

this orchestra is quite in keeping with the place where they play. And they can make even jazz sound

better than it really is, a statement you can prove for yourself by tuning-in WIP

2 38

Radio Broadcast

MAURICE SPITALNY

Director of the Hotel Statler Concert Orchestra at
during the dinner hour through station WTAM. The
orchestra under Mr. Spitalny's leadership has been
upon in this department

greater part of its audience with each concert, and
I am sure dramatic readers are not able to measure
up to this standard. Whether they are men or
women makes no difference. In strengthening my
position I ask this question: how many dramatic
readers have you heard from any stage? Cer-
tainly, if they were a real attraction, the theater
managers would have realized it long before this.

As far as the contest proposition is concerned,
1 would put it in the same class with other contests.
In the end they mean little or nothing. If we had
a contest calling for an expression on jazz and
classical music, jazz would win out, because the
people who prefer jazz to all else are just the type
who would enter into a contest with gusto, while
those who prefer classical music would say little
or nothing about it. These people take no in-
terest in contests, but when they like a thing
they will write a good constructive letter, where
others would fill out a form postal card. Radio
contests reflect the opinions of the radio audience
to a smaller degree than the straw vote reflects the
political tendencies of the country.

I am willing to be convinced as to the value of
dramatic readers as entertainers and the value of
radio contests. I feel sure that the latter will not
be held from the Detroit News, station wwj.

Can't Telegrams Be Original?

ERE is a suggestion for some station
that would like to start a competition
in which the winner will receive a

prize.
Why not

give a prize to the first person

who, in telegraphing congratulations on a
program, says something other than:

"Program coming in fine. Keep it up."
"Program great. Keep it up."
" Everything coming in grand. Keep it up."
"Fine program. Coming in great. Keep
it up."

Station WTAS, at
Elgin, 111., recently
offered a prize of a
$250 Shetland pony to
the one who gave them
the best suggestion for a
new slogan, WTAS having
up to that time meant
"Willie, Tommy, Annie,
Sammy." We missed
hearing who won the
prize. It was an easy
way to earn a pony.

— Krumhar, Cleveland For who JS there Who

could not improve on,

Cleveland, Ohio, heard "Willie, Tommy, Annie,
excellent work of this samrnv"?
frequently commented

It would be much

more difficult, appar-
ently, to earn a prize
through sending telegram containing some
original sentiment commenting on the pro-
gram then being heard. For the present
form seems to be firmly fixed in the minds of
all and sundry who like to hear their names
put on the air as "among those present."

Good Band Music Is Coming from Pris-
oners through wos

COMPILERS of musical statistics wii!
tell you that few musicians are found
in our prisons in comparison with
the number of criminals drawn from other
occupations. Yet there is that band heard
at stated intervals from station wos, and
whose members are all from the Missouri
State Penitentiary. Their numbers never
seem to grow smaller, although from time to
time the personnel of the band must change
owing to this or that member having finished
his prison term. The band plays so well that
it speaks badly for the morale of the musical
profession. It was hoped, until that band was
heard many times, that the statisticians were
right. But now their authority seems doubt-
ful. There is a psychological aspect of this
band's performances about which one might
write an entire article. For men who can
play with such engaging spirit must have much
of good in their natures. To be sure, the
public performer who simulates an emotion

The Listeners' Point of View

239

for the interpretation of the work he is giving,
need not necessarily have experienced that
emotion. But he must have the imagination
to conceive of himself as having experienced
it. In the case of a worthy emotion, the
nature is not lost that has sufficient imagina-
tion to portray it with the right feeling.

The Dangerous Microphone

f~^ INGERS who present the best songs
^\ to the radio audiences are almost
^^ without exception the singers who, of
all the vocalists heard over the microphone,
have the worst diction. They would do well
to listen to those who present only popular
songs of the day and learn from them some-
thing regarding correct enunciation. It is
seldom that one word is indistinct when these
latter singers are broadcasting, while with the
former it is seldom that one word can be
understood. In their case the only way one
can tell what song is being given is by the
melody.

Good songs will be more popular with all
classes of radio listeners when those singing
them make themselves intelligible. If these
singers at present are unappre-
ciated the fault is largely their
own.

The microphone never fails
to make known to the radio
audience when a singer is off the
key. Of late, some have been
heard who never got the pitch
once during an entire song,
and were seemingly quite un-
conscious of this fact, or indif-
ferent to it in the belief that it
would not be discovered.

Radio can make a singer's
reputation or it can ruin it.
The singers of popular songs
seem to realize this far more
than do those others who are
expected to be taken more
seriously.

Score One for Women
Announcers

THERE is more to be
added to the discussion
that has been going on
in these columns regarding
women announcers. Miss V.
A. L. Jones, of station KSD, St.
Louis, judging from the letters
received commending her an-
nouncing, is not only in the lead

among the women filling this position at
broadcasting stations, but ahead of most of
the men as well. And ahead of all the men,
according to Mr. J. C. Porter of Amargura,
23, Havana, Cuba. It is a pleasure to print
the following excerpts from his letter.

The object of this letter is to pay a well-deserved
compliment to KSD'S announcer, Miss Jones. There
is much telegraphic interference here as well as
the steady grinding static that prevails most of
the year, and it requires an exceptional voice to
cut through this mess and be intelligible. This,
Miss Jones does. 1 can say as the result of more
than a year's experience that there is not a voice
coming from the States that we receive better
than hers.

In this day, when RADIO BROADCAST is running
a series of articles under the heading "Is Woman
Desirable — Over Radio?" I feel that such a very
fine radio voice as that of Miss Jones deserves a
word of appreciation. . . . We are a family
of "radio nuts" . . . have six sets, and get
the latest thing on the market. There is at least
one set going every night, the year round, and this
letter in praise of Miss Jones is the combined
opinion of our family, based on full three years of
dial twisting. . . . Here's hoping that for

CORLEY W. KIRBY

Of station wwj, Detroit News, who started something when he

came out in this department against radio dramatic readers. Nor

has he backed down an inch, as you will discover when you read

what he has to say in this issue

240

Radio Broadcast

many seasons to come we may enjoy the clear,
measured, and cultured voice of the best announcer
that we hear from the States.

A charming and intelligent tribute. May it
influence some of the patronizing announcers
to mend their ways. In particular that one in
Chicago who, although he has some excellent
points, spoils everything he does when, after
saying they are signing off but will be on the
air again in an hour, calls out with aggravat-
ing cheerfulness: "See you later!"

Pleasure Unique and Unexpected

ONCE in a while something so delightful
in its character and in its unexpected-
ness happens over the radio that one
forgets all the recent disappointments after
one tunes-in. The most delightful of such
experiences came when, upon tuning-in WEBH
at Chicago, this was heard:

"We are now about to make a very im-
portant announcement although it may re-
sult in your missing part of our program.
We want all of you who hear this to go to
your north windows and look out. You
will see the most beautiful aurora borealis
that has been seen for many years."

And it was even so. There, in the north-
ern sky, was one of nature's most wonderful
miracles. And many, thousands upon thou-
sands, no doubt, would have known nothing
about it if it had not been for the announcer
at WEBH. Some of us are still thanking him.

An Elephant Dancing Among Daisies

THE old saying about taking a sledge-
hammer to drive in a tack was recalled
when hearing a short time ago Men-
delssohn's fragile, light-footed "Spring Song"
played from station KFMX, at Northfield,
Minn., on a trombone. Why any trombone
player should choose such a number is be-
yond comprehension. An elephant trying to
dance among daisies without touching one
. . . that was how it sounded.

But there is no doubt that this particular
trombone player could give his listeners much
pleasure if he stuck to music that belongs
to his instrument. The fact that he man-
aged to cavort through the "Spring Song"
proves this.

DURING a visit of the Memphis baseball
team to Fort Worth the Rotary Boys'
Band of Memphis gave a program from WBAP.
the station operated by the Fort Worth Star-
Telegram. They played better than half of
the bands made up of adults, and here's con-

gratulations on their work! Whoever is their
director should also be congratulated. It was
a real joy to hear such legitimate, sincere play-
ing. And special mention should be made
of the tone quality of the various instruments.
For that, too, was unusually good.

IF, WHEN tuning-in a station it happens to
be the moment when the announcer is
speaking, one can tell almost instantly what
station it is, provided it has been tuned-in
before. For each announcer has a distinct
individuality. But it is next to impossible
to tell the station if music is going on when it
is tuned-in, for the reason that most of the
stations play the same things, night after
night, week after week, month after month.
But this state of things is going to change for
the better. Put this down as a prophecy, if
you wish. It is a safe prophecy.

THE frequency with which Edward Ger-
man's "Three Dances from Henry
VIII " are broadcast is sufficient testimony of
their popularity with radio audiences. These
charming pieces are especially well suited for
performance by small orchestras, such as are
maintained by radio stations; and the art
with which they are often played by many of
these orchestras speaks well for the performers.
It may interest listeners-in to know that
Edward German who was born in England in
1862 — was not named German at all, but
Smith. It was Sir Alexander Mackensie, the
British composer, who told the then young
Smith that he could become famous by any
other name, but never with the one he bore.
As he was of German descent on the maternal
side, Smith took the name by which he is now
known. While he composed many works, he is
now noted chiefly for his incidental music to
Shakespeare's plays.

THE Piggly Wiggly Girls who are heard
occasionally through KHJ, Los Angeles,
can put up a pretty good program when they
are so minded. There is an excellent violinist
among them; they have some good pianists;
and a number of the singers have more than
average voices, well trained.

THE men whose broadcasting is confined to
humorous monologues, or the telling of a
succession of jokes, must have about the most
difficult job of any among those who are regu-
larly heard over the microphone. That most
of them succeed in landing the point of the
humor, shows them to be experts.

Can "Static" Interference be
Eliminated?

Fertile Fields {or Radio Experiment to Make Receiving Free
From Natural Interference — Is Radio Development Tending
the Right Way? — Some Concrete Suggestions of Great Interest

BY WALTER FAN B. ROBERTS

THE season has just passed when our
radio sets frequently produce horrible
cracks and frying and tearing and
grinding sounds, to the more or less
complete destruction of any pleasure in listen-
ing to broadcasting. One can scarcely listen
to these barrages of
noise without trying
to figure out some
way to eliminate
them. It is proposed
to consider here just
what methods for re-
ducing this type of
interference are feas-
ible at present, and
also to make a few
guesses as to possible
future developments.
The most obvious
attack upon the prob-
lem is the increase of
power used by the
transmitting stations.
1 f we imagine that on
a certain day all
broadcasting stations
were to increase their
power tenfold, what
would be the result?
Evidently the owners

of receiving sets could reduce the size of their
antennae very considerably and still get the
same loudness of signals as formerly. On the
other hand the static noises would be much
weaker on account of the smaller antenna.
Interference between one station and another
would remain the same because the relative
strengths of the signals would not be changed
by increasing the power of all of them propor-
tionally. This increase of power is a very at-
tractive method for reducing static interfer-
ence and is being made and will very likely
continue to be made.

When an Expert Speaks

Walter Van B. Roberts is one of the ablest
writers on radio today, as many of the readers
of this magazine have often written us. He
recently joined the technical research staff
of the Radio Corporation of America at
their special laboratory at the College of the
City of New York. In this article, which is
easily one of the most interesting that has
appeared in any radio publication for a long
time, the author discusses what is truly one
of the most serious problems in radio.
"Static" is one natural force that the best
of radio engineers have had great difficulty in
mastering, and the end is not yet. The elim-
ination of static is a problem in which every-
one is interested and Mr. Roberts's presen-
tation of the problem and six definite sug-
gestions for development is extremely clear
in its technical phase and decidedly thought-
provoking. — THE EDITOR.

Meantime there is an independent precau-
tion that can be taken at the receiving end to
reduce interference. That is, to use a re-
ceiver that has the best possible selectivity.
There is a very definite limit to the selectivity
allowable in a receiving set used for voice or
music, for in order to
receive these it is
necessary to receive
equally well not
merely a single wave-
length or frequency,
while listening to a
given station, but a
"channel" of frequen-
cies about 10,000 cy-
cles (or 10 kilocycles)
wide. For example
suppose we wish to
listen to station woo
whose frequency is
given in the newspa-
pers as 590 kilocycles.
A receiving set that
is so selective as to
receive only this fre-
quency would not be
able to pick up voice
or music from woo.
The set should be
made so as to receive

equally well, and all at once, all frequencies
from about 585 to 595 kilocycles while listen-
ing to woo. Furthermore if the selectivity of
the set is to be the best possible, all frequen-
cies below 585 and all above 595 should, at
the same time, be completely rejected.

THE IDEAL RECEIVER

IN OTHER words the ideal receiver should
be like a slit or a door that opens only wide
enough to let in the desired music. (In
order to carry out this simile, we may say
that good quality music is about 10 kilocycles

242

Radio Broadcast

wide, while 4 kilocycles is as wide a range as
speech needs to be satisfactorily natural and
understandable). If the door is not opened
wide enough the "side bands" will be
"pinched" and the quality of the received
voice or music will suffer. On the other hand,
if the door is opened wider than necessary
there is just so much more room for the static
to get in. The super-heterodyne is the type
of receiver best adapted to yield the ideal
selectivity defined above, especially at short
wavelengths. In fact, practically speaking,
it can be said that probably no other type of
receiver can be made to come anywhere near
this ideal for waves shorter than three or four
hundred meters.

In connection with the advantage of the
best possible selectivity, it is interesting to
note a step taken by the American Telephone
and Telegraph Company in their recent
experimental transatlantic radio telephone
work. By using what is called "single side
band" transmission, the width of channel
required is cut in half, so that if the selectivity
of the receiver is correspondingly increased,
only one half as much static can get in as is the
case with the ordinary type of transmission.
This advantage is not the only one offered by
single side band transmission, but the difficul-
ties attendant in producing the single side
band, especially at short wavelengths, and the
difficulty of receiving music by this method,
prevent its general use for broadcasting at
present.

GREATER POWER AT THE SENDING END?

THE increase of power of the transmitter
and the increase of selectivity of the
receiver are unquestionably feasible methods
for reducing static interference. There are
however many ingenious inventors who will
not agree with the following rather sweeping
statement: Suppose that a typical broadcast-
ing station is working on a wavelength in the
ordinary range. Now suppose that some one
using any conventional type of antenna ex-
periences static interference while listening
to the broadcasting station. The statement
is, that no "filters," "traps," double modula-
tion schemes, or any other arrangements, no
matter how complicated, can ever do any more
toward reducing the interference than can be
done by simply making the selectivity of the
receiving set approach the ideal character
previously described. This is merely another
way of expressing the view that static can be
considered to be a mixture of disturbances
of identically the same nature as the signals,

and hence that the portion of these distur-
bances that acts like signals lying in a given
frequency range will inevitably be received
by any set that is receiving signals in this
frequency range.

WHY NOT CHANGE THE ANTENNA?

THE above statement might seem to in-
dicate that there can be no cure for the
trouble. However, there are several condi-
tions mentioned in the statement that suggest
new methods of attack. For instance, why
must we receive with a conventional type of
antenna? Why not devise a very "direc-
tional" antenna, that is, one that has to be
accurately pointed in the direction from which
the waves are coming? Such an antenna
would pick up only the small fraction of static
disturbances that acts like signals coming from
the same direction as the signals we want to
hear. The loop antenna has this directional
property to a rudimentary degree and hence
gives a slightly better signal-to-static ratio
than the usual open antenna. It is hoped
that the use of very short waves will make
possible antennae having very high "direc-
tional selectivity."

Again, why do we have to stick to the
ordinary range of wavelengths? It is natural
to expect the static interference to be worse
in some wavelength ranges than others,
and it may well be possible to work down to a
wavelength where the interference is negligi-
ble.

A NEW TYPE OF WAVE, PERHAPS

SO FAR we have met the enemy face to
face and combatted him in a straight-
forward fashion. It is not impossible however
that we might have been able to avoid doing
battle at all. For, upon finding that natural
causes were already ahead of us in producing
a certain type of electromagnetic disturbance,
we might have said to ourselves: "Very well
then, we will invent for our purpose some
other kind of disturbance, one that Nature
is not already producing, and thus insure that
we receive nothing except what we transmit."
As an example of possible experiments along
this line, we might try using horizontally
polarized waves; that is, waves turned over
on their sides, so to speak. Such waves are
emitted from a loop with its plane parallel
to the earth's surface. Another possibility
would be circularly polarized waves. These
are a little difficult to describe and it will be
enough to say that they are to an ordinary
wave what a corkscrew is to a wavy line, or a

Can "Static" Interference Be Eliminated?

243

, curl to a simple "wave" in the hair. In any
case the receiving set would have to be de-
signed not to receive the ordinary type of
wave at all. While the signal-to-static ratio
might very likely be improved by the use of
these particular types of waves, it is extremely
unlikely that complete freedom from static
would be attained.

UNDERGROUND TRANSMISSION

UNDER the general head of "avoiding
battle" comes the idea of transmitting
from one antenna entirely buried under the
earth to another similarly buried. Trans-
mission free from static has been reported by
some experimenters using this method. The
writer does not feel prepared to criticize the
possibilities of this method, and only ventures
to wonder whether the phenomenon of "total
reflection" could play any part in it.

Summing up the whole subject, we do not

see much hope of eliminating static absolutely,
but believe it to be readily possible to reduce
the interference to any desired degree by the
use of the methods (no two of which are mu-
tually exclusive) tabulated below in order of
practicability and importance:

1. Increase power of all transmitting sta-
tions.

2. Increase frequency selectivity of re-
ceivers to the limit imposed by quality con-
siderations.

3. Work in region of wavelengths that
experiment shall have shown to be freest from
interference.

4. Increase directional selectivity of re-
ceiving antennae.

5. Decrease necessary channel width by use
of single side band transmission.

6. Use some type of electro-magnetic wave
that is less used by Nature than the type now
used for broadcasting.

LIEUTENANT LOWELL SMITH
Acting Commander of the United States
Army World fliers, who recently completed
their 'round the world flight. Lieutenant
Smith is describing his experiences before
the microphone at station wcco, St. Paul-
Minneapolis, wcco was formerly known
as WLAG. At several cities, notably at
Boston and New York, when the fliers
arrived, greetings and speeches were broad-
cast to them in the air, and the answers
picked up by the microphones of a broad-
casting station on the ground and re-
broadcast to radio listeners

INDIRECT ADVERTISING

By radio is regularly achieved by this orchestra which plays popular and semi-classical numbers from
station WEAF, New York. It is the B. Fischer and Company Astor Coffee Orchestra. This company, one
of a considerable number now doing indirect advertising "on the air" pays a fee of a certain sum per minute
for the use of the broadcasting station as well as the salaries of the orchestra. Radio advertising is a new

field about which very little is known

How Will You Have Your
Advertising?

The Radio Advertising Problem is Similar to the Newspaper's — Should Ad-
vertising Be Permitted on the Air? — How Does the Public Like Ether Publicity

BY JAMES C. YOUNG

WHEN Mr. Householder hurries
home in the evening from a
day's work and sits down beside
his receiving set, his face does
not always reflect that peace and pleasure
that passeth all understanding, usually asso-
ciated with radio. He is likely to get in
touch with a station which has just announced
that, "Mr. Albert Wagh of the Baked Bean
Corporation of America will now describe the
scientific preparation of the bean, from pod
to pot."

This is publicity. Radio users throughout
the nation, a large percentage of American
advertisers, and all who come in contact with
the public mind, are wondering just how far

publicity can be carried in the field of radio.
On that question will depend the future de-
velopment of broadcasting, perhaps in a
broader measure than any other one consider-
ation. It is undeniable, of course, that no
particular reasons exist why broadcasting
stations should furnish a daily program of
entertainment to the American public without
any kind of compensation. Naturally these
stations derive a reflective prestige which
frequently is sufficient to warrant their main-
tenance, as in the case of department stores
and similar establishments. But the fact
remains undisputed that the man with a $5
receiving set is the one who enjoys the great-
est benefit.

How Will You Have Your Advertising?

245

How can the broadcaster be paid? So far
but one dependable method of return has
been evolved, and that method is publicity.
There are many shades of opinion as to what
the public thinks about this intimate associa-
tion of advertising and radio entertainment.
A majority of the men who have studied the
matter from the broadcaster's point of view as-
sume to believe that
the American radio
audience, represented
by three to five mil-
lion receiving sets,
does not particularly
care whether the pro-
grams it enjoys are
made available by di-
rect or indirect adver-
tising. But the state-
ments of radio follow-
ers themselves show
that there is a con-
siderable and growing
prejudice against the
type of program in
which the genesis and
descent of that baked
bean are discussed
too extensively.

One large station
that has broadcast
publicity with marked
success recently took
a poll on the problem
of publicity among

25,000 persons owning radio sets. The directors
of this station concluded that the quality of
entertainment was the determining factor in
bidding for the radio public's favor, rather
than the question of publicity. Just how
far that conclusion can be trusted is a matter
not easy to decide.

IS PUBLICITY ALL RIGHT IF VERY GOOD?

WITH a numerous group of broadcasters
accepting pay for the privileges of their
stations it is not difficult for them to become
convinced that the public has no strong objec-
tions to this practice. It even seems reason-
ably true that an excellent quality of enter-
tainment will go far to neutralize opposition
from listeners. If these matters are granted,
we still may doubt that the great average of
American radio followers will be content with
programs in which the flavor of advertising is
becoming steadily more perceptible.

The broadcaster may well ask how he can
obtain revenue by other means. That is a

Advt.

Of late, there has been considerable discussion
among radio listeners about advertising on
the air. We have heard much that is pro and
much con. There is a great group of the
radio audience who contend that if radio
programs are good in both content and
execution, it doesn't make any difference to
them if they are an advertising feature for
some firm or other. Others feel, among
them, the powerful American Radio Associa-
tion representing many listeners, that the air
should be free of all advertising. For many
years all periodicals have been required to
indicate that material appearing in news
columns which is advertising must be so
labelled. "Advt." has so become a very
familiar abbreviation to newspaper readers.
We think the question should be thoroughly
discussed, and the opinions of listeners
clarified and expressed, for that will make it
easier for all. RADIO BROADCAST will
publish some of the best letters received from
readers on this subject. — THE EDITOR.

phase of the situation closely allied with
publicity, but it is not the immediate subject
under discussion, nor can it be looked upon
as the weightiest factor in broadcasting. This
great enterprise has assumed a semi-public
character and the stations of the nation are
regarded as semi-public institutions, in the
same way that newspapers and periodicals
often become a vital
part in the life of the
times. If a newspa-
per or magazine, hon-
ored with the respect
and confidence of the
public, should so far
misconceive its mis-
sion as some radio
stations have been
known to do, the re-
sult could not be long
if it is a doubt. Broad-
casters of trained per-
ceptions admit this
view, and maintain
that every station
must stand or fall by
the rule of its own
conduct. That is an
excellent answer and
not improbably the
solution of publicity
in the air.

It is not an easy
matter to conduct a
broadcasting station.

Judging from the number of those who rush
in where the initiated tread with care, a wide
impression exists that the only requirements
for success are represented by a microphone
and a few entertainers. But the record of
survival indicates that broadcasting requires
something more. That something might be
called a large endowment of ingenuity, be-
cause the typical program director must be
ingenious indeed — if not a genius.

Within the last two years more than 1,000
government licenses have been issued to
broadcasting stations. At this moment but
535 are in operation, surely a prodigious num-
ber, but still these are a mere half of those
established in this short span of twenty-four
months.

What became of the others? That is one
of the unwritten chapters of radio, which
might afford much profit to those who con-
template entering upon the high adventure
of broadcasting. About sixty of the 535
surviving stations are now interlarding pub-

246

Radio Broadcast

licity with their usual programs. These sixty
stations are among the largest and best organ-
ized in the country, so it is a fair assumption
that the principal support of broadcasting
to-day comes from paid publicity.

ESSENTIALLY BROADCASTING IS PUBLICITY

THE definition of paid publicity is used
advisedly, for some of the men identified
with radio argue that the whole broadcasting
activity has been built upon the theory of
publicity, and maintain that the question
whether this publicity benefits a station or is
bought by some one using that station, does
not really matter.

But there is a difference between the kind
of publicity which a station obtains and the
sort that deals with baked beans at so much
a minute. The privilege of addressing a radio
audience is worth anywhere from $40 to $600
an hour, and the man who buys even ten
minutes will strive hard to sell something in
his allotted time.

This question of "selling something by
radio" is a particularly annoying thorn. No

matter how ably theories may be argued, it is
past dispute that the man who puts on his
slippers and lets his mind drift away with
radio, does not want to have a salesman's
patter drummed in his ears. The direct sales
appeal seldom is permitted by radio. Happily
that has been true in a large measure, but sell-
ing organizations everywhere are turning in-
tensive attention to the possibilities of radio
campaigns. The appeal to buy seeps through
the air more clearly every day. The man we
have imagined in his slippers always has the
opportunity to turn a dial and usher in an-
other thought, a privilege that he undoubtedly
uses to excellent advantage, but if there is
to be no intelligent check on publicity, the
day does not seem far distant when it will be
difficult to tune-in a program without un-
pleasant advertising features.

VARIOUS ARE THE USES OF PUBLICITY

THERE are many sorts of publicity.
Every one is familiar with the discourse
on baked beans and other subjects of the kind.
Then there is the variety of publicity which

THE RADIO STUDIO

May become as much a battleground for advertisers as the pages of the daily newspaper or the magazine.
There are those who contend that all broadcasting is advertising for someone, and that it is merely a question
of who shall be advertised and in what way. Secretary of Commerce Hoover says "the quickest way to kill
broadcasting would be to use it for direct advertising." In any event, it will be the listener who decides
whether or no he will countenance radio advertising of any sort. The photograph shows the studio of KGO

at Oakland

How Will You Have Your Advertising?

247

rami) followers themselves do not always recog-
njdic Upon the principle that ignorance is
bhsti this particular phase might seem beyond
obj^rtion. The man with a radio set will not
resent an announcement in which the name
of some New York hotel is called to his atten-
tion by the information that its orchestra will
now play for his edification. There has been a
lively competi-
tion lately among
hotel orchestras
of the metropolis
for this privilege,
and some of the
big hostelries are
paying monu-
mental fees in
order that their
names may be
associated in the
public minds
with superior
musical organiz-
ations.

This is public-
ity in its least
objectionable
form. Another
variety that
seems to pass
muster is the
address by some life insurance executive or
banking official who treats of matters which
lie close to the public interest. Usually the
only advertising consists in the linking of
names which join the company and the
speaker while thousands of persons pay
heed. Many of these radio addresses are so
well delivered that they represent a public
service rather than a private gain, no matter
how large that gain may be. Other addresses
are boresome to the point of drowsiness, but
it does not take long for the radio follower to
apply the proper and inevitable remedy.

Publicity falls into a third classification,
which is insiduous and subject to criticism,
the kind of publicity where the object of
the speaker is withheld, seeking by adroit
means to inveigle the public mind. An illus-
tration might be found in a number of ad-
dresses delivered not long ago on the subject
of a great water power development, for which
public support was needed. It may be ques-
tioned whether some of the stations concerned
recognized this theme as publicity, because it
bore none of the usual ear marks. Program
directors are ever on the alert against the man
v. ho endeavors to use their stations for public-

THE HAPPINESS BOYS

Give a weekly program from WEAF, New York, which is an ex-
cellent example of what many consider a quite inoffensive form
of indirect advertising. The only mention made of Happiness
Candy Stores, which they represent, is at the start and finish
of their half-hour program

ity without pay. Perhaps some of these water
power addresses were paid material; others
were not. But the way in which they cropped
up across the country left little doubt in the
minds of shrewd observers that interest in
water power served a broader purpose.

With the development of publicity we also
have had the introduction and rapid advance

of the radio pub-
licity agent. He
is now an estab-
lished institution
and likely to be-
come as colorful
a personality in
the field of radio
as he long since
became in the
domain of the
press. Indica-
tions are that he
will not have a
higher repute in
his new vocation
than he has had
in his old.

There is an-
other side to
radio publicity
which deals
frankly and
wholly with advertising in its customary and
recognized forms. It is said that some twenty
or twenty-five of the principal advertising
agencies now maintain departments which
deal exclusively with the sale of merchandise
by radio. Their methods are less subtle than
those of the publicity agent who organizes a
campaign which evolves around some public
question, such as the water power rights. But
let us assume that an advertising agent is re-
tained to make popular a particular kind of
silk. His first step would be to copyright some
attractive name for his merchandise. Then he
might send out a recognized fashion designer,
delivering talks across the country on the
charm of the season's new styles in silks, par-
ticularly that silk into which had been woven
the skillful threads of advertising.

It is within reason to believe that all of the
women who listened to one of these fashion
chats would find no fault with the advertising
flavor. One trained observer of public in-
clinations pointed out that women read the
daily bargain advertisements with as much
or more interest than any other section of the
daily press. Therefore, why not an equal
interest in styles by air?

Radio Broadcast

If the answer be, affirmative, it is only an-
other step to conclude that bargains by air
might be acceptable to a numerous section
of radio followers. This same man, who
knows all about the minds of women, even
ventured the suggestion that a time would
come when broadcasting stations could be
operated solely for the
purpose of announc-
ing sales and fashions
and such things.

Endeavoring for a
moment to look down
the opening vista of
time with the eyes of
this commercial
prophet it is interest-
ing to follow up the
suggestion. If a mail
order concern in Chi-
cago made a regular
Monday night an-
nouncement of special
buying opportunities,
it would be able to
reach a multitude in
ten states around, ac-
complishing in ten or
fifteen minutes with
the voice of one man
what would require
great organization
and the applied efforts
of many workers, by
any other means. Al-
though we may safely
conclude that this
broadcasting of bar-
gains lies somewhat
in the future, it is a
possibility not to be
lightly dismissed.

Broadcasting is

such a comparatively new field of endeavor
that its principles remain undefined and its
development must be yet measured. Much of
the uncertainty and many of the objectionable
qualities which characterize radio were pres-
ent in equal or greater measure when the auto-
mobile and moving picture industries first
began their amazing expansion. Wherever
there is haste and stress, there also must be
growing pains. But the lusty vigor of radio
and its broad application furnish abundant
guarantees that its difficulties will be solved.
. In the meanwhile the publicity agent is
busily engaged at his task. At least two
or three radio booking agencies have come

Herbert Hoover Says—

I believe that the quickest way to kill
^ broadcasting would be to use it for direct
advertising. The reader of the newspaper
has an option whether he will read an ad or
not, but if a speech by the President is to be
used as the meat in a sandwich of two patent
medicine advertisements, there will be no
radio left. To what extent it may be
employed for what we now call indirect
advertising, I do not know, and only the
experience with the reactions of listeners can
tell. 1 do not believe there is any practical
method of payment from the receivers. I
wish to suggest for consideration the possi-
bility of mutual organization by broadcasters
of a service for themselves similar to that
which the newspapers have for their use in
the press associations, which would furnish
programs of national events and arrange for
their transmission and distribution on some
sort of a financial basis, just as the press
associations gather and distribute news
among their members.

It may be that we cannot find a solution
at this moment, but I believe that one result
of this conference should not only be the
consideration of this question but the
establishment of a continuing committee for
its consideration."

— HERBERT HOOVER, Secretary of
Commerce, in his opening address to the
third annual radio conference in Washington.

into existence which undertake to *$fy js a
hearing for any particular kind of ba''5e-on ins
or some new fabric, by addresses a'ssv vher
devices employed from station to'ecsr.cion.
These booking agencies have worked out a
schedule on much the same principle as theatri-
cal agencies. A speaker leaving New York,
let us say, will travel
to Cleveland, then
Chicago, perhaps
Omaha, and so on to
the Coast, returning
by the Southern
route. He will "play
one night stands"
and allow a few days
between each address
so that the tenor of
his arguments do not
become too familiar.
This fall has wit-
nessed an interest in
radio never before ap-
proached. It is not so
long ago that observ-
ers asked if radio had
come to stay and
could maintain itself
as an entertainment
against the many
other forms of appeal
for public attention.
That question seems
trite now, although it
involved serious con-
sideration but a short
while ago. With the
new assurance that
radio has become a
definite part of Amer-
ican activity, men

who study publicity
and advertising in its

varied phases have centered their efforts upon
reaching the public mind by means of the mi-
crophone. And they are succeeding in a degree
which opens to the broadcasters an immediate
and incalculably rich source of revenue. Shall
we blame the broadcaster for extending his
hand to those who urge pay upon him when
he has no other means of obtaining a return?
Certainly this presents a case where the broad-
caster must be more than human to decline.
Once more the ethical and the practical clash.
The American newspapers formerly were
blighted with the same sort of shadow
that hangs over radio. Almost any average
newspaper of fifteen or twenty years ago was

How Will You Have Your Advertising?

crammed with advertisements of patent
medicines, liquor of many sorts, and other
questionable advertising material. Then pub-
lic sentiment and the perception of publishers
began to raise up a barrier which has become
higher than any man might have hoped.
Whiskey advertisements were the first to feel
this influence. Regardless of the virtues or
lack of virtue involved in prohibition, senti-
ment agreed that the widespread advertising
of whiskey was a bad thing. Even before
prohibition, it was unusual to find such ad-
vertisements in the best papers. Patent
medicine advertisements are disappearing.
The really representative institutions of the
American press exercise a more rigorous cen-
sorship over their advertising columns than
any public agency could possibly put in effect.
The lowly bill-board is hard pressed for its
very life.

Along with the change in advertising came
a decided improvement in editorial columns.
The noxious "reading notice" of yesterday is
almost unknown now, not only because of an
ethical advance, but for the excellent reason
that Congress passed a Federal statute re-
quiring every paid article or card to be plainly
marked advertisement. That law, which was
stoutly contended against by many publishers,
proved one of the wholesome influences
brought to bear on American journalism.

To-day the question is asked if radio broad-
casters should not be subject to some similar
restrictions. What could be lost by a Federal
statute that would compel announcers to
specify advertising features on their program?
This need not take an offensive form, no more
than the word advertisement at the top of a
newspaper column prevents readers from
perusing its contents.

We are a nation of advertisement readers.
Advertising long since emerged from the day
when it had anything to conceal. Men who
value highest the prestige and future of radio
have taken note of this similarity and the"
question is one that will be repeated oftener —
why not plainly label each program number
that deals with advertising? Then the ques-
tion of faith between the broadcasters and
the public would be effectively settled.

There is distinguished opinion on the side of
permitting radio advertising to find its own
level. Secretary of Commerce Herbert C.
Hoover is one of the men who inclines to this
view. In a conversation not long ago with
Paul B. Klugh, Executive Chairman of the
National Association of Broadcasters, Mr.
Hoover repeated previous statements that he

saw no reason for a censorship of radio pub-
licity.

QUICK REACTION FROM POOR PROGRAMS

IT HAS been the experience of broadcasters
that the public interest centers on the kind
of entertainment provided, regardless of ad-
vertising," said Mr. Klugh. "If any station
permits an advertiser to broadcast poor enter-
tainment, both the station and the advertiser
suffer. There never is much question about
the reaction from a campaign of this sort.
When uninteresting and badly devised, the
station which permits it to go on will not be
slow in hearing from followers. Methods of
measuring this public reaction to any kind of
appeal have become so definitely fixed that
we may safely leave the problem of radio
publicity in the public's hands.

"Personally I see no reason why radio
publicity should be objectionable merely be-
cause it is publicity. There may be causes of
specific complaint, but it is certain that no
worthwhile station would permit questionable
material to be radiated, once the character of
this material had been established.

"Broadcasting stations are becoming so
jealous of their reputation that they closely
scan every number on their programs. Should
any of these numbers offend public taste, the
stations themselves would be the quickest and
surest sufferers.

WENDELL HALL

A radio entertainer who is nationally known. He

has appeared from many stations in all parts of the

country accomplishing "indirect advertising" for the

National Carbon Company

250

Radio Broadcast

" It is not enough to avoid offence; a station
must always command the interest of a multi-
tude, and we may be certain that this command
is impossible when advertising material be-
comes uninteresting. There is no audience
more exacting than that which sits at home
with perhaps a dozen radio stations in easy reach.
I think we need have no fear that programs
will tend to the boresome or questionable so
long as a man need but shift a dial to change
his entertainment. It seems to me that the

PAUL B. KLUGH

Executive Chairman, National Associa-
tion of Broadcasters. Many of the asso-
ciated broadcasters of this organization
will accept radio bookings of artists or
speakers who are employed to appear be-
fore the microphone in one of the various
forms of indirect advertising now going
out on the air. Mr. Klugh believes that
a certain form of indirect advertising will
be quite acceptable to the listener

law of preservation and the unfailing exercise
of public choice will serve to control radio
publicity better than any other means we
could devise."

But in any case, the listener-in himself will
decide the fate of radio advertising. In this
matter as in many others, it takes a consider-
able time for the feelings of the public to be
definitely manifested. It is often difficult even
to know exactly what the proper interpretation
of "the public reaction" is.

BROADCAST is interested to know what
its readers think of the question Mr. Young
has so ably treated. A few of the best letters ex-
pressing a reasoned opinion will be published in
later numbers of this magazine. Address your
letters to THE EDITOR.

PRESIDENT COOLIDGE

And Secretary of Commerce, Herbert Hoover, in the grounds of the White House. President Coolidge is
addressing the members of the Third Annual Radio Conference. The President described the advance-
ment of radio as "one of the most astonishing developments in the history of science." He said radio offers
the Government one of the greatest problems it has had to face, and that little change would be made in
present policies. There would be no monoply of the air, he declared

THE MARCH OF RADIO

President, Institute of Radio Engineers

What the Hoover Conference Did

THOSE who like to criticize Cabinet
officers in the present Republican ad-
ministration seem to have avoided
Herbert Hoover, the able Secretary
of Commerce. Almost everyone feels that
Secretary Hoover has done an excellent job.
And few groups feel that more strongly than
the radio folk. Mr. Hoover has been in office
during one of the most difficult times possible
from the point of view of radio. During the

early months of his office, broadcasting began
with the licensing of the station of the Detroit
News, wwj, and KDKA, 'the Westinghouse
station at East Pittsburgh. Troubles and
complications and problems of all kinds de-
scended upon the Department of Commerce
thick and fast from then on. The best tribute
it is possible to pay Mr. Hoover and his sub-
ordinates in office is that they have managed
radio affairs with the least possible friction and

252

Radio Broadcast

RADIO ABOARD THE ZR~3

The Zeppelin, which the Reparations Commission
allotted to the United States Government. She re-
cently completed the 5,060 mile flight from Fried-
richshafen to Lakehurst in eighty one hours. The
great ship is 660 feet long. Her radio equipment,
shown in the photograph, consists of a 200 watt tube
transmitter for cw and telephone, operating on 1510
meters. The fan antenna is
dropped through the deck of the
forward gondola, where the
radio apparatus is located. The
wires, each 400 feet long and
weighted at the end, form a
ian, as the insert of the ship
shows

a great deal of tact. The regulation of radio is
a complicated matter indeed.

For the last three years, there has been an
annual conference to discuss and make definite
recommendations about radio, called under the
auspices of the Department of Commerce.
Here, the lambs and the wolves have laid down
together, bitter enemies have watched each
other, pleasantly enough, across the quieting
green baize of the conference table, and prog-
ress in the radio field has been constructively
guided. The Department of Commerce radio
regulations have very largely been formed
from the wise suggestions of these conferences.

The Third Annual Radio Conference at
Washington this year was as widely attended
as those which preceded it, and although it is a
bit early to draw conclusions, we think it
accomplished quite as much if not more than
the first two.

A brief summary of the recommendations of
the Conference follows:

The amateurs are to be given a new series
of wave bands, somewhat lower than those to
which they are at present entitled. They are
to be permitted to operate continuously, for
it is believed that such operation will in no way

interfere with other ser-
vices. The amateur showed
his willingness to cooper-
ate by volunteering to
abolish the use of spark
transmitters and discourag-
ing the use of oscillating
receivers within the broad-
cast range. The latter is
particularly important be-
cause it means that inter-
ference from squealing re-
ceivers will not exist so far as
the amateur is concerned
on the short waves to be
used for rebroadcasting.
Ship transmitting waves are to be pushed up
beyond the broadcast zone, and thus another
form of severe interference has been greatly
reduced. A general revision of the licenses for
various types of broadcasting stations will, it is
believed, result in a great improvement in
broadcasting conditions.

Perhaps no one decision of the conference
was more important, or considered more
thoroughly, than the proposal to establish
super-power broadcasting stations in several
parts of the country which should be capable of
broadcasting important events to all parts of
the country simultaneously. There was so
much feeling in favor and so much opposition
to this proposal that a compromise was
effected. This provided that any individual
or company may apply for a license for
such a station. The license will be an ex-
perimental one and is immediately revoc-
able by the Department of Commerce if
such a station interferes with any service
already existing.

Such an experiment is of great importance.
Several companies are ready to undertake it at
once. Super-power and the victory or defeat
of a group of influential radio men now hangs

The March of Radio

253

in the balance. By all means let us have a
fair trial and judgment of the case on its merit
alone.

These are the most important recommenda-
tions of the Conference. Their crystalliza-
tion and enforcement now lies with the radio
service of the Department of Commerce.
Most of the detail work yet remains to be done.
And it is left to a pitifully undermanned and
pitifully underpaid department to do. The
radio service of the Department of Commerce
has done marvels when one considers the
handicaps under which they have always
worked. Congress has steadily refused to
make any appropriations other than those
covering the bare necessities of operation.
The entire personnel of the radio service has
been for a period of years taxed beyond its
strength.

If no other good results from this latest
conference, it is to be hoped that there
will have been spread about a greater ap-
preciation for the level-headed, highly con-
scientious, far sighted men in the Depart-
ment of Commerce and the Bureau of
Standards.

Aside from the technical findings of the
Conference, which were much more involved
than those considered at any previous confer-
ence, there was one outstanding beneficial
result. Radio men and women from all sec-
tions of the land met and ironed out their
difficulties and got away to a new start. In
this respect, the Third Radio Conference
was strikingly successful.

amateurs who have been experimenting with
short waves agree that we know but little
about their proper use. One of the principal
reasons for the increasing popularity of such
experimenting is unquestionably due to the
fact that much publicity has resulted from the
experimental broadcasting on the shorter
waves by the Westinghouse and the General
Electric Companies. As a result of this
publicity there has been a demand on the part
of listeners-in to procure receivers capable of
receiving these broadcasts for which many
startling claims have been made.

Following this demand there has been the
usual group of short-sighted manufacturers
who have endeavored to "cash in" upon the
demand. The simplest form of receiver for
such operation is the common regenerator —
with a few slight alterations — which has come
in for so much condemnation in these columns
because it not only is a receiver, but a very
good transmitter when operated in its most
sensitive condition.

In short wave broadcasting, we saw a means
of sending programs to a group of stations, if
proper facilities could be arranged. These
broadcasts could then be picked up and re-
broadcast on the waves we are accustomed to
employ. Indeed, the experiments conducted
by the two corporations to which we have re-
ferred have proved this to be so. But we
foresaw in the ordinary type of regenerative
receiver a menace even greater than when
used on the regular broadcast waves. For this

Short Waves Should
Be Conserved

THE world's record for
long distance commu-
nication was broken by
a pair of amateurs, a Cali-
fornian and a New Zealander,
a short time ago. They car-
ried on intercommunication
at a distance of 6,900 miles
for more than an hour em-
ploying short waves. There
is something of more import-
ance in the accomplishment
of this remarkable feat than
appears on the surface —
something' more than the
mere fact that a new record
has been set up.

Most engineers and
most of the experienced

RUSSELL AND STUART HOBART

Of Roslindaie. Massachusetts, outside of their amateur station i AAR
from which they recently communicated with amateurs in the Nether-
lands.

254

Radio Broadcast

THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS IN SESSION

At Geneva. The President of the Swiss Federated Republic is presiding over the meeting of the General
Assembly. Four microphones can be distinctly seen on the rostrum from which the proceedings were sent

out for the first time

reason no "how-to-make-it" articles in RADIO
BROADCAST describing one of these abomina-
tions appear.

Let us be more explicit. Nearly everyone
who has listened-in on a radio receiver has at
one time or another had a good concert ruined
by some improperly operated oscillating re-
ceiver, operated in his vicinity. In this case
the interference from the offending receiver is
confined to the neighborhood in which it is
operated, which is bad enough. Where short
waves are used in place of wires to carry a
concert from one point to another where it is
to be rebroadcast, it is but necessary to have
one such improperly operated receiver com-
pletely to ruin reception for those, not only
in the immediate vicinity of the offender, but
for all served by the station doing the re-
broadcasting.

It was not until we could perfect a receiver
capable of efficient operation on short waves
without causing interference that we would
publish any instructions for building receivers
with which the short wave broadcasts could
be picked up. It is particularly gratifying to
us, therefore to have designed the receiver
with which this remarkable record was made.

Perhaps some of those readers who were some-
what disgruntled at our deliberate refusals to
give them the information on such receivers
they sought most diligently will now appreci-
ate the reason for our stand. If they do not,
we feel perfectly happy in having endeavored
to serve the greatest number to the best of our
ability. Needless to say we are deeply grate-
ful to Mr. W. B. Magner, the Californian who
made the record with the Roberts short wave
two-tube receiver described by Zeh Bouck in
our August number.

Farmers Really Use Radio

WE HAVE often speculated on the
farmer's use of radio, assuming that
market reports and similar news
items over the radio channel must be of real
value to him. Thus far the farmer has not
been very effusive in expressing his apprecia-
tion of the "farmer's radio channel." A news
item from Milwaukee states that the farmers
in the neighboring section have banded to-
gether to prevent the erection of electric power
lines through their property, claiming that the
presence of the high power wires "would make

The March of Radio

255

it almost impossible for them to receive market
reports and other news by radio because of
interference." One must certainly conclude
from this apparently dependable report that
the farmers in this section at least are making
real use of the news which radio is disseminat-
ing.

The Narrow Radio Ruling of the
Insurance Companies

THE fire insurance companies have taken
cognizance of radio installations by at-
taching a radio permit to their policies.
We have just received the one attached to
policies issued under the New York Fire In-
surance Rating Organization, and note with
interest one of its clauses. After stipulating

HENRY FORD'S MARINE RADIO

EQUIPMENT

Aboard the SS. Benson Ford at dock in
River Rouge, Michigan. The ship is one
of two, built to carry bulk cargo to and
from the Ford Detroit plants. Onthe dock
can be seen gondola freight cars of the D.
T. & I., the Ford railroad. The Benson
Ford is equipped with a 500 watt RCA cw
transmitter, operating on 600, 706, 909,
and 1875 meters. KFTC is also equipped
with a radio compass which the photo-
graph shows installed on the bridge. Both
the new Ford ships use radio telephone as
well as the telegraph. The master of either
ship can talk directly from his cabin to
any other ship within range by telephone

256

Radio Broadcast

— Nicholas Muray
KARL BICKEL
— New York City; President, the United Press

"Inch by inch radio is edging into the business
of news distribution. This was never so
graphically illustrated as in connection with the
Democratic National Convention. Extra editions
rushed from New York to suburban towns
carrying the jist ballot would reach the newsstand
just as the complete report of the 8oth ballot was
coming over the loud speaker. The editions were
old before they arrived.

" The results of big sports contests are now
known instantaneously via radio. However, in
spite of these instances, I do not believe the news-
papers have much to fear. But radio can never
give the complete news report of the day as the
newspapers can give it.

"Radio is an imperative thing. Unlike the
newspaper, it cannot be laid aside and picked up
in a moment of leisure. You miss the event if you
are not at the loud speaker as it is being broadcast.
And even then you get only the fact. The
newspapers are read for color and interpretation.
With big news being flashed by radio, newspaper
publishers will no longer have the obligation of
going extra to give the public the news. More
time and effort can be spent on improving details
and interpreting the facts.

"Press associations will not enter the radio
field by erecting their own broadcasting stations
for the distribution of news in the immediate
future. Popular radio telephony is still an
infant industry of only three years' growth and
has by no means exhausted the possibilities of its
development."

that the policy does not cover personal in-
jury from electrical apparatus, etc., a war-
ranty states that "the source of energy shall
be only from primary or storage batteries."

One could almost believe that this clause
was written at the request of the battery

manufacturers. We are extremely irritated
by this clause, for it seems to penalize ad-
vances in the art. The idea of depending
upon batteries for the power to run a radio
receiver when electric power is used in a house
for lighting, is really very absurd from the
engineering point of view. We have con-
tinually advocated the use of suitable rectify-
ing outfits so that the power may be obtained
from the light socket, with the view of stimu-
lating the inventive genius of the country
along these lines, and now the insurance com-
panies have put themselves in the position of
penalizing such devices!

There is no reason in the world why these
rectifying outfits, properly designed, built,
and installed, should be discriminated against.
We certainly hope the ill-advised insurance
companies will eliminate the progress-im-
peding clause from their policies.

The Chicago Municipal Radio Com-
mission

FEELING that the conditions in the
broadcasting game in Chicago were
not as satisfactory to the average
listener as they should, and might, be,
Chicago's mayor has appointed a committee
of representative technical and business men
to study the problem and hand in to him their
findings and recommendations. The idea of
forming such a commission belongs to Frank
Reichmann, president of the Reichmann Co.
He has felt that such a commission might
do much to control the possible censoring
of broadcast stations, and to arouse and
crystalize public opinion against oppressive
local legislation having to do with radio mat-
ters. Of course no real power can be as-
sumed by such a commission. Its function
is entirely advisory. The control of radio
must necessarily come under the Federal
Government, as it surely is "interstate traffic."
Some municipalities have enacted statutes
which purport to dictate on radio matters
insofar as their community is concerned, but
such statutes are probably of no real impor-
tance.

Speaking of the work this Chicago com-
mission will undertake, the minutes of its
first meeting conclude "Another important
reason for a radio commission is the fact that
in the last few years practically every form of
popular entertainment enjoyed by the people
has been subject to attack from small min-
ority groups, who seek to regulate by sump-
tuary law every minute of our lives from the

The March of Radio

257

cradle to the grave. A commission operating
efficiently can shield the radio listener and
the broadcaster from these attacks and can
do a great deal to prevent oppressive legisla-
tion."

Broadcasting is Publishing

MUCH has been said lately about the
use of a broadcasting station for
_ advertising purposes. The majority

of listeners, we think, vehemently protest
against listening to purely advertising pro-
grams. It seems as though advertising in
some form or other must be indulged in by
broadcasting stations until some better meth-
od of raising an income is devised. Looking
for an analagous situation, the newspaper at
once appeals to us as having a similar problem.
We buy a newspaper primarily to get the news,
but unless the paper carries a great deal of
advertising we would have to pay probably

ten times the present price to get the news
The advertising of any paper or magazine
pays for a very large share of its operating
expense and unless a broadcasting station is
suitably endowed we must naturally expect to
get quite a lot of advertising in its pro-
grams.

The listener however, isn't really as badly off
as the last sentence might lead one to believe,
because radio advertising must be of a high
order of merit, for otherwise no one will
listen to the station. The reaction is sure to
be just the same as was exhibited by a mo-
torist whose view of a beautiful wooded valley
was completely shut off by a glaring sign
purporting to give the merits of Pinnacle
Oil for engines. " Damn the company that
puts up signs like that to cut off such beautiful
landscapes, said he. "I'll never buy any of
their oil, no matter how good it is."

It sometimes happens, however, that one
has to listen-in to a program which is quite

RADIO WITH THE SCRANTON "TIMES"

During the World's Series games. The insert shows the electric Scoreboard which was operated simul-
taneously with the radio loud speakers. When the Navy dirigible Shenandoab flew over Scranton recently,
the Times radio station, WQAN, was in communication with the ship for more than two hours

Radio Broadcast

evidently advertising matter, yet the an-
nouncer has said nothing to that effect in
introducing the number. One at once feels
he is being hoodwinked — something is being
"put over." The reaction of the listener to
such material is just opposite to that which the
advertiser is endeavoring to arouse, so that
advertising of this nature is likely to be prac-
tised to an ever diminishing extent. The
listeners themselves, we think, are apt to be
the court of last resort.

Another phase of the question is however
brought to the front by a paragraph in the
"Topics of the Times" in New York Times,
drawing an analogy between advertising over
the radio channel and by means of the press.
It is illegal for a newspaper to put advertising
material in its columns without so designating
it, and there is no reason at all why the same
rule could not apply to radio. In the words
of the editorial writer, "Broadcasting cer-
tainly is publishing, and all publishing should
be honest. Newspapers, or at any rate some

WGY ON WHEELS

This small truck is equipped with a low powered short wave transmitter
which picks up programs from churches and public halls. The main
station at WGY picks up these signals and they are radiated in the regular
manner. The small transmitter takes the place of the usual telephone
line connection between the outside hall and the broadcasting station

newspapers, including one which modesty
prevents mentioning, did not wait for the law
to speak on this subject but put "advertise-
ment" over all advertisements not obviously
that, to every eye. That virtuous example,
the broadcasters would do well to imitate
voluntarily. The sooner they do it, the less
likely will they be to suffer later from regula-
tions that will be really burdensome.

Bureau of Standards Finishes Tests

THE Bureau of Standards has just
brought to a close a series of tests
which it organized with the idea of
ascertaining as much as possible about fading,
interference, effects of weather, etc. Some
200 observers located at varying distances,
from the two stations chosen for transmitting
(KDKA and WLAG, now wcco) turned into the
Bureau about 50,000 observations. These
observations are to be tabulated and classified,
and it is hoped they will throw some light on
the complex problem of
radio transmission.

A task of this kind en-
tails a tremendous amount
of work on the small and
hard working radio staff of
the Bureau, and we cannot
but express our apprecia-
tion of their work in the
interests of radio progress.
The standard frequency
transmission schedules in-
augurated and carried out
by the Bureau are, in our
opinion, a genuine contri-
bution to radio develop-
ments and we are glad to
voice the thanks of the
millions of BCL's for that
useful service.

Radio and the World
Flight

OUR world encircling
planes have recently
completed their
27,000 mile flight and are
receiving the congratula-
tions they so well deserve.
Besides the intrepidity of
the air men themselves,
many factors contributed
greatly to the success
of the experiment, not

The March of Radio

259

the least of which was the radio channels
with which the airmen were continually
in touch. When crossing the northern part
of the Pacific, the radio problem was of
extreme importance. As almost everyone
knows, the weather conditions here are con-
tinually unsettled and the danger threatening
a lost aviator is very imminent. In just this
part of the world, there is precious little radio
equipment, for between Dutch Harbor in
America, and Japan, there is not a single radio
station.

To the Coast Guard cutter Haida, and her
radio staff fell the burden of carrying on the
radio traffic required by the planes during
this, the most perilous part, of their route.
In a recent report from the radio officer of
the Haida, we read a fascinating story of the
technical difficulties which the task entailed,
and of the great importance of the radio
channels he maintained in operation. As he
says:

Radio was imperative and vital to the success
of the flight. There were three principal reasons.

First, the planes were hopping from 300 to 700
miles in a jump. It was necessary to know the
weather conditions along the line of flight. These
conditions had to be known early in the morning so
that the flight could start as soon as possible.

Second, if one plane fell during a hop, the other
planes were to proceed to the nearest radio station
and drop a note telling about the accident. This
made it possible to send assistance within a very
short time.

Third, publicity. The flight would have been of
little value if the people of the United States were
not informed of its progress. This news was wanted
by all the various news organizations of the country.
Radio was the means of getting the news over.

The log of the Haida graphically relates how-
well these three ends were met, and reflects
great credit upon her staff.

Radio Movies Are Not Yet

IF WE can believe some of the news items
dealing with station WMAF, operated as
a pastime by Col. Green, remarkable
developments are being carried on there. More
than $500,000, we learn, has been spent by
the Colonel on his radio hobby, and that he is
riding it hard at present is indicated by the
fact that he has borrowed three radio experts
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technol-
ogy to experiment for him at his South Dart-
mouth station.

According to his secretary, this wealthy
radio amateur is working on the problem of
projecting moving pictures by radio. It is

only a few weeks past that we were congratu-
lating those inventors who have succeeded in
transmitting still pictures by radio, but even
so, the transmission is still far from perfect.
It takes several minutes now to transmit a
"still." How, then, can the Colonel project
moving pictures, which must flash on and off
the screen about twenty times a second? With
lots of experts and lots of money to buy ap-
paratus and facilities, the Colonel may go far

U.S.C.G. "HAIDA

In the Bering Sea service, whose radio equipment,

ably operated, was of enormous service to the Army

World Fliers when they crossed to Japan

in the experimental game; that he is even at-
tempting movies by radio would lead one to
conjecture that his workers have discovered
a process a thousand times as rapid and effec-
tive as that announced by the press with glee
only a short time past. As no details of the
scheme were given out, in the interview re-
ported, we can make no judgment at all re-
garding its reliability.

Interesting Things Interesting
People Say

A RTHUR CAPPER (United States Senator
•* from Nebraska; in an interview in Printer's
Ink) : " It seems almost superfluous to comment on
the obviously demoralizing and deceptive practise
of broadcasting disguised indirect advertising for
which the radio station has received a fee. For
some years now it has been illegal for a newspaper
or magazine to publish anything in paid-for space
without indicating unmistakably that the matter is
paid advertising. The laws were passed because the
practise of disguising advertising as "reading
notices" or news matter was considered an imposi-
tion on the public and a deception. And the broad-
casting of paid-for indirect advertising without a
clear statement of the fact at the beginning of every

260

Radio Broadcast

©Henry Miller

HERBERT HOOVER

Washington; Secretary of Commerce

"In the whole history of scientific discovery
there has never been a translation into popular use
so rapid as radio telephony. So late as the year
before I became Secretary of Commerce there were
no broadcasting stations. At the end of four
years, 530 are in operation, making radio
available to every home in the country. The
sales of radio apparatus have increased from a
million dollars a year to a million dollars a day.
It is estimated that more than 200,000 men are now
employed in the industry, and the radio audience
probably exceeds twenty millions of people.

" Let us not forget that the value of this great
system does not lie primarily in its extent or even
in its efficiency. Its worth depends on the use
that is made of it. It is not the ability to transmit
but the character of what is transmitted that really
counts. Our telephone and telegraph systems are
valuable only insofar as the messages sent from
them contribute to the business and social inter-
course of our people. For the first time in human
history we have available to us the ability to
communicate simultaneously with millions of our
fellowmen, to furnish entertainment, instruction,
widening vision of national problems and
national events. An obligation rests on us
to see that it is devoted to real service and to develop
the material that is transmitted into that which is
really worth while. For it is only by this that the
mission of this latest blessing to humanity may be
rightly fulfilled."

message that the speaker has paid for the privilege
of broadcasting, is no less a deception and an
imposition as far as the public is concerned."

LJERBERT H. FROST (Chicago; President,
* *• the Radio Manufacturers' Association):
" Between the time we first decided on the Associa-
tion and the time we had effected the permanent
organization, we had to go through the tax fight in

Washington. The proposed tax of ten per cert.,
collected at the source, would have meant an
increase of more than twenty per cent, to the
consumer and would have cost the manufacturers
many thousands of dollars in accounting, etc.
That fight taught us that the interests of the
manufacturer, the listener, and the broadcaster are
identical. We are organized, the listeners are
organizing, and so will the broadcasters. Then all
can work together with the other elements in the
industry to prevent these attacks."

JOSEPH M. LEVIN E (New York City; Presi-
J dent, the Hunts Point Hospital): "We have
spent a half million dollars in making this in-
stitution the most modern of its kind in the Bronx
district. Its equipment, from the operating rooms
down through the entire plant, is the most modern
and scientifically perfect obtainable. And yet, 1
do not believe that there is a single modern feature
that can compare, in its ultimate effects for good
upon the patients, with the radio installation."

CEDERAL JUDGE KNOX (New York City;
* in his decision in the case of Jerome H. Remick
Co., vs. the General Electric Co.): "So far as the
practical results are concerned, the broadcaster of
the authorized performance of a copyrighted
musical selection does little more than the mechanic
who rigs an amplifier or loud speaker in a large
auditorium to the end that persons in remote
sections of the hall may hear what transpires on its
stage. Such broadcasting merely gives the per-
former a larger audience and is not to be regarded as
a separate and distinct performance of the copy-
righted composition on the part of the broadcaster.
"When allowance is made for the shrieks, howls,
and sibilant noises attributable to static and
interference, the possessor of a radio receiving set
attuned to the station of the broadcaster of an
authorized performance hears only the selection as
it is rendered by the performer. The performance
is one and the same whether the listener-in be at the
elbow of the leader of the orchestra playing the
selection, or at a distance of a thousand miles."

F\AVID SARNOFF (New York City; Vice-
*-^ President and General Manager, Radio
Corporation of America): "There is not to be
found abroad the same freedom from censorship and
restriction which exists here. For example, in
England, where freedom of speech has been such a
heralded tradition, political broadcasting is for-
bidden over the radio stations, which are all con-
trolled by the British Post Office. In other European
countries, Governmental regulations and restric-
tions are even more severe. Radio freedom . . .
enjoyment, and instructive information is available
to all in the United States. "I endeavored to in-
terest the British, French, and German broadcasters
in the idea of increasing the power of their sending
stations, so that the programs of London, Paris, and
Berlin might be easily heard by the American lis-
tening public. . . Much interest was shown in
these proposals, and I believe that an era of trans-
oceanic broadcasting is near at hand/'

STABILIZING THE THREE-TUBE KNOCK-OUT

THE multi-tube reflex receiver, while
opening unusual possibilities in ef-
ficiency per tube, unfortunately in-
creases the tendency toward insta-
bility and howling. This tendency is notice-
able in the three-tube knock-out receiver
described in the February, 1924, issue of RADIO
BROADCAST which is fundamentally the one-
tube knock-out reflex plus two stages of
transformer-coupled audio amplification. In
the original set, a stabilizing condenser and
shielding were resorted to in an endeavor to
eliminate the squealing that was particularly
evident when the dials were approached for
tuning. Though these precautions are effec-
tive when the adjustments are made by an
expert, many of our less experienced readers
were unsuccessful in their efforts to stabilize
the set.

More recent experiments in the R. B. LAB
have efficiently stabilized this three-tube
arrangement by substituting one stage of re-
sistance-coupled amplification for the final step
of transformer coup-
ling. Non - inductive
resistanc e-coupled
amplification is fun-
damentally more
stable than either
transformer or impe-
dance coupled intens-
ification owing to the
practical elimination
of inductance (the
many turn iron core

windings) which is
directly and indirectly
responsible for most
of the feedback and

What the Lab Offers You This Month

Hints on Stabilising the Three-Tube Knock-
Out Receiver.

A Soldering Iron for Delicate Work.

An Example of De Luxe Cabinet Construc-
tion.

Light on an Electrical Putfle in the Filament
Circuit.

Some New Ideas in Spider Web Coil Con-
struction.

Building Your Own Lab.

Other Items of Laboratory Interest.

resulting howling in the two last named sys-
tems of amplification.

The substitution of resistance-coupled
amplification also results in noticeably im-
proved quality. Volume, though still very
satisfactory, is naturally less than the output
of a straight transformer-coupled amplifier.
The circuit of the improved arrangement is
shown in Fig. t. The inductances Ti and T2
are those described many times and recom-
mended for single-tube reflex receivers.
Briefly, they consist of secondaries wound with
sixty-two turns of about No. 22 wire on a two
and a half inch form. The primaries are
wound over the secondaries with an insulating
layer of paper between. The primary of Ti
is wound with sixteen turns of No. 22 wire, and
that of T2 with thirty-six turns of the same
conductor. T3 and T4 is any efficient ampli-
fying transformer, preferably of a medium
ratio, such as four to one. A C or bias
battery of one and a half to three volts is
recommended in the grid return of the first
stage of external
audio amplification.

The crystal detec-
tor used in the set
under discussion is a
Pyratek fixed crystal,
but may be any other
reliable make.

The coupling con-
denser C4 is a .006
mfd. Micadon, and
the coupling-resistor
has a resistance of
one hundred thousand
ohms. This last may
conveniently be either

262

Radio Broadcast

a Daven resistor, or a Crescent Lavite. With
almost all tubes the grid leak should have a
value of fifty thousand ohms.

In the set illustrated in Fig. 2, a Daven
resisto-coupler was employed in rebuilding
the final stage. The resisto-coupler clips the
two resistances and the coupling condenser
into a single unit which is connected exactly
in the same manner as the transformer, the
posts being marked P, B, G and F — thus per-
mitting the change to be made in less than five
minutes.

A potential of 135 volts was used, in the
R. B. LAB, on the plates of the uv-2Oi-A
tubes. If the voltage is under one hundred,
an additional 45 volt battery is recommended
to be included in the plate circuit of the
resistance-coupled amplifier at X.

Panel layouts and a more detailed exposition
of constructional data on this receiver will be
found in past numbers of RADIO BROADCAST —
particularly the February issue.

At the same time the experiments described
were being made, a final stage of impedance-
coupled amplification was also attempted with
similar hopes of eliminating feedback and
squeal. These last experiments, however,
were unsuccessful, for resistance-coupling
proved the more effective prevention.

SOME POINTS ON DELICATE SOLDERING

DELICATE soldering, and soldering in
places inaccessible to a large iron are
trying feats that continually confront the
radio experimenter, and are best accomplished

with a small, specially designed light iron.
Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate a soldering finesse
which Raymond B. Wailes has found to facili-
tate delicate work. Fig. 3 shows the con-
struction of a small iron that can be put to-
gether in a few minutes. The "iron" itself
is an eight- to ten-inch length of copper or brass
rod, thrust into four corks as a heat resisting
handle. The tip of the iron should be filed
into a square point. In the R. B. LAB, the
rod was a piece of number four copper wire.

Owing to its smallness, an iron of this type
will not hold its heat for any length of time.
If the job is one that demands a continued
application of a hot iron, it is best accom-
plished by applying the heat continually to
the rod from a small alcohol lamp as suggested
in Fig. 4.

In delicate soldering, such as the terminal
wires of amplifying transformer windings and
jack connections, it is essential that a non-
acid flux be used. Soldering flux made by
neutralizing hydrochloric acid with zinc is
conductive and occasionally corrosive, as are
most commercial fluxes. Mr. Wailes, and
radio experts in general, recommend a flux
made by dissolving rosin in denatured alcohol.

THE RADIO SET AS A WORK OF ART

THE more bona fide broadcast receivers —
to discriminate from the sets purchased
or built by experimenters — are slowly drawing
away from the old wireless traditions of busi-
ness-like switchboards and death-chamber
control panels. The cabinet maker and artist

FIG. I

The stabilized three-tube receiver. Resistance-coupled amplifi-
cation has been substituted for the final stage of transformer audio

In the R. B. Lab.

263

FIG. 2
Showing the change that can be made in five minutes

has come into his own, and our parlor radio
sets are to-day as unlike their war-time proto-
types as an expensive Victrola is unlike
Edison's early machines.

A beautiful bit of furniture built about a
neutrodyne receiver is shown in Figs. 5 and 6.
The electrical and mechanical details were
supervised by Hugh B. Downy, the owner of
this work of art. The set itself is constructed
with Workrite De Luxe parts. The cabinet
is of solid figured oak especially selected from
the stocks of the Frank Purcell Walnut Lum-
ber Company, and built to order by the
International Equipment Company of Kansas
City, Mo.

It is seldom that the construction of even a
de luxe radio set is subject to such painstaking
care. It is a most modern example of doing
a worth-while thing well.

ONE SWITCH IS NOT ENOUGH

AN INTERESTING circuit condition
has been brought to our attention by
Mr. James C. Millen, which at first glance
seems to defy the electrical axiom that only
one switch is required to break a circuit.
This momentary puzzle is encountered when-
ever two tubes of dissimilar filament po-
tentials are operated from a common A
battery, the lower filament voltage being
secured by tapping. Such a circuit is shown
in Fig. 7, in which the tubes are a WD-I i

(detector) and a uv-iQ9 (audio amplifier),
operating respectively from filament battery
potentials of three and four and a half volts.
This is a common and desirable combination.
A single A battery switch has been included
in the common lead, which at first glance seems
adequate. Such, however, is not the case,
as careful tracing of the filament circuit will
disclose.

When switch S is open that portion of the
filament battery bracketed by A will still
discharge through the filaments connected in
series — a continuous drain that will rapidly
deplete that portion of the battery. No
variation of similar connections (even separate
A batteries) can get away from this un-
suspected and doubtless very prevalent leak-
age.

There are three possible solutions to the
puzzle. The most desirable is the use of a

CORKS -

— BRASS OR. COPPER ROD

FIG. 3

A simple soldering iron for delicate work

264

Radio Broadcast

FIG. 4

Applying heat continually to a small iron

high ohmage rheostat in series with the fila-
ment of the lower voltage tube, thus per-
mitting it to be lighted from the entire battery.
A second possibility is to turn off one of the
rheostats when the battery switch is open.
The last consideration is to include an ad-
ditional switch at some point such as X.

This little problem will doubtless locate the
mysterious drainage in hundreds of cases of
short-lived A batteries.

SOME NEW IDEAS ON SPIDER-WEBS

TN THE majority of spider-web inductances
1 where two windings such as primary and
secondary are incorporated on a single winding
form, the upper winding is wound directly
over the lower coil. This necessarily results
in tight coupling which is often undesirable.

In many cases the spider-webs are substituted
for the more conventional tubular or solenoid
inductances in which spacing between the
windings has effected a looseness in coupling
that was more or less essential in the circuit
for which they were designed. This is
especially true of single-tube reflex circuits,
and any other systems in which selectivity is
not a predominant characteristic.

In such circuits, the primary and secondary
windings should be separated as far as is
consistent with a negligible loss in signal
strength. This loosening of coupling is quite
as easily effected in spider-webs, merely by
winding a dozen or so turns of string between
the primary and secondary. Figs. 8 and 9
show coils in which the adjacent windings have
been separated in this manner.

In Fig. 9 the primary has been wound be-
tween halves of the secondary — a procedure
which tends to tighten coupling. However the
placing of the primary in this manner is desir-
able, particularly in an endeavor to duplicate
the inductance of a known solenoid without
recourse to formulas and mathematics.

Referring to Fig. 9, the average radius, R,
should be the radius of the solenoid or single-
layer inductance that it is desired to dupli-
cate. The primary and secondary should be
evenly distributed on each side of this radius —
as illustrated in the photograph — winding to
the same number of turns as were on the
tubular coil. The finished spider-web will,
for all practical tuning purposes, be equivalent
to the original solenoid.

LIGHTING THE ROBERTS SET FROM A. C.

DESPITE the fact that the uv-2Oi-A tube
consumes only one quarter of an ampere,
the more enthusiastic operators of the Roberts

FIG. 5
An aristocratic bit of parlor furniture

In the R. B. Lab.

265

FIG. 6

The work of art open

set, inveigled by its excellence into running it
five or six hours a day, find the A battery
expense far from negligible. The short life of
the amplifying A battery suggests the possi-
bilities of A. C., and Fig. 10 shows the system
evolved by George B. Larkin. Similar
arrangements have been employed in this
laboratory at various times, and confident of
the possibilities and success of the system, we
recommend it to our interested readers.

ohm rheostats, two six-ohm rheostats (one
of which will probably be found in the experi-
menter's original receiver), and a toy trans-
former operating from the lighting current
and delivering from six to eight volts. A

FIG. 7

This circuit will drain your A battery in a day or
so if the filaments are turned "off" merely by open-
ing the single switch

Inspection of the diagram discloses no
fundamental variation from the original two-
tube Roberts circuit, and for constructional
details, the reader is referred to the May 1924
issue of RADIO BROADCAST and several subse-
quent numbers.

The parts required for the change to alter-
nating current are: two twenty-five or thirty

FIG.

Coupling is loosened by winding
thread between primary and secondary

potentiometer (100 to 400 ohms) may be
substituted for the two twenty-five ohm rheo-
stats with improved results.

Balancing out with the two twenty-five ohm
resistances as suggested in the diagram re-

266

Radio Broadcast

FIG. 9

Duplicating (roughly) a solenoid in a spider-web —
coupling again being loosened with thread winding

duces the A.C. hum until it has little or no
effect on loud-speaker operation, though it is
still audible on head phone reception and
interferes slightly with DX signals. This last
objection may be done away with, however,
by using the potentiometer recommended in
place of the two rheostats. The two termi-
nals of the potentiometer are connected
respectively to each side of the transformer
secondary, Y and Z, while the movable arm
connects to X. X is varied until the hum is
eliminated or reduced to a negligible minimum.

The action of the receiver can be still
further improved by connecting two bypass
condensers, of capacities from .006 mfd. to i.o
mfd., between X and Z and X and Y, as sug-
gested tentatively by the dotted lines.

It will be observed that the uv-199 de-
tector tube is still lighted from a dry cell A
battery. The current drawn by this tube
is only six one hundredths of an ampere, and
such operation is quite economical and more
efficient.

BUILDING YOUR OWN LAB

THE R. B. LAB suggestion for this month's
addition to the growing radio workshop
is a small metal frame plane. This will cost
anywhere from $.75 to $1.50. As usual, do
not compromise with quality. Since this tool
is more or less associated with carpenter work
it is seldom thought of as an efficient aid in
the radio laboratory. It is nevertheless a
very useful all-around tool, and will find a
wide application — smoothing the edges of

rubber, bakelite and fiber panels, finishing
baseboards, refmishing cabinets and producing
the desired neatness in board-mounted appa-
ratus. Rough edges on almost any material
excepting metal are quickly smoothed away.

The plane should be small, having a blade
no wider than an inch and a half, with screw
adjustment. Fig. 1 1 shows a plane that is in
constant service at this laboratory.

It is a good idea to obtain an extra blade,
using one blade only for wood, and the other
for less easily worked materials.

N'T use enameled wire in winding
spider-webs. The construction of these
coils imposes a comparatively high mechanical
strain on the insulation which often scrapes the
enamel on touching portions of adjacent turns.
This shorted turn will render the receiver
practically inoperative. Double silk-covered
wire is recommended for spider-web windings.
If your receiver — a Roberts for instance — is
giving results considerably inferior to those
you have a right to expect, and careful circuit
tests fail to locate the difficulty, change spider-
webs, preferably rewinding with the wire
suggested.

MANY sets fail to cover the wave range
specified by the original builder, and
do not tune either to the upper or lower limits

FIG. I I

The small plane has many uses in the radio workshop

or both. When the inductances (coils) are
correctly wound, the fault generally lies in the
variable condenser. A high minimum ca-
pacity makes it impossible to tune low, while
a maximum value below the stated capacity
of the condenser cuts off the higher wave
lengths. Both faults are common in cheap

In the R. B. Lab.

267

condensers. Ask for condensers by capacity
(not by the number of plates) and accept none
but those of reliable make.

THE intermediate frequency amplifier
transformer used by Mr. Alan T. Hans-
corn in his "Six Tube Second Harmonic Super-
Heterodyne" may be obtained direct from
Harris and Mowry, Woonsocket, Rhode
Island. These coils are too intricate and dif-
ficult for the average builder to wind, and
that is the reason they were not described.

The names of other dealers carrying these
coils may be found in our advertising pages.

A SCREW-DRIVER can generally be made
into a convenient reamer without affecting
its efficiency as a screw driver. It is merely
necessary to file the converging edges to scissor
edges, finishing with an oil stone. Different
sized screw-drivers will be used for larger or
smaller reamers — virtually adding tools to the
lab equipment without increasing its already
rather extensive array.

TT OCCASIONALLY happens that the pri-
* mary and secondary terminals of an audio-
frequency amplifying transformer are reversed
in assembly, which in several cases brought
to the attention of the R. B. LAB, have been
the cause of the non-operation of reflex sets.
In shielded transformers, it is impossible to
determine the correctness of terminal connec-

tions by inspection. Measuring the resistance
of the windings however, or merely testing
with telephone receivers and a few dry cells,
will identify the windings, the lower resistance
or louder click indicating the primary.

If careful inspection of wiring of a reflex
receiver, and other logical efforts at trouble
shooting are without positive result, test the
transformers as suggested, before rebuilding.

IN USING tickler regeneration, remember
that approaching the tickler coil to the
secondary will increase signal strength only
when the tickler is connected in the correct
direction. ]f increasing the coupling de-
creases the strength of the signals, the leads
to the tickler should be reversed.

Lack of regeneration on either possible tickler
connection generally indicates a partially
short-circuited secondary, the lack of a bypass
condenser in the regenerating plate circuit
(across phones or primary of audio trans-
former), or a tickler coil of the wrong size, that
is, too small or too large.

THE Pyratek fixed crystal detector clips
nicely into the standard grid leak mount-
ings. Only one mounting is furnished with
each Pyratek detector, and the use of the grid
leak holder facilitates experimentation with
additional sets without the expense or neces-
sity of extra cartridges.

3 MEG.

V nn X on
I'M ' Ill

--iiii — ' — n> —

yli in

FIG. 1O

Operating the amplifying filament in the Roberts set from step down alternating current

How to Make a Plate Supply

Unit

A Very Simple and Inexpensive Device Furnishing Up to 200 Volts With-
out the "Hum"— The Parts Cost about $20 and are Readily Obtainable

BY ROLAND F. BEERS

THE problem of supplying B battery
potential for modern multi-tube radio
receivers has rapidly become one of
importance to every broadcast lis-
tener. When the plate current of present-day
amplifying tubes attains a value of 12 mil-
liamperes per tube (as in the w. E. 2i6-A), the
current drain imposed by several of these
tubes will shorten the life of dry cell B bat-
teries to a few weeks. The cost of replace-
ment alone soon becomes prohibitive.

It is the object of this article to describe in
detail a device for supplying B battery voltage
for any number of tubes and for any voltages
that may be desired. The choice of voltages
remains with the builder who can best deter-
mine his own requirements. The device is
designed to operate from the 1 10 volt 60 cycle
light socket and will deliver up to 100 mil-
liamperes of plate current. In other words,
this current supply set will supply plate cur-
rent for 12 uv-2oi-A or 8 w. E. 2i6-A tubes, or

How to Make a Plate Supply Unit

269

any number of tubes less than this. It will
also supply any radio-frequency amplifier
and a well-balanced two-stage audio-frequency
amplifier with alternating current for heating
the filaments. The set may be built by any
one who will follow the plans carefully, and
the total cost of parts, including the vacuum
tube rectifier, should
not exceed $20.00.

The general ar-
rangement of the ap-
paratus may be seen
on page 268, which is
a photograph of one of
the sets constructed
by the author on a
circuit board. Fig.
i A shows the schem-
atic diagram of the
parts and the elec-
trical connections.
The parts include a
power transformer
which transforms the
no volt alternating
current from the or-
dinary light socket to
130 volts alternating
current and to 6 volts
alternating current
for the filament sup-
ply of vacuum tubes.
The 1 30 volt alternat-
ing current is then
changed into a pul-
sating current which
flows in one direction
only, by means of the vacuum tube (VT), Fig.
i A. An efficient filter (indicated by dotted
lines, and including the choke coil (L) and
two filter condensers (C) smooths out the
ripples in the unidirectional current, giving an
unvarying source of direct current at 120
volts potential, which will operate the receiver
in place of the usual batteries without hum.
If a crystal detector is used, the entire current

supply may be obtained from the light socket.
If it is desired, a dry-cell detector may be
employed in place of the crystal.

The arrangement illustrated in the photo-
graph need not be followed exactly, but care
must be taken in assembling the parts in order
to insure short leads in wiring. The necessary
parts and their ap-

Simple, Cheap, and Efficient

In September, RADIO BROADCAST described
the LeBel rectifying unit for supplying the
plate voltage to radio receivers. The popu-
larity and demand for such a device were man-
ifested in the enormous amount of mail we
received.

Mr. Roland Beers developed in his labora-
tory at Binghamton, New York, the very
complete unit here described. Mr. Beers
tells us there are seventeen of his units al-
ready in use in Binghamton. From cur in-
spection and test of this apparatus we can
unequivocally say that it will come up to the
expectations of the most exacting of construc-
tors.

Mr. Le Bel's device was limited, in construc-
tion, to those versed in the art of electrical
design or to those who were fortunate enough
to order the necessary parts "before the
rush."

With Mr. Beers's unit there are no possible
restrictions or conditions. Most of the parts
for this device may be obtained from the
local electrical or hardware store. It is
extraordinarily inexpensive to build.

— THE EDITOR.

proximate cost
listed below.

are

PRACTICAL AND SPE-
CIFIC DESIGN

THE writer has
thought it well to
describe in detail a
practical and specific
design for a complete
current supply set,
and then to indicate
such deviations from
this design as may
be made for the sake
of utilizing whatever
spare parts the con-
structor may have.

We will first con-
sider the construction
of the power trans-
former. Its purpose,
as we have indicated
before, is to change
the 1 10 volt alternat-
ing current to such
voltages as we need
for our use. For
this purpose, we have

four separate, windings, each easily made.
These windings are placed on two of the legs
or branches of the core, as illustrated in Fig. i .
The core of the transformer is built up of
strips or laminations of silicon steel .014 inches
thick. The material for these strips can be
bought at electrical supply houses, or it may
be obtained from an old pole transformer
which can often be had for the asking at the

i Ib. No. 28 double cotton covered wire

5 Ib. No. 34 black enamel or double silk wire

I Ib. No. 18 double cotton covered wire

\ Ib. No. 34 black enamel or double silk

2-No. 2 i-D Western Electric 2 mfd. condensers or 4~No. 133 Federal i mfd. condensers at fi.oo

4 Ibs. .014 in. silicon steel for power transformer

3 Ibs. .014 for choke coil

i-V. T. Socket

i-VT-2 or 2i6-A or UV-2OI or uv-2Oi-A or uv-2O3

5-8 Fahnestock clips

*.May be omitted if the builder desires to buy his choke coil ready-made.

.90

.50

.90

4.00

i.oo

•75*
.50
4.00
•15

$14.20

270

Radio Broadcast

5 FILAMENT

FIG. I A

A schematic diagram of the current supply
set showing the values of the elements

electric light company's office. The thick-
ness of the steel is not of great importance,
although material of much greater thickness
than that indicated will cause the transformer
to run up the electric light bill rather fast.

Strips i inch x ^\ inches are cut from the
steel with a pair of tinner's shears to make a
pile about 4 inches high when they are pressed
together. This pile will require about 300
pieces, which can be assembled in the manner
shown in Fig. 2. It may occur that the
laminations procured from the old power
transformer have dimensions very near to
those given here, and in such a case, they may
be used as they are. A variation of 10 per
cent, plus or minus will not be of consequence.
When the strips have been prepared, they
are laid aside ready for use after the trans-
former windings have been completed.

The windings of the transformer consist of
the following:

1 . Primary — 1000 turns No. 28 D. c. c. wire, placed

on one leg of the core, as shown at P in photo-
graph. This winding has two ends or terminals,
numbered (i) and (2), as shown in Fig. lA.

2. Secondary — 1200 turns No. 34 black enamel or

D. s. c. wire, placed next to the core on the
opposite leg of the transformer, as shown at
S in Fig. i. Two terminals numbered (3)
and (4), Fig. lA.

3. Secondary — 55 turns No. 18 D. c. c. wire, placed

over winding No. 2. Two terminals, (5) and
(6), Fig. i A.

4. Secondary — 27 turns No. 18 D. c. c. wire,

placed over winding No. 3.

This winding is made of 27 turns of a twisted
pair, which will be described below. There
are three terminals, including the center tap,
which are numbered (7), (8) and (9), Fig. lA.

The writer constructed a spool to contain
each set of windings, as shown in the photo-
graph and in Fig. 4. While this construction is
not absolutely necessary, it makes a neat job

and facilitates the problem of high voltage in-
sulation. Another method of constructing the
windings will be given later, for the benefit
of those who prefer to make form-wound coils.

MAKING THE TRANSFORMER

FOR the spools, two pieces of micarta or fiber
tubing \\ inches inside diameter and 2T\
inches long were fitted with fiber ends 35
inches outside diameter. (These dimensions
correspond to the core described above.)
The ends were secured to the tubing with
cement, and holes were drilled in them for the
lead wires of the various windings, as shown
in Fig. 4.

One spool contains the entire primary
winding, No. i. The wire may be wound on
by hand, or the spool may be clamped in a
drill chuck by means of a long bolt and two
large washers. The handle of the drill chuck
may be clamped in a vise and the winding is
ready to start. If the ratio of turns of the
drill chuck to the crank are known, it will
reduce the labor of counting turns. Simply
count the number of revolutions of the crank
and mentally multiply by the ratio every time
a multiple of ten is reached. Before actually
starting the winding of the fine wire, solder a
four foot length of flexible insulated wire to
the end of the magnet wire and insulate it
well with a short piece of cotton sleeving or
spaghetti. Wind at least one full turn of the
heavy wire around the spool, tie it in place
with string, and proceed with the rest of the
winding. It is not necessary to keep the wire
in flat layers provided it is kept tight and free

FIRST LAYER AND
ALL ODD LAYERS

SECOND LAYER AND
ALL EVEN LAYERS

FIG. 2

Which shows the method of assembling the lami-
nations in the core of the power transformer

How to Make a Plate Supply Unit

271

from loops that are apt to protrude beyond the
edge of the spool heads. If the winding gets
rough or "bumpy," remove the rough part
and wind it over again.

When the required number of turns has
been placed on the spool, again solder a
flexible lead wire to the end of the fine wire,
insulate and tie it in place with string. Now
carefully wrap six layers of muslin or three
layers of Empire cloth over the winding, and
cement the last layer in place with insulating
cement. We are now ready to proceed with
the second spool, which contains the three
secondary windings.

OTHER WINDINGS OF THE TRANSFORMER

WINDING No. 2 is wound exactly as was
No. i, with regard to insulation of
the leads. It must be wound in smooth
layers, and extra care must be taken to keep
layers from overlapping. It may be neces-
sary for the constructor to place thin strips of
paper between layers of wire as they are
wound, but no more papers should be used
than are absolutely necessary. When this
winding is completed, six layers of muslin or
three layers of Empire cloth are fastened in
place over it, and the third winding is started.
The third winding should be wound in two
smooth layers without papers between the
layers. In case the second layer is not com-
pletely full, the remaining space may be used
for the fourth winding, which is applied di-
rectly over winding No. 3. The leads of the
third and fourth windings are brought out
at the same side of the spool head, while those

_HOUS FOR
' CLAMPING BOLT5

STRIPS FOR CLAMPING
CORE. HARDWOOD, lltON
OR PIECES OF ANGLE
IRON WAY 6! U5ED.4REQO

FIG. 3

Detail drawing showing how the clamping plates for
the transformer or choke coil are made and attached

of the second winding are brought out at the
opposite side of the spool head.

The fourth winding is made of a twisted
pair of wires and is used to supply 6 volt
alternating current to the filaments of the

amplifier tubes. If more than one audio-
frequency amplifier tube is supplied with
alternating current for heating the filament,
the hum will be noticeable, unless special
precautions are taken to balance the amplifier

FIG. 4

Detail drawing of the spool for the transformer

windings which may be of micarta or phenol fiber.

Two are required

for inductance and capacity. Any inherent
unbalance or tendency to '.'howl" will at once
produce a loud hum in the loud speaker when
all filaments are supplied with alternating
current. For that reason, the experimenter
should be thoroughly familiar with his audio
amplifier before he attempts to supply the
filaments with A. C. If this supply is not
desired the fourth winding may be omitted.
Should the constructor desire to use an Amrad
s tube as the rectifier, the third winding will
also be unnecessary.

To make the twisted pair, stretch out about
j Ib. No. 1 8 D. c. c. wire in two strands of
equal length. Fasten the looped end over a
hook and secure the two loose ends in the
chuck of a hand drill. Several turns of the
drill will give a neat and uniform twist to the
pair, which should be of the order of three
twists per inch. The looped end of the
twisted pair can now be cut, leaving two
separate conductors which have uniform
magnetic coupling with respect to each other.
Let us call one wire of the pair, wire "A,"
whose initial and terminal ends are, respec-
tively, (a) and (b). The second wire we
shall consider to be wire "B," with corres-
ponding terminals, (c) and (d). The ends,
(a) and (c) will be at one end of the twisted
pair, and ends (b) and (d) will be together at
the other end. By connecting a dry cell and
an electric buzzer or doorbell in series, leaving
the remaining buzzer circuit open, we can
soon determine which wire of the pair is "A"
and which is "B." Simply connect terminal
(a) to the battery and touch one or the other
of the terminals (b) and (d) to the buzzer until
the circuit is completed. When the buzzer

272

Radio Broadcast

FIG. 5

A diagram showing the schematic layout of the
circuit connected as a push pull amplifier using
uv— 199 tubes where heavy plate current is drawn

operates, the terminal which completed
the circuit should be marked with a tag as
terminal (b). The remaining terminals are,
of course, (c) and (d-).

After the twisted pair has been wound on the
spool, terminals (b) and (c) are twisted to-
together and soldered. A flexible lead is
soldered to the joint, which is conducted to
terminal No. 8, Fig. lA. This point is
the zero potential or ground point of the
amplifier circuit. AH grid return and plate
return leads of the amplifier must be con-
nected to this ground, which must also be
connected to earth. Terminals (a) and (d)
are connected to No. 7 and No. 9, respectively,
Fig. i A, as the 6 volt alternating current
supply of the amplifier. The fourth winding
is insulated with six layers of muslin or three
layers of Empire cloth, as before, and the
spools are ready for assembly on the core.

FINAL TRANSFORMER ASSEMBLY

A FTER the windings have been completed
•*»• and properly numbered with tags, the
steel strips may be inserted in the spools and
the core clamped together. It will be best to
alternate the position of the lapped corner,
every time a new layer of laminations is ap-
plied, as shown in the small sketches of Fig. 2.
When near the top of the pile, compress the
core as much as possible, and squeeze in as
many strips as can be forced into the spools.
After all the laminations have been put in the
core, it is ready for the clamping plates.
These are made of strap iron or hard wood,
as shown in Fig. 3. Four strips are cut to the
size required by the core, leaving at least one-
half inch at each end for clamping holes.
Stove bolts are passed through these holes,
which may be drilled with a £ inch drill, and

the clamping plates are screwed down tightly
when the core is completely assembled. It
is important to clamp every lamination in
place as tightly as possible in order to reduce
the possibility of mechanical vibration. Such
a vibration will often make a very unpleasant
hum in the room where the set is being used
and will confuse a discriminating observer
so that he will believe the hum is produced in
the loud speaker.

A physical conception of the action of the
filter may be gained from the following ex-
planation. The large capacity condensers
(C) in the diagram of Fig. lA afford a com-
paratively easy path for alternating current,
which is what we are trying to eliminate by
the use of our filter. With every change in
direction of the alternating current, a certain
amount of electricity is carried through the
large condensers and back to the system.
The choke coil, (L), permits direct current to
flow through it with no opposition except the
direct current resistance, but offers a large
inertia or impedance to the ever-changing
alternating current. On account of this
opposition to the alternating current, it
seeks an easier path through the condensers,
and back to the line. The result of our filter
action is that we have sifted out, so to speak,
the undesirable alternating current, which
produces the hum, and have left a pure, uni-
form direct current, exactly like that de-
livered by our dry cell B batteries.

The choke coil for the filter may be con-
structed as indicated below, or it may be
purchased from a well-stocked electrical sup-
ply house. The value of its inductance should
not be less than 30 henries. Values as high
as 50 henries may be used with excellent re-
sults. The direct current resistance should
not exceed 750 ohms, although a value greater
than this will only serve to decrease the output
voltage.

HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN CHOKE COIL

THE following dimensions will serve those
who wish to build their own choke coil.
Strips of .014 " silicon steel are cut i" x 2\"
to make a pile' 4" high. This will require
about 300 pieces. Four hardwood or strap
iron strips i" x 3!" are cut and drilled
for the mounting holes, as was done in the
case of the power transformer. Spools may
be constructed for the windings, if desired,
or they may be placed directly over the
two opposite core legs, after they have been
wound with three layers of Empire cloth.
The spools may be made of micarta or card-

How to Make a Plate Supply Unit

273

board tubing i^" inside diameter and i^V
long. Spool heads are cut to fit the tubing
1 1" outside diameter. The coil has two
windings, each of 3500 turns of No. 34 black
enamel or double silk covered wire, and each
wound in the same direction. Flexible leads
are provided for the terminals exactly as was
done for the power transformer. The inner
end of one winding is soldered to the outer end
of the other winding, and the joint is insulated
with cotton sleeving or "spaghetti." Six
layers of muslin or three layers of Empire
cloth are wound over the completed windings
to protect them from damage. The core
pieces are then inserted in the spools, but in-
stead of lapping the corner joints, they are
simply butted up against each other as neatly
as possible. When the entire core has been
assembled into a square form, the clamping
plates are put in place and carefully tightened
up.

Each of the condensers used in the filter
circuit should be of at least 2 mfd. capacity.
Larger condensers may be used with some
improvement in the efficiency of the filter.
It is not necessary to have two condensers of
the same capacity, but each must be of at
least 2 mfd. As high as 5 mfd. can be used with
good results. The condensers should be
tested for leaks before placing them in the cir-
cuit by charging them with a high voltage
B battery and then discharging them after 15
minutes. If they are in good condition, a fat
spark will jump when they are discharged.
If no spark jumps, they are defective, and will
short-circuit the B voltage.

The rectifier tube used most commonly by
the writer is the Western Electric E tube or

vr-2. This tube is probably as well suited for
the purpose as any tube except the special
rectifier tubes, such as the G. E. kenotron-
uv-2i6 or the s tube, each of which costs more
than a vr-2. Other tubes that have been
used with good results are the w. E. 2i6-A,
the uv-2O2, uv-2oi, and the uv-2oi-A. Such
changes as are necessitated by the use of a tube
other than the vx-2 are indicated below.

MOUNTING

THE apparatus illustrated in the photograph
was mounted on a circuit board 12" x 12".
Fahnestock clips may be used for terminals,
or if it is desired, the conventional type of
binding post may be adopted. All wiring
should be as short and as direct as possible,
and all joints should be soldered butt joints.
Wires which carry 60 cycle current may be
reduced to their absolute minimum length
with considerable improvement in the per-
formance of the set. If difficulty is experi-
enced in reducing 60 cycle hum in the re-
ceiver, it may be reduced by wiring all 60 cycle
leads with lead covered cable.

The writer has constructed several current
supply sets in the usual manner and has had
difficulty in obtaining satisfactory operation
of them on particular installations, even
though they gave perfect satisfaction on his
own receiver (super-heterodyne). The diffi-
culty usually lay in one or more places which
became conspicuous after several preliminary
tests. If the current supply set causes a
terrific hum in the loud speaker when it is
connected to the radio receiver, several possi-
ble errors may exist. We shall assume that
the set is wired up correctly and that there are

<=z>

<=>
^ '*

jgZTT.

6V. A.C. TO

!g27T. -^

(~~^

— * AMPLIFIER.
FILAMENT

110V. AJC

^ <=>
o ^3

(S \i.

/ L- 30 HENWES

i^— =* IZOOT.

N— f

— L-- —L- VWVW R

f \ ,' C "25,000-250,OOOU>
, \ i ^4 /K Qflu nf

<=>

g55T.

cTI Tc,

_. , •» . n r

FIG. 6

How variable and multiple voltages may be obtained with the
current supply set. The values of the parts are indicated

274

Radio Broadcast

no open circuits. First of all, it will be ne-
cessary to choose both rectifier and amplifier
tubes with care. In the writer's experience,
bootleg tubes are the most frequent cause of
trouble. Some vi-2 tubes will give excellent
performance, while others simply will not
function. The same applies to the uv type
tubes, and in general, relief from the distur-
bance may be had by testing and finally
selecting tubes that will reduce the hum.

Another source of trouble is often found in
excessive amplifier or rectifier filament voltage.
The number of turns given in the construc-
tional data was correct for a large number of
the tubes used by the writer, but frequently it
was necessary to add or remove turns from the
third or fourth windings in order to obtain
good results. A rheostat should not be used to
regulate these voltages, unless it is a primary
rheostat, placed in series with winding No. i.
The proper method of obtaining the correct
filament voltage is to alter the number of
turns on the respective windings, adding or
removing turns one by one until the correct
value is found. This change should be made
while the set is supplying current to the re-
ceiver, if possible, in order to duplicate actual
conditions.

AVOIDING THE HUM

A NOTHER source of hum is frequently
•*"* found in excessive plate voltage. This
trouble may be remedied by the insertion of a
lavite or other current-carrying resistance in
the plate supply. The writer has used
Western Electric .No. 38 type and the Brad-
leyohm with good results. Ward-Leonard
resistances are also known to have given good
results. The value of the resistance can
best be determined by trial with the tubes
which are receiving the excessive plate voltage.
Another method of reducing the plate voltage
is, of course, to remove turns from the high
voltage or second winding, until the proper
voltage is obtained. Still, another method
of reducing the hum caused. by excessive plate
voltage, and perhaps the most satisfactory
one, is to increase the negative C voltage until
quiet operation prevails. The writer has
used as high as 20 volts negative C battery
on a Western Electric tube with 1 50 volts on
the plate. Other tubes will require corres-
pondingly more or less C voltage. It is
sufficient to say that under ordinary circum-
stances it will be very difficult to obtain quiet
operation of a radio receiver supplied with
alternating current filament supply unless a
fairly high C battery is employed,

A fourth source of disturbance is often found
in the stray flux or leakage of alternating
current magnetism from the cores and wires
of the current supply set. An amplifier that
has some inherent unbalance or tendency to
"howl" will invariably exhibit a loud hum
when supplied with alternating current, al-
though it may appear perfectly stable when
supplied with direct current. The remedy
in such a case is to place the entire current
supply set in a tin or iron shield, and to con-
nect the shield to earth. Fig. 7 shows a
view of a current supply set connected to a
two-stage amplifier, where it was necessary to
shield the entire supply set. Here all leads
were shielded with lead covered sheath, and
the entire shielding system was grounded.
Any iron box may be used to contain the set,
such as an old panel switch box, biscuit tin or
other tin container. Holes may be cut in the
box to accommodate the socket and leads, and
these should be very well insulated to prevent
arcing of the high voltage.

SUGGESTED POSSIBLE ALTERATIONS

IT MAY be that the constructor already has
laminations or a core from an old power
transformer that he would like to use. In
such a case the following remarks will be help-
ful. The primary requirement is that the
inductance of the primary winding shall be
not less than one henry. This means that
for a 1000 turn winding the ratio of cross-
sectional area to length of magnetic circuit
(4") should be not less than 0.6 centimeters,,
and for normal saturation of the core the!
cross-sectional area should be not less than'
2.5 sq. cms. Values in excess of these will?
result in good performance. If the values oft
A and —• vary greatly from those given above,,
a new value for the number of turns must be
found to give the proper value for the primary \

A SCHEMATIC DRAWING

Which shows the connections for the unit when a

power amplifier circuit filament is supplied with

alternating current

How to Make a Plate Supply Unit

275

inductance. It will prob-
ably be better in such a
case to remodel the core to
the dimensions given by
the writer. Such a problem
is best left to the judgment
of the constructor.

There are obtainable on
the market certain choke
coils that could be used in
the filter circuit. The Acme
Apparatus Company sells a
good C. W. choke that gives
excellent results in the filter
circuits of amateur trans-
mitters. Such a choke will give good perform-
ance in the current supply set, but is probably
more costly than the builder would wish. A
more reasonable choke coil has been recom-
mended byG. M. Best in the June, 1924, Radio.
That coil is the General Electric Wayne No.
179,541 Bell Ringing transformer, whose pri-
mary winding is said to have a high inductance.
The writer strongly recommends building one's
own choke coil, in order to obtain sufficient
inductance. The coil described above will
have an inductance somewhat in excess of 30
henries, depending upon the care with which
the core is assembled.

A WINDING FORM

IF THE experimenter does not want to make
spools for the windings, he may make a
winding form as follows:

Cut a square block of soft wood the same
cross-section as the core leg which is to contain
the windings. Save room on each end in
which to drive a spike for holding the form
and clamping it in the winding rig. Then
wrap the wooden form with two layers of
heavy string in smooth layers which will ex-
tend \" beyond the ends of the winding.
Over the string wrap two layers of Empire
cloth and cement the end in place. Begin
the winding with flexible stranded wire (in-
sulated) and continue this heavy wire for
one quarter turn. Proceed with the winding
of the smaller wire, placing thin papers over
each layer until it is completed, and allowing
each paper to extend \" beyond the edge of
the winding. Continue to build up the coil
in this manner until the last layer is completed.
The outside lead wire should occupy at least
one quarter of the last layer of winding and
the end should be firmly tied in place with
string. Wrap over this layer three layers of
Empire cloth and cement the end fast.

The, two layers of string underneath the

FIG. 7
Another set-up of the current supply set

winding may now be carefully unwound, and
the coil carefully slipped from the form.
Very carefully wrap one layer of friction tape
around the outside and inside of the entire
coil, carrying the end of the tape through the
center of the winding each time until the en-
tire coil is made into a firm and substantial
structure. The completed coils may be
slipped over the legs of the core and the
laminations will hold it in place. In this
method of winding, it will be necessary to
assemble three legs of the core first, leaving the
fourth leg open to permit putting the windings
in place. The remaining strips may be as-
sembled and the core may be bolted together.
If uv-2Oi or uv-2oi-A tubes are used in the
rectifier or amplifier circuits, windings No. 3
and No. 4 should consist of 48 and 24 turns,
respectively. If 50 milliamperes or more are
to be drawn from the set, using uv-2Oi-A
or uv-2oi tubes, their life will be considerably
shortened. It will then be necessary to use
two such tubes in parallel, or the full-wave
rectification, push-pull circuit may be adopted,
as shown in Fig. 5, and the high voltage wind-
ing No. 2 must contain twice the number of
turns previously specified. Each high voltage
winding is wound in exactly the same manner
as before, except that each winding occupies
but half the spool on which the windings are
placed. They are best wound by placing a
divider in the middle of the spool, which is
the same size and material as the spool heads.
Each section of the divided spool will be of the
same size and will contain the same number
of turns, i. e., 1200. The two windings are
wound in opposite directions to each other,
bringing the outer end of each winding to the
center of the spool, near the divider, when
completing the last layer of each winding.
The two adjacent ends, each an outer end of
its respective winding, are then connected
together and soldered, and this point is the

276

Radio Broadcast

negative terminal of the plate supply system,
as shown at (10) in Fig. 5. It is the electrical
mid-tap of the secondary winding, provided
care has been taken in placing the same num-
ber of turns on each half of the spool.

For uv-2O2 rectifier tubes, winding No. 3
must consist of 68 turns, instead of the num-
ber previously specified.

SUBSTITUTING FOR THE ELECTRON TUBE

T F TH E builder wishes to use an s tube in place
* of the electron tube, the third winding may
be omitted. It will be necessary to increase
the number of turns of the second winding to
4500, and special precaution must be taken to
prevent voltage rupture of the coil. In this
event, a larger winding spool must be used,
and the size of this can be determined by trial
after the core has been cut out. Spool heads
33" outside diameter will accommodate the
increased number of turns, and the winding
should be broken up into at least four sections,
each separated from the others by a micarta
separator, of the same size and shape as the
spool heads. With this change, the builder
can adapt the s tube to his use. Consider-
able resistance will necessarily be inserted in
the plate supply, which may be determined by
trial. Probably a minimum of 20,000 ohms
will be required, as suggested by C. J. LeBel
in the September RADIO BROADCAST.

THE SET DELIVERS I2O VOLTS

THE writer has indicated a secondary
winding No. 2 to give 120 volts direct
current, but this value may be altered to suit
the builder's particular needs. The set illus-
trated in the photograph actually delivers 200
volts, which are applied to the plate of a power
amplifier tube. Western Electric lavite resis-
tances are inserted in series with the positive
plate lead to give lower voltage values. The
set illustrated in Fig. 7 delivered 120 volts,
90 volts, 45 volts or 22.5 volts, as might be
required.

Multiple voltage may be obtained by the
use of the proper resistance inserted in the
plate lead. The method indicated on page
371 of the September RADIO BROADCAST by
C. J. LeBel will be found to be satisfactory
and still another method is shown in Fig. 6,
and illustrated in Fig. 7. In this method,
high resistances are placed in series with
the positive B battery voltage, causing a
drop of the desired amount. Fig. 7 show
three Western Electric No. 38-6 lavite re-
sistances connected in series, with taps taken
off at the desired points. The writer has also

used the Bradleyohm with good results. The
variable control of the Bradleyohm will be
found useful in varying the detector plate
voltage on soft tubes. Any number of resis-
tances can be connected in series, taking taps
off wherever desired, so that the proper vol-
tages can be obtained. If any difficulty is
experienced in eliminating hum when multiple
voltages are employed, it may be eliminated
by the use of proper by-pass condensers of
i mfd. or 2 mfd. capacity shunted around the
various taps. This is illustrated in Fig. 6, at
G', where a i mfd. condenser is shown con-
nected across the 45 volt tap.

FOR OTHER SUPPLY FREQUENCIES

IN THIS article, all construction details
apply only where the usual 60 cycle
A. C. supply is available. The unit
described will not function properly in its
present form when used on any other
frequency. However, the author, in
anticipating the demand for details from
those fans whose supply is 25 cycle
A. C., gives the following constructional
changes. The first consideration is that
the cross-sectional area of the cores for
the transformer and for the choke coil will
have to be doubled, while the lengths
would remain the same. The detailed
changes, including spool dimensions, are
as follows :-

Transformer core — 600 laminations i" x 35"
outside measurements 45" x 4^" x 2" high
cross-section i" x 2" high.

Spool made of fiber or red rope paper built up
of several layers and cemented together
with Ambroid cement — inside measurements

iong.

Rectangular spool heads 35" x 4?" with win-

dow to accommodate rectangular spool.
Choke coil core — 600 pieces or laminations

I" X 2j"

outside measurements 3^" x 3!" x 2" high

cross-section i" x 2" high.
Spool made up as above — inside measurements

i^"x2A"x i A" long.
Rectangular spool heads if" X 2f" with win-

dow to accommodate spool.

The turns of wire must remain the
same as specified in the article, but it will
take about thirty per cent, more wire for
the windings in each case. .

Where a 40 cycle supply is the only
available one, it is necessary to increase
the cross-sectional area of the cores one-
third. Details of core and spool con-
struction would be varied accordingly,
— THE EDITOR,

THE FIRST RADIO WORLD S FAIR

At Madison Square Garden, New York. A large overflow display filled the 6gth Regiment Armory across
the street. A wealth of new radio apparatus was shown here, including new loud speakers, great numbers
of sets with radio-frequency amplification, and reflexing.

A Few Ideas and Ideals

Being a Brief Outline of Our Policies Regarding Some Subjects
Heretofore Discussed in Whisper or Behind Closed Doors

BY ARTHUR H. LYNCH

NOT once, but many, many times, have
we been asked: "If these receivers
that you tell how to make really do
the wonderful things you claim for
them, how the mischief do you square your-
selves with the manufacturers of ready-made
receivers who advertise with you?

At first thought that would be a rather
difficult question but upon a little serious
consideration it isn't. Let us get right at the
facts as they are.

There are, at present, more radio publica-
tions than at any previous time in the history
of the art. In the aggregate, more space is
devoted to so-called "how-to-make-it" articles
for public consumption than ever before.

The proportion of space devoted to such
articles as compared to general articles is
increasing in most publications.

Many publications have realized the folly
of giving space to the description of question-
able receiver designs and, for the most part,
the man-in-the-street can really build a good
receiver from the design he finds in present
day publications.

More people are building receivers at home
than at any other time in radio's history.
Schools are teaching students how to build
radio receivers. Boy Scout Camps are doing
likewise. The dealers all over the country
are doing a tremendous business in parts.
And, in the face of all the above there are

A Few Ideas and Ideals

279

more complete receivers being sold than ever
before.

Such a resume might lead to no conclusion,
if it were not for the fact that the popularity
of radio reception is based almost entirely
upon publicity. Judging from the foregoing,
the increased sale of complete receivers might
be considered as nothing more than a result
of the very rapid growth of the entire business
were it not for the additional fact — at least
most of those in a position to judge believe
it a fact — that the proportion of home-made
to ready-made receivers is gradually decreas-
ing.

HOME AND FACTORY BUILT SETS

AND, having considered* these facts, let
us proceed with the explanation of our
stand in the matter. Our first argument is
that the more home-built receivers there are,
the greater will be the demand for those of
factory make. Every person who builds a
radio receiver that works well is enthusiastic.
A thousand people in a small town may see
and hear Bill Jones' one-tube bringing in
concerts from stations all over the country.
They're impressed and many of them will
want a receiver of their own. Many of them
wouldn't be satisfied with one like Bill Jones'.
If he can build one for a few dollars and it
works so well, why just imagine what a real
set would do, is the way many of them reason.
Others wouldn't be bothered making a receiver
even if they had the time or were as smart as
they figure Bill must be. Still others would like
Bill to make a similar receiver for them, but
most Bills are too busy with other things to
warrant such work. Many manufacturers,
who spend thousands of dollars a year adver-
tising their products owe a great deal of their
success to the start they got from a how-tor
make-it article in some magazine.

Our readers have learned that when we say
a receiver is capable of specified performance,
our statements are usually very modest.
They have learned that we describe only such
receivers as we really believe to be good and
that we don't care a hoot who manufactures
the parts. We believe that the publication
of good how-to-make-it articles is of direct
benefit to the manufacturer of complete re-
ceivers.

THE HOW AND WHY OF THE KNOCK-OUT SERIES

CVER since RADIO BROADCAST came into
P" being, a little more than two and a half
years ago, it has waged a relentless war against
radiating receivers because its editors as well

ac it publishers were convinced that the sale
of high-grade receivers would ultimately
suffer if "birdies", the pipings from such
receivers, were allowed to fill the air. There
was, we felt sure, plenty of natural inter-
ference, without adding more to it with the
sale of every receiver.

For many months we searched for a receiver
or group of receivers that would perform as
well as those against which we were preaching,
but the task was a great one. We tried all
kinds of circuits, all kinds of tubes, everything
we could lay hands on, but found nothing
which would compare, let alone prove any
better than the squealers, until, in the labora-
tory of a small radio company in New York
we came upon the single-tube reflex receiver
which has since become famous as our
one-tube Knock-Out Receiver. It has been
performing for more than a year now and
hardly a mail comes in that fails to carry
some commendatory expression upon the re-
sults being obtained by some reader who has
built it.

You may be interested in a little story
about this receiver. We saw it perform in the
laboratory in New York but did not believe
it would do as well in Garden City. We made
a bet with John Meagher, who built the
original model, that he could not make it
operate a loud speaker at our plant. The
bet was a hat. He brought the receiver out
and lost. However, there is a great deal
of electrical interference in our plant and we
compromised by giving him an opportunity
to demonstrate the receiver in our home,
increasing the bet to two hats. He came;
he did it; we lost two hats.

We would have been satisfied to hear the
locals on the loud speaker. You may well
imagine our surprise when we were able to
hear three stations in Chicago, four in Phila-
delphia, and two in Cleveland with a single
199 tube on the speaker — not loud enough to
dance to, it's true, but with enough volume
to be understood thirty feet from the speaker
when there was quiet.

Using this circuit, which, by the way, was
not new — merely a very clever adaptation
of an old idea — we have gone ahead with the
development of the Knock-Out receiver idea.
There are now one, two, three, and four-tube
receivers, which we believe — and no one has
ever shown any desire to compete with us —
tube for tube and dollar for dollar, better
than any receiver described for home construc-
tion in any publication up to the time they
appeared.

280

Radio Broadcast

CAN YOU HELP?

WE HAVE spent months improving these
receivers; we're working hard on a new
one now. Perhaps you can help to solve the
problem. We want a three- and a four-tube
receiver employing the Roberts circuit with a
stage of transformer-coupled audio amplifica-
tion and one with a stage of push-pull, made
with regular cylindrical coils in place of the
spiderwebs we are now using. This is due
to the fact that our two, three, and four-tube
receivers, employing the Roberts circuit are
increasing in number so rapidly, that it is
difficult to procure the spiderweb units.

This problem is not so easy as it may ap-
pear. Substituting the antenna coupling ar-
rangement usually found in a neutrodyne and
a rewound vario-coupler, would, it would
seem, turn the trick. In fact they do work
out quite well, when used in the two-tube
circuit, or when resistance-coupled amplifica-
tion is employed, but with the use of a stage
of transformer-coupled audio, there is very
noticeable distortion.

Several receivers have been sent us by
manufacturers who thought they had solved
the problem. They had, to a degree. We
have hooked up several such receivers and
they worked perfectly. Then we've changed
the tubes or made some other changes which
would be done in practice. Then the circuit
wouldn't work.

But that's more or less in the future. Let's
see what the Knock-Outs have done in the
nast. Briefly we may list their work as
follows: They have

Given more satisfaction per tube than any other
receivers for home construction.

Overcome the tendency toward the building of
radiating receivers by performing better.

SANFEDRO CALIF Uop sept 22 1924

ARTHUR H

BDITQS RADIO BROADCAST

» VI4AQNER

Improved the quality of receiver designs offered
to the public by setting so high a standard that
"trick circuits" could not keep pace.

Stimulated the sale of reliable parts.

Reduced the selling arguments necessary because
their performance is internationally recognized.

Because of their excellent tone quality and ease
of adjustment, brought radio to the attention of
prospective buyers in an entirely new and better
light.

Offered the manufacturer, dealer and jobber, a
most sound method of sales promotion for the
standard parts he has in stock, without favoring
any one assisting the entire industry.

COOPERATIVE COMPETITION

ONE of the outstanding features of the
First Radio World's Fair recently .held
in Madison Square Garden and the 6gth
Regiment Armory in New York City was the
love feast of competitors — a banquet held in
the Grand Ball Room of the Waldorf-Astoria
Hotel and attended by several hundred
manufacturers, jobbers, and dealers. It was
a fitting tribute to the advance made during
the past few years in the industry at large.

Here, under the same roof — in many in-
stances, at the same table — aye, even at the
speakers' table — were the representatives of
organizations which have law suits pending
between them. When such organizations
can, even for a single night, forget their
controversies, meet on friendly ground and
break bread together, we feel sure that much
good may be accomplished.

Nor was the banquet the sole indication
of the desire to get together. There were
meetings of various trade, publicity, manu-
facturing, broadcasting and press associations
which were conducted on a much more friendly
basis than we have ever seen before. With
everyone trying to cooperate we feel that the
possibility of a huge busi-
ness this winter is increased
immeasurably.

REQUIESCAT IN PACE!

TO US, who have labored
long in the preaching of
the golden rule in radio re-
ceiving, no other one thing
could be quite as satisfying
as witnessing the almost en-
tire absence of squealing
receivers at the Radio Fair.
At last, the gospel seems to
have hit home and many
erstwhile sinners have gone
and got religion.
All manner of tuned radio-

Shake Hands With the "R. I.

The Problems, Pleasures, Tribulations, and Experiences
of the Department of Commerce Radio Inspector — What
Happened During the Years of Radio Growing Pains

BY HOWARD S. PYLE

DEAR SIR:

I still can obtain no satisfaction from your office
in clearing up the radio situation in Podunk. The
amateur nuisance is unbearable, and we demand
some relief. We urge you to send a man immedi-
ately to investigate. You say it is 'ships.' This
is" preposterous, as reference to your map will show
our city to be located twenty miles from the ocean —
there are no ships in Podunk.

Yours truly,

GEORGE SMITH.

A PLEASANT start for a rather doubt-
ful day, is it not? Yet this is what
the heavy-eyed Radio Supervisor of
your district is confronted with as
he wearily takes
his place at his
desk to com-
mence the daily
grind. He comes
to his office, not
refreshed by a
restful night's
sleep, but dog-
tired from a four
or five hour vigil
the night before,
checking the fre-
quencies of the
various stations
within range of
his sensitive re-
ceiver. Not once

in a while but
every night, does
he do this; not
occasionally does
he receive an irri-
tating communi-
cation such as
opens this article,

THE RADIO INSPECTOR AT WORK

Emmery H. Lee, one of the radio inspectors attached to the
New York office is checking up the wavelength of an amateur
operator's station, using a standard Department of Commerce
wavemeter. The station license is on the wall and the opera-
tor's license in the frame to its left, both issued by the Depart-
ment of Commerce, is next to it. The revealing sign and crepe
on the burned-out transmitting tube tell their own story of
the price the amateur pays for his hobby

but he gets num-
bers of them daily. And you, in the comfort of
your fireside, complain bitterly at a few annoy-
ing splashes of static or an occasional ship trans-
mittal which interferes with your pleasure.
Maybe you write your district Supervisor,

demanding some immediate action, and then
grumble at the inefficiency of Governmental
services if an inspector does not appear at
your home the following evening ready to
devote his entire evening to your interests.
Suppose you pick a comfortable chair, get a
fresh cigar and read on — meet your District
Supervisor and his radio inspectors. An
insight into the workings of the Radio In-
spection Service of the United States Depart-
ment of Commerce will give you a new respect
for the men who are laboring many hours a
day that your evening's pleasure may be
uninterrupted.

In 1912, radio communication was limited
to communica-
tion to and from
vessels on the
Great Lakes and
on the high seas,
and between a
few points on
land. A number
of companies con-
trolled this serv-
ice. When the
rapid increase in
radio stations
came, petty con-
troversies often
came up between
operators, and in
numerous cases
these original
small arguments
grew into serious
affairs. A ship of
one company, for
example, refused
to handle busi-
ness with a ship
or shore station

of a rival organization. Worse, efforts were
often made so to interfere with a competitor's
operations to prevent his handling legitimate
traffic.

Foreign vessels as well as those of

290

Radio Broadcast

United States registry were then fast adopt-
ing radio telegraphy. No provision for in-
tercommunication with vessels of different
nationality existed. Briefly, radio communi-
cation up to 1912 was entirely unorganized.
The problems presented by the increase in
stations and the attitude of competing inter-
ests grew so menacing, that the Government
found it imperative to interfere in order to
protect its military signalling, and to gain
some control over commercial traffic. Ac-
cordingly, an "Act to Regulate Radio Com-
munication" was introduced and in due course
of time became a law, in 1912. Among the
various important provisions in this act was
an article requiring all stations to inter-
communicate regardless of the radio system
employed. It was further provided that
every radio transmitting station must be
licensed by the Secretary of Commerce, and
be operated only by operators examined and
licensed by him. Certain technical limi-
tations were placed on such stations, and in
order that the law might be enforced, it was
necessary to create a force of inspectors who
would personally inspect each such station.
It was found desirable to have these inspec-
tors conduct examinations to determine the
qualifications of an applicant for a radio
operator license. Nine radio districts were
established, with headquarters in the impor-
tant industrial center nearest the central part
of the district.

WHERE THE INSPECTORS ARE

THESE nine districts, with some slight
changes of headquarters as demanded by
varying conditions, are the same to-day. The
present headquarters offices are located in
New York City, Boston, Baltimore, Atlanta,
New Orleans, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago,
and Detroit. A radio inspector, who was re-
quired to be a highly skilled technician, was
assigned to each office, and in a few instances,
assistants were also provided where the duties
were extremely heavy, such as at New York.
A Chief Radio Inspector, with offices in
Washington, presided over the nine districts,
and still does. He acts under the direction
of the Secretary of Commerce, through the
Commissioner of Navigation.

At the time of the formation of this branch
of the Government service, a radio inspector's
duties were to inspect each radio transmitting
station in his district periodically; hold
frequent radio operator license examinations
and conduct periodic examinations in the
larger cities throughout the district. In 1912

but comparatively few shore stations existed,
and not many vessels carried radio apparatus.
Since he had a consequently small number of
embryo operators to examine, a radio inspec-
tors' duties were not arduous.

Radio has grown steadily since the for-
mation of this service. Just prior to the war,
practically every vessel of any size at all
carried apparatus. There were numerous
shore stations in each district. Thousands
of amateur stations existed throughout the
country. Many private concerns owned
radio stations for communicating only between
their various plants and offices. All these
stations were required by law to be inspected
and licensed, and these tasks fell to the radio
inspectors. An increase in the personnel was
sadly needed but not forthcoming from Con-
gress. The Department of Commerce Radio
Service was forced to struggle along as best
it might with the limited funds and personnel
at its disposal, while radio was growing in
importance and popularity daily. All this
was before the inception of radio broadcasting.

AND THEN CAME BROADCASTING

SHORTLY following the new start of
commercial radio telegraphy in the
United States at the close of the war, the
results of experiments made with radio tele-
phone systems for military signalling became
public property. It was not long before a
few radio broadcast stations appeared. The
public were inclined to be a bit dubious at
first, but almost overnight, the flame of popu-
larity swept the country and the demand for
radio apparatus and broadcasting service
was phenomenal. Stations for transmitting
entertainment, education, news, etc., sprang
up all over the country, and for each such
transmitting station, thousands of receiving
sets were installed. Under the law of 1912, all
transmitting stations must be inspected and
licensed. Each must be operated by properly
licensed operators. These additional duties
were added to the radio inspectors' already
heavy burden. No provision was made in the
1912 law to cover radio telephone stations.
The Radio Inspection Service had to draft
suitable regulations to cover the new situation.
A few additional inspectors were obtained
through an emergency measure.

No sooner were the enormous problems
which the broadcast situation had presented
untangled to some degree, than a new menace
made itself known in the flood of letters that
began to pour into the district inspection
offices. The public was becoming educated

Shake Hands With the "R. I."

291

in the new science, and had discovered with
some surprise and much indignation that there
were other signals in the air than those ema-
nating from broadcast stations.

THE PUBLIC DISCOVERS INTERFERENCE

THE new listeners frequently had to con-
tend with the code signals from near-by
amateur stations, from ships and shore sta-
tions, and from high power transoceanic
stations. An amateur radio station owner,
was a personality — someone who could be

readily visualized,

whereas to a large
number, the vessels,
high power stations
and the like were but
a dim mental picture.
The tide of public
opinion turned
against the amateur,
for it was assumed
that all interference
from code transmis-
sions must come from
him. There were
about twenty thou-
sand transmitting
amateurs in the coun-
try, nearly three
thousand radio
equipped vessels, and
about fifteen hundred
commercial shore sta-
ll i o n s scattered be-
tween the coasts.
Those with broadcast
receivers got a lot of
interference. Broad-
casting had been
assigned wavelengths
of 360 and 400

meters. With amateurs on 200 meters, and
ships on 300, 450, and 600 meters, and taking
into consideration the huge number of non-
selective radio receivers (those subject to
maximum interference) which were unloaded
on an unsuspecting public, it naturally fol-
lowed that the reception of the radio pro-
grams was not all that could be desired.
The public was indignant. They did not
propose to have their outlay rendered useless
it it could be prevented. Accordingly, letters
of protest were the first step. The problem
• of where to direct them was soon solved.
.Then, such a bulk of mail entered the radio
^inspectors' offices that it appeared next to
r-impossible even to begin to handle it. But

When "Something Ought to be
Done About Something"

Radio folk have gotten into the habit of
writing to the Radio Supervisor in their dis-
trict. The broadcast listener may have
trouble with an interfering power line near by,
or perhaps it is a neighboring code amateur
whom they suspect of high radio crimes and
misdemeanors. Forthwith, he writes to the
Radio Supervisor. If ships pound in over
the loud speaker, or if static is excessive, the
inspector hears of it. Many there are who
have dealings with the inspector, and. this
article may help to make that person a bit
more of an entity. Mr. Pyle has been an in-
spector himself. He was attached to the
Eighth District Headquarters at Detroit for
some time. The entire radio staff of the
Department of Commerce is rendering yeo-
man service to the country, and the magni-
tude of the task they are trying to accomplish
with a pitifully small staff is not generally
appreciated. The Department needs ade-
quate running and administration appro-
priations, sufficient to care for the enormous
expansion of its tasks. These, Congress has
steadily refused. — THE EDITOR.

the radio inspectors rolled up their sleeves
and "dug into it." It was soon found that by
far the majority of letters dealt with inter-
ference, real or fancied, from amateur trans-
mitters. This called for individual investi-
gations which entailed an unbelievable
amount of work. Due to the insufficient
travel appropriation provided, it was neces-
sary to permit such complaints to pile up until
those from some certain territory became
exceedingly insistent and numerous, and then
the radio inspector would proceed to that
community, and by
working all day and
far into the night for
several days, would
get the tangle some-
w h a t straightened
out. Meanwhile,
complaints from some
other section would
pile up and on his
return there would
be a goodly number
of investigations to
conduct in other sec-
tions. Between trips,
and while actually
traveling, it was also
necessary that he in-
spect ship and land
stations and hold ra-
dio operator examina-
tions.

THE AMATEURS
TROUBLES

HE amateur prob-
lem finally became
so acute, that the
amateurs themselves
felt they were in

danger of extinction, so strong was the
flood of public opinion against them. In
spite of their splendid war services and
other contributions to the art, such power-
ful influences were brought to bear as to
make their position extremely precarious.
They accordingly, voluntarily established a
"silent period" from seven to ten-thirty P.M.
daily, when they would shut down their
transmitters to enable the new listeners to
receive the broadcast entertainment without
interference. This in a way, was successful,
but the interference from the few who would
not fall in line with their more far-sighted
brothers, and from other sources, made it
necessary for the Department of Commerce

292

Radio Broadcast

through regulation, to impose compulsory
silent hours of from eight to ten-thirty P.M.,
local standard time, and during local church
services on Sunday mornings, on all amateur
stations.

MORE LABORS FOR THE INSPECTORS

IN NO time at all, a new flood 'of letters
poured in. The amateurs were accused of
violating the silent period provision of their
station licenses, particularly in points remote
from radio inspectors where they thought they
would not be apprehended. Nothing for it
but the radio inspector must extend his day
four or five hours more, and arrange to .listen
in nightly in an endeavor to locate the offend-

EVERY RADIO STATION ABOARD SHIP

Has regularly to be inspected by the radio service of the Department
of Commerce. The inspector checks the wavelength adjustment
of the transmitter, and tests the storage batteries which furnish
auxiliary power in case of accident to the ship's generators. He also
tests the telephone from the radio room to the bridge. At practi-
cally all ports of entry in this country, the Department of Commerce
inspects each ship each trip it makes into that port. This service
alone would keep a large inspecting staff busy, but in addition to
ship inspection, the inspectors have to inspect amateur stations of
a certain grade, commercial shore stations, broadcasting stations,
conduct license examinations for amateur and commercial operators,
and investigate violations of the radio laws. The ship being in-
spected is SS Maracaibo

ers. Congress would not appropriate funds
for the necessary equipment, so, out of his own
meager salary, the inspector purchased elabo-
rate receiving equipment — often costing
several hundred dollars — in order that he
might efficiently serve his public. After a few
weeks of such monitoring service it was found
that much of the interference came from a
number of broadcast stations transmitting
on the same wave. Accordingly, Mr. Radio
Inspector was called into consultation with
his Chief at Washington. New regulations
were drafted, providing a re-allocation of
wavelength bands for broadcast purposes.
These covered the wavelengths| from 222
meters to 545 meters, and a zoning system was
worked out to provide the
minimum interference between
stations.

Returning to his office, the
radio inspector with his insuffi-
cient clerical force, was faced
with the task of explaining by
letter to each broadcast station
in his district the proposed
changes, and calling in the nu-
merous licenses for amendment.
Relief from inter-station inter-
ference was immediate, but still
the letters poured in, accusing
amateurs of violations of quiet
periods. Back to his receiver
for Mr. R. I. And this time the
problem had taken a new and
more serious form. American
and foreign ships were causing
a tremendous amount of inter-
ference, practically blanketing
the entire country, with their
transmittals on 300, 450 and
600 meters.

REAL CODE INTERFERENCE

THE problem this time was
very real. A quiet period
could not be imposed upon com-
mercial radio services to accom-
modate those who wished to be
entertained. Furthermore, ra-
dio was the only means of com-
munication from shore to a
vessel at sea. Recourse to the
laws showed that the transmit-
tals were within the require-
ments in every way It was
then decided to request the ra-
dio operating companies to have
their vessels keep away from 300

Shake Hands With the "R. I."

293

and 450 meters, at least be-
tween seven and eleven P.M.
daily. An additional wavelength
of 706 meters was provided for
them, away from the broadcast
band. Theoretically, this was
ideal, the companies expressed
their desire to cooperate and-
the individual operators going
to sea used what they saw fit in
regard to wavelengths available.
Accordingly, practically no relief
was noted. This was communi-
cated to the complaining parties
as fast as letters of complaint
arrived. It was inconceivable,
even to the most intelligent peo-
ple, that a little vessel, tossing
on the waves hundreds — even
thousands of miles from their
firesides could raise such havoc.
It was so much more readily
understandable how an amateur
in the same town could cause
the interference. Accordingly,
the radio service was often ac-
cused of being in league with the
amateurs against the broadcast
listeners, or "BCL's" as they
grew to be known.

DIPLOMACY AMONG THE INSPEC-
TORS

'"THE radio inspectors then
A adopted new tactics. When
a complaint against an amateur station
was filed, the complainant was requested
to furnish the name and address or official
radio call letters of the offending station.
Where they could do either, the amateur
was directed by the inspector to get in touch
with the complaining party and endeavor to
come to some amicable agreement. Where
call letters or names were lacking, the com-
plainant was respectfully requested to get
this information before it would be possible to
assist him.

Contrary to being a practical solution,
letters from the amateur side began to in-
crease. It was claimed that no understanding
could be reached with the BCL's; they were
for total elimination of the amateur. After
such conferences, the amateur naturally went
away in a "huff" leaving bad feeling on both
sides. This often took more active form and
many were the tales of amateur antennae cut
down in the dead of night. It was a feud
second only to some of the old Kentucky gun-

INSPECTING A BROADCASTING STATION
WEBJ, the Third Avenue Railway station in New York, being tested
by a radio inspector from the New York, or Second Radio District.
The wavelengths of all broadcasters are very carefully watched by
the government inspectors

fights between the mountaineers. And be-
tween them both, fired at from both sides and
with no support, stood the radio inspector,
sleepless and irritated beyond description,
but still struggling to bring peace into this
big new family that had been suddenly placed
under his wing.

The flood of mail continued. Level headed,
clear thinking business men made threats
over their signature that they would be
ashamed of in any other connection than radio.
Fair-minded, ordinarily pleasant people be-
came most selfish and bitter.

When all other methods had been ex-
hausted and still the public clamored for relief,
official Washington decided that a general
conference of all representative radio interests
might solve the problem. Accordingly the
Supervisor of Radio at New York was
directed to call such a conference. Repre-
sentative men from the radio operating compa-
nies and all those who were so connected were
invited. The outcome of such an extended

294

Radio Broadcast

discussion was an agreement by the radio
operating companies, to eliminate the 450
meter wave on their vessels, accept the 706
meter adjustment in its stead, and to use 300
meters only as re-
quired by Interna-
tional regulation.

The rest given the
inspectors was not
for long though, for it
was soon seen that in
order for the broad-
cast stations to func-
tion properly and with
little interference be-
tween one another,
they must be main-
tained on their exact
wavelength. It again

became necessary for

has bought and paid for, from his own pocket,
the receiving equipment which he uses for
these measurements, and it is far more selec-
tive, far more costly than what you term a

W. D. TERRELL

Chief Supervisor of Radio.
Mr. Terrell is in direct
chatge of the inspection
activities of the Radio Ser-
vice, Bureau of Naviga-
tion, Department of Com-
merce. The country is
divided into nine radiodis-
tricts, each with its super-
visor and inspectors. The
task of administering the
radio law has grown to tre-
mendous proportions since
the beginning of broad-
casting in 1920

O. R. REDFERN
Supervisor of Radio, Sev-
enth District. With head-
quarters at Seattle, Mr.
Redfern has charge of
radio affairs in Oregon,
Washington, Idaho, Mon-
tana, Wyoming, and the

Territory of Alaska

R. Y. CADMUS

Supervisor of Radio for the
Third Radio District. His
office is in Baltimore and with
some exceptions he has con-
trol of the states of New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, Dela-
ware, Maryland, Virginia, and
the District of Columbia

CHARLES C. KOLSTER

Supervisor of the First
Radio District at Boston,
which comprises Maine,
New Hampshire, Ver-
mont, Massachusetts,
Rhode Island, and Con-
necticut

the radio inspector to return to his monitor-
ing of the air, this time to check the wave-
lengths of the broadcast stations and to notify
those which had slipped from their assigned
frequencies. This service proved so valuable,
both to the broadcast stations and the listening
public, that it is being maintained voluntarily
by the various district Supervisors who are
devoting their entire evenings to such work
in order that you may have better broadcast-
ing. There is no additional remuneration
for this work, it is entirely voluntary. And
remember too, that except in rare cases, where
sufficient money could be "borrowed" from
other office appropriations, the radio inspector

"good" broadcast receiver. It has to be.
The devotion to duty of the men in the
service is remarkable. The writer will always
be grateful for the year which he was privi-
leged to serve among them. The salary is
insignificant. Much more has been tendered
the inspectors by outside firms, but the
majority prefer to stay and conquer your
problems and to take such satisfaction as they
may find in the fact that they are beyond a
doubt doing more to give you better radio
than any other individual or group in the art.
Think of them as human, and think twice
before you write a hastily worded and sar-
castic letter.

The Log of a Radio Hobo

The COVERED WAGON in the Middle West, Which Captain Irwin Calls a
Radio Paradise— Radio and the Farmer — The Farm Offers a Great Field
for Radio Salesmen— News of the COVERED WAGON on the Radio Circuit

BY CAPTAIN JACK IRWIN

SOMEBODY is asleep at the switch.
When I started on my travels in the
RADIO BROADCAST COVERED WAGON,
one of the objects of the journey was
to ascertain first hand from the farmer ex-
actly what radio was doing to assist him in his
business and to amuse him in his leisure.
I have listened daily to the broadcasting of
produce market reports and imagined that
the farmers were
equipped to re-
ceive this informa-
tion, and the
weather forecasts.
What do we find?
After traversing
more than one
thousand miles of
highway through
some of the finest
farming districts
of the Eastern and
Middle Western
states we find that
less than five per
cent, of the farmers
are equipped with
radio receivers.

We looked for mile after mile in vain for the
familiar antenna on farm buildings. We
stopped frequently at ranches where the fields
and buildings indicated prosperity and the
outward signs pointed to luxury within, but
seldom did we find what we searched for.

Inquiries made during these visits proved
that it was not lack of interest in radio matters
that led to the absence of radio facilities. In
almost every case great interest was shown
and a keen desire expressed by both old and
young for a broadcast receiver. We have
been asked over and over again what receiver
was best adapted for a particular need.
Fortunately, with the complete equipment
we carry on the COVERED WAGON, we were
able to make suggestions based in many cases
upon results obtained on the premises of the
people interested. Unlike many of the fans

PREPARING A MULLIGAN

Better known in the army as "slumgullion."
and the WAGON at the side of a road in
transcontinental trip

in the towns and cities, the rural prospective
radio owner is not inclined to interest himself
in assembling a receiver from parts made by
himself or purchased. He prefers to learn of a
complete manufactured receiver that will
bring in reasonably distant stations. To such
interested persons I have always put the same
question. Have they searched for their re-
quirements in the pages of radio magazines,

or have they
shopped for radio
receivers in their
visits to town?
The answer has al-
ways been invari-
ably the same.
They felt that
what they had read
about radio only
left them confused,
and their visits to
dealers made them
more so, as the
latter claimed such
extraordinary re-
ceptive qualities
for their product
that the farmer

was skeptical. In other cases we found pro-
spective purchasers waiting for some immed-
iate neighbor to install a set, which "he would
do this fall" and if he was successful, well, " I
guess we will get one like it." The army is
not the only place they "pass the buck!"

THESE FARMERS SHOULD HAVE BUSY ANTENNAS

IT IS reasonable to expect that the condi-
tions that I have found on the main tra-
veled highways must prevail in less settled by-
ways to which my limited itinerary does not
permit a visit. I think that both the manu-
facturer and the retailer are overlooking one
of the most promising fields in the radio
business. Farmers are almost waiting to be
convinced that the set offered to them is the
one that will produce the results that they
anticipate for their money. From the expe-

Captain Frwin
Kansas on his

296

Radio Broadcast

rience of the writer it would seem that the
old itinerant tinware peddler with his wagon
could be resurrected to advantage in the re-
tailing of radio apparatus in rural commun-
ities. Without exaggeration, we could have
sold our sets on our WAGON dozens of times
after giving demonstrations in farmyards. It
is my personal opinion that the dealer must
devise other methods than those now prevail-
ing to reach one of the most receptive markets
open to the radio industry. The farmer may
purchase almost every other commodity he
equires by mail, but when it comes to a radio
receiver he must be shown.

MUNICIPALLY OPERATED RADIO

DISCOVERED in Detroit to what extent
broadcasting was employed as a public util-
ity. The COVERED WAGON arrived in that city
on the eve of the annual international motor
boat races. The evening before the opening
day, several mysterious looking wagons were
drawn up along the river bank, each shrouded
in coverings that hid the contents. Sub-
sequently we learned that these wagons were
owned by the Detroit Parks and Boulevards
Department and contained broadcast re-
ceivers, each with a huge wooden horn to be
used in announcing the results of the races to
the assembled spectators. We found that
every public park in the city would be similarly
furnished with such receivers. They had
not been especially installed for the important
motor boat events, but had been designed and
installed by the municipal authorities to
broadcast the band concerts from Belle Isle,
one of the largest and most beautiful city
parks in the world. By means of these
mobile receivers and giant loud speakers,
citizens of the city in every park or public
gathering place in Detroit could enjoy the
band concert. This utilization of radio saved
the city the expense of furnishing several
bands for its parks. The idea originated with
General Heckle, Commissioner of Parks and
Boulevards, who had learned from practical
experience during his service in the war of the
advantages of radio.

THE POLICE "STATION"

'T^HE city owns and operates a transmitting
*• station at police headquarters. From
this station was broadcast frequently particu-
lars of any crime. Every precinct station
throughout the city was equipped with a
receiver and loud speaker, thus enabling the
officers on duty in each station simultaneously
to learn of the details of newly reported

crimes as they were filed at headquarters.
For instance, as each stolen automobile was
reported, the number of the license, engine,
and the make of the car was broadcast with
other essential information that would lead
to its recovery. Officials assured me that a
very large percentage of stolen cars had been
recovered as a result of this up to date method.
This station has the most appropriate call
letters of KOP!

Another excellent use the city finds for this
municipal station is in connection with the
city owned street cars. The repair trucks and
cars of the railroad are equipped with receivers
operated with a loop. When a breakdown
in the system occurs, the broadcast station
calls the number of the repair crew responsible
for that section of the road and supplies the
particulars of the trouble and the locality.
The police department has equipped several
speedy patrol automobiles for rapidly trans-
porting police reserves to the scene of such
hold-ups. These fliers, as they are called, are
also equipped with radio receivers that enable
the crew to keep in constant touch with head-
quarters. Radio has been so successful in
solving communication problems in the city
management in Detroit that it is planned
further to utilize the new system by extend-
ing its use to the public schools.

THE GREAT LAKES ARE A RADIO PARADISE

OUR journey has progressed as far as the
Great Lakes, and we envy the diversified
programs that citizens of this region of the
Middle West enjoy. Not only are they plenti-
fully supplied with excellent broadcasting
stations in their own particular zone, but their
central locality enables them, with even small
receiving units, to bring in programs from the
Atlantic and far West stations. While listen-
ing in for a couple of hours each evening, a fan
can gather in a dozen or more excellent stations.
The fact that the division of times also adds
to their advantage enables the Great Lakes
fan to obtain DX without sitting up until the
wee sma' hours, as his brother fan in the East
must do. While the night is yet young he
can hear the Atlantic stations sign off and
turn his dials for Western stations working,
say, on mountain time. At this time I am
particularly enjoying these advantages. We
have been most anxious ever since commenc-
ing this trip to obtain distant stations in the
particular spot we happened to be each night.
Prior to our arrival in the Great Lakes district
this entailed much hardship in the loss of sleep,
which we particularly needed after driving all

The Log of a Radio Hobo

297

HALF WAY POINT

The COVERED WAGON on the Liberty Highway, 1,576 miles from New York and 1,563 miles from San Fran-
cisco. It was in the Middle West and West that Captain Irwin found the farmers so very much interested

in radio, but so poorly supplied with sets.

day in the exhilarating country air, and even
when we succeeded in warding off friend
Morpheus we feared to disturb our temporary
neighbors should there be fellow tourists
near us. Excellent as broadcast music may
be, there is a time and place for the best
things, and a tired tourist camp is certainly
not that place.

THE AUTOMOBILE TOURISTS

SPEAKING of our audiences, although
the weather for the last two weeks (I
am writing in early September), has been very
chilly, we continue to meet thousands of
automobile tourists. Some are en route home,
but many are still touring. Each night as we
camp in a new locality, each farther west,
we are surrounded by a number of tourists
whose license plates indicate that they are
from north, south, east, and west. Wonder-
ful companions on the trail they are. As I
remarked in another article, I find it hard to
write only of radio topics. The intensely
interesting personalities we meet will long be
remembered. Before 1 began this tour, I
had read in a magazine devoted to outdoor
life that in 1923 the estimated number of
automobile tourists numbered several hundred
thousand. I remember that the actual
number seemed incredibly large and I
made a mental note at the time that the
writer had exaggerated, but my personal
experience to date indicates that 1924 will

exceed that estimate of last year. Now
of the thousands we have met, we have not
encountered a dozen carrying radio receivers.
Even those who do possess receivers in their
touring equipment do not use them often.
A very large number are ardent fans and
speak enthusiastically of their receptive feats
at home. These tourists are very substantial
citizens and the equipments are marvelous
in ingenuity.

Some of the cars resemble furniture moving
vans. Heads of happy smiling youngsters
may often be seen protruding from an auto-
mobile load of camping equipment. Mr.
Ford, if he could take such an extended trip
as we now are enjoying, would have food for
thought if he could but see what his efforts
have led to! So far 1 seem to have encoun-
tered two outstanding classes of tourists.
One is the substantial citizen already alluded
to, the other is the itinerant worker who
travels in the lowly, often ancient and dilapi-
dated Ford, works for a period in one place,
accumulates enough capital to carry on to his
next objective point, and then repeats the pro-
cess. Both are well informed, not on world
topics perhaps, but upon American national
problems.

In every tourist camp men and women fore-
gather from every state and exchange amic-
able notes upon their diversified experiences.
Two great inventions have brought Ameri-
cans together, the automobile and radio.

The International Broadcasting

Tests

Last-Minute Facts About the Plans for Internationa] Broadcasting During the
Week of November 24th to 30th in the Tests Conducted by RADIO BROADCAST

BY WILLIS K. WING

BY THE time this copy of RADIO
BROADCAST reaches the hands of the
reader, the International Radio
Broadcast Tests will be ready to
start. The week of November 24th to 3Oth
is destined to remain long in the minds of
radio fans because the plans this year insure
thrills for the listener that can be secured in
no other way. Every important broadcasting
station in the United States, Cuba, Porto
Rico, Hawaii, Canada, and Great Britain
will be "on the air" during their allotted
time in the test week.

We have often been asked exactly what the
purpose of these tests is. Last year, the
transatlantic test was primarily to find out
whether or not the ordinary super-sensitive
receiver could bring in the English broad-
casters, if American transmitters on the same

"OH BOY! I'VE GOT SCOTLAND"

wavelengths were silent. We purposed also to
allow the English listeners to hear American
broadcasting under the most favorable con-
ditions of time and atmosphere. Both aims
were achieved, as radio folk on both sides of
the water will assure you. American broad-
casting was heard in England very generally
during the tests last year. It was about one
month after that that the British broadcasting
company successfuly rebroadcast the pro-
grams of KDKA over their own circuits.

It is an established fact that listeners on
each side of the Atlantic can hear the other,
given highly sensitive receivers and favorable
conditions. But those conditions have to be
supplied. American listeners cannot hear
English and Continental stations while their
own broadcasting stations are sending on
about the same waves. So, during an hour
each evening of the tests, American listeners
can tune-in on the foreign broadcasts un-
hampered by interference from United States
stations. Listeners will have another oppor-
tunity to try their sets under conditions which
could be found at no other time. After all,
it is an experience for a listener in an isolated
spot in Oregon to hear a program direct from
London. That is just what happened in the
tests last year. All the thrilled listeners were
not in Oregon, either, for our reports, tabu-
lated after the tests were over, showed there
were great numbers of successful listeners in
every state in the Union, and all the provinces
of Canada.

FEATURES OF THE TEST THIS YEAR

THE International Esperanto Society is
deeply interested in the potentialities of
the International Tests and they have ar-
ranged to put on a brief program in Esperanto
from at least ten important American and
Canadian stations.

The proponents of this language feel that
the tests will give them an unusual oppor-
tunity to put their international language to a

The International Broadcasting Test

299

COOPERATING IN THE TESTS
Is the new Chelmsford station (?xx) of the British
Broadcasting Company. The power is a maximum of
twenty-five kilowatts, sent out on a wavelength of
1600 meters. The mast is 400 feet high. The oval
shows the
large lead-in
insulator. The
other insert
shows a por-
tion of the
transmitting
appa ratus.
Listeners here
whose receiv-
ers will tune
up to 1600
meters should
hear 5 xx

practical test. They have arranged that
members of their society in foreign countries
will listen for the programs. Many who have
given thought to radio problems have felt
that with the increase in international broad-
casting, it might soon become a serious ques-
tion whether or not an international language
were not a necessity.

Program directors of all the stations have
been hard at work making a special effort to
have the best talent they can muster before
the microphone during this week. Last year,
it will be remembered that such persons of
importance as Secretary of State Charles E.
Hughes, Owen D. Young, General James G.
Harbord, Henry Ford, and others spoke to the
British listeners. Similar events of impor-
tance will take place this year. Marconi
himself spoke in England last year.

The staff of this magazine has visited broad-
casting stations personally in the eastern part
of the country. The editor, Arthur H.
Lynch, recently completed a trip which in-
cluded the Marconi and La Presse stations
at Montreal, CKCO at Ottawa, CKAC at To-

ronto, and WGY, Schenectady.
The writer visited, among
others, WGR at Buffalo, one of
the stations which was suc-
cessful in getting its signals to England last
year, wwj, at Detroit, WJAX, and WTAM at
Cleveland. Short addresses were made over
the air at most of these stations, telling of
the plans for the test.

DETAILS ABOUT THE TEST

AMERICAN stations will open the test, be-
ginning their transmissions at ten o'clock,
eastern standard time on the night of Novem-
ber 24th. Promptly at eleven p. M., eastern
standard time, they will all close down, and the
foreign stations will send. The Pacific Coast
broadcasters, then, will begin their programs at
seven o'clock, local time, which corresponds to
the Atlantic Coast stations' start at ten.
American stations will send for an hour and re-
main silent for the hours specified each evening.

On the next page are the call letters and
wavelengths of the English stations. Ameri-
can stations whose wavelengths are nearest to
that of the English station are indicated in
the last column.

When you know the dial adjustment of
your receiver for the American station whose

3OO

Radio Broadcast

AT THE WASHINGTON RADIO CONFERENCE

Commander E. C. Edwards, Supervisor of Canadian Radio, Captain
P. P. Eckersley, Chief Engineer of the British Broadcasting
Company, and Arthur H. Lynch, Editor of this magazine, and
organizer of the International Radio Broadcast Tests. Mr.
Edwards, Captain Eckersley, and Mr. Lynch completed arrange-
ments for the November tests at a recent conference in Washington

wavelength is nearest that of the foreign sta-
tion, a minimum of time will be lost in adjust-
ing your receiver to the foreign stations.

WHEN YOU HEAR THE FOREIGN STATIONS

ELABORATE plans have been made at
d Garden City, at the RADIO BROADCAST
Laboratory to receive the foreign programs.
Another special receiving laboratory has been

set up on the seashore, away
from all radiating receivers and
power-line noises, so the pro-
grams can be received and ac-
curately checked. Direct radio
connection with London will
be possible through a control
key at the Laboratory con-
nected to the high-power trans-
mitter of the Radio Corporation
of America at New York. Each
evening, we shall make up a re-
port of those listeners in all parts
of the country who report to us
that they heard the foreign pro-
grams. These will be quickly
tabulated and rushed by radio
across the Atlantic.

Every listener, no matter
where he is, is asked to send
a prepaid telegram to RADIO
BROADCAST magazine when he
hears a foreign program. The
telegram should contain the
name and address of the sender,
the name and call letter of the
sending station, and any neces-
sary facts about the program
heard. Those who live near
enough may telephone their re-
ports to the office of the ma-
gazine at Garden City 800. We
shall also be glad to have reports
by letter when you receive

the test programs. All communications will

be acknowledged.

WHOLESALE COOPERATION

THESE tests have been made possible by
the cooperation of the American, Canadian,
and English broadcasters, the Radio Corpora-
tion, the General Electric, the Westinghouse
Company, and the London Wireless World.

STATION
Paris
London
Chelmsford
Aberdeen
Birmingham
Bournemouth
Cardiff
Edinburgh
Manchester
Liverpool
Newcastle
Sheffield
Plymouth
Leeds
Brussels

CALL

PTT
2 LO

5 xx

2 BD

5 IT

6 BM

5 WA
2 EH
2 ZY

6 LV

5 NO

6 FL
5 PY

2 LS

WAVELENGTH
450

365
1600
405

475
385
35'
325
375
318
400
303
335
346
265

AMERICAN STN.
WMAQ
WEBH

WOR

WFAA

WGY

WCBD

KDKA

WEBH

WGR

WHAS

WE El

WB/.

WLS

KFNF

WAVELENGTH
448

37°

405
476
380

345
326
370

3'9
400
303
337
345
266

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

301

Always look for the Magnavox
Trade Mark when buying radio.

CV/S the rapid progress of the radio art leads every experienced
CSl/ user to expect supremely high standards of efficiency in his
equipment, it becomes of vital importance to know what appara-
tus deserves your investment in hard earned cash,

mit positive control by a single dial.

The Magnavox Tubes have ex-
tremely high amplification factors, and
as detectors, give sharper tuning and
eliminate microphonic noises.

Regarding the quality of Magnavox
Radio Reproducers, their distinctive
characteristics are too well known
throughout the radio world for special
explanation or comment.

Those for whom radio has become
an actual daily need, however, will
welcome a brief word about the new
Magnavox Radio Receivers and Vac-
uum Tubes.

The unique feature of the Magna-
vox set is the gearing together of its
several resonant circuits so as to per-

It is well worth your time to examine these

products at the nearest Magnavox store.

Literature on request.

THE MAGNAVOX COMPANY

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

'New York: Chicago: San Francisco;

350 W. 3 1st St. 162 N. State St. 274 Brannan St.

Canadian Distributors: Perkins Electric Limited
Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg

12R

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

WHEN YOU WRITE THE GRID . . .

Don't fail to enclose a stamped, self -addressed envelope with your
inquiry if you expect a personal reply.

Don't be impatient if you do not receive an immediate answer. Every
letter is answered in the order of its receipt. Do not send a second letter
asking about the first.

Look over your files of RADIO BROADCAST before asking a question
which might have been covered in a previous issue.

Don't ask for a comparison between manufactured apparatus. The
addresses of manufacturers of articles used in the construction of ap-
paratus described in RADIO BROADCAST will be given on request.

Don't include questions on subscription orders or inquiries to other
departments of Doubleday, Page &* Co. Address a separate inquiry to
the Grid.

Don't send us a fee for answering your questions. The Grid Depart-
ment is maintained for the aid and convenience of readers of RADIO
BROADCAST and there is no charge for the service.

QUERIES ANSWERED

WHAT is THE CORRECT VALUE OF RHEOSTAT TO Do QRID LEAKS AFFECT THE SENSITIVITY OF MY

USE WITH A UV-2OI-A TUBE? RECEIVER?

G. M. F. Tulsa, Okla.

HOW MAY I APPLY A FINELY VARIABLE NEGATIVE
POTENTIAL TO THE GRID OF A VACUUM TUBE?

D. McG. Philadelphia, Pa.

A. J. N. Keyport, N. J.

THE VOLUME OUTPUT OF MY RECEIVER IS DIS-
TORTED. HOW MAY I CONTROL IT?

C. D. M. Waco, Texas.

HOW IS A C BATTERY INSERTED IN AN AUDIO-
FREQUENCY AMPLIFIER CIRCUIT?

R. T. L. Augusts, Maine.

PROPER RESISTANCES FOR TUBES

WE HAVE been asked numerous times
why 1 5- and 2o-ohm rheostats are
recommended for use with uv-2oi-A
tubes. Likewise we ask, why, too. According to
Ohm's Law R equals }-, that is the resistance of
a circuit is equal to the voltage supplied, divided by
the current in amperes flowing through it.

According to the data supplied by the tube
manufacturer, the resistance of the uv-aoi-A is 20

ohms. This figure is arrived at by dividing 5, the
operating voltage of the tube, by .25 the current at
which it is operated.

By applying the same formula we find that with a
6-volt storage battery the resistance of the circuit is
24 ohms. Since 20 ohms of this is to be attributed
to the tube, the rheostat will necessarily have to
take care of the extra 4 ohms. Therefore a 4-, (>-, or
lo-ohm rheostat will be ample for controlling the
tube filament.

In general, to find the resistance for any rheostat,

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

SOS

AN Ultradyne receiver operating in New York City easily tunes
out the powerful broadcasting of WOR, Newark, N. j. — 405
meters and brings in WDAR, Philadelphia — 395 meters; PWX
Havana, Cuba — 400 meters; WDAF Kansas City — 411 meters.

Regardless of close similarity in wave-length, the Ultradyne
selects any station within range — brings in broadcasting clearly, dis-
tinctly, faithfully.

In addition to this Ultra-selectivity the Ultradyne is the most
sensitive receiver known. It employs the "Modulation System" of
radio reception, the achievement of Mr. R. E. Lacault, EE.,
A.M.I.R.E., Consulting Engineer of this company and formerly
Radio Research Engineer with the French Signal Corps Research
Laboratories.

The " Modulation System " responds to weaker signals than the
conventional method of detection — because it provides greater rec-
tification. Weakest signals are made to operate the loud speaker.

Ultradyne performance is the envy of the radio industry.

Write for descriptive circular

PHENIX RADIO CORPORATION

5-7 Beekman Street NEW YORK

,-f

MODEL L-2

Modulation Plus Regeneration
in the New Ultradyne

To the "Modulation System" of radio
reception, R. E. Lacault has . success-
fully applied the use of regeneration in
the new Model L-2 ULTRADYNE.

The result is ultra-sensitivity never
before thought possible. The use of re-
generation produces tremendous ampli-
fication which is more noticeable when
receiving weak signals.

The Radio Section of the U. S. Bureau
of Standards has proven by actual meas-
urement that regeneration becomes more
effective as the received signal dimin-
ishes in strength.

Regeneration applied to the "Modula-
tion System" allows the ULTRADYNE
to respond to an extremely small amount
of energy. This energy is further am-
plified thousands of times by the inter-
mediate frequency amplifier before it is
detected and made audible. This am-
plifier is designed for maximum effi-
ciency without decreasing the tone or
quality of music and speech.

The reception of distant stations is
only limited by atmospheric conditions
and causes beyond the control of Model
L-2 ULTRADYNE.

Loud Speaker Reception Using
LOOP Aerial

Efficient loud speaker reception using
a loop aerial is possible with the Model
L-2 ULTRADYNE. Ordinarily loop re-
ception is considerably less efficient than
an outside aerial. However, the appli-
cation of regeneration to the "Modula-
tion System" reduces the resistance of
the loop circuit, thereby allowing the
loop to pick up infinitely weak signals.

The use of a loop also increases se-
lectivity and decreases static and other
interference.

How to Build the New Model
L-2 ULTRADYNE

This 32-page illustrated book gives
latest authentic information on drilling,

wiring, assembl-

i ing, and tuning
• the new Model
L-2 Ultradyne.
This book ex-
i plains the "Mod-
' ulation System"
! in detail and
also deals with
the application
of regeneration to
this new system
I of radio recep-
I tion.

It is edited
by R. E. La-
•cault, inventor of
j the Ultradyne Re-
ceiver. Price, 5 Oc.

Model L-2 ULTRADNE
Kit Is Ready

This is the new Model L-2 Ultradyne
Kit which contains one low loss tuning
coil, one low loss Oscillator Coil, one
special low loss Coupler, one type "A"
Ultraformer, three type "B" Ultra-
formers, fo'.ir matched fixed Condensers.

$30.00

The Ultraformers are new improved
lung wave radio frequency transformers,
especially designed by R. E. Lacault,
inventor of the Ultradyne. As a pre-
caution against substitution, R. E. La-
cault's personal monogram s«al(R.E.L. )
is placed on all genuine Ultraformers.
All Ultraformers are guaranteed as
long as this seal remains unbroken.

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

304

Radio Broadcast

INPUT

I POTENTIOMETER
M/WWWVI

^lIlllllF

FIG. I

substitute in the equation the voltage of the battery
and the current rating of the tube. From the
quotient derived, which is the total resistance of the
circuit, subtract the resistance of the filament of the
tube. The filament resistance of a tube may be
ascertained by applying the equation to the oper-
ating characteristics of the tube, usually supplied
upon thewrapperor tube carton by the manufacturer.

FINELY VARIABLE BIAS VOLTAGE

FOR applying a finely variable voltage to the
grid of an amplifying tube or for controlling
the voltage of a C battery similar to the
method employed by Mr. Silver in his seven-tube
super-heterodyne, we recommend the circuit shown
in Fig. i. The C battery is of the standard 4?-volt
type, the potentiometer 1 50, 200 or 400 ohms.

TUNER

;. 00025

mfd.

FIG. 2

GRID LEAKS

THE selection of a grid leak for your receiver
requires care and judgment. Not all the
variable grid leaks now on the market may
be depended upon to give reliable service.

The importance of the grid leak may be under-
stood when it is explained that the value of the leak
controls to a large degree your distance reaching
qualities. Strong, loud signals from local stations
require a greater leakage to prevent the grid of the
tube from becoming blocked.

Now, then, if this same large value of leak is used
for the reception of weak, distant signals it is fair to
assume that the signals will also be leaked out
through the comparatively easy path the large grid
leak offers. Therefore a variable leak, positive in its
action, is necessary. We offer the suggestion as
shown in Figs. 2 and 3 to this end. While the
arrangement is not entirely economical, it is never-
theless efficient. Several grid leaks of various
values are mounted as shown. The tap switch ar-
rangement allows the proper selection of leak value
for the station being received.

AVOIDING DISTORTION IN THE AUDIO OUTPUT

THE same device shown in Figs. 2 and 3 for a
variable grid leak may be arranged to
control the volume output of a receiver.
For the values of leak shown, substitute resistance
between 25,000 and 100,000 ohms (.025 to.i megs).
These are placed in the audio frequency amplifier
circuit across the secondary of the transformer of
the last stage. Overloading and distortion may
be controlled with this unit. Any good con-
tinuously variable resistance may be substituted.

SWITCH POINTS

FIG. 3

THE C BATTERY

A METHOD for employing a C battery in a
standard two-stage audio-frequency ampli-
fier is depicted in Fig. 4. Ordinarijy, the
lower side or grid return of the secondary is con-
nected directly to the negative side of the fila-
ment supply. But to insert the C battery, the
lower side of the secondary is connected and then

FIG. 4

brought to the negative side of the C battery. The
positive side of the C battery is then connected
to the negative side of the A battery.

It will be seen that instead of directly bringing
the grid return to the negative A lead it is first
brought to the C battery which is inserted in its
position between the negative A and the lower side
of the secondaries.

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

Evereadv
Heavy Duty
"B" Bat-
tery, 45
volts. Three
Fahnestock
dipt. Length
8 3/16 in.
width
4 7/16 in.
height
73/16 in.
weight
13 3/4 Ibs.
Price $4.75.

*3i
4J

9>*25j

**JU<^

fl*1

,***'

REDUCE

Operating Costs

THOUSANDS of people are already
cutting their "B" Battery costs one-
half, or even two-thirds, by using
the new Eveready "B" Battery No.
770 on their heavy drain sets.

This new Eveready Heavy Duty
Battery marks a marvelous advance
in reducing "B" Battery costs.

If your "B" Batteries have lasted
only two months on a five or six
tube receiver, this Eveready Heavy
Duty "B" Battery will increase the
service two to three times.

Use this Eveready Heavy Duty
"B" Battery on any receiving set
on which the "B" Batteries last less
than four months. When thus used
to its full capacity, it is the cheapest
as well as the best source of "B"
energy ever offered.

Manufactured and guaranteed 6l/
NATIONAL CARBON CO., INC.

Headquarters for Radio Battery Information
New York San Francisco

Canadian National Carbon Co., Limited
^ Toronto, Ontario

EVEREADY

Radio Batteries

"they last longer

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

New Equipment

FIAT BANK-WOUND LOOP

A collapsible loop antenna of merit. The manner in which
the loop is held rigid is very satisfactory. It is neat in
appearance and of sturdy construction. The wood is
highly polished mahogany. Made by the Radio Appliance
Laboratory, 1529 Howard Ave., Chicago, 111. Price $15

A LOUD SPEAKING TELEPHONE

Which gives exceptionally fine reproduction,
is the Western Electric No. 540-AW. The
projector consists of two cones of specially se-
lected material resembling parchment. The
apex of one cone is connected by a driving rod
to an electro magnetic unit that responds to
current impulses from the receiver thereby
causing the cones to vibrate and reproduce
the received signals. Made by the Western
Electric Company, 195 Broadway, New York
City. Price $35

A RADIO TUBE SOCKET

Constructed so that the tube does
not have to be twisted into place.
Each contact is a spring clip that
clinches the tube prong without
strain. The silver plated
contact and respective lug
is one continuous piece,
doing away with binding
post connections. Made by
The Cutler-Hammer Mfg.
Co., Milwaukee, Wis.

M-B-G RADIO CABINET

A moderate priced combination cabinet table-
with battery compartment. This arrangement
is ideal for eliminating the confusion of batter-
ies and wires in the radio corner. The manu-
facturer also makes a plain table and one with
battery compartment. The purchaser can fin-
ish the table as he wishes. Made by the Express
Body Corporation, 44 Lake St., Crystal Lake, 111.

MORRADYNE RECEIVER

Bridgeport, Conn.

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

307

Natural

tone quality - - - ivondcrful
wlume "With a~FADA. Neutrola

In the "Neutrola," FADA has
produced a radio receiver that pos-
sesses every essential to your com-
plete enjoyment of radio. It is a
new and better designed five-tube
Neutrodyne set, refined to give the
most faultless reproduction of mu-
sic and voice. You can, without ex-
aggeration, imagine yourself in the
very presence of the musicians and
artists. Selectivity is but one re-
markable feature of the "Neutrola."
With powerful local broadcasting
stations operating, the "Neutrola"
cuts through them and brings in

outside stations, hurt-

dreds of miles away, on
the loud speaker with
minimum interference.

The "Neutrola" cabinet is of
genuine mahogany, inlaid with a
lighter wood. A decorative grill
covers the built-in loud speaker,
and a drop desk lid hides the panel
when the set is not in use. The
"Neutrola," is fitting company
to the finest furniture in the
home.

In adition to the "Neutrola"
there are other FADA Neutro-
dyne receivers in sizes and styles
to meet every desire; three, four,
and five tube receivers in plain
and art cabinets at prices ranging
from $75 to $295, each
extraordinary in re-
sults; each a remarkable
value.

F. A. D. ANDREA, Inc., 1581 Jerome Avenue, New York

FADANeutroIa

Five-tube FADA Neutro-
dyne, with self-contained
loud speaker. Genuine ma-
hogany, artistically deco-
rated with wooden Inlay.
Ample space for all bat-
teries and charger. Drop
when not in use. Price (ex-
clusive of tubes and bat-
teries), $220.

FADA Neutro Junior
No. 195

Three-tube Neutrodyne.
A wonderful performer.
Price (less tubes bat-
tries etc.) $75.

FLa d i o

FADA Neutrola Grand

No. 185-90- A

The flve-tube Neutrola
185-A mounted on FADA
Cabinet Table No. 190-
A. Price (less tubes,
batteries, etc.) $295.

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

Our Authors

CRANK E. BUTLER, whose story "Mak-
*• ing Wireless History With De Forest"
forms the leading article for this month, is
now radio expert for La Salle & Koch in To-
ledo, Ohio. It is quite true, we think, that
radio men up to the present have been far
too busy making radio history to take much
time to write it. There are a number of other
articles in this series which will appear in
later numbers of this magazine in which
Mr. Butler relates facts about early wireless
struggles which are fully as interesting as any
fiction.

JULIAN KAY is at present continuing
his research work at Harvard University,
and absorbing, so he admits, much of the good
Boston atmosphere. He has written several
more of his excellent explanatory articles which
we hope to print in later numbers of the mag-
azine.

AN EXTREMELY busy person these days
is Zen Bouck, whose constructional ar-
ticle on "A Knock-Out Amplifier" appears

on page 226.
For what with
devising ways
and means to
escape hearing
the flood of last-
minute political
radio oratory
and doing his
reulgar research
and design at
his New York
laboratory, he
asks us to judge
if his time is

ZEH BOUCK

not rather well filled. It is.

A NOTHER of James C. Young's interest-
*» ing articles appears in RADIO BROADCAST
this month. In the current WORLD'S WORK
he has a story called "Breaking Into the
United States." Most of Mr. Young's work
appears in various New York newspapers.

ROLAND F. BEERS

CHORTLY after
^ h e graduated
from Rensselaer
Polytechnic Insti-
tute, Roland F.
Beers, taught elec-
trical engineering at
his alma mater. He
then went into the
transformer design
department of the
Western Electric
Company. He is
now a consulting
engineer in Bing-

hampton, New York, where he manages- to
find some extra time for radio.

G. H. BROWNING, who with Mr. F. H.
Drake, and Mr. Volney D. Hurd, pro-
duced the set which he describes on page 282,
is in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the Har-
vard School of Engineering.

HOWARD S. PYLE,
recently resigned
from the Radio Service
of the Department of
Commerce and after
several months spent as
a radio consulting engi-
neer is now one of the
operators attached to
the new Radio Cor-
poration of America coast station woo at
Chicago.

THE article by Dr. W. H. Eccles on "The
Importance of the Radio Amateur" which
appeared on page 83 of RADIO BROADCAST for
November, was reprinted through the courtesy
of the Wireless World and Radio Review
(London). We regret that a credit line to
that effect was inadvertently omitted from
the article.

HOWARD S. PYLE

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

433

Give Radiotrons

Radiotron WD-11

The ideal
dry cell tube.

This symbol of

quality is your

protection

It isn't a genuine WD-11
unless it's a Radiotron.
It fen't a genuine WD-12
unless it's a Radiotron.
It isn't a genuine UV-199
unless it's a Radiotron.
It isn't a genuine UV-200
unless it's a Radiotron.
Ittsn'tagenuineUV-2Ol-a
unless it's a Radiotron.

Take a peek into any radio fan's set —
and you know what to give him for
Christmas. Note the type of Radiotron
he uses. Go to any radio store — and
when you buy, look for the name
RADIOTRON and the RCA mark.
Then you are sure to be giving him
genuine Radiotrons. And mighty sure
to be giving him the gift for a merry
Christmas.

Radio Corporation of America

233 Broadway, New York

Sales Offices
10 So. La Salle St., Chicago, 111.

28 Geary St., San Francisco, Cal.

REG. u. s. PAT. orr.

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

Drawn from life, by Cartoonist \V'. R. Brad
ford, of the Philadelphia North American

"Oh, I am the hog of the air.
Wherever you tune. I am there;
I am the prize squeaker,
I fill your loud speaker—
The ether is free. I don't care.

RADIO
BROADCAST

Vol. 6, No. 3

January, 1925

Sound: First and Last in Radio

The Romance of Radio — Radio the Superlative Degree of Communica-
tion— Sound and Radio— Importance of Scientific Knowledge of Sound
in Broadcasting— A Discussion for Layman and Technician Alike

BY B. F. MIESSNER

Consulting Engineer, Wired Radio, Inc.

GENII," said Aladdin to the phan-
tom who appeared as he rubbed his
wonderful magic lamp, "build me a
palace fit to receive my betrothed,
the Princess Buddir al Buddoor. Let it be
built of porphyry, jasper, agate, lapis lazuli,
and the finest marble of various colors and
surmounted by
a dome of gold
and silver. Let
there be a spa-
cious garden, a
treasure house
filled with jewels
and precious
metals, kitchens
and store houses,
stables and
horses, and a
royal staff of ser-
vants."

It was about
the hour of sun-
set when Aladdin
gave these orders
and the next
mornirjg before
the break of day,
the Genii pre-

THE PYRAMIDS OF CHEOPS

fhe secret of their building died with the dynasties that

built them. Had modern arts of communication then

been developed, the constructional marvels in building

them would now be known

sented himself saying, "Sir, your palace is
finished."

Who among us does not remember with
delight this story from the Arabian Nights' of
the boy Aladdin and his wonderful lamp?
He had only to rub his lamp and give his
commands to the Genii who immediately ap-
peared to obtain
whatsoever h i s
boyish heart de-
sired.

If Aladdin were
to come to life
to-day he would
rub his eyes and
not his lamp, for
millions of real
magic lamps are
in actual use in
hundreds of thou-
sands of homes.
He would find
the users of these
lamps are not in
a fairyland of
myths and fables,
but in a land just

asentrancingand
even more won-

436

Radio Broadcast

derful because of its reality. What would he
think and feel, and say if you sat him down in
your own home before your own magic box with
its magic lamps, turned a few knobs and let
him listen to the music and voices of half of
the world? How could it be possible to hear
these wonderful things and still remain at
home?

In the twinkling of an eye you can take him
on explorations over
thousands of miles,
from your own cozy
fireside to the gay,
bustling life of great
cities, the shivering
blizzards of the
North, the languid

Something About Sound

summers of the
South, or the quiet of
the great West.

Can there be any
among us with imag-
ination so cramped
or mind so rigidly-
harnessed to daily
tasks that he cannot
see and feel the ro-
mance and power of
radio?

But now there
comes among us a
great and wonderful
newthingthat reaches
us, not through the
all-seeing eye attrib-
uted to God alone,
but through an all-
hearing ear — radio — •

which each and every one of us may own.
The "Call of the North," the "Voice of the
South," the "Heart of the West" all are
here in the air we breathe, pervading even our
very own bodies, wanting only the magic car to
translate their ghostlike presence into the
living, breathing voices of song, of eloquence,
of entertainment, of instruction or knowledge.

RADIO LENGTHENS OUR EARS

IN RADIO, we are developing a means
through which the sense of hearing may
come to mean more, perhaps, than vision ever
meant. All of the value that sound and the
hearing of it ever possessed, is now being
multiplied thousands and millions of times by
this new and wonderful servant, which finds
its way into even' nook and cranny of the
world with the speed of lightning. This sixth
sense reaches out over bounds and barriers and

Most of us have heard a greal deal of talk
about "distortion" in radio. That unfortu-
nate word is coming in for a rather severe
doing hy a great many who have no idea what
it means. It is running "efficiency" a pretty
close race for the title of radio's most o\ cr-
worked word.

Mr. Miessner, the author of this, the first
of a series of articles on the application of
acoustics to radio, knows what he is talking
about and has that rare ability in an engineer,
of making his ideas understandable to others
without first insisting upon a thorough dis-
cussion of something as remote as the fourth
dimension.

Whether you are interested in radio tech-
nique or not you will find this accurate state-
ment of fact entertaining and will, we feel
sure, when tempted to criticize some flaw in
the art, realize that astounding progress
has already been made, and marvel with us
at the wonderful results now being obtained
by the contortions of two little diaphragms.
— TIIF. EDITOR.

brings back to our own hearth stones, the
voices and sounds of all the world. Radio is
to the ear what the telescope is to the eye.

Progress is impossible without some means
of communication, and in radio a new means
of communication has been given to mankind.
It is a far cry from the crude signalling of olden
days, by smoke clouds, semaphores, or run-
ners, to the telegraph, telephone and radio
of to-day.

When one Indian,
craftier than his fel-
lows, discovered a
method of chipping
flint for his arrow
heads, it took thou-
sands of years for that
bit of knowledge to
spread over a single
continent. What has
become of the lost
arts of the Egyptians
in the rearing of the
pyramidal tombs of
their Pharaohs, in
embalming, in glass
making? Think of
the tempered copper
process of the Aztecs
now lost to mankind,
wiped out together
with its creators, for
the lack of means to
spread their knowl-
edge to the rest of
the world.

The progress of the
ages from stone, to

wood, to iron, to steam and to electricity, is
a story interwoven with the development of
communication.

WHAT IF WE ONLY HAD SMOKE CLOUDS?

/CONSIDER for a moment the effects on
^ you and me, if we still had only the
smoke clouds of the Indians, the runners of
the ancient Greeks, or even the town criers of
our own Colonial days instead of our tele-
graph, telephone, cables, newspapers and now
the radio. What would have become of
Watt's steam engine? It would surely have
been buried where it was born and the age of
steam might never have come over the world.
What would have become of Lister's antisep-
tic, the printing press of the Chinese, Whit-
ney's cotton gin, Dalton's atomic theory,
Daguerre's photography, the motion picture,
the phonograph, the flying machine, and the

Sound: First and Last in Radio

437

other stepping stones of our present existence?
Where would we be along the road of progress,
if Edison's electric light was still only com-
mon knowledge in the little community of
West Orange, N. J.? How could our great
cities and complicated modern life be possible
if all the wisdom that individuals and groups
have hewn out for themselves the world over
were not made available to each one of us by
means of our modern
methods of communi-
cation?

Radio broadcasting
is one of the really
great developments of
this rapidly moving
age.

SOUND WE BROADCAST
AND SOUND WE RE-
CEIVE

RADIO as we know
it to-day is pri-
marily an acoustical
instrument. The in-
telligence we send by
radio is the intelli-
gence conveyed by
sound. The trans-
mitting and receiving
apparatus serve
merely to transport
sounds from one place
to another or to many
others. Its intricate
electrical factors are
merely a part of the
whole whose one func-
tion is to reproduce
sound. It is sound

that we broadcast and sound that we receive.
From microphone to loud speaker each part
serves merely as a link in the chain which
connects one place with another by sound.

The success of the whole scheme of broad-
casting as an instrument of communication
depends upon how accurately sounds in one
place can be reproduced at another. To
perfect the instrument then, we must con-
centrate our attention on this single purpose.
We must understand the place of sounds in
our own normal existence, know their nature
physically, and how the links in the ap-
paratus composing the broadcast chain fit
this purpose. We must forget for a while the
numberless variations of a few radio circuits,
stop talking about batteries, distance, and
other incidental matters, and spend some of

our collective energy on the real fundamental
thing we are most concerned with — the acous-
tics of radio.

Sound, though few of us realize it, exerts a
tremendous influence in our daily lives. Of
all the five senses, seeing, hearing, feeling,
tasting, and smelling, hearing is surely one
of the most important.

How many of us have ever stopped to think
of this world of sound
and what it means —
how sound can tell us
of the myriad things
going on about us,
the presence of which
we might otherwise
never know! We are
constantly alive to
these sounds — hear-
ing them, classifying
them — picturing the
things producing
the m — i n t e rpreting
them and their mean-
ings— all without ef-
fort, subconsciously —
automatically trans-
lating them into what-
ever meaning they
may have for us.

©Brown Brothers
THE TOWN CRIER

Was the time-honored method of communica-
tion for a long period. He depended on sound,
and to-day, we depend on sound, through the
radio, the telephone, and the telegraph

SOUND RULES OUR
DAILY LIVES

AS I sit here in my
study with all my
senses, save hearing,
voluntarily cut off
from the outside
world, I can still
retain a remarkable

moving picture of what is going on about
me as conveyed to my senses, alone through
these subtle influences called sound. Because
sound is a result of action, it is action or mo-
tion of some kind that we sense when we hear
sounds. Every sound we hear is produced by
motion of some kind. Nearly all sounds,
therefore, are suggestive of action and are so
interpreted as we listen.

Through my open window I hear a certain
sound that is unmistakably the rustling of
the leaves of a tree in the breeze. I hear an
intermittent banging which is without ques-
tion a carpenter hammering on a near-by
house. A certain snip-snip tells me my
neighbor is trimming his hedge — another
whirring rattling noise says another mows his
lawn. Shrill, trilling sounds tell of crickets,

438

Radio Broadcast

other of frogs and birds or other insects,
quite as clearly." A continuous characteris-
tic rumbling and heavy bumping tells of an
approaching automobile. Without seeing,
I know it has stopped before my house, that
the driver gets out, walks up to our door, raps
on it, that the door is opened, that he asks
for information, gets it, and departs! I can
tell that it is an electrically driven car and
know he goes on and not back.

WE CAN ALMOST SEE BY SOUND

ANOTHER car approaches, getting louder
and louder. The motor slows and 1
hear a slight creak of the brake; now the
motor races furiously with a short grinding
and whining and the motor again quiets
with another brake creak; then another
furious racing and grinding for a moment
and as the pitch lowers these sounds weaken
and disappear amid the other remaining
sounds.

How do I know that this was a Ford motorcar
and that it turned in m\ drivewav, backed out

THE PRINTING PRESS

Of the newspaper and the magazine and the hook spread intelligence to-
day in quantity and efficiency undreamed of in earlier days. The
knowledge of how to use the press filtered through Europe and America
through the aid of greatly developed methods of communication

and around and went back the way it came?
That is a difficult question to answer, but I
am just as certain as if I had seen it with my
eyes.

1 hear other sounds that I know come from
a piano. I know, too, that they come from
a house across the street and am sure are pro-
duced by a player action and not manually.
Only the three first beats are necessary to tell
me that the selection is Rachmaninoff's "Pre-
lude in C Sharp Minor."

Our sound memory retains accurate records
of literally millions of different sounds just as
our visual memory retains pictures of endless
kinds and arrangements of visible objects.
With vision we classify and distinguish ob-
objects by form, position, movement, sur-
roundings, and color. By long accumulated
experience we have grown proficient in the
art of describing them by words. But with
sound it is very much more difficult. We can
describe the appearance of a pipe organ un-
mistakably, but to describe its sound ac-
curately is quite another matter.

We can with relative ease
describe a person with whom
we are familiar, but are
quite completely at a loss in
truly picturing the sound
of his voice. And so while
we live all our lives in this
world of sound hardly real-
izing its presence, it is con-
stantly conveying a remark-
ably great and accurate
knowledge of our surround-
ings, of the ideas our
fellowmen wish to convey
to us, and very much more
besides by the association
of ideas in the realms of
the other senses.

Realizing this we become
interested in sound objec-
tively. We want to know
what it is that we call
sound, why sounds differ,
and how we hear.

Most of all we are inter-
ested in sound because we
are interested in radio. We
have come to realize what
a wonderful, far-reaching
influence broadcasting is
coming to have, and because
we know that broadcasting
is the art of instantaneous
reproduction of sound, we

Sound: First and Last in Radio

439

know that we must understand sound in
order to reproduce it accurately.

Radio reproduced sound is not the same
as the original and the degree of similar-
ity varies with the character of the sound.
Some sounds reproduce well enough that
our understanding or pleasure in listening is
not marred.

HOW RADIO CHANGES SOUND

OTHER sounds reproduce so poorly
that we cannot understand or enjoy
them. For instance, a banjo or violin, with
the best equipment now available, are re-
produced with considerable accuracy. The
degree of similarity may be as close as that
between a man himself and a good photo-
graphic likeness. However, in the man him-
self, many details can be observed which are
not shown in the photograph. Likewise
with these original sounds and their reproduc-
tions. Other instruments like the piano do
not reproduce so accurately. Some tone
ranges are good, others poor. The upper mid-
range reproduces well, but the extreme high
and extreme low are poor. The very high
notes are far too weak and the extreme low
notes are much too thin and lacking in the
powerful rounded smoothness produced by
the piano tones themselves. Here the like-
ness may be as close, say, as a pen and ink
sketch of the man; it is recognizable, but there
is considerable detail missing.

WITH the bass viol, the reproduction
amounts to hardly more than a carica-
ture, and it requires considerable imagination
to recognize it.

In general, there is a lower level of loudness
in the reproduced sounds for high and low
pitches, and in somewhat the same manner
very weak and very strong sounds are sup-
pressed.

In a broadcasting studio we can easily hear
the faint ticking of a clock across the room,
but this would never be heard at a reproducing
speaker. If a very loud sound like a pistol
shot or drum beat were made with almost
painful intensity in the studio, the reproduced
sound intensity at a receiver would be greatly
lacking in volume.

These differences between the reproduced
sound and the original are caused by what we
call distortions. They are produced in
many different ways and cause a wide varia-

IF THOMAS EDISON AND HIS LAMP

Had been known only in West Orange, the
world would still be backward in its development

tion from the ideal true likeness of the re-
production for the original sound.

Who has not viewed himself in a poor mirror
or in those of a curved form such as are found
in the large amusement parks? Who has not
viewed moving pictures from a side seat near
the front or looked through improperly fitted
eyeglasses? What we see is sometimes a
very grotesque and unnatural -reproduction
of the original which is due to incorrect rela-
tion of the various lines and parts one to an-
other. Surely everyone has looked through
colored glasses and has seen all colors save one
subdued and that one accentuated. A ghastly
example of such color distortion occurs in
mercury vapor lamp illuminations as used in
moving picture studios or factories. Color
in Optics, and pitch in Acoustics are very
similar, and very similar distortions occur in
both.

SOMETHING ABOUT DISTORTION

IF WE take a mixture of all colors such'as we
have in sunlight or other white light and
send them into a room through a colored
window glass, the light in the room may be
said to be distorted. Objects illuminated
by it appear very different than in white light.
If the glass be tinted only slightly the dis-
tortion may be small, and other colors may
pass through in reduced intensity. But if
the color be deep, only one color passes
through and very great distortion results,
such as occurs with the violet mercury vapor
lamps. These give out monochromatic or
one color light, and only that color in objects
illuminated by it is visible.

440

Radio Broadcast

e ©Brown Brothers

THE PHONOGRAPH

Is an excellent example of the development of
communication and exchange of ideas by sound

A complex sound like that of an orchestra
contains a very wide range of pitch in its tones
and is similar therefore to white light in
optics. If such a mixture of tones passes
through a horn or diaphragm or other acoustic
device which possesses a strong tone charac-,
teristic, the sound passing through will he
distorted. If the tone characteristic is marked
as in certain kinds of acoustic windows (glass
globes with ear tube and. sound opening)
called Helmholtz Resonators, practically only
one tone will be heard. All others will be sup-
pressed and this one will be accentuated.
Obviously, the distortion would be so pro-
nounced that what was heard through the
acoustic window would be only a very gro-
tesque acoustic caricature of the actual music
of the orchestra.

Horns, diaphragms, and various parts of
the electrical equipment in a broadcast
system possess this tone color characteristic
which greatly influences the final reproduced
sound. Furthermore, some sounds entirely
absent from the broadcasting studio appear
in the reproduction.

NEW SOUNDS IN THE RADIO RECEIVER

HOW serious this distortion is, tew fully
realize. But if one has things so ar-
ranged in a broadcasting studio that he can

listen to either the original sound in the studio
or to its radio reproduction from a loud
speaker in an adjoining room merely by the
opening and closing of a sound-proof door, a
tremendous difference is apparent. Until
the reproduction is indistinguishable from the
original, the true object of broadcasting can-
not be accomplished.

Realizing then that there is room for great
improvement in the reproduction of sounds by
radio, we must turn our attention first to the
physical nature of sound, insofar as it is re-
lated to this process of radio reproduction,
and then to the various elements of the radio
system whose function it is to convert the
sound energy into the various other forms
necessary in radio and back again into sound.
It is here that the inaccuracies and distortions
in reproduction creep in. The original sound
energy cannot itself be sent to great distances.
Radio, a totally different kind of wave energy,
is called into play. These radio waves have
the peculiarly fitting property of being silent
unless properly translated, and they can be
sent to an unlimited number of distant locali-
ties at once.

Since sound waves cannot be converted
directly into radio waves, other conversion
steps must intervene. In some of these con-
verting elements of the system, the original
sound vibrations exist as physical or me-
chanical vibrations, in others, as magnetic or
electric vibrations. In order to accomplish
the final result, many transformations and re-
translations of the energy occur.

When one considers the complexity of these
processes, it seems remarkable that the final
result is so good as it is. Consider for a
moment a piece of fine literature of intricate
grammatical structure with deep and wide
emotional appeal. Let this be translated
from, say, the original English first into
Chinese, then from Chinese into German,
again into Greek, and farther through perhaps
a dozen such translations and finally again
back into the original English. Would it
be surprising if only the crudest outline of the
author's meaning appeared in the final re-
translation?

And yet, this is what, in effect, is done every
day in the process of radio broadcasting and re-
production. The final translation into sound,
considering the intricate nature of the process,
retains a remarkable likeness to the original.
For this degree of perfection thus far attained
the major amount of credit must be given to
those who have devoted their careful atten-
tion and attacked the problem as one of

Sound: First and Last in Radio

IN THE TELEPHONE EXCHANGE

Enormous quantities of communication by sound pass every day. In wire telephony, as in radio tele-
phony, we send out sound and sound we hope to receive at the other end. Too little attention in radio
has been paid to the fact that we want perfect sound at both ends of the circuit

acoustics. Improvement in this art will be
made only by a deeper study of the nature
of sound and its relation to these manv trans-

lating devices like the microphone, the am-
plifier, or the loud speaker which comprise the
radio sound reproducing system.

A second article by Mr. Miessner uill discuss in a
most interesting fashion, the physics of sound. It
will appear in an early number of this magazine.

RADIO-the'Voice of the

WHEN WNYC sends out its evening
call from the high Gothic tower
of the Municipal Building on
lower Manhattan Island, it
speaks with the voice of the only American
city which commands a place "on the air."
To put the matter a little differently, this is
the single station owned and maintained by
an American city. Perhaps it may seem
strange that this should be the one truly
representative municipal station at a moment
when institutions of every sort are turning to
radio with a sure instinct for publicity. But
plans under way may be expected to result in
several new municipal stations. A half-dozen
others scattered across the country fall into
this classification, although not directly owned
by local governments. Thus it may be said
that the day of the municipal station has
definitely arrived; that the personalities of
cities are to be made familiar throughout the
ether.

This development brings far-reaching con-
siderations. Some observers affirm that the
municipal station will be freer of prejudices
and restrictions than any other kind of station
possibly could be; but another phase of public
opinion holds that the political element is
likely to become troublesome. Doubtless, the
true estimate lies somewhere between these
extremes. It is beyond question that the
next year or two will witness the installation
of municipal plants in growing numbers.

Long ago a famous poet asked the Roman
populace to "lend me your ears." That same
request is being made to-day in the name of
American cities, anxious to command a hearing
from the world, by means of radio. A forcible
case in point arose when WLAG shut down in
Minneapolis. Instantly the city government,
the community's business men, and the com-
munity itself, felt the loss of prestige. An old
friend had departed. Instead of the fair name

of Minneapolis being wafted around the world
every night, the microphone was silent, and
Minneapolis suffered.

Such a condition could not be tolerated in
a city so fair and hustling. A number of its
citizens said that "something should be done
about it," and presently something v/as done.
The Washburn-Crosby Company, the big
millers, offered to assume all liabilities in ad-
dition to half the cost of maintenance for
three years, at $100,000 a year. Ten other
business concerns came forward with the
necessary $5,000 each, and now Minneapolis
has its station going again, better than ever,
perhaps; every night cities throughout the
world may listen-in across the reaches of space
when their neighbor entertains. Incidentally,
St. Paul shares in this glory and the expense.
Its quota of the $50,000 is 40 per cent.

WHERE MATTER DOES MORE THAN SERVE MIND

'"pHE experience of Minneapolis is a typical
A instance of the associations that gather
around a radio station. It is something more
than a mere mechanical creation; indeed, this
is a place where matter is harnessed in the
service of mind. It is a poor sort of station
that does not develop a definite identity in the
consciousness of a multitude. If we reason
upon the matter, we must see that this result
cannot be escaped. Even the voices of an-
nouncers become so familiar that the absence
of one for a night is promptly detected.
When the personality of a man is so easily
conveyed and understood, how much greater
is the opportunity to spread broadcast the
civic spirit which distinguishes many cities.

And cities throughout the land are beginning
to understand the possibilities which await.
Late they may be in starting, but it is likely
that their alacrity in catching up will more
than offset the delay. Boston is contemplat-
ing a station near the Parkman bandstand on

Radio — The Voice of the City

443

THE VOICE OF NEW YORK CITY

The New York Municipal Building. The top insert (photo © Underwood & Underwood) shows John F.
Hylan, Mayor, under whose administration 850,000 was spent in purchasing the station. The two lower
inserts show the elaborate reception room and studio of the station

Radio Broadcast

Boston Common to be connected with all of
the sixty-five parks in the city. Many of
these parks are provided with stands for music
and speakers in the summer months. It has
been proposed so to arrange the system that
a concert or address in any park could be
picked up and radiated from the central
station. Or a varied program might be sup-
plied by means of
selections from the
several parks. At
other seasons in-
door programs
would offer oppor-
tunity to let the
world know that
the spirit which
once flared on Bos-
ton Common still
lives in the breasts
of its citizens, but
now applied to
peaceful pursuits.
; Probably no sta-
tion in the country
can offermoreof in-
terest than WNYC,
New York's own.
Situated on the
twenty -fifth floor
of the ; Municipal
Building tower, it
has special advan-
tages of location.
At 7:30?. M.,when
the station "takes
the air," lower
New York has fal-
len into its nightly
slumbers, after an
intensive day. No
place in the coun-
try is so much like
a deserted village

as is this section at that time. The big pile
of the Municipal Building rises up in serried
floors, overshadowing City Hall Park and the
lesser buildings gathered around.

Away up in the tower, so far up that a man
in the street below could not see the light, is
WNYC. If a visitor be lucky and runs the
gauntlet of elevator men, guards, and other
functionaries, he arrives at the studio in time
for a pleasant illusion. Stepping through the
door of WNYC'S own home means going from
the marble and glass of an office building into
a tented palace that seems to have been created
for romance. There is a colorful awning sus-

pended below the ceiling and brilliant cane
furniture to match, with a fountain in the
center where spraying streams converge over
the changing hues of an electric globe.

It required a vision of the first order to
conceive this station and carry out its in-
stallation. The conception was that of
Grover A. Whalen, until recently Commis-
sioner of Plants
and Struct ures,
and a prominent
figure in the ad-
ministration of
Mayor John F.
Hylan. Mr. Wha-
len suggested the
plan early in the
year. Mayor Hy-
lan thought well of
it. Other officials
opposed. It would
cost too much
money, maybe a
prodigious sum.
But Mr. Whalen
said that he want-
ed merely $50,000.
But, it was ob-
jected, that would
not even purchase
the plant. "Give
it tome," said Mr.
Whalen, in effect,
"and I will show
you."

From that $50,-
ooo WNYC was in-
stalled and devel-

WNYC

The cage antenna of the New York City municipal radio
station atop the Municipal Building. The station first went
on the air during the Democratic Convention and since
has been the storm center for some acrimonious disputes.
Mayor Hylan made an address about the transit situation,
in which he attacked the Transit Commission. A member
of the Commission demanded the right to reply from the
same station, but was unwilling to have his speech cen-
sored by the Mayor. This was finally done, however

oped. Mr. Whalen
first cast around
for a station. He
found that the sta-
tion used in Rio
de Janeiro during

the recent exposition there, would be sold.
And he became the buyer, in the city's name.
The whole apparatus was shipped to New York
and set up again. The plant corresponds
exactly to the former wjz station in Newark,
of which it is a copy.

The first program was sent out on July 8,
1924. And from that day, WNYC has held
a well-defined place "on the air." By degrees
its programs have been turned into a definite
direction which differs widely from the average
program, intended for entertainment only.
It is the announced purpose of WNYC to mix
a larger measure of instruction and enlighten-

Radio — The Voice of the City

445

ment with its entertainment. That effort
has been carried forward with a degree of
success which raises up many interesting possi-
bilities for other municipal stations.

WHAT CAN BE DONE WITH THE STATION

JUST now a plan is under advisement which
would link the station with all of New
York's 632 schools, scattered through five
boroughs, comprehending some 300 square
miles of ground. If a lecturer endeavored to
visit these schools, one a day for 300 days a
year, he could not reach the last in less than
two years. Therefore it is impossible for any
instructor in the schools to extend his influence
beyond a few. By means of WNYC he could
achieve the work of two years in a half hour.
That is but one aspect of the station's educa-
tional plans. It is expected to open radio
extension courses dealing with many themes,
along the lines already laid down by a number
of colleges. These courses will be devised to
reach the adult public sitting by its fire at
night. The other educational programs will
be' broadcast during school hours.

Still another avenue of development has
been opened by invitations to workers in almost
any field who have substantial achievement
to their credit. Not long ago the return-
ing Olympic athletes described from WNYC
just how it felt to come back victors from
Colombes, after winning from the first athletes
of the world. Such a message was largely
entertainment, with a dash of instruction.
But on. the next night, perhaps, speakers from
this station discussed such a momentous mat-
ter as the future of New York transit, one of
the city's most difficult problems. 1 n this case
the entertainment was small indeed, but it
may be believed that the instruction was not
without value.

The mission of WNYC is not always enter-
tainment or instruction. It has a grim
purpose in part. Every night at 7:30 and
10:30 a man in blue coat and prominent brass
buttons sits down at the microphone.

"WNYC broadcasting," he says, "for the
New York Police Department. General alarm
for Harry Martin, age 30, 5 ft. 6 in. tall, weight
about 140 pounds. Dark face, with bold fea-

HOW THE NEWS IS SPREAD

Important events are broadcast from the municipal radio station and others in New York, and picked

up by receivers and amplified so that great crowds may hear. The photograph shows crowds in City

Hail Park, New York, in the shadow of the \Voolworth Building, listening to broadcasting. The city,

Mr. \oung points out, may accomplish real service, with a properly run broadcasting station

446

Radio Broadcast

WHEN SOMETHING IS SAID, PEOPLE LISTEN
Digests of the meetings of the Board of Estimate and Apportion-
ment, the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund, and the Board of
Aldermen are put on the air from WNYC in New York on the days
these meetings occur. Besides the more political elements of the
city programs, they also contain the usual musical and oratorical
features

tures and frowning eyes. Has a slight limp.
Dangerous man. Escaped from Welfare Isl-
and early to-day. Believed traveling west."

The listener rather catches his breath at
such use of radio. It is an eerie thing — this
pursuit of a man by air. An observer wonders
what chance there will be of detecting Harry
Martin among all the other men in the country
of that general appearance. But his specula-
tions are cut short by a new description which
the officer is spreading far and wide. This
time another man is wanted. And presently
it is another, until the department has sent
out particulars of some twelve or fifteen men
whom the law demands.

A surprising number of these are appre-
hended, not always directly by the intervention
of radio, but its use has become an inval-
uable part of an intricate whole. In a number
of cases radio has made it possible promptly to
broadcast descriptions of dangerous persons,
with the result that their arrest soon followed.
No quicker method is known to criminal pro-
cedure, and it has the power of drama as well.
Descriptions of missing persons also are sent
out, about four a day. Not long ago a stolen
automobile was captured by a policeman on
Williamsburgh Bridge within twenty minutes
after the number had been broadcast from

WNYC.

WHAT OTHER CITIES ARE DOING

1 HAVING WNYC, busily engaged in its
** high tower, the next radio plant which
the United States Department of Commerce

classifies as a municipal station,
will be found at Stevens Point,
Wisconsin, using the call signal
WLBL, and operated by the Wis-
consin Department of Markets.
The West is progressive in the
matter of municipal stations, for
there is another near by, in
Omaha, conducted by the Cen-
tral High School, and known to
many listeners as WNAL. The
Boise High School in Boise,
Idaho, has a municipal station
identified as KFAU. In Dallas,
Texas, the Police and Fire Signal
Department of the city govern-
ment operates WRR, while the
Detroit Police Department owns
and operates station KOP, and
there is a sixth station, KFPR,
under direction of the Los
Angeles County Forestry De-
partment.

These six stations, with WNYC, are commonly
classified by the Department under the title
of municipal plants. But the New York
station has the distinction of being the sole
station directly operated by any city govern-
ment. It is likely that a similar plant soon
will "take the air" in San Francisco, where
somewhat jealous eyes have been turned
toward Los Angeles and its station. The city
council and various business organizations
there have the details under consideration.
If the city does not install a station, it is be-
lieved that private enterprise will supply the
need.

Municipal radio stations enjoy some peculiar
privileges. One of these is the willingness of
entertainers to contribute their services.
Although many entertainers find radio so rich
in prestige that they are willing even to pay
for the opportunity of broadcasting, it is one
of the unsettled questions confronting the
public and the owners of stations, as to how
these services shall be compensated. In the
case of municipal plants it seems generally
agreed that the stations do not yield a profit
to anybody concerned, and entertainers more
willingly extend their help. This is an im-
portant consideration that calls up many other
questions which must be ''answered. As the
municipal plants develop and the demand for
radio entertainers increases, people will cer-
tainly compare the municipal station with the
other stations. And so now we have the old
question of governmental competition — in a
new way.

Radio — The Voice of the City

447

THE GREAT AND SILENT VOID WAITS

INSOFAR as the political phase is concerned.
1 there seems little reason to believe that any
city administration would overlook such op-
portunity to sound its praises. That is not
in the nature of things — human or radio.
But it is just as certain that any fulsome use
of radio to spread word of the deeds performed
by Mayor What's-his-name would be likely to
fall upon a great and silent void. The radio
public probably makes up the most sensitive
audience which any speaker could be sum-
moned to address. Political propaganda is
not wholly unwelcome, as evidenced in the
recent campaign for President, where it was
tested on a larger scale than ever before.
But it soon was learned that the best political
speech was the shortest, a policy rigidly fol-
lowed by speakers of all political shadings.

There is no reason, of course, why a political
address should be objectionable. On the
contrary, it frequently is enlightening. Few
matters have a larger influence on the welfare
of the nation than its government, and politics
is but another name for government. The
political address properly is a part of radio.
But when all this has been granted, it is even
more certain that the American radio public

would not yield its ears for even five minutes
to the man who dispensed bombast about
himself. So it may be believed that the good
sense of the public will be the surest check on
the misuse of municipal stations by spell-
binders.

With so many advantages evident to city,
nation, and public arising from municipal
stations, it requires but one scant glance to
perceive that a number of these stations will
be added to the radio resources of the United
States. Perhaps in time the municipal station
will take the place, in some measure, of the
numerous stations which have sprung up be-
cause there was nothing better in the neigh-
borhood. It is a fair guess that the average
municipal plant will draw about it the best
to be had in any city, as concerns both enter-
tainers and public confidence. Such stations
inevitably will crowd to the wall others of
uncertain status that merely fill a gap in the
evolution of radio.

SELLING PRESTIGE

IT IS wholly conceivable, even distinctly
probable, that municipal stations will be
rapidly financed in some such manner as the
Minneapolis station. If a similar proposal
should be submitted to the business communi-

ONE OF THE TWIN CITIES

— Minneapolis, Minnesota. \\ hen WLAG recently closed, business men of both cities felt that civic pride
and actual definite benefits both demanded that the locality continue to have a broadcasting station.
They raised sufficient money to operate the station and vvcco is the result. Mr. Young points out that
a city broadcasting station can give a very important idea of the character and advantages of the city to

listeners in other parts of the nation

448

Radio Broadcast

LISTENING TO POLITICAL BROADCASTING
Interested politicians during the recent Democratic Convention in
New .York kept tally cards of the balloting in Madison Square
Garden. The municipal service may be extended beyond this,
however. New York plans, for example, to broadcast market in-
formation daily to New York housewives. At a given hour each
morning, housewives who own radio sets may tune-in and learn
what foods are cheapest and what in the most abundance, and
govern their purchases accordingly

ties of almost any city above 100,000, a plant
would be the probable result. Proceeding
along a slightly different line, cities may supply
plants and call upon organized business to
undertake maintenance for the common good.
Whatever the method, it cannot be doubted
that the municipal station will have a rapid
expansion. There are so many evident ad-
vantages that it may be wondered why these
stations have not come into their own long ago.
But it need be only pointed out that the whole
radio industry is so new and still in such a
highly formative state that many goals are
yet to be reached.

There is something of inspiration and much
of glory in the thought that before the lapse

of many years municipal sta-
tions strung across the country
will keep American cities in in-
timate touch, day or night,
through their own plants. The
assurance that these will be
operated for direct public benefit
is one of importance. They
neve^ can be accused, as all
other stations have been, of fos-
tering private enterprise. As-
suredly there is nothing to be
censured in this enterprise, con-
sidered by itself, but wherever
private interests enter, the pos-
sibility of criticism also must
arise. Municipal stations will
have nothing to sell — unless it
be the prestige of their cities;
and if some candidate occa-
sionally oversteps the bounds of
radio, he may depend upon a
prompt tuning out, his worst
punishment.

The prediction is familiar that
the number of commercial stations must de-
crease rather than expand. But despite the
closing of some stations the number has gone
steadily upward instead of down. Even with
the stations now projected, it is probable that
this expansion soon must reach its logical work-
ing out. And the moment additional muni-
cipal stations are opened, the pressure on
weaker commercial plants will be hard to resist.
It is likely that municipal enterprise will help to
correct a condition that has caused some con-
cern. In any event, an America girded with
plants owned by its cities will be a fine evi-
dence of civic spirit; a spirit which well may
serve to draw the whole nation closer together
by the invisible bonds of the air.

HELP FOR THE EXPERIMENTER

A NEW department will appear in RADIO BROADCAST regularly which contains helpful
./I contributions from readers. We hace had many excellent suggestions about little ^in^s of
construction which were proved so helpful that we think oil our readers ought to share in them.
We incite contributions which must be typewritten and not oeer three hundred words long. We
are not interested in jreak. ideas but will only consider (hose which are of decided value. Pay-
ment of between $5 to $10 will be made for each suggestion accepted.

A Motor-Generator Unit for
Radio Battery Charging

How to Assemble a Simple Mechanical Unit, Efficient, and
Particularly Low in Upkeep — The Parts are Easy to Secure

BY JAMES MILLEN

IN PRESENTING this construction article on the building of a battery
* charger, RADIO BROADCAST feels that it is giving to its readers a device of
great value and usefulness. While the method here described of charging
storage batteries is not by any means new, Mr. Millen has simplified the
motor-generator charging method in usable form for the average radio fan.
This charger is comparatively cheap in first cost and upkeep, and what is
highly important, will charge a set of radio, or any other batteries much
more quicklv than usual methods at the command of the radio enthusiast.

— THE EDITOR

ANY radio fans have no doubt often
desired a more rapid means of
recharging their storage A batteries.
As, at best, a storage battery
delivers only 75 per cent, of the energy fed
into it, it will take longer to charge the
average battery by means of the ordinary
two-ampere charger than it will to discharge
the battery when used with some of the
modern multi-tube sets. Of course the so-
called five-ampere chargers will do the job
more quickly, but they are both more noisy
and more expensive. The approximate time
required to charge a 100 ampere-hour six-volt
battery by means of several of the chargers
in most general use is given in Table i.
It is a well known fact that the motor-
generator is one of the most efficient and
rapid methods of battery charging, but due to
the high initial cost of such machines, they
have never come in-
to popular use.

The purpose of
this paper is, there-
fore, to describe the
construction of a

motor -genera tor
type charger which
can be made from
standard parts
which ought to cost
no more than the
best of the five-

FABLE [

TYPE CHARGER

Two-ampere tube charger
Five-ampere tube charger
Three-ampere chemical charger
Motor generator ....

This table shows the approximate time required
to charge a fully discharged 100 ampere-hour 6-volt
storage battery by means of several different types
of chargers. It costs with generator approximately
twenty-five cents to charge completely an entirely
discharged loo-a, h. battery, in about twelve hours.

ampere type chargers now on the market.
Such a motor-generator will completely charge
an empty 100 ampere-hour battery in about
twelve hours at a total cost of about twenty-
five cents for the current consumed.

In large cities which are usually supplied
with direct current, there are only two methods
of battery charging. The most convenient
of these two methods is the direct use of the
house current through a suitable resistance
to the battery. The efficiency of such a
system is very low, however, due to the high
IR drop (about 100 volts) which must take
place across the resistances. Thus, when
charging a 6-volt battery at a ten ampere rate
from a 1 10 volt d. c. line, the power consumed
by the resistances and dissipated as heat is
102 x 10 or 1020 watts, while that consumed by
the battery is only 8x 10 or 80 watts. Thus
the efficiency of this method of charging is
only eight per cent.
The cost of charging
a loo ampere-hour
battery is about
ninety cents. The
only other method
of charging batteries
from d. c. is by
means of a motor-
generator, whose
efficiency is much
higher. The initial
.cost and space oc-

TIME

IN HOURS
80
36

450

Radio Broadcast

cupicd by a motor-generator is generally, how-
ever, much greater, so that where considerable
use of a single six-volt battery is not to be
made, the ultimate value of a motor-generator
is questionable.

THE VALUE OF THIS OUTFIT

FOR use on alternating current, though,
where some device is necessary to
convert the alternating current into at least
pulsating direct current, the motor-generator
offers many advantages when used with
batteries of from 60 to 100 ampere-hour
capacity. With larger batteries, the use of
the motor-generator becomes almost essential.

The use of a motor-generator charger is not
advisable with batteries of less than 60 a. h.
capacity. In the recent comparative tests
made by the Bureau of Standards at Washing-
ton with the different type battery chargers
available for radio use, the motor-generator
was found to be the most efficient.

Some of the advantages of the motor-
generator are:

1. Highest efficiency

2. Quickest method of charging

3. Longest life (no bulbs, etc.

to burn out)

The only disadvantages possessed by the
motor-generator is its high initial cost.
This is true of the complete units available
in the electrical market, but it is the purpose
of this paper to describe a motor-generator
type charger which in many cases can be had
for the mere effort of assembling it and in
any case for a less financial outlay than is
required for the ordinary five-ampere charger.

THE CHARGER COST TWELVE DOLLARS

THE photograph shows an exceedingly
well made and efficient charger which
cost less than Si 2. Of this, 59.90 was for the
motor. It was a new ^ h. p. self-starting
split phase General Electric induction motor
which turns over at 1725 r. p. m. on 1 10 volts
60 cycle a. c. The Westinghouse generator
was obtained from a wrecked Chalmers which
had come into the possession of the local
garage. This charger has now been in use
for more than a year, and has never had to be
adjusted or tinkered with.

Excellent generators may be obtained at
junk prices at any of the automobile wrecking
yards. The average price is $5.00 for a
guaranteed generator. It is also possible,
however, to purchase second hand generators
in good condition at a reasonable price at
most garages and repair shops. Inquiries
made at a number of local garages revealed the
fact that it is quite easy to obtain a very
satisfactory second hand generator from this
source for less than $10. New generators
cost from Si 7 up, depending upon the make.
The points to watch in buying an old gener-
ator are:

Reason for selling

Condition of commutator

Condition of windings

Condition of bearings

(most generators have ball bearings, which, if not in
good condition, may be readily replaced)

In order that the motor might also be used
for other purposes it was mounted as shown
in the photograph and connected to the

FIG. I

A picture diagram of the charging layout. The no-volt line is fused directly
after the switch. A single fuse is also included^ for protection in the charging circuit

A Motor-Generator Unit for Radio Battery Charging

451

generator by a belt instead of directly with a
universal joint. This also makes possible
the use of different sized pulleys for obtaining
different generator speeds, and thus altering
the charging rate. Slots are provided in the
base in order that the two shafts may be
properly lined up and the belt kept tight.
The base was made from a piece of i8"x 10"
x 2" oak. The pulleys were home-made, but
if a lathe is not obtainable, then they may be
purchased from a dealer in second hand
machinery, or they may be turned directly
on their own shafts as was the case with those
shown in the photograph. In order to run
the generator as a motor from the storage
battery for this purpose, it is merely necessary
to press the cut-out contacts together. A one
inch single-ply belt was used, although an
automobile fan belt is also admirably adapted
to the purpose.

In order to eliminate any possibility of belt
trouble, especially where the motor is not to
be put to any other use, (such as running a
small lathe, emery wheel, etc.) the generator
may be directly coupled to the motor by
means of a universal joint. The universal
joint (or coupling) which comes with most
generators will prove ideal for this purpose.
The shafts of the motor and generator should
be carefully lined-up and the two units
securely fastened to the base. The universal

is then securely fastened in place by means of
the tapered pins and Woodruff key provided
for this purpose. Of course a high order of
precision is not absolutely essential in this
work as the flexible coupling is more than able
to take care of a slight inaccuracy in align-
ment.

Another substitute for the belt is the chain
drive. The average chain drive is slightly
more expensive, more noisy, more difficult to
install and must be lubricated. It will,
however, make a very satisfactory drive where
it is not deemed advisable, to use direct
coupling.

In order to test out the efficiency of the
belt drive, a revolution counter was attached
to both the motor and generator and frequent
checking showed that the losses due to belt
slipping could easily be kept negligible.

THE PARTS AND THEIR COST

A GOOD motor-generator charger can be
made entirely from new material for
approximately $29, or about the same price as
a five-ampere tube charger. (List price about
$28). The following parts will be required:

New Ford Generator, with cut-out $17.00

New £ H. P. Induction motor 9.90

Wood base i . 50

Ammeter 1.50

Hourt Studio

THE COMPLETED UNIT

Containing a % horsepower motor, driving an old automobile generator. The motor is at the left and the

automobile generator at the right, with an ammeter between. The separate automatic cutout is shown

detached. This is merely a rough model. An accompanying drawing shows a suggested base layout

452

Radio Broadcast

FIG. 2

A complete hook-up, showing the apparatus illus-
trated in the photograph, i, 2, and 3 are connec-
tions to the cutout device shown as separate in
the photograph. A is the ammeter. Note the fuses
indicated in the no-volt alternating current line

Re-built Ford generators sell for $10 at
almost all Ford repair shops.

When a high grade second hand generator of
the two brush type, similar to the one shown
in the photograph, can be obtained in good
condition, its use will result in a more efficient
and flexible charger.

Ford generators deliver 1 1 amperes at 8.5
volts to the average six volt 100 a. h. bat-
tery when directly coupled to a 1725 r. p.m.
motor. As the voltage of these generators is
not readily alterable, it is advisable to use a
belt drive where a lower charging rate is
desired, as in the case of small capacity
batteries. The Ford generator revolves in a
counter-clockwise direction when viewed from
the commutator end.

CARE OF MOTOR AND GENERATOR

MOST generators are entirely enclosed in
metal shells which completely protect
them from dust, oil, and water. The
only attention they require is a few drops
of oil occasionally. If a second hand gener-
ator is to be used, then it may be necessary to
clean the commutator and possibly to replace
the brushes. In order to get at the com-
mutator, remove the steel band that is
fastened around one end of the case. If the
commutator is found to be corroded or rough,
it may be easily cleaned and smoothed with
No. oo sand-paper. Never under any circum-
stances use emery cloth on the commutator
of any motor or generator. All the small
particles of copper, carbon and sand dust
should then be carefully removed. The
commutator should also be examined to see
that none of the segments are shorted together.
If a small piece of copper from one segment

touches the next, it should be scraped away.
Next examine the brushes to see that they
make an even contact, but without pressing
hard enough on the commutator to cause
excessive heating and wear. The pressure on
the brushes is controlled by means of small
springs. If the brushes are worn to such an
extent as to need replacing, then it is advisable
to get just the right kind from the maker of the
generator. Make-shift brushes are merely a
source of continual trouble. In replacing the
brushes care should be taken not to crack any
of the insulating bushings which support the
brush holders, as they must be well insulated
from the generator frame. Extreme care
must also be exercised to keep all oil and
grease from the commutator and brushes.

The third or adjustable brush found on
many generators may be shifted in order to
change the charging rate of the generator for
any given speed. When this brush is dis-
placed in the direction in which the armature
turns, the charging rate will be increased, and
vice versa. The charging rate of the Westing-
house generator previously referred to (which
has only two brushes) is alterable by means of
the small adjusting screw en the end of the
case. On some generators, such as the Ford,
there is no method of altering the charging
rate except by changing the speed. Under
such conditions it becomes necessary to use a
rheostat in the i jo-volt line, cone pulleys for
changing the generator speed, a rheostat in the
batten' line, or, best of all, a field rheostat,
which may easily be placed in the line leading
from one end of the field coil to the third
(small) brush.

It is not necessary, however, to change the
charging rate by such means every time a
battery is charged, as the charge will auto-
matically taper. Thus if charging is started
at 16 amperes it will have dropped to 10 by the

FIG. 3

Details of the generator coupling-flange

A Motor-Generator Unit for Radio Battery Charging 453

time the battery has become nearly charged.
An initial rate of 8 amperes will taper to
about 4 amperes, which is, perhaps, the best
all round rate at which to charge a 100 a.h.
battery. Under such conditions the time
required for a complete charge will be about
20 hours. Some generators will not deliver
more than 1 8 or 20 amperes without danger of
burning out the armature. The maximum
safe charging rate can be ascertained from the
plate on the generator.

The efficiency of the generator whose
charging rate could be varied without varying
the speed, was found to vary with the charging
rate. This is mainly due to the rapid decrease
in efficiency of a. c. motors when operated
at less than the rated load. With the pre-
viously mentioned Westinghouse generator
running at a constant speed of 1400 r. p. m.,
the maximum efficiency (30 per cent.) was
obtained at 13 amperes. (Generator efficiency
alone was 80 per cent.)

The ammeter shown in the illustrations is a
Weston 20-0-20 but a cheaper automobile
dash meter, although not necessarily accurate,
will serve to show when the battery is properly
connected and the approximate charging rate.

Some generators, such as the Westinghouse,
have built-in cut-outs, while those that do not
will require external ones. The cut-out is
necessary in order to prevent the battery from
discharging back into the generator in case the

110V. A.C,

MOTOR GENERATOR

}f=&=^E

OUTPUT TO BATTERY-'

The basic wiring circuit of the
motor-generator unit

motor should stop when no-one is around to
disconnect the battery. All low voltage
wiring should be done with No. 10 or heavier
wire.

And now a few words about battery charg-
ing. Contrary to general opinion a high
initial charging rate is not in any way in-
jurious to a battery as long as the tempera-
ture of the electrolyte does not exceed iio° F,
and the gassing is not excessive. Excessive
gassing tends to loosen the active material in
the battery plates, and thus shorten the life of
the battery.

Unless a cut-out is being used, it will be
necessary to disconnect the battery from the
generator when not charging. This may be
accomplished by means of a single pole knife
switch.

THE FACTS ABOUT REFLEX CIRCUITS

A RE informatively and interestingly iold in another article by Julian Kay in kis excellent
JTi "What's In a Name?" series. Mr. Kay tells what the various types of reflex circuits
are. and how they work., in addition to the general radio Information which many of our
readers haoe followed in his previous articles with much profit an3 interest. This article will
appear in an early number.

bint of View

How tKe Radio Public Should Be Pleased

SOME day large delegations of radio
listeners-in are going to march from
one broadcasting station to another
and the managers of each will be in-
formed with much sternness that their own
passionate fondness for the sort of music called
jazz is not shared
by anything like
a majority of the
people who. buy
receiving sets."

This was the
opening para-
graph ~ of an edi-
torial on radio
music that ap-
peared recently
in the New York
Times.

\\e can easily
visualize that
procession. Tens
of thousands, in-
creased town by
town by other
tens of thou-
sands, growing
and growing, un-
til there are
millions of them.
This is no exag-
geration. Pro-

THE GRAND PIANO

Finished in old ivory to correspond with the style of the

studio at station CKAC, La Presse, Montreal, Canada. In

front can be seen the magnetic Marconi type microphone,

used exclusively by this station

reading it would necessarily cease for the
time being, which would be a good thing, for
that would mean at least a temporary cessa-
tion of jazz.

To make a conservative statement, more
than a billion dollars are spent in this country

each year for
good music,
meaning by this
term the greatest
music ever' com-
posed. This
money is spent
in patronage of
concerts and
grand opera, and
for music lessons
and the buying
of music scores.
With but few-
exceptions, the
greatest musical
artists of Europe
find in America's
patronage of mu-
sic their chief
source of income.
And they are
accorded this
patronage year
after year, from
the people of big

tests against radio musical programs are uni- cities and of small cities, because the American

versa!.

Unfortunately, the people who object to
having the radio monopolized by jazz are the
sort of people who do not voice their objections

public knows good music when it hears it
and wants to hear as much of it as possible.
These same people are spending millions of
dollars each year that their children may have

through letters to broadcast directors. Were musical instruction. Taking this country as

it otherwise, many of the stations would be
so flooded with mail that all other work than

a whole, the standard of such instruction is
high. Even in the smallest towns may be

MRS. CARL CHINDBLOM

Wife of Representative Chindblom of Illinois and .an
outstanding figure in the musical life of Washington

456

Radio Broadcast

found teachers who are guiding their young
pupils toward an appreciation of the best in
music. The day -when Susie Simpkins of
Simpkinsville, as her highest musical ambition,
looked forward to the day when she could
play "Hearts and I lowers," has long since
passed. All the Susies in all the Simpkins-
villes are now playing Haydn, Mozart, Men-
delssohn, and Beethoven sonatas, and the
simpler pieces of Grieg and Schumann. And
thev like this music, like it far better than the

cheap stuff 'of which they would grow tired it
they practiced it for a week.

In the larger communities the musical in-
struction of the young people is so advanced,
and on so high a plane in every respect, that,
nowadays, a student beginning before ten has
a well-developed taste for the best music long
before he or she is out of the 'teens.

But it costs the parents much money to
give their children such musical opportunities,
and requires intelligent supervision as well.

Times without number has the editor of this
department heard a mother or a father say:

"No, I will not have a radio set in my home.
Under no circumstances would 1 permit the
developing musical taste of my children to be
influenced by such music as is broadcast night
after night."

One man said:

"No one would think of calling me high-

brow if 1 refused to have a mechanical con-
trivance in my home that for hours each day
talked aloud .and murdered the English lan-
guage with every sentence. \Yhy, then, should
1 be called highbrow if 1 refuse to have some-
thing in my home that, day after day, distorts
and murders music? All 1 can say is, if this
means being a highbrow, then may I live and
die one!"

Another man, after hearing a so-called
musical program broadcast by a commercial
firm, exclaimed:

"I'll never buy one of their products! I'll
bet they're just as bad as that music!"

The program had been composed wholly of
ja// with numerous unspeakable saxophones
predominating.

Fourteen Red Hot Mamas

CAMH a woman's voice over the tele-
phone:
"Are you the one that writes that
'Listeners' Point of View' in RADIO BROAD-
CAST?"
"Yes."

"Well, 1 want to tell you that we've bought
a radio set and it's perfectly awful!"
"What kind of a set have you?"
"Oh, 1 don't mean the set is awful. It's
wonderful. We can get all the stations.
But the music! Last night we tuned-in four-

THE KDKA LITTLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Victor Saudek, Conductor. Seated, left to right: Milton Lomask, Pierre De Backer, Leo Kruczek, violins;
Elmer Hennig, 'cello; Raymond Bandi, viola; James Younger, 'cello; Herbert Saylor, viola; Rest Baker,
violin. Standing, left to right: Stephen Konvalinka, trombone; John J. Harvey, trumpet; \Villiam Nugter,
drums; Karl Haney, bass; Victor Saudek, Conductor; Stephen Miller, Jr., piano; Al\ in Hauser, flute; S>.

Sapienza, clarinet

The Listeners' Point of View

457

Thomas Coke Knight

HELEN TAYLOR, MILDRED DELNA, AND ANNA PINTO

Who have been heard from wjz. Miss Taylor is a coloratura soprano who recently made her radio debut

from this station. Miss Delna, a soprano, has been heard with pleasure by, wjz's audience. The tones of

Miss Pinto's harp have pleased radio listeners at various times for more than three years

teen stations and even" one announced that
the orchestra would now play 'Red Hot
Mama'! And everything else was just like
that."

She talked for quite a time. She com-
plained justly that she had no guide in the
advance programs published in the papers as
to where she could get the good music. All
that the programs indicated was that at such
or such an hour a musical program would be
given. "And it's always such rot!" was her
wail.

When Good Music Is Broadcast

OF COURSE, it isn't "always such rot."
Taking the country by and large,
quite a bit of good music is broadcast
each week. But it is insignificant in quantity
when compared with the cheap and tawdry
stuff that is sent out over the air. And it is
generally so mixed up on a program that con-
tains the worst as well as the best that many
people who might hear it fail to do so because
they have tuned-out in disgust.

To quote again from the Times editorial:
"Jazz, especially when it depends much on
that ghastly instrument, the saxophone,
offends people with musical taste already
formed, and it prevents the formation of
musical taste by others, and even its votaries
are cautious enough — have enough respect for
their reputations with civilized people to say,
'Oh, we don't ever listen to it. We only
dance to it.' But the often mentioned radio
audience does not dance, at least while it is
justifying its name, and there is no imaginable

excuse for giving it jazz, hour after hour, every
evening from nearly all the stations."

From Mr. Gordon Balch Nevin, well-known
author of various books on music, a composer
and organist of the First Lutheran Church at
Johnstown. Pennsylvania, some comments
have been received upholding the policy of
this department in decrying the hodge-podge
musical program so prevalent at present in
broadcasting. A portion of Mr. Ne\ in's letter
reads:

I am not one of the class of musicians who dislike
popular music, the music of the day, even jazz, for
that matter. I do not adopt an up-stage attitude
in regard to this class of music. In fact, there are
times when, for perhaps half an hour, 1 find, good
jazz played by a real orchestra to be a mental tonic.
But I do most certainly object to the very thing so
often mentioned in "The Listeners' Point of 'View"
— the haphazard and scrambled arrangement of
most radio programs.

I wonder if the broadcasters are not missing an
opportunity to evolve" the novel and unusual type
of program. In my own recital work 1 have found
the all Wagner, or American,- French, or German
.type of program, also, to some extent/the historical
or chronological type, to be very good and helpful
for the. .listener.. At least, there is a certain coor-
dination and continuity .that gets somewhere..

I hope to see sofne competent singers giving pro-
grams, each selected from some one composer or
nationality. When they do this there will be
enough of us who will not spin the dial on them.

Mr. Nevin then goes on to cite an example
of the mentality of some listeners-in. . He was
in a broadcasting station while a Bible lesson
was being sent out. The instant this pro-

Radio Broadcast

gram closed, some "half-wit," as he so aptly
describes him, telephoned in requesting that
"Hot Mama Blues" be played. "Comment
is futile," he adds.

The pity of it is that, times without number,
program directors accede to such requests.
Why do they do it? Do they actually think
that the radio audience is wholly composed
of morons?

Mrs. Nobody of Podunk is giving a party.
She telegraphs to some broadcasting station
that they all want to hear such and such
numbers. Immediately all the listeners-in,
probably tens of thousands of them, are also
supposed to want to hear this same trash.

Suppose you had bought a ticket for a
public concert. And, suppose, instead of
hearing the sort of program you expected to
hear when you paid for that ticket, you were
obliged either to leave the hall without having
had your money's worth, or to sit there and
listen to a lot of junk that this, that, or the
other person in the audience took it into his
head he wanted to hear. What would become
of our cdncert programs if they were conducted
in this fashion?

And what is going to become of radio pro-
grams if every Tom, Dick, and Harry can
telephone or telegraph in and have the num-
bers he requests played or sung?

"The Public Be Pleased"— How?

BUT we must please the public!" ex-
claim the broadcast directors.
That is exactly the point we are
making. The public is not being pleased with
radio musical programs. For the public con-
sists of intelligent people of discriminating
taste as well as of those to whom music means
only jazz.'.

Station KSD, which is operated by the St.
Louis'Post-Dispatcb, is one of the few broad-
casting stations in this country that recognizes
the musical cultivation of many among the
radio audience. The broadcasting by this
station this season of fifteen x:bncerts by the
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is an epoch-
making; "event in radio entertainment. These
concerts' are not' staged simply for the radio.
They are the regular subscription programs
and are broadcast direct from the Odeon
Theater, where all these subscription concerts
are given under the direction of Rudolph
Ganz.

Five of these programs have already been
broadcast, and the remaining ten will be put
on the air December 27, January 10, 17, 24;
February 7, 14, 21, 28; March 7 and 14. The

dates all come on Saturday evening. The
concerts begin at 8 o'clock, Central, and 9
o'clock Eastern Standard Time.

The broadcasting of these programs is not
only giving a large public opportunity to hear
many among the classical symphonic works,
but also to hear new works of important sig-
nificance, among them Vaughn Williams's
"London Symphony," the much talked-of
symphony by Hanson, Igor Stravinsky's
"Fireworks" — one of the most notable among
modern compositions — Ernest Schelling's "Vic-
tory Ball," Honegger's "Pacific 231," and
Respighi's "Three Old Dances."

One can just hear some people saying,
"Oh, the public doesn't care for that highbrow
stuff!"

Doesn't it? Why, then, are there now in
this country fully fifty symphony orchestras
that each season give programs of the best
orchestral music? And why is it, then, that
other cities and towns are making heroic
efforts to have their own orchestras?

Why? Because of the widespread public
demand for great music.

Do Listeners Want Their Programs
Explained?

MR. JAMES C. MOFFET, of Louisville,
Kentucky, has written to this de-
partment suggesting that radio an-
nouncers in presenting a musical program
preface each number with some explanatory
remarks, given in non-technical language.
He believes this would help to popularize good
music, and that this form of musical education
can be put out better over the radio than
through any other medium. He adds:

"The concentration of mind induced by
listening-in on any explanation on the radio,
with nothing to distract the attention of the
listener, as in a public hall or concert room,
would make this form of exposition peculiarly
valuable. I know that I remember what I
hear over the radio better than what I receive
as one of a big audience at a concert or lec-
ture."

Although it would not be advisable to
preface each number on each musical program
broadcast with explanatory remarks, it would
undoubtedly be a constructive plan if this
were done at stated intervals. There is an
unlimited amount of interesting information
from which to draw for such talks and still
keep them within the comprehension of the
layman.

Explanatory programs have indeed been
tried, from time to time, by various stations.

The Listener's Point of View

459

So far as the present writer's knowledge of
these experiments goes, the prefatory talks
generally sounded as if being given, not by an
authority on the subject, but by some one who
had crammed for the occasion. The results
in such a case, no matter what the subject
talked about, are bound to be disappointing,
to miss fire.

In order to talk about music or any musical
composition in a way to hold the interest of
the listener, the speaker must know a great
deal more about his subject than simply the
phase of which he is at the moment presenting.
A broadcasting station can never successfully
give educational musical programs until will-
ing to pay some thoroughly competent special-
ist, who is also a good talker, to give these
explanations.

All other subjects than music, when dis-
cussed over the radio, are discussed by well-
known authorities on these subjects. This is
as true of astronomy as it is of pugilism. But,
as a rule, when anything is said about music,
it seems to be considered that anybody can
say it.

At present, the most conspicuous exception
to this rule may be found in the series of
talks on orchestral instruments being given
through station KDKA by Mr. Victor Saudek.

As even-body knows who owns a radio set,
Mr. Saudek is director of the KDKA Little
Symphony Orchestra. But he is much more
than this. His current musical work .along
various lines and his experiences in the past
place him among the leading authorities in
the country on orchestral instruments and
their use.

Mr. Saudek was for many years a member of
the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, playing
in that organization first under Victor Herbert,
then for six years under Emil Paur. He is
at present teacher of orchestration in the
combined music departments of the Univer-
sity of Pittsburgh and the Carnegie Institute
of Technology. He is also director of the
Woodwind Ensemble at the latter institution.
He has delivered many lectures on orchestral
instruments for the Board of Education of the
Pittsburgh public schools, and also for various
colleges. In addition to his work as director
of the KDKA Little Symphony, he is organizing
a light opera company for this station.

In his weekly talks on orchestral instru-
ments which are now being given at KDKA,
Mr. Saudek divides the instruments into their
four natural groups — the strings, the wood-
wind, the brass, and the percussion instru-
ments. The history of each instrument, or

co-related instruments, is briefly given, and
this is followed by a clear discussion of the
chief characteristics of the instrument, after
which its qualities are illustrated by the play-
ing of excerpts from that instrument's part in
an accredited orchestral work.

The concluding feature of this series of talks
which will continue for some twelve weeks
from their inception the middle of last Novem-
ber, will be a concert in which the more un-
usual instruments, such as the woodwind
group and the horn, will be used.

A very interesting feature of this concluding
concert will be the cooperation of the radio
audience. The instruments will be announced
not by name but by number, and the audience
will be asked to send in the names of the instru-

THE MADONNA

As she appears when taking the place of the absent
Nun in the Cathedral, in Morris Gest's production
of "The Miracle." staged by Max Reinhardt at the
Century Theatre, New York, and broadcast by
WGBS (GimbePs, New York) during this station's
opening week. Lady Diana Manners is here seen
in this role

460

Radio Broadcast

ment corresponding to each numbered solo,
or the names corresponding to the numbers of
such ensemble groups as may be used.

Here, in its most instructive and delightful
form, is musical education over the radio, given
by a professional specialist in the subject
treated. Such a broadcasting feature will go
far toward wiping out memories of musical
disappointments experienced after one has
tuned-in.

Mr. Saudek might well make these illus-
trated talks on orchestral instruments an
annual feature at KDKA. For there is abso-
lutely no question as to their success.

In his work with this Little Symphony, Mr.
Saudek has brought the organization to a
point of excellence where it has no superior
among the orchestras regularly associated with
broadcasting stations. Many of the sixteen
men who make up the orchestra's personnel
are virtuosi, with training gained in regular
symphony work. Taking the programs in the
aggregate, this orchestra broadcasts much
good music. One looks forward to the day
when they will set aside one hour two
evenings a week and give, during that hour,
nothing but music worthy of being heard at
a public symphony concert. If, let us say,
such a program was given every Tuesday and
Friday, or Monday and Thursday, or Wednes-
day and Saturday from eight to nine, and this
was continued month after month, the

1 Y

'f Iffe t^

Waters, San Francisco
COMMITTEE AND READERS

A service that is meeting with far-reaching success is broadcast daily at
station KPO, San Francisco, immediately after the Naval Observatory
time signals. First, the chimes you see in this picture are played, and,
as chimes are always very lovely over the radio, the opening of this
service immediately engages attention. There then follows a reading
of the scriptures, always from those portions that are not controver-
sial, but of a character to make universal appeal. The director of the
station may be seen (in gray suit) standing in front of the chimes

audiences listening-in would be so large that
the other broadcast stations might well rejoice
that they could not know how they were being
neglected.

Good Music That Is Popular

PIANIST who knows from experience
that radio listeners enjoy good music,
is Mrs. Carl Chindblom of Washing-
ton, D. C., who has been heard a number of
times through station WRC of that city.

Endowed with exceptional musical talent,
Mrs. Chindblom from childhood had the
advantage of training under the best masters.
She is the daughter of Hjalmar Nilsson, who
has directed Swedish male choruses in this
country for twenty-five years and has received
decorations for his musical work from the King
of Sweden and the Singers' Union in Sweden,
as well as in America. At the age of fourteen,
Mrs. Chindblom, then Christine Nilsson —
"but no relation to the famous singer," she
explains — went to Stockholm where she pur-
sued her piano studies.

Mrs. Chindblom is the wife of Representa-
tive Chindblom of Chicago, who, next March,
will finish his third term as representative of
the Tenth District of Illinois, and who is also
a member of the Ways and Means Com-
mittee. Although corresponding secretary of
the Congressional Club which is composed of
wives of the members of Congress, occupied
with social duties and the
management of a home,
Mrs. Chindblom still keeps
up her musical work through
taking lessons and public
playing. Her cosmopolitan
life has confirmed her natu-
ral faith in the people's love
for good music provided
they have opportunities to
hear it.

"It did not occur to
me," she said when speak-
ing of her broadcasting ex-
periences, "to play trashy
music. For that matter, I
could not have played it,
anyway, for I have not
concerned myself with such
music. Why should one,
when so many like to hear
the best?

"And why should I think,
just because I happened to
be playing for an invisible
instead of a visible audience,

The Listener's Point of View

461

\Vhitc-, New York

THE LAMED PIPER

(Werner Krauss), healed at the foot of the wonder-working statue
of the Madonna (Lady Diana Manners) in "The Miracle"

that my listeners would want mawkish or
cheap numbers? 1 cannot understand why
any one who is accustomed to playing good
music should be willing to play any other
kind when broadcasting.

"One of the best received numbers I have
broadcast, is the D'Albert Suite — the one with
the AllemanJe, Gavotte, and Musette. It is
built, you know, on classical lines, very much
in the style of Bach, but with the mod-
ern touch so characteristic of D'Albert who,
noted first as a great pianist, can well lay
claim to being, if not equally great as a com-
poser, one that has added much to modern
piano literature.

"Another number that has also been much
liked by my radio audience is the Preludinm
from Grieg's Holberger Suite. Then 1 have
also broadcast a Schumann Nocturne, Scar-
latti's popular yet very classical Pastorale, the
Liszt arrangement of Mendelssohn's "On the
Wings of Song," and the "Concert Fantasie
on Swedish Folk Songs," by Emil Larsen, one
of Chicago's leading musicians.

"What are my feelings when playing for
an invisible radio audience? Well, it is diffi-
cult to describe them because they are not
essentially different from my feelings when

playing for a visible audience. But I always
have the feeling that there is an audience out
there beyond— near and far — and the absolute
consciousness of this is an inspiration. And
1 am. always on my mettle, for I know that,
over the radio, every wrong note, every slight-
est mistake, stands out with glaring distinct-
ness. 1 know this from having listened so
much to others. When a number is announced
with which I am familiar, 1 listen always in
the hope of learning something from the per-
formance, and I very often do learn something,
either regarding technical execution, or inter-
pretation, and sometimes both.

"Although 1 play a good deal in Washington
each winter at musicales and concerts, and
last winter gave a number of programs with
Congressman Woodrum, the 'Singing Con-
gressman' as we call him, the enjoyment was
no greater, if as great, as that I experience
when playing for radio audiences. I do not
know whether this feeling 1 have about radio
listeners is shared by others who broadcast.
1 only know that it is the way I feel. There
is always in my mind the thought that among
those listeners 1 cannot see may be some who
are thoroughly competent to criticise, and who
will know from my playing just what sort of

Radio Broadcast

Aldene, New. York

NATHAN ABAS AND HIS PENNSYLVANIA HOTEL CONCERT
ORCHESTRA

Tri-weekly features on wjz's programs. This is the real thing, and not
a jazz orchestra, which may account for the fact that it is one of the
most -popular organizations now broadcasting regularly. Their Sunday
evening concerts] given at 7 o'clock, Eastern standard time, are espe-
cially well worth hearing

musician I am. The result is, that when
before the microphone, I feel that I am playing
for the most exacting yet appreciative of
audiences."

Because she does not use her music as a
means of livelihood, Mrs. Chindblom is not
personally concerned with the question of
payment for broadcasting. But she is com-
pletely in accord with the stand taken by
professional musicians who depend on their
music for their living, that they should be
paid for radio appearances,

Praiseworthy Work of a New
Broadcaster

UNSTINTED praise is due the manage-
ment of WGBS [Gimbel Brothers of
New York] in that they had the ar-
tistic vision to broadcast, during their opening
week, Morris Gest's production of "The
Miracle," which has had a long run at the
Century Theater, New York, and, at this
writing, is scheduled for a six weeks' run in
Cleveland, Ohio, the only city outside of New
York where it will be presented.

It might be thought, upon first considera-
tion, that a performance appealing first of all to
the eve could not successfully be broadcast.
But "The Miracle" is an exception because
the story, drawn from classic legend, is of
itself so beautiful and so dramatic, and be-
cause it is given a noteworthy musical setting.

During the broadcasting
of this production, Mr.
Fred Eric, well-known actor
and stage director, gave a
graphic and sympathetic
synopsis of the story as it
was revealed on the stage.
These descriptions were
vivified by Englebert Hum-
perdinck's music for chorus,
orchestra, and organ — music
of a kind all too seldom
heard over the radio.
Humperdinck, one of the
greatest masters of orches-
tration among modern com-
posers, a writer of some
of the most graceful and
lovely music composed dur-
ing the last quarter of a
century, is best known by his
two fairy operas, Hansel
und Gretel, and Die Konigs-
kinder. He died a few
years ago, suddenly, at
Neu-Strelitz, of apoplexy.
He came to this country in 1910 when
Die Konigskinder received its first produc-
tion on any stage at the Metropolitan
Opera house with Geraldine Farrar in the
role of the Goose Girl. He drew largely on
German folk song for the foundation of his
works, using them with unexcelled finesse and
effectiveness. He was a close and under-
standing friend of Richard Wagner and
assisted him in preparations for the first pro-
duction of Parsifal in 1880 at Bayreuth.
Living a simple and unostentatious life, both
as artist and as man, Humperdinck never-
theless gained world recognition during his
lifetime.

Having set such a standard as the broad-
casting of "The Miracle" during their opening
week, it is hoped that those who are to guide
the work at WGBS will live up to this standard
in the future.

CROM Alice L. Nealeans, of Newport,
* Kentucky, comes the statement, in a
letter:

"Your 'scrambled programs' raps will set
makers of these 'Air Entertainments' to
separating the material and keeping hours for
jazz and hours for high grade music, giving
certain hours to each, regularly, so that radio
fans may know when to tune-in and when to
tune-out."

May Miss Nealeans prove a true prophet!

A Kit for the
Radio Detective

How to Use a Sensitive, Portable Re-
ceiver to Find Interference of All Sorts
—Some Radio Tests of Great Value
and Interest to the Experimenter

BY
ROBERT H. MARRIOTT

First President Institute of Radio Engineers

MR. MARRIOTT

With the pack loop re-
ceiver described in this
article

NOT far from the point at which these
paragraphs begin, the observing
reader can see several photographs
of a radio compass station mounted
on the writer on Mount Rainier.

That is the kind of a radio compass station
that can travel almost anywhere. That sta-
tion is not too wide to go through doors nor
too heavy for a youth. It is not too heavy
for an old chap either, but of course if an
old chap carries it in and around public
places, it will probably be due to a lack of
the dignity that usually comes with age, or
due to youthful spirits, or because he wants
to learn facts about interferences and the
reception of radio to the extent of braving
the remarks of others.

The radio compass station operator, in
this case, is the means of transportation or
beast of burden and, if he travels in public
places, he may be referred to as a beast of
burden. Somebody will surely say he is an
"ass." Also, inexperienced young dogs and
snappy dogs may bark at him. The wise
humans and dogs will behave quite properly.

That kind of transportation for a compass
station does not produce electrical disturbances

to interfere with the compass readings. Also
the operator is the pivot. Operator, receiver
and coil turn together, which prevents chang-
ing tuning because all parts remain relatively
the same.

An automobile carrying a loop cannot go
up stairs and in narrow places and the ig-
nition has to be shut off to use the radio com-
pass. Also a coasting automobile often moves
too fast to detect sources of interferences or
variations in receiving ability.

Those of you who go camping in places
where human transportation is the only avail-
able transportation, will recognize that thing
on my back and shoulders as a special form
of pack board made with braces over the
shoulders instead of straps. This special
pack board is just as available to carry fishing
gear as to carry scientific instruments.- In

464

Radio Broadcast

another photo you can see my son wearing a
regular orthodox Indian style pack board
loaded with food and I am behind him with
the special pack board loaded with the rest
of the camp duffle, ready to go through brush
and streams. Both boards are strong enough
to carry fifty pounds or more. The Indian
type is superior for going through brush, while
the brace type can be
thrown off quickly if
you fall in water over
your head or where
you want to shed the
pack quickly.

THE PACK-BOARD

A Radio Set on Your Head

WHEN using the
special pack
board for radio com-
pass work, the radio
receiver is supported
by the braces in front
of the operator, where
he can see the dials
and make adjust-
ments. Almost any
kind of sensitive fairly
long range receiver
will do if the tubes re-
quire very little bat-
tery. The receiver in
the photographs in-
cludes a regenerative
detector and three
stages of audio fre-
quency, using peanut
tubes that require

about one volt and one fourth of an ampere
each. Forty volts were used in the plate
battery. That receiver was not built es-
pecially for this kind of use. It was chosen
because it was convenient and light in weight.
The compass coil, as can be seen, is mounted
at one side. It consists of eighteen turns of
No. 23 cotton covered wire, about three eighths
of an inch apart. The coil frame is of very
light spruce and fitted together with screws.
A folding coil would do about as well, but it
might not be as strong for its weight. A clip
is provided so that eight, twelve, or eighteen
turns may be used. Also, the little coil in
series with the loop that couples to the tickler
is tapped, so altogether a range of from 200
to about looo meters can be covered in re-
ceiving, with the tube oscillating. An os-
cillating tube is sometimes better for picking
up disturbances.

Can easily be very valuable, while at the
same time, subjecting its bearer to a certain
amount of ridicule. Mr. Marriott's inter-
esting article tells how he built up a simple
portable receiver, using dry cell tubes and
a loop which he mounted on a pack board
and used to trace interference from power
lines, radiating receivers, and improperly
operating domestic electrical devices. Since
this magazine published a series of articles
on "Man-Made Static" by A. F. Van Dyck
in March, April, and May, 1924, interest
in tracing and reducing unnecessary inter-
ference from these sources has grown very
greatly. Other radio periodicals have since
taken up the cause, and the general receiving
situation is sure to be much improved, for
power companies and even some of the
thoughtless individuals are almost always
willing to do all they can to reduce inter-
ference of all sorts, when it is brought to their
attention. Local dealers can plot radio
maps of their territories with a set of this
kind, and radio club members wishing to
perform public service can well take up this
sort of thing themselves. — THE EDITOR.

The batteries are carried on the back on
the pack board surface. Other things may
be carried on the pack board at the same
time. I sometimes carry such things as
electrical measuring instruments on it. In
another photograph is shown the board and
some voltage measuring equipment that I
used on Mount Rainier. I used them to find
static potentials.
They are not part of
the compass equip-
ment. In traveling
through brush the coil
frame and receiver can
be removed from the
side and from the
braces and packed on
the back. For carry-
ing the outfit as bag-
gage on an automo-
bile or in a train every-
thing is packed on the
front of the board be-
tween the braces.
Blankets and clothes
serve for packing ma-
terial, and a tarpaulin
serves for the cover of
the package.

A little khaki cloth
cover not shown in
the photo, fits over
the receiver in front
and another piece of
khaki over the back
for damp weather.
All of the wood used,
which was spruce,

and the khaki are waterproofed by wetting
them with gasoline in which paraffme has
been dissolved. The gasoline evaporates and
leaves the paraffme in the pores of the
wood and cloth. Waterproofing the strips
that support the coil wires is necessary.
Spruce is one of the best woods because it is
strong for its weight, but almost any avail-
able wood will do.

WHAT GOOD SAMARITANS CAN DO WITH THIS SET

WHY have I told you about this and why
am I going to say more about it farther
along in the article? Because lots of people
can build such arrangements as good as
this or better and use them to find causes
of interference, and otherwise to develop
radio. Having found the causes of inter-
ference, those causes can be eliminated
through the arts of diplomacy and electricity,

A Kit for the Radio Detective

465

and the reception of broadcasts will be im-
proved. Cutting out interference is one of
the most important things in improving local
receiving. One reason why a lot of inter-
ference is not cut out is because enough people
do not know what the causes are. With such
arrangements as this they can find the causes.

men who would not use glittering words to
attract fame or money and who, therefore,
attracted Ijttle or no attention.

Another- way in which radio was advanced
by getting more people interested in its de-
velopment was through the United States
amateurs. They made radio an indoor sport.

A CLOSE-UP OF THE RADIO COMPASS RECEIVER

Showing how a simple receiving set, which can be operated on a loop can
be mounted on the loop frame, which carries the dry cells to run the set

The advancing of an art and science and
the correction of evils depends very largely
on how many people learn the facts. For
example, the apparatus for radio was in-
vented and the idea of using it for communi-
cation was conceived and published long
before Marconi made his developments. But
Marconi or his associates made a lot of noise
about it and that interested a lot of people
who investigated the facts and started develop-
ing radio.

In their publicity, to advertise Marconi
and to raise money, they brought to light in-
formation and possibilities that had pre-
viously been quietly discussed orally and in
print by conservative professors and old

Still another way was the Institute of Ra-
dio Engineers which was founded and de-
voted entirely to disseminating information
for the advancement of the radio science and
art. Scientific and popular publications
played a part in all those ways.

LOCAL RADIO DETECTIVES

NOW that radio receivers are located prac-
tically everywhere, there are too many
possible sources of interference to cover the
interference subject by articles stating where
interferences may be found. Another kind
of education is necessary. We have got to
train a lot of local disturbance finders. Some
local radio detectives with radio compasses

Radio Broadcast

are needed to do the finding and spreading of
information.

When broadcasting first started, the un-
initiated blamed all interference on amateurs
and static. Now in the summer time a great
deal of interference is blamed on natural
static that comes from defective electric
lighting and power circuits. ' Also, winter
and summer, some one short range notorious
interference is blamed for what other local
interferences do. A chap's own bed warmer
may be causing the interference that he blames
on the Blank electric light company.

To stop interferences, first, find the interfer-
ence producer; second, use your best influence
to have that interference cease. Power com-
panies are glad, usually, to do their share.
Individuals are almost always reasonable
about such matters, once the true situation
has been presented to them.

Those who take the trouble to do this radio
investigating will find it decidedly interesting.
Thev will do not a little to advance the radio

ON MOUNT RANIER

With the pack set. One attachment for the re-
ceiver allows the strength of static discharge to be
measured

art in their locality. Especially will they
advance the art, if they tell others how they
do it and the results they get.

There is a tendency to expect the Radio
Inspectors of the Department of Commerce
to find all interferences and correct them.
The trouble with that idea is that there are
not enough such inspectors and no Congress
is going to appropriate enough money to
get enough inspectors. All of the present
inspectors together could not take care of
the interferences in New York, and there are
a lot of folks and territory west of Hoboken.
If you find the interference and it is some-
thing the inspectors have jurisdiction over,
they will take action.

A radio compass station made up in the
form of a pack is much easier to carry than a
suit case arrangement, and it leaves the hands
free. One can carry about fifty pounds on a
pack board as easily as one can carry twenty
pounds in a suit case. And a pack board
radio compass, as shown in the photos, weighs
only about twenty-five pounds. By using a
lighter receiver and smaller batteries, that
can be reduced to ten pounds. By going to
extremes and using radio-frequency ampli-
fication only it could be reduced to five pounds
or less. Also all the equipment could be
included in one package.

HOW THE PORTABLE COMPASS IS MOUNTED

IN THE accompanying photographs you
can see the pack board radio compass
standing alone. The back frame is of one
inch by one inch spruce and consists of two
uprights and a cross piece at the top and
bottom fastened by dowel pins and stiffened
by sheet aluminum bent around the joints
and held by screws. Khaki cloth is stretched
tightly over the frame and tacked fast.
Stiff brass hooks in the frame serve to allow
packing cords to be fastened to them. A
light stick from the bar holding the receiver
serves as a leg so the pack board will stand
alone when the receiver is in place. Two
pieces of sheet aluminum with felt on the
under side are attached to the front braces
and back by single screws so the aluminum
tilts slightly to conform to the slope of the
shoulders.

One way to put on the device is to set the
pack board on the edge of a table and duck
under one of the shoulder pads and rise up.
Another way is to stand to one side of the
pack board, say the right side, and place the
left hand under the left pad and the right
under the right pad and raise the pack up

A Kit for the Radio Detective

and over the head and then let it down upon
the shoulders.

You can probably design a better looking
outfit and undoubtedly you can provide a
better looking operator, packer, or beast of
burden, whatever you want to call this pho-
tographed biped.

WAYS AND MEANS OF USING THIS "DETECTOR"

TO FIND the cause of a disturbance, put
the pack board compass on, turn on the
filament battery and tune-in the disturbance
with the detector oscillating, if tuning is
necessary. Then turn around until the
disturbance is loudest and then till it is weak-
est or out. Those two positions should be
at right angles and the disturbance should be
in the direction of the wires in the compass
coil when the disturbance is loudest, that is
it should be either in front or back of you,
providing it is from some place some distance
away and there are no conductors in your
immediate neighborhood. Then walk for-
ward until the disturbance gets weaker or
stronger. If it gets weaker, turn around
again and if the direction of the wires is the
same for maximum disturbance, walk in the
opposite direction. If everything is ideal
for compass work, you probably will walk
right up to the cause of the disturbance.

If the interference comes from a neighbor
with a regenerative detector and you set
your radio compass so it oscillates, you prob-
ably will be able to follow the squeal right up
to the neighbor's house. Then if you "squeal
on" or "tell on" him to the other broadcast
receiving neighbors they will probably join
with you for a persuasive conference with
the interfering neighbor. Of course if he is
a stubborn Scotchman you may have to call

TO MEASURE STATIC

The pack set is arranged as shown in the photo-
graphs. The average experimenter would have no
reason to use such a device, but there are some who
might be interested in making such measurements

THE RADIO PACK SET READY FOR ACTION

Mr. Marriott and his son, near their home in Brem-
erton, Washington, ready for a journey of test and
experiment with the loop receiver which the author
uses for searching out interference from power lines,
imperfect household electrical devices, and other

on the Presbyterian preacher for aid. If he
is a dealer in stubborn water called "Scotch,"
boycott him. If you have a drop of Scotch
in your blood, please forget this. If your
drop of Scotch is in a bottle, offer it to your
interfering neighbor.

If the disturbance is caused by the lighting
or power circuits of the public service com-
pany that you all are buying service from, the
correction should be easy. Some of the
power companies who have high voltage lines
want to know when people hear such distur-
bances on their lines because such noises may
mean leaking insulation which will break down
some time and shut down their service.

Some of the present interfering apparatus
was made or is owned by the General Electric,
Westinghouse, Western Electric, and Bell
Telephone companies. Those companies are
also.interested in broadcasting, therefore they
should naturally want to prevent interference
from their machines and devices, and want to
know what you find.

There are a lot of effects that may make the
spotting of the source difficult which, if you
are not in a hurry to find a particular source,
are very interesting.

If the disturbance is carried bv a wire line

468

Radio Broadcast

overhead or underground, the disturbance will
be loudest when the horizontal wires are paral-
lel to it, and the disturbance may follow the
line for a considerable distance.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN TESTING

IF YOU have a large mass of metal in the
house like a large futnace, all broadcasts
and all disturbances may be loudest when the
coil is pointing toward the furnace no matter
which side of the furnace you may be on.
That is providing you are alongside the fur-
nace. You may get the same result from a
tall iron structure or a wire coming down
a tall pole.

If there are wire lines running along one
side of your lot you may get a broadcast
station on the other side and not at all or
in a different direction on the wire line side.
Generally speaking any conductor you pass
close to will produce a change in apparent
direction or in volume. Another interesting
thing is that to get zero sound in finding
directions the coil must be tilted sometimes.
This is done by leaning over sidcwise.

THE TESTER

May use telephones for reception, as Mr. Marriott

does here, but one who wished to use a small loud

speaker could create considerable interest

If you live in a part of the United States
where summer thunder storms are common
occurrences, it will be interesting to pick up
their directions and follow them around,
away, or over. When they are overhead or
all of them are far away in several localities,
the static will probably seem to come equally
strong from all directions.

The pack board radio compass is a good
device for comparing the receiving char-
acteristics of different localities because you
have the same apparatus to use in all the
places instead of a different antenna and dif-
ferent ground connection in each place. For
example: I used it at Bremerton, Washington
on Puget Sound and then went up on Mount
Rainier and concluded that the strength of
broadcasts from KGO at Oakland was about
five to ten times as strong at Bremerton than
I found them in Paradise Valley on Mount
Rainier.

Not only is the pack board radio compass
useful for broadcast listeners and amateurs
to enable them to divest their neighborhoods
of interferences and to learn about radio but
it is useful for merchants to learn of inter-
ferences and to chart their city and sales
territory, marking the localities where receiv-
ing conditions are good, bad, and indifferent.
Also if they want to have some fun and pos-
sibly make some sales they can put a light
loud speaker on the pack board and tune-
in broadcasts, for others to hear in passing.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

ONE evening, recently, I was out with the
pack set checking up on the absorbing and
direction changing effect of some wire lines.
Going around the block I live in about dusk,
I passed the Kitsap Inn. I noticed a woman
on the porch, but not being so young as most
radio engineers I was more interested in
radio effects and did not pay any attention to
her. I do not know whether she was a new
comer to the neighborhood or whether she
was peeved by my inattention. Anyhow she
telephoned in to the Bremerton Police De-
partment that there was a crazy man going
around with a radio set on his head.

A few minutes later, a mechanic who was
ambitious to become a sleuth, came along
and paid attention to the lady on the porch
and being informed of my conduct followed
me at a safe distance.

This man with the positive sleuth bias
seemed to believe that I was carrying a dia-
bolic ray apparatus which I was trying to
train on the Navy Yard which is about a mile

A Kit for the Radio Detective

469

and a quarter long. At any rate, something
like that was telephoned to the Bremerton
Police about the time 1 was passing across
the street that separates Bremerton from
Charleston.

After the first alarm, the Bremerton police
came to look for me, after the second alarm
a Charleston policeman was added to the
posse. Not finding me they called out the
sheriff. The neighborhood afterward told
me that police were seen searching even
behind garbage cans. 1 don't know whether
any of them looked in a garbage can or not.
This went on for about two hours and in the
meantime 1 went home and set my pack com-
pass on a table along side of a tuned antenna
wire, plugged in the loud speaker and sat
down.

A little later an automobile full of men
pulled up just below my house on the wrong
side of the street and made so much noise
that I thought they were full and went out on
the porch and sat down on the steps to pet
the dog and watch the men. About that time
one of them said, "There is a fellow sitting on
the porch of that house, maybe he knows some-
thing about it." Whereupon he came over
and asked me if 1 had seen a fellow going
around with a radio set on his head. 1 said,
No, but that 1 had been going around with
one on my back shortly before. Then he
started in to ask questions about like most
people ask when they meet me wearing the
pack compass.

Others came up until there were eight or.
nine of them and the questions seemed rather
qnusual, which caused me to ask why all the
delegation and so much interest. I didn't
know they were police because they were in
plain clothes. Then they told me the whole
story and 1 invited them in and let them

GOOD RECEPTION AREAS

May easily be charted with a device similar to this.
Local radio dealers could send several men out with
a pack set and quickly make a dependable map of
their territory. A direction-finding loop set used
in an automobile is not always satisfactory be-
cause the interference produced by the ignition is
usually quite bothersome

listen to concerts. Altogether we had a very
enjoyable evening. They told my friend
McCall, the mayor, and Mac told the news-
paper reporters and. I don't expect ever to
hear the last of it.

"THE MAN WHO KNEW ALL ABOUT RADIO"

7S THE title of a quite amusing story by William H. Cory, Jr. : Many
radio folk will recognize their own portrait, perhaps, in Mr. Cart/'*
mirror. It ttill be a feature of a coming number of RADIO BROADCAST.

The studio of WJZ-WJY in New York was recently moved down to the display windows of the Aeolian
Building so that passing crowds might see just how broadcasting was carried on. Amplifiers were installed
so that the watching crowd could hear as well as see what was going on

THE MARCH OF RADIO

Past 1 'resident , Institute of Radio Engineers

What Has Happened to Important Radio Patents

R^DIO certainly has proved a boon to
those who reap their livelihood by get-
ting manufacturers into and out of
legal entanglements. Patents, by the
thousands, on all phases of the radio art, have
been granted or applied for, and it is doubt-
ful that a single piece of radio apparatus
could be manufactured in such quantity as
to bring in worthwhile returns without some
do/en attorneys being able to arrange dam-
age suits on some count or other. Some men
whose names stand reasonably high in the
estimation of the lay public have adopted
what mav be termed "steam-roller" methods

of patenting radio devices. Hiring one or
more attorneys, they draw up claims for any-
thing they can conceive of whether they have
made it work or not. Such men expect to
make money on the "nuisance value" of
their patents. We recollect seeing one man's
name so often in the patent office records that
he certain! v must have at least 200 patents,
possibly more. Such a man is trying to use
the radio art purely as a money-making prop-
osition. It is questionable if a single really
original valuable contribution will be found
in his whole pile of patents.

With a few such men in the game, and a

The March of Radio

47i

few hundred others who are more conservative
in the amount of work they turn in to the
patent office clerks, it is small wonder that
we continually hear of patent suits. During
the past month, several very important suits
were either started or decided, temporarily;.
We say temporarily, because apparently no
one but a lawyer, familiar with the various
successive processes by which a suit can be
continued, knows when a question is decided
and when it is not.

Through various transfers of patent rights,
some exclusive and some not, the Radio Cor-
poration of America attorneys were of the
opinion that they could hold the De Forest
Company to carry out sales according to their
desires and policies, that is, the R. C. A.
could tell the De Forest Company where and
how they must stick these little tags we have
all seen so many times telling us that these
devices are "sold for amateur and experi-
mental use only." Early in 1923 the R. C. A.
did obtain an injunction against the De
Forest Company under which the selling
policies of the De Forest Company were

controlled by R. C. A. After thoroughly re-
viewing the case, vice-chancellor V. M. Lewis
of Trenton, New Jersey has just handed down
a decision which frees the De Forest Company
from the restraining hand of the Radio Cor-
poration. The legal arguments used are too
intricate for a layman of our calibre to follow,
but agreements between the De Forest Com-
pany and Western Electric Company; and
then between the latter company and the
American Telephone and Telegraph Company;
and then with the Radio Corporation some-
times "for pay" and sometimes not, appar-
ently convinced Chancellor Lewis that De
Forest should be allowed to be free to compt-tr
with the Radio Corporation in the sale of
tubes and apparatus.

In another suit, a small firm selling a few
parts for a super-heterodyne has been sued
by the Radio Corporation for infringement.
The expert for the R. C. A. claimed that the
five or more pieces collected in a box con-
stituted the makings of a "super," although
we had previously been informed that there
were more than 4000 parts in the super as

THE NEW U.S.S 'MARBLEHEAD

The newest of the Navy's cruisers. The extensive use every naval vessel makes of radio is partially shown
by the elaborate antenna installation aboard the Marblebead. 'This photograph was taken in the East

River, New York

472

Radio Broadcast

JACK BINNS AND HANS LADWIG

Meeting at New York shortly after the trans-
atlantic flight of the ZR-} was concluded. Ladwig
was radio operator aboard the Zeppelin and Binns is
famous as the first wireless operator to take part
in a rescue at sea

constructed by the Radio Corporation and
that, according to Armstrong himself, even
though we were furnished with a diagram of
connections and given the actual constants of
the various coils, condensers, resistances, and
what not, none of us could build a super-
heterodyne that would work. It seems that
one's ideas as to what constitute a super-
heterodyne depends upon what one wants
to prove.

During the War, someone thought of using
an antenna under water as a receiver of radio
signals. Under-water antennas were used
to some extent for reception during the War.
The principal use of such a device, however, is
evidently on a submarine which needs to get
radio signals when she is submerged. Dr.
J. H. Rogers applied for a patent on a sub-
merged antenna as did other inventors, some
of them in government employ at the Bureau
of Standards. The specific type of submarine
antenna described by Dr. Rogers in his patent
was an insulated wire connected to the bow
of the submarine, running to the conning
tower, down through the receiving apparatus,
'•back to the conning tower, and thence to the
stern of the submarine where it was attached.
The hull of the submarine thus constituted a
part of a one-turn loop antenna. Messrs.

Willoughby and Lowell of the Bureau of
Standards tried to have Dr. Rogers's patent
annulled on the ground that they were the real
inventors, but the Court of Appeals of the
District of Columbia has, after five years litiga-
tion, declared Dr. Rogers the real inventor.

The De Forest Company has started suit
against the Government to recover damages
for the use of three-electrode tubes purchased
for the government through the General
Electric Company and others. Apparently,
the De Forest attorneys think there is a possi-
bility of showing that the General Electric
Company had no legal right to sell tubes to
the Government. Two million dollars is
named by the De Forest Company as its
estimate of the damages suffered.

Now, Attorney-General Stone has just
handed down a decision which will probably
prove to be extremely valuable to some of the
American radio manufacturers. Some of the
German patents seized by our government
during the War may now be leased by the navy
to American manufacturers. The Attorney-
General held that there appeared to be no
inhibition against the issuance of non-exclusive
licenses to manufacture under the patent, but
that the patent could not be sold. Use of
the patents seized by the Government, several
hundred in number, has heretofore been
denied. Among the patents so leased is one
of Schloemilch and Van Bronck covering the
reflexing of radio circuits. We shall probably
see a lot more reflex sets on the market in the
next year or two, unless the alternating cur-
rent tube should appear on the market within
that time. Reflexing is a scheme for saving
maintenance cost, but when an alternating
current tube is available, the maintenance of
a set will fall so low that the use of reflexing
will not then be as general as it is now.

Radio Helps the Air Pioneers

CST month we called attention to the
help radio nowadays extends to the
Arctic explorer. Now, the explorer,
instead of disappearing from the face of the
earth for a year or two is in daily com-
munication with those of us who prefer
the humdrum life in a more equable climate.
As we read of the transatlantic flight of the
Z/?-3, we couldn't help but think of how
modestly and almost unheeded radio was
making possible the record-breaking trip.
A dirigible like the ZR-$ hasn't a great deal
of fuel reserve and can make. only about 70
miles an hour without excessive gasoline

The March of Radio

473

consumption. If she meets a head wind of
much strength, she would actually be almost
standing still, and a day or two of such stand-
ing still with full fuel consumption would
probably spell disaster for the trip.

The Z/?-3 however, ran no chance of getting
into such difficulty; she was constantly in
radio touch with one continent or the other,
and with dozens of ships in various parts of
the ocean, to give her weather reports, and
so was able to lay her course to avoid bad
weather conditions. This feat without radio,
would have boon entirely impossible. We
can expect radio to play a role of ever increas-
ing importance in pioneering of the kind our
new dirigible accomplished.

What "Low Loss" Means

THE progress in any art is necessarily
made in a series of steps, an improve-
ment of existing methods here, a new
idea and invention there, and perhaps im-
provement in material and design of apparatus
elsewhere. The change of communication
scheme from code signals to the spoken word
at one step increased the possible users of
radio from hundreds to hundreds of thousands.
The advent of the inventions of De Forest,
Armstrong, Heising and others increased the
range of the broadcast channels from tens of
miles to thousands of miles. The increase in
efficiency of apparatus brought about bv the
thoroughgoing methods of the research en-
gineers of the large electrical companies, and
other smaller ones, such as the General Radio
'Company, has given us more reliable sets,
easier to adjust and operate, consuming less
and less battery power.

In the latter class of radio progress we have
had such ideas as the unicontrol, the dry
battery tube, the non-radiating set, etc.,
successively holding the stage in technical
discussion and advertising. Of late the "Low
Loss Condenser" has been the slogan of
dozens of manufacturers regardless actually of
whether the losses of their condensers were
low or not. It seems likely that many of the
"Low Loss" advertisements are based on con-
jecture rather than fact.

So much has the low loss idea been
emphasized lately by radio manufacturers
that it is likely the non-technical broadcast
listener has, by the sheer repetition of this
attractive phrase, become convinced that
extremely low losses in a condenser are es-
sential to satisfactory operation of his set.
A condenser having a phase angle difference

of one minute is thought to be twice as good as
one having two minutes of angle. We have
tested many of the better class variable
condensers and do find that some of them have
only one-half or one-third the losses of others,
but this fact, striking as it may seem, should
have but little" consideration in the choice
of a condenser. The operation of a radio set
depends on many other items than the tuning
condenser. Some of these are the losses in the
coil with which a condenser is always asso-
ciated. No\v the losses in the average coil
are about "fifty times as much as the losses in
the avera'ge good condenser. So small, in
fact, are the condenser losses compared to
coil losses that when any one of a dozen of the
better class tuning condensers is substituted
for another, no appreciable difference in the
behavior of the set is discernible, even with
reasonably good measuring instruments.

The lower losses a condenser has, the better
it is, judged on this item alone, but the ques-
tions of permanence of adjustment, relia-
bility of contacts, smoothness of control, etc.
should be considered by the condenser pur-

-••«.

MUCH EASIER THAN ORGAN GRINDING

Is the life of travelling radio music man in Germany.
A number of enterprising Teutons have equipped
themselves with loop receivers and a loud speaker
and go about the cities vending music. The state
of the musician's uniform seems to indicate that
the business is reasonably profitable

474

Radio Broadcast

©Harris & Ewing

RADIO IN THE WASHINGTON NATIONAL MUSEUM

A corner of this new museum is devoted to radio. The display at the left has a complete submarine installa-
tion. A half-kilowatt quenched spark transmitter, complete with its motor generator is directly in front
of the figure. Mounted on the white panel is a lightning switch and a Navy type receiver. The other
displays are the standard Navy radio compass loop, and a progressive exhibit of vacuum tubes from the
early De Forest audion at the left to the modern transmitting tubes below

ehaser of at least as much importance as the
losses.

The Meaning of Super-Power

ESPECIALLY since the recent Hoover
conference, has there been much talk
of super-power broadcasting stations.
The word super-power station is not used in
the sense that ordinary stations will be
blanketed by its outpouring of radio energy,
but rather that sufficient power will be sent
out from the station so that static and other
interfering signals will sink into insignificance
when compared with the station's signals.
Of course this is true now for even a 5OO-watt
station, in respect to those listeners who are
only a few miles distant from it, bu.t evidently
those who contemplate super-power stations
believe that their signals will be clear and dis-
tinct for all listeners within, perhaps, a 300
mile radius. At present, this range is obtained
by the present stations only with much extra-
neous noise. By sending out ten to fifty times
as much power, the signals will reach out hun-
dreds of miles before they drop in strength be-
fow that of competing electrical disturbances.

Many listeners are opposed to the idea of
these high-powered stations, but we believe
such stations are destined to come in the nor-
mal march of radio. Just as our stations went
from 50 watts to 500 watts, they will go from
500 to 10,000 watts, and for the same reason,
namely, to give more satisfactory communica-
tion to a larger number of people. Those who
live near these coming super-power stations
will, of course, be subject to more interference
than are neighbors of the present stations,
but the convenience of the few can never be
allowed to impede a movement which is in
the interest of the many. To give as little
trouble as possible, the high-powered stations
must be situated several miles from a large
city. They will be controlled from the city
studio by wire connection.

Better programs and better technical opera-
tion will come with the larger stations, and
these spell progress for the broadcast art.
The licenses issued to such stations will, of
course, be provisional only, so that if a large
share of the radio audience find the super-
power idea objectionable, a return to the
present low-powered stations may be readily
brought about.

The March of Radio

475

Antennas Ane Not a Lightning
Menace

WHEN radio receiving first started on
its phenomenal career of popularity,
many of the more cautious pseudo-
scientists predicted a corresponding increase in
the number of fires started by lightning
These bootless prophets averred that the
radio antenna would serve as a convenient
channel for the lightning bolt to enter the
home. We dared to combat this view, for we
thought that the increase in lightning hazard
would be almost nothing, because of the
general disposition of the ordinary receiving
antenna.

A recent bulletin of the Bureau of Standards
confirms our original opinion. Whereas the
radio antenna cannot be regarded as a very
efficiently installed lightning rod, it need not
be considered as an inviter of lightning, either.
The Bureau puts an antenna in the same cate-
gory, insofar as danger from lightning is
concerned, as rain gutters, downleads, wire
clothes lines, and metal roofs. This should be
useful information for the insurance companies
which have frequently in the past regarded the
radio receiving set as an
increased lightning risk.

permitted? New York's is probably the most
influential municipal station, so that it is worth
while to study its operations, with the idea of
forming an opinion of their value.

In New York the mayor uses the station
whenever he will, speaking on any subject
which he cares to select. In case his policies
are being attacked, he can at once prepare a
brief (or pay someone else to prepare one that
he may read) showing that he is "supporting
the interests of the people," whereas all
others represent the "interests" and are seek-
ing to rob the public. If his opponents want
to combat his, perhaps, unreliable statements,
they may do so through the city's radio
station, but their remarks must be written,
they must stick to their written notes, and
these must be sent to the mayor's office for
censoring before the speech is delivered!
Others must stick exactly to the material
which has been thus censored, whereas if the
mayor himself is scheduled to speak on the
city's budget, for example, he may forget all
about the budget and spend his time vilifying
some public servant who has dared to question
the soundness of some of his doctrines. Surely
here is a situation in the broadcasting field

Municipal Broadcast-
ing Stations

MUNICIPAL station
such as WNYC in
New York City is a
very questionable benefit
to those citizens whose tax
contributions pay for its
erection and maintenance.
Especially is this true when
the calibre of the municipal
office holders is as low as is
the case even in many of
our largest cities.

Evidently a municipal
station must be largely
under the thumb of the
mayor or his appointees.
It may be used for propa-
ganda of the most biased
sort, for unanswerable at-
tacks on those servants of
the public who happen to
be of political faith different
from that of the city's tem-
porary ruler. Is this use of
a city-owned station to be

If *** **

m at m « * '
i * f 5 » * "

STATION WGBS, NEW YORK

Recently put on the air. This station is a companion to WIP, operated

by the same firm at Philadelphia. The insert shows one of the towers

in the process of construction

476

Radio Broadcast

FOR RADIO RESEARCH

This entire building, recently erected by the Radio
Corporation of America in New Vork City, houses
the technical and test staff of the organization,
under the leadership of Dr. Alfred N. Goldsmith,
chief broadcast engineer

which should be heralded from the housetops,
so that stations of this sort may send out their
messages to receivers which are all tuned to
some other channel.

Is this condition morally and legally sound?
Broadcasting has been put in the same class
as newspapers, insofar as responsibility to the
public is concerned. Is a mayor privileged
to run a paper, of which he is the censor, to
espouse the virtues of his regime? Certainly,
it is done in many cases. But here is a differ-
ent question. Is a mayor privileged to spend
the city's money, collected equally from his
followers and from those differing with his
ideas, to purchase a newspaper for his own
use? Isn't that what this municipal broad-
casting station amounts to?

More ARA Public Service

THE American Radio Association is still
carrying on its good work. Instead of
making vague complaints about inter-
ference and other troubles, it picks out a defin-
ite point of attack and makes admirable con-
structive criticism. Instead of writing reams
about the decrements, of spark stations and
the impossibility of tuning-out such signals,
a letter is sent to the Postmaster-General stat-
ing that a Postal mail-boat, doing very heavy
radio traffic around New York harbor, is using
an antiquated spark system which is seriously
interfering with broadcasting channels. Their
complaint says further, "if the Post Office

Department cannot afford to provide a modern
transmitting apparatus for this mail-boat,
several broadcast listeners stand ready to
contribute to a fund to purchase the equip-
ment and thus save the programs from the
bombarding interference caused by this ob-
solete transmitter."

What is Happening on Short Waves

A"» SOON as short-wave channels had
been shown feasible for distances much
greater than was ordinarily thought
possible for them, all the commercial com-
panies started experimentation in this field,
and to-day a large number of stations are
carrying on such work. The Radio Corpora-
tion station at Tuckerton, designed primarily
for transatlantic work, with a 15,900 meter
wavelength, has had its license changed so
that it can use in addition 103, 100, 97, and 93
meters. KDKA is carrying on its pioneer work
in this field and WGY has several short waves
in use, one as low as 15 meters. POZ in
Germany and UFT in France have been talking
to Argentina (LPZ) on 77 meters. Two Italian
stations, IDO and IHT, have been working with
each other on 106 and 1 17 meters. The Navy
reports that successful experiments have been
conducted with wavelengths as low as 54
meters. It will be remembered that Marconi
recently sent a 92-meter wave from Poldhu,
England to Buenos Aires with a small frac-
tion of the power ordinarily used to span a
6000 mile separation. In these tests he used
Hertz's scheme of parabolic reflectors.

From the calibre of the experimenters now
working in this field we can soon expect to
have reliable data on short wave channels,
how much fading occurs compared to longer
waves, whether short period fading is suffi-
ciently aggravated to make these frequencies of
thousands of kilocycles unsuitable for tele-
phone channels(or not, and other information
of equal importance.

Recent Distance Records

A THE winter months approached, the
distance-breaking contest started in
earnest. ' Not only is the absorption of
the radio signal much less in winter time than
in summer, but, of far', greater importance,
the noises from static disturbances are only a
small fraction of the summer-time values.
The latter effect is undoubtedly the one which
accounts for the long-distance communication
records in winter time.

The March of Radio

477

We have always thought that airship
transmission could only be carried on over
short distances. It would be remarkable
enough if an airship could keep in touch with
its base even by land-station relaying, but if
the performance of the Sbenandoab is to be
regarded as other than freak, such relaying
may not be necessary. The dirigible, an-
chored at her mast in San Diego, was using a
5O-watt set adjusted to radiate on 90 meters.
Her signals were picked up by one of the navy
boats while cruising in the Pacific 4400 miles
away. At the same time the naval air station
near Washington was in almost daily communi-
cation with the Sbenandoalj, separated from
Washington by the wholespan of our continent.

Two British amateurs, one in England and
one in New Zealand, with home-made equip-
ment, have been able to communicate with
each other, although half the earth's circum-
ference intervened. Remarkable as this may
sound, we shall probably hear of such feats
more and more regularly. An American
amateur, H. Johnson, at Short Beach, Con-
necticut, reports that he held two-way com-
munication with a New Zealand amateur,
the distance between them being qooo miles.

But all these transmissions must still be
regarded as freaks by any honest observer.

The Artist, Not the Broadcaster ,
Must Pay Radio Royalties

A DOUBLE bomb shell landed in the
camp of the American Society of
Composers, Authors, and Publishers
when Federal Judge Knox handed down his
remarkable decision recently on the question
of royalties and broadcasting. The owner
of the copyright of a piece of music had asked
the judge to stop the unauthorized broad-
casting of the music. The judge's decision
if it is allowed to stand as the law, will do
much to prevent the coffers of the above-
mentioned society from bursting with the
radio harvest they had hoped for.

The first part of the judge's decision states
that the artist is the one giving out the pro-
gram, not the broadcasting station. The
station, in other words, cannot be held respon-
sible for royalties, no matter what the copy-
right situation may be. Royalties, if any,
must be sought from the one sending out the
program, namely, the performer. Secondly,

A CORNER IN THE LONDON RADIO SHOW

At Albert Hall. Some ot the more enthusiastic of the visitors are testing several of the latest
models of British receivers at close range. The inlay work in the radio cabinets is quite elaborate

478

Radio Broadcast

GENERAL JAMES G. HARBORD

— — New York, President Radio Corporation —
of America

"Let me invite your attention to the develop-
ments in radio photography. Great strides in
ibis direction have been made in the past year.
It is not too much to say that we are in the eve of
developments -whereby it will be in the realm of
possibility to transmit a complete newspaper page
from London to New York by means of radio
and in a fraction of the time it would take to
transmit the entire text of the page either by radio
or cable telegraph signals.

" Transoceanic broadcasting for purposes of
entertainment is not yet in regular operation,
but proposals for increasing the power of sending
stations so that the programs, from London and
Paris and Berlin may be easily heard in America
are carefully being considered.

"At present, transoceanic as well as marine
radio messages are dispatched by means of
telegraph code signals, but the transoceanic
radio telephone, now under development through
the American Telephone and Tele graph Company
and the Radio Corporation, bids us to expect
that before many years it will be possible and
convenient for any one of us to pick up his tele-
phone and in a short time be connected with his
party in Europe, or with his stateroom, on some
liner on the ocean."

that the performer, if entitled by license or
otherwise to use the copyrighted music at all,
can use it for broadcasting without additional
payment of royalties. In other words, if
the performer has acquired the right to sing
to an audience of ten people, he may, at
no additional expense, sing it to 10,000 people
over the radio channel.

This decision, if allowed to stand as the law
of the land, is the most important that has
been handed down since broadcasting began,

insofar as the general broadcast listener is
concerned. It undoubtedly makes the roy-
alty collecting agencies moan with anguish,
but the millions of radio listeners will no doubt
agree that it is a wise and proper decision.

Some of the New York Times correspon-
dents have been acrimonious about an editorial
which appeared in that paper commending
Judge Knox's solution of the question:
"People who get their music over the radio
do not buy it." "Broadcasting is a sort
of bonus to promote the sale of radio sets."
"This profit is partly due to the fact that the
broadcaster steals the music"; After much of
such baseless argument, this writer winds up
with a statement which shows he is at least
as human as the rest of us. "However, it
(Judge Knox's decision) will probably not
undermine respect for the law except in a
comparatively small class of artists. Nearly
everybody is in favor of a law which confis-
cates the other fellow's property."

Interesting Things Interestingly
Said

L. A. NIXON (New York; Secretary, Radio
Trade Association, in a report on present
broadcasting plans): "It seems to this committee
that the true regulation of the power of a broad-
casting station should be based on the listener; on
the ability of the listener to discard the program
offered by the high powered station and select
another program in its place.

"Restrictions should be placed on the interference
caused by the transmitting station in the receiving
set, rather than the power generated. By such a
plan, it would be possible that a twenty-five KW
station located in some places in the country might
cause less interference than a fifty-watt station
located in densely populated centers and poorly
tuned."

JAMES C. EGBERT (New York City; Director,
I Columbia University Extension Service): "About
a thousand persons took the Columbia radio
extension courses last year, and a great many more
merely listened-in. This use of radio for education
is as yet in an uncertain stage, so that it is impossible
to say yet just what the results will be. We have
had definite courses of instruction and have issued
syllabuses which served as guides for the lectures.
We shall now issue syllabuses and give opportunity
for the radio student to send answers to questions
given by the instructor. These will be criticised
and returned to the student. In this way, we shall
test the efficacy of this new method .'• of popular
education."

The March of Radio

479

/^ UGLIELMO MARCONI (London; In a state-
vJ ment opening the New York Radio World's
Fair) : ".Since last year, great strides have been made
in the art of broadcasting, both in the United
States and England. There have been some im-
portant developments in simultaneous broadcasting
from several stations, and I believe that on certain
occasions in the United States, vast audiences of
no fewer than 25,000,000 people have listened to a
broadcast address. I anticipate that in the not far
distant future, this great achievement will be
surpassed and the broadcasting of messages through-
out the world will become a matter of everyday
occurrence. We on this side of the Atlantic are
looking forward to the day when we can listen to
American speakers on subjects of common interest."

f^ IMBEL BROTHERS (New York City; in an
V_J advertisement announcing the opening of
their new broadcasting station WGBS): "Broadcast-
ing, as we see it, is a limitless force in the hands of
a limited number. With some comprehension, we
believe, of the invaluable possibilities of radio, and
with a deep sense of the responsibility assumed by
the broadcasters, WGBS begins its broadcasting
experiment with the desire to employ itself in the
development of programs in keeping with, and
wo^hy. of a force of such power. WGBS wishes to
be a public servant in the full sense of the word."

THE NEW YORK SUN (New York; in an
editorial about broadcasting and politics):
"With the tremendous volume of political talking
that has been broadcast, there has necessarily been a
great deal of listening. Of course, nobody can
measure it. But this is certain: only the listener
chronically and bitterly opposed to politics has
escaped hearing more about the campaign than he
would otherwise have heard. Probably a great
number of the voters at the polls this year went be-
cause of a quickened interest caused by radio.

"This is as much as any believer in radio could
ask. Radio is only a mechanical device. If it
gives the politician an opportunity, that is all he
can ask of it."

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE News
Service; Washington: "The activity in ama-
teur radio work and in broadcasting is still greater
in the United States than in any other nation, the
past year has brought about marked changes in the
situation in many foreign countries. Naturally,
the development has had its greatest growth in
Europe. In the British Isles, France, Germany,
Sweden, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, Denmark,
and Czechoslovakia, the broadcasting of programs
of entertainment and news is on a regular basis.
In Italy, Finland, Spain, and Austria, programs are
sent out at irregular periods. There is a decided
likelihood of regular schedules being adopted in the
near future. In South America, Argentina stands
out as having made the greatest progress in the
dissemination of music and other entertainment by
radio telephony. Chile also maintains a regular
broadcasting service."

— Department of Electromechanics Columbia —
University

" The weakest point in democracy has always
been Jack of appreciation of expert knowledge.
Railroads, telegraphy, telephony, radio broad-
casting, electrical lighting, and electrical trans-
mission of power are certainly public utilities,
but the intelligent people of the United States will
never consent that these things, requiring an
enormous amount of intelligent expert knowledge
be placed under government ownership. The
machinery of our government, or any other gov-
ernment known to man to-day is utterly in-
capable of handling technical problems which
require the highest type of training applied to
the highest type of intelligence.

"All of these public utilities are full of complex
technical problems which cannot and never were
intended to be handled by any government.
In Europe, we see where there is government
ownership, the utilities are being rim at very-
heavy deficits."

E. F. MC DONALD, JR. (Chicago; President,
National Association of Broadcasters): "There
is an effort afoot to change the name broadcasting
to radiocasting. I wish to go on record as voicing
a strenuous objection. Without explanation, ask
one hundred people on the street what radiocast
means, and the chances are if they answer at all,
it will be a guess that the word has something to do
with a radio receiving instrument. Ask the same
group what broadcasting means, and they will
tell you correctly. There is nothing to be gained by
making the change. Why have this ne,w word
when the vernacular already offers an adequate
term?"

For the Love of Mike

BY A. COOPER ALLEN

Draivings by George C. Williamson

IT was the night before Christmas and all
through the house there was a subdued
air of expectancy. The light from the
shaded reading lamp cast its mellow rays
upon the big padded arm chair before the
cheerful grate fire and crept partially up the
four walls, leaving the ceiling in semi-darkness.
The atmosphere of the room was warm and
redolent of peace and piquant odor of cedar.

Curled in a heap in the deep padding of the
big chair was the boy, his eyes glued to the
pages of a book. Occasionally he stirred,
turned the pages, muttered below his breath
and continued to read. The curly haired dog
—the boy's sole companion — lay comfortably
-breaming on his rug at one end of the daven-
port, all unconscious of the joyous Christmas-
tide. 9

Over against the wall in the dining room
was dimly outlined a long table which gave
;back a glitter of silver, cut-glass, and the
gaudy colors and tinsel of a small ornamented
tree. Here and there about the two rooms
were wreaths of Oregon grape, holly, and the
red, red, berries of the madrone — for this was
a home in a little Oregon valley.

The silence was absolute until there sud-
denly came a half uttered whine from the dog.
It ceased almost as quickly as it came. A few
more moments of silence then again the half-
Whining bark. The great chair creaked and
the boy looked around at the quivering
muscles of the dreaming dog. For a moment
he regarded the animal intently as the peculiar
barking increased and the dog's legs moved
spasmodically as if in a labored run.

"Aw, cut it out!" growled the boy. "If
you want to ride that nighthorse, hike into the
kitchen."

The dog slowly opened his eyes, blinked a
few times and promptly resumed his inter-
^upted nap. With a yawn the boy slumped
again into the chair and flipped a page of the
book.

Dead silence again. Only the tick-tock of
the clock was heard. The boy's head drooped
over the pages and then a faint tinkle, tinkle,
as of bells came on the air. Santa Claus!
The youthful eyes opened, the head raised

and he listened. Plainly it came — tinkle,
tinkle, tinkle.

The big chair creaked, the boy slid out and
stood listening. Again came the tinkle. The
boy moved to the back part of the house and
a sleepy voice broke the silence.

"Bobbie, is that you?"

"Yas'm."

"What are you doing?"

"Lookin' for Santa Claus — whadayu s'pose?
1 heard his bells."

" Bells?" came the female voice with a rising
inflection. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, I heard sleigh bells out back and
came to investigate," retorted Bobbie.

"Find out?"

"Sure."

"Sleigh bells?"

"Yah-h-h," he drawled. "Bunk. It's
rainin' — droppin' from the roof on tin cans.
Never have snow here. 1 wish "

" 1 've told you to carry those cans away,"
interrupted the voice, "and you had better —

"Uh-huh," grunted the boy and the door
slammed as he returned to the chair.

Silence again, and then a stealthy noise at
the front of the house. The dog pricked up
his ears, jerked his tail a couple of times, and
closed his eyes again — the figure in the chair
did not move.

A SLIGHT scratching at the door then the
knob slowly turned and the figure of a
man with dripping hat and coat came through
the opening. Furtively he looked about then
entered bearing a long, oblong, bundle under
his arm. Silently he crept across the room
toward the Christmas tree on the table.

He was undoubtedly Santa Claus but
clothed in the conventional garb of the
average business man. The only possible
method of identification of the merry elf was
his mysterious, stealthy, entrance. It was
evident he feared discovery as he cautiously
moved across the floor. He passed the high
back of the big chair and glanced at the dying
embers of the fire. Then he halted suddenly,
arrested by a voice from the padded depths of
the chair.

For the Love of Mike

481

'"Low Sandy Glaus. Whatcha got?"

"Bobbie! What are you doing up, at this
time of night?"

"Readin'."

"Reading? What is so interesting to keep
you up this late?"

"Gulliver's Travels — book review — school
— all bunk," and Bobbie squirmed and
yawned.

"Well, you hop to bed — right now. How
do you expect Santa Glaus to come if you sit up
all night? It's Christmas right now."

"All right, Dad — I'm goin'," and Bobbie
uncurled his six feet of seventeen year old
sinew and sauntered out.

"Merry Christmas, Dad! Call me early!"

Dad grinned and continued his journey
across the room, planted the long package
carefully upon the table and swept the
polished silver tableware ruthlessly to one
side. Then he removed his dripping hat and
coat, hung them carefully in a pile on the
Davenport and again opened the front door.
Here he picked up sundry mysterious bundles,
placed them on the table by the diminutive
tree, muttering to himself "A battery, B's,
horn." Seating himself at his desk he sought
for and found a card and wrote rapidly upon

it, placed it upen the large package and,
snapping out the light, sought his room,

AGAIN the cheerful fire upon the hearth,
the peaceful quiet room, now flooded
with light. I n the big chair was Dad, a brand-
new pair of slippers upon his feet, a new
smoking-jacket about his shoulders, and a pair
of horn rimmed glasses upon his nose. In his
hand a magazine, the page before his eyes
lined with many names and strange hiero-
glyphics SUch as PAQ, KXY, WBG, etc.

On the table in the corner stood an oblong,
mysterious looking, box with strange dials
on its black face and beside it a queer black
horn turned its mouth toward the room.
Before this strange box sat Bobbie, the
expression on his face denoting highly con-
centrated thought while his fingers man-
ipulated sundry wires leading in from the
window. From back in the kitchen now and
then came the rattle of dishes and snatches of
song where Ma was busy putting away the
remains of the Christmas dinner.

Bobbie tightened a wire to a series of small,
red-topped, boxes studded with brass taps,
leaned back, and the concentrated attention
changed to one of pleased expectancy.

"HE WAS UNDOUBTEDLY SANTA CLAUS
But clothed in the conventional garb of the average business man"

482

Radio Broadcast

"Got her hooked up," he announced.

Dad grunted and looked around in his chair,
his eyes peering over the horn bows. Of
course Dad had no great interest in the affair,
for he was not very much impressed with
radio.

"Turn her on," he suggested after a wait.

"Well, I have, haven't I?" grunted Bobbie.

"Can't hear anything," apologetically.

"Give her time, can't you?"

Dad subsided, but, though the magazine was
held before his eyes he saw nothing — but his
ears were twisted to the rear like a mule's.

Silence — dead silence. Bobbie turned the
dials backward and forward. Silence.

Bobbie lifted the cover. Inside, five
tubes glowed with mellow light midst mystic
combinations of wire and strange apparatus.

"It says here " began Dad, but was

suddenly stopped.

" I don't care what it says — Fm doing this."

" W-e-1-1," drawled Dad, "you are evidently
doing it wrong. I told you "

"I got it," broke in Bobbie. "Got my A

THAT CONTRIVANCE PROMISES TO DRIVE
US ALL OUT"

battery poles reversed. Now . . . ."

A slight sound issued from the horn,
Bobbie twisted the tails of the dials. The
hissing turned to a frying sound.

"You've got the kitchen," ventured Dad
facetiously. " I can hear bacon frying."

"For gosh sakes! Can't you keep still?
I 'm gettin' 'em, if —

Dad left his chair and stood before the
yawning mouth of the horn. Strange murmurs,
crackles, and the sound of frying came forth.
They listened in strained attention as the dials
slowly turned. Suddenly there was a squawk
and a whistle — then only buzzing.

"Nearly got 'em that time," Bobbie
exulted.

"You bet," Dad agreed heartily. "I heard
him whistling for his dog."

BOBBIE'S hands dropped from the dials and
he sank back in his chair as his gaze rested
upon his father's face in utter disgust. Dad
subsided and sought sanctuary in his chair.
Bobbie returned to the dials — there were three
big ones with some kind of scale marked on
them, and there were a couple of other knobs.
Bobbie was busy and his neck was stretched to
the limit trying to get his ear nearer the horn.
Faint sounds as of distant music and voices
seemed to come from a hundred miles back in
the black throat of the horn. Bobbie strained
his ears and Dad held his breath in wrapt
attention. Then a door at the back of the
house slammed, dishes rattled and a woman's
voice rolled through the room warbling
snatches of a Christmas carol. A muttered
explosion was half smothered in the throat
of the boy as he impatiently thrust back his
chair and made for the sound — Dad only
gasped.

Bobbie returned and teft silence behind him
— Dad grinned.

Again the slow, deliberate, turning of the
dials without result. Then the voice from the
chair:

"Jones just turns one dial and gets 'em
right away and —

" Y-a-h-h-h-h !" came scornfully from the
young hopeful. "Single-tube regenerative —
cheap — this is different. Ah-ha !"

This time it was unmistakable. Far back
back in the foothills of the machine could be
heard a woman's voice — high soprano. Dad
slid out of his chair and stole silently up
behind the absorbed operator. Back and
forth Bobbie moved the dials and the illusive
sound died away or returned, according to the
manipulation of the dials. He placed his

For the Love of Mike

483

hand upon a knob and began to turn. The
volume increased and suddenly burst forth in
all its glory and power: " Zitty-^it-^it-^it,

Dad snorted. "It's a Zulu lullaby," he
laughed.

"For the love of Mikel" shouted Bobby in
high dudgeon. "If you can't keep quiet, get
out ! I was just about to get 'em -

"Seems to me you got a whole beehive that
time."

"Gosh darn it — that's just like you. You
don't know the telegraph code when you hear
it and — and — oh, heck!" What's the use!"
Bobbie threw a switch, the sounds ceased and
he pushed back his chair.

Ma, in the kitchen, saw the door open
slowly and Dad appear looking over his glasses
in a quizzical way.

"What's the matter?" she demanded,
realizing there was something in the wind.

"I beat it," explained Dad. "He got a
Zulu band or a hive of bees or something
buzzing around in the horn and - "

" I suppose you had some smart remarks to
make about it?" she broke in accusingly.

"I only joked him a little," he acknowledged
and his tones implied guilt.

"Well, you leave the boy alone. I," with
emphasis, "think he is doing just fine — it isn't
every boy his age, and never having had a
radio before, could do as well. He - "

"He hasn't got a thing yet. Cost nearly
two hundred bucks — I told him they are just
in the experimental stage — never heard any-
one get anything but whistles and howls and
noise."

"But this is different," Ma stouth
fended her idol, "this is a — a—-
well, it's some kind of a dyne
and it won 't make those noises."

"It's already making them.
If you don't believe it, go listen
to it."

"Then it's all your fault. You
allowed yourself to be cheated."
positively declared Ma. "You
know I told you to be careful."

" I got the one he picked
out."

"It was probably a bargain
— you always opposed the idea
so you just picked any old thing
and - '

But Dad had fled. As he
wasn't ready to go to bed and
he wouldn't go out he could
only return to the "studio."

He was completely bluffed so he sneaked in on
tip toes, for Bobbie was once more at the
machine. He made about four steps when
Bobbie whirled.

"For the love of Mike! Can't you keep
still? Your shoes squeak so I can't hear a
thing."

"I got to move, don't I?" Dad defended
himself and sneaked toward his chair. The
slippers were new and Dad was not conscious
there was a very mild, weak, little squeak in
them. He halted with his back to the fire
watching his son who had again turned to the
dials, then, after several minutes, sat down in
his chair, wriggled into a comfortable position
and opened the evening paper. Instantly the
storm broke.

"OR the love of Mike!
you-

Just as I had 'em

" Dad-burn it, do you expect me to sit here
and twiddle my thumbs all evening?" Dad
began to grow a bit irritable. He had
opposed the installation of the "infernal
thing" on the grounds of cost. He thought
this business too "purely experimental."
He had not expected to hear anything very
much out of the set and, from self defense, had
gone the limit and purchased what they had
thought was the best and newest on the
market, thereby hoping to get a slight return
for his money. He was prepared to swallow
his loss and expected failure, but he had not
counted upon his peaceful home being rent
and turned into a domestic battlefield. The
flames of combat began to burn and, as Bobbie
had much of his own disposition, the fur
de- promised to fly.

EVERY NOTE CAME THROUGH CLEARLY

484

Radio Broadcast

"Well, you can listen, can't you? That's
what it is for."

A stinging retort was on the tip of his
tongue when a movement in the shadows
of the next room caught his eye and Ma
beckoned to him. He arose and, with bristles
standing straight up, stamped into the
kitchen.

"Now, Dad," she began when she had
closed the door behind him, "remember, this
is Christmas and there should be peace —

"Peace!" he shouted. "Ha, ha, ha! Ever
since that blamed thing was turned on there
has been nothing but growls and snarls.
Why can't you all be good natured and
tolerant like I am? This is Christmas but,
all you two do is to try and brow-beat me
and

There was a sound at the door and Dad
opened it. The dog sneaked into the room
with tail between his legs and sought a
secluded corner beneath the kitchen table,
for he had indulged in an ardent flea scratch-
ing bee just when Bobbie had again "nearly
got 'em."

"See! See!" Dad exulted. "Even the

dog had to beat it.
promises to drive us ail-

That contrivance

"Dad! Dad!" came excited cries from the
front room and, forgetting all his troubles,
Dad answered the call with Ma following
close behind. Bobbie was sitting back, his
face wreathed in a happy smile, as there came
floating from the horn, and filling all the
rooms, the clear, sweet, notes of an orchestra.
There was no doubt of it, for every note came
distinctly and without distortion. Dad and
Ma halted on either side of the happy boy —
Ma supremely blissful and tears of pride in the
eyes of Dad as he rested one hand upon Bob-
bie's shoulder.

"Who is it?" whispered Dad in awed tones.

"Don't know yet — listen!"

The sweet strains died away. There
followed a moment of silence, then a clear
voice distinctly announced the call letters and
the name of the city.

"Pittsburgh!" exulted Bobbie.

"Pittsburg, and this is Oregon!" echoed
Ma in an awed whisper.

"Pittsburgh!" proudly exclaimed Dad.
"For the love of Mike!"

E. F. W. ALEXANDERSON

Chief consulting engineer of
the Radio Corporation of
America examining the auto-
matic receiving apparatus at
Radio Central, Riverhead,
Long Island

STANDARD THREE-CIRCUIT COILS AND THE
ROBERTS RECEIVER

THE principal difficulty encountered
in the construction of the several
Roberts receivers described in recent
issues of RADIO BROADCAST is the
obtaining or construction of the designated
spider-web coils, and the mechanical arrange-
ment of the variable tickler. Spider-webs
have been recommended by the various au-
thors, regardless of the possible inconvenience,
probably because such inductances were
specified in the original article by Mr. Rob-
erts, and because, as experience has shown, it
is not an over easy matter to design other
inductances for this receiver.

The spider-web is not a particularly ef-
ficient type of inductance (which again dis-
pels one of radio's pet illusions), several engi-
neers having found it
inferior to the conven-
tional single layer coil
(the solenoid) for a
given value of induc-
tance.

After several
months of experiment,
this department has
found the several
problems of the Rob-
erts inductances
solved for the average
builder by adapting
the standard three-
circuit tuner to the
requirements of the
more efficient Roberts
circuit. These coils
are widely purchased
under a variety of

In the R. B. Lab This Month

SHORT ARTICLES ON—

— Three-circuit tuner coils for the. Roberts set.

— A one-stage resistance-coupled power am-
plifier.

— Loop sets on outdoor antennas — Why this
is inadvisable and how it should be done when
necessary.

— A one-tube receiver that works on a loop
accomplished by radio frequency and regen-
eration.

"Building your own lab" — The slide rule
and how it can kelp you in your work.

— and short lab notes that may 'mean a lot
to you.

We are endeavoring to make "In the R. B.
Lab" the most valuable single department to
you in RADIO BROADCAST. Tell us what you
would like to see in it — some particular ex-
periment or test that has been pulling you.

trade names — such as " The Ambassador Coil,"
"The Trans-Continental Tuning Coil," "The
Uncle Sam" — etc., all of which are char-
acterized by three windings, primary, (antenna
coil), secondary (grid coil) and the rotating
tickler (plate coil). There is little electrical
difference between the various makes of these
coils, and any one of them, with the addition
of a few turns of wire, may be substituted for
the usual spider-web, radio-frequency trans-
former and tickler in the Roberts set (T2,
Fig. 2).

First count the number of primary turns —
of which there will generally be from fourteen
to sixteen. Place a layer of tape over the
primary winding, and connect one end of a
sufficient length of No. 22 wire to the binding
post which represents
the primary terminal
nearest the end of the
tube. Wind over the
tape exactly as if you
were winding a sec-
ond layer of the pri-
mary over the first
layer, winding to one
turn less than the
original primary. You
will now have a trans-
former primary, and a
neutralizing coil with
one terminal common.
In wiring the receiver,
the common post
leads to the plus B
battery, the two re-
maining terminals
running, indiscri-

486

Radio Broadcast

FIG. I

The three-circuit tuner in an experimental Roberts

set. The extra winding can be seen on the lower

portion of the coil

minately, to the neutralizing condenser and
plate of the radio-frequency tube. (This is
exactly as directed in the articles describing
in detail the construction of the Roberts re-
ceiver). Fig. i shows the arrangement con-
nected in the R. B. LAB.

Fig. 2 shows the circuit in which the modi-
fied coupler was used as T2. Pi and ?2 refer
to the primary and neutralizing windings, S
to the secondary, and "tickler" to the ro-
tating coil, the last two windings being con-
nected as in the usual three-circuit arrange-
ment. Ti is the antenna coupler, the sec-
ondary of which consists of forty turns of wire
on a three-and-a-half-inch form. The pri-
mary is wound alongside of the secondary
with fourteen turns of wire. This forms a
semi-tuned primary, the ground side of which
is connected to the filament lighting battery.
The usual type of tapped primary can be
used if desired.

For further details and operating data, the
reader is referred to any one of the numerous
articles on the Roberts set appearing in the
August, September, and October, 1924, num-
bers of RADIO BROADCAST.

A ONE-STAGE RESISTANCE-COUPLED
POWER AMPLIFIER

A. WAS demonstrated in this depart-
ment last month, the tendency of a
receiving system toward instability
increases more or less directly with the num-

ber of tubes. For this reason, the addition
to a multi-tube receiver of still more tubes,
such as a single stage of power amplification
for use on distant stations and dance pur-
poses, must be effected with unusual method
and care. In many cases an extra stage of
transformer-coupled power amplification to
a many tube reflex or super-heterodyne re-
ceiver proves to be the straw that breaks the
camel's back, precipitating the system into
almost incurable oscillations or squeals.

The characteristics of resistance-coupled
amplification, which made effective the at-
tempts at stabilizing the three-tube reflex
receiver as described in the R. B. LAB. for
December, recommend this method of am-
plification as a final stage of power intensifi-
cation free from the complications attending
a similar step of transformer coupling. (Re-
sistance coupling and its particular qualifi-
cations in final amplifying stages, has also
been described in greater length in "How To
Make A Knock-Out Amplifier" featured in the
same issue of RADIO BROADCAST.)

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are descriptive of a single
stage of resistance-coupled power amplifi-
cation, for use as an external and auxiliary
amplifier. Fig. 3 illustrates the amplifier
built up on a base board for experimental
and lab work, while Fig. 4 suggests a more
finished cabinet model, designed to conform
in appearance and for use with the Haynes
super-heterodyne receivers described in sev-
eral numbers of RADIO BROADCAST. The cir-
cuit is shown in Fig. 5.

The coupling resistor, Ri, is generally a
one hundred thousand-ohm resistor, though
this value often varies in either direction,
following a stage of transformer-coupled in-
tensification. A one hundred thousand-ohm
resistor, when using one hundred and fifty
volts or less on the plates, may be a Daven
special coupling resistance, which will clip into
the Daven resisto-coupler shown in the photo-
graph. However, if higher voltages are used
on a one hundred thousand ohms or lower re-
sistance, a Crescent Lavite is recommended.
On resistances above one hundred thousand,
the Daven unit may be employed almost re-
gardless of plate potential.

The coupling condenser, Ci is a .006 mfd.,
Micadon.

A power tube, such as the w. E. 2i6-A
is recommended, with a gridleak of 100,000
ohms.

The input of the single stage resistance-
coupled amplifier is coupled to the output of
the preceding amplifier in the usual manner

In the R. B. Lab.

487

— i.e., substituting the input connections for
the loud speaker. The lead from the upper
end of the resistor, however, must run to the
plate of the preceding bulb.

USING LOOP SETS ON ANTENNAS

PROBABLY the best way of disposing
of this question would be to state
emphatically that it should never be
done. There are two excellent reasons why
engineers and reputable magazines frown upon
this procedure. In the first place the ar-
rangement is deliberately inefficient. Ap-
paratus designed for loop reception is ultra-
sensitive— it is made receptive to the com-
paratively weak impulses supplied to it from
the coil antenna by the rather prodigal use
of extra radio frequency stages that are not
merely unnecessary but actually undesirable
on antenna reception. Less theoretically, it
is possible to design a three-tube antenna re-
ceiver (the Roberts for instance, plus one
stage of transformer-coupled audio amplifi-
cation) that will do everything that a seven-
tube super-heterodyne will accomplish work-
ing on a loop.

The second consideration dispels the rather
prevalent misconception that if a receiver
works well on a loop, it must necessarily func-
tion many times better on an open antenna.
Such is far from being the case, particularly
with a receiver primarily designed for loop

reception. Connecting such a set to the
antenna merely raises the noise level. There
is. a more or less definite limit to the strength
of the signal which a radio-frequency am-
plifier can feed to the detector tube — a limit
that is occasionally reached ia the case of
loop reception. Hence it is obvious that on
such stations, the use of the antenna will
merely bring up the extraneous noises —
atmospherics, arc light interference, etc. to
this same limit of audibility — i.e. until these
undesired sounds are quite as loud as the
desired signal ! Weaker signals will of course
be amplified more than on the loop, but owing
to the raising of the noise limit they will be
anything but enjoyable if heard at all. (In-
cidentally, a good loop receiver will bring
in most signals above the noise level, at the
point of reception — that is, signals that are
louder than the undesired but inevitable sta-
tic and similar disturbances. Thus the effect
of operating such a receiver on an antenna
would be to lower the signal to the noise level.)
An additional and very weighty argument
against antenna operation is found in the
case of the super-heterodyne, where a con-
tinuously oscillating bulb is coupled into the
antenna circuit. Such an arrangement is a
radiator — one that will produce a continued
squeal on stations slightly above or below the
transmitter to which the "super" is tuned.
Investigation has shown this receiving system
(the "super" closely coupled to the antenna)

"C - 6V.

FIG. 2

The standard three-circuit tuner as adapted to the Roberts circuit, in tke
R. B. LAB. If the reader prefers, T, may be the usual tapped coupler

Radio Broadcast

the source of many squeals usually attributed
to a heterodyning distant transmitter.

Unfortunately, advising against this pro-
cedure will not solve the problem. Indeed, in
some cases, such as in transoceanic reception
and similar tests, the proper use of a loop re-
ceiver on an open antenna may be justified.
However, a good bit of the justification lies
in the word "proper." Coupling should never
be made by tapping on to the loop, by the use
of a tuning coil or by a standard variocoupler.
In all of these cases, the coupling will be con-
siderably too tight. Tight coupling results
in two more or less obvious undesirable con-
ditions— the raising of the noise level, and
radiation in the case of the "super."

A simple and acceptable manner of experi-
mental coupling, which will determine if yours
is one of the few loop receivers that benefit
from antenna operation, consists of two turns
of No. 1 8 or any other self-supporting wire,
with a diameter of about one foot, suspended
a few inches from the loop connected in the
usual way. One side of the additional coil
is grounded and connected to the minus ter-
minal of the filament lighting battery, the
remaining terminal running to the open an-
tenna.

A less experimental type of coupler may be
built up in accordance to Figs. 6 and 7.
The two coils are wound on a three-and-a-
quarter to three-and-a-half-inch tube, with
an inch and a half separation between pri-
mary and secondary. The ten-turn or pri-

FIG. 3

The one-stage resistance-coupled power amplifier
built up on a base board for lab and experimental
use. One hundred and forty volts were used on the
plate of the w. E. 2i6-A tube shown in the photo-
graph

FIG. 4

A more pretentious layout of the power amplifier.

It is merely plugged into the output jack of the

preceding amplifier or receiving set

mary winding is connected to antenna, ground,
and A battery in the manner suggested for
the two-turn coil, while the forty-turn induc-
tance or secondary is substituted for the loop.
No. 1 8 annunciator or magnet wire can be
used in place of the designated wire. The
completed coils are mounted in back of a
seven by five inch panel. The coupler pho-
tographed has been mechanically designed
for use alongside of a RADIO BROADCAST
super-heterodyne described by A. J. Haynes
in this magazine in January and March, 1924.
Electrically, it will give equally good results
on the Grimes and similar reflex circuits.

The use of the antenna will seldom increase
signal strength on local and semi-local sta-
tions, and while better reception of distance
may be effected, this can. only be accom-
plished by also bringing up the noise level.

THE ONE-TUBE KNOCKOUT ON A
LOOP

IT IS theoretically possible to operate any
circuit from a coil antenna, merely by
substituting the loop for the customary
input coil to the detector or radio-frequency
tube. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of a
receiving system designed for antenna opera-
tion is generally seriously impaired when such
a receiver is switched to loop operation.
However, in the RADIO BROADCAST Knock-out
single-tube receiver, a slight revision of the cir-
cuit develops into a receiver that makes loop
reception on the head phones quite practical
— the usual losses, being somewhat compen-

In the R. B. Lab

489

sated for by the circuit changes. The possibil-
ities of such a receiver were first suggested to
this laboratory by a reader, R. S. Ryan, and
the resulting circuit is shown in Fig. 8.

Other than the substitution of the coil an-
tenna for the secondary of the usual radio-
frequency transformer, Ti, the changes of the
circuit consist of a liberal distribution of bypass
condensers and the two hundred-ohm potentio-
meter, which contribute controlled regen-
eration that is doubtless responsible for the
effectiveness of the single-tube loop receiver.

FIG. 5

The circuit, connected to the last tube in the super-heterodyne de-
signed by A. J. Haynes. If the extra battery 82 is not used (when
Bi is above too volts) B may be connected to C

a ground connection, running to the minus
side of the filament lighting battery.

A fixed crystal may be used with this re-
ceiver, though an adjustable detector, which
can be operated on a comparatively high re-
sistance spot, will permit greater regeneration.
Try reversing connections to the crystal.
A loop of standard dimensions will operate
successfully with the receiver, though as
usual signal response will vary directly with
the size of the loop.

Though this laboratory has not been able
to duplicate Mr. Ryan's recep-
tion record of 1000 miles, the
results indicate that such a
range, while perhaps not con-
sistent, is quite possible. Local
tations (within 25 miles) come
in with enjoyable ear-phone
volume, and when amplified
with the Knock-out amplifier,
described in the December
number of RADIO BROADCAST,
gives a signal of splendid vol-
ume and quality.

BUILDING YOUR OWN
LAB

Ta corresponds to the original specifica-
cations for this transformer, 63 turns being
wound on a two and a half inch winding
form, functioning as the secondary, followed
by a layer or two of paper and the primary
of thirty-six turns. Any convenient magnet
wire, between No. 22 and No. 26 may be used.
In the R. B. LAB. (Fig. 9) the Ballantine
Varioformer has been found particularly ef-
fective in this one-tube loop
receiver, the regeneration that
is more or less objectionable
when operated on an open
antenna, adding considerably
to the audibility and range of
the loop set. When using the
Varioformer, the condenser
across the secondary T2 is, of
course, eliminated.

The audio-frequency trans-
former T3 may be any reliable
make — this laboratory recom-
mending a medium high ratio
— such as five to one — in which
case the bypass condenser
across the secondary is best
dispensed with.

Under some conditions, it
will be found advisable to use

UR suggestion this month is addressed
in particular to the more serious fan
— the experimenter — the embryo en-
gineer, whose interest and inclinations prompt
him to original and studied design. Our
recommendation is a slide rule — preferably a
Keuffel and Esser, ten inch polyphase rule.
Such a rule, with leather case, retails at eight
dollars, and is shown in Fig. 10.

TO SET*

FIG. 6

Suggested layout for the antenna coupler

4QO

Radio Broadcast

LABORATORY HINTS

A si INVALUABLE assistant to the lab
worker is a good manual of electrical
engineering. Such a manual should cost
five dollars or more. The experimenter will
find arranged in it in a logical system, all the
formulas, data and miscellaneous information
that he has run across in his more or less
haphazard reading and to which it is so often
difficult to return.

THE modern vacuum tube (the De Forest
ov-2, the Cunningham c-3oi-A and the
Radio Corporation uv-2Oi-A) is not at all
critical in respect to detector plate potential,
and in many cases requires higher voltage for
most efficient operation than the older soft
tubes. This is particularly noticeable in the
super-heterodyne, when it may be found ad-
visable to increase the detector plate voltage
to ninety.

FIG. 7
The finished coupler

This wonderfully ingenious arrangement
is equally a most capable assistant at desk
and lab bench. The rule consists of a set of
scales which, through their logarithmic inter-
relations make possible multiplication, di-
vision, squaring, cubing, the extraction of
square and cube roots, the solution of ratios
and proportions, the determining of logari-
thms, and the juggling of trigonometric func-
tions practically without mental effort and in
a small fraction of the time required to ac-
complish the same calculations in the usual
way. The radio experimenter will find the
slide rule particularly applicable to the solution
of problems involving Ohm's law, and to the
design of transformers where, given one wind-
ing additional voltages and windings are
solved almost instantaneously, the changing
of wavelengths to kilocycles, and in the
thousand and one calculations to which lab
work invariably gives rise. Tube curves and
similar characteristics may be plotted with
the slide rule in a tenth of the time required
for arithmetic derivations.

Though the slide rule is generally associated
with the more serious experimental endeavors,
the fan with only the slightest inclination to-
ward the design and engineering side of
electricity and wireless will profit by possession
and a working knowledge of the rule. The
fascination of its ingenious possibilities is a
powerful stimulant leading to a more compre-
hending appreciation of this science-art of ours.

MOST loud speakers must be connected in
the right direction in respect to polarity.
If the direction of current is reversed the per-
manent magnets are weakened, and the ef-
ficiency of the speaker ultimately impaired.
It is often difficult to locate, the plus battery
lead to a jack or plug. However, in the case
of adjustable diaphragm speakers, it is easy
to determine when the instrument is connected
correctly, by noticing at what adjustment the
"rattle-spot" occurs. When the adjuster is
turned all the way to one side, the diaphragm
of the speaker is generally in contact with

The one-tube loop hook-up — the first cousin to our

old friend the single-tube knock-out. If the Ballan-

tine Varioformer is substituted for Ta, the condenser

across the secondary is eliminated

In the R. B. Lab

491

the magnets, or so near to
it that it rattles badly on
a signal. As the adjuster
is turned away from this
dead or inoperative side,
the diaphragm is raised
until it generally "plops"
free. When the speaker is
connected correctly, it will
be necessary to turn the
adjuster farther than on
the incorrect polarity, to
free the diaphragm and
achieve distortionless re-
production.

NEVER overload your
loud speaker. The sus-
picion of a rattle should
be avoided. Even mo-
mentary overloads lower
the power capacity of the
talker (in respect to satis-
factory reproduction) and
a loud speaker that has

been occasionally strained Testing the one-tube loop receiver in the R. B. Lab. Regen-

will distort and blast on eration is quite pronounced with the Ballantine Varioformer

much lower powers than

before the initial stress. This fact was ably periments carried on in the R. B. Lab in
demonstrated in a series of amplification ex- which volume was a primary consideration.

FIG>

FIG. IO

The ten inch poly-phase slide rule or "slip
stick," — our laboratory suggestion for January

IN THE R. B. LAB SOON

The R. B. LAB is preparing data on tow loss
coils in the Roberts receiver, in both the broadcast
set and the record-making short-waee receiver. This
material will appear in an early number.

Pioneering With De Forest in

Florida

High Adventure with Temperamental Wireless When Forty Feet of Sand
Brought Failure Close — Despair, Expense, Trouble, and Final Success —
How the Pensacola and Key West Navy Wireless Stations Were Built

BY FRANK E. BUTLER

Former Chief Assistant to Dr. Lee De Forest

THE erection of five high-powered
wireless stations in the South guaran-
teed to give perfect communication
over a distance of one thousand miles
was the flattering contract offered Dr. Lee
De Forest by the United States Government
after he had made his sensational success at
the St. Louis World's Fair. Naturally, he
was elated at such unqualified endorsement of
this success coming
from so high a source.
And I, having worked
with him during every
hour of that long and
desperate struggle,
and having shared
with him the final
triumph, was equally
elated.

The stations were to
be built at Pensacola
and Key West, Flor-
ida; at Guantanamo,
Cuba ; San Juan, Porto
Rico; and Colon, Pa-
nama.

They were to be the
first wireless stations
ever erected in the
tropics. They were to
work over a distance
two thirds greater
than wireless commu-
nication had before

carried. But what of it? Had we not smashed
the world's record at St. Louis? As a prelimi-
nary to this stupendous achievement had we
not conquered all installation troubles? This
Southern job was going to be an easy matter
now that we had the St. Louis experience
back of us! There was nothing to worry
about, even though this time we were work-
ing for the Government.

TOWER

The

Each timber in the base is eight by eight

This was the way we felt the day we
started for the South. But, alas!

That Southern trip, begun in 1905, lasted
close to two years. In the exercise of patience
and the development of skill it made those
gruelling days at St. Louis seem as no more
than a preliminary bout before the battle royal.
It was a battle from the very start. All
nature seemed in revolt at our intrusion.
She fought us with
static overhead. It
was fierce, relentless
static such as was
never heard before
with the crude tuning
devices at hand. She
baffled us by "ground
conditions" under-
neath that taxed to
the utmost our
perseverance and in-
genuity in the effort
to conquer them.
She pestered us day
and night with in-
sects so vicious we
grew to think of the
mosquito as a friend.
But we stuck. And
we stuck until we
conquered.

BASE AT THE PENSACOLA STATION

masts were two hundred feet high.

SCENE OF OUR FLOR-
IDA STRUGGLES

MY FIRST stop was at the Warringtaa
Navy Yard, Pensacola, where I was to
have charge of the erection of a two-masted
station with a fan antenna. This station was
to be of 10 KW capacity, and although very
similar to the St. Louis Fair installation, ex-
celled it in refinements of apparatus and wir-
ing. I had a special letter from Mr. Breckea-
ridge Leng, then Secretary of the Navy (under

Pioneering With De Forest in Florida

493

President Roosevelt), requesting all navy
officers to assist us as much as possible in our
work, but it was not necessary for me to use
it because the navy officers at this yard were
always exceedingly courteous and helpful to
us in every way.

For a time I lived at the hotel in Pensacola.
But only for a time. As our troubles multi-
plied I found it necessary to be right on the
spot day and night. So 1 moved down to the
wireless station where I slept on a bunk and
ate my meals with the "Jack Tars" in their
mess hall. It was here among these happy
fellows that I learned many things which have
proved most helpful to me ever since. They
patiently taught me the knack of tying knots
and of rope splicing, accomplishments I after-
ward found most useful in making proper an-
tenna construction. I was allowed access at
all times to their machine shop and electrical
department, and I had the advantage of their
experience with heavy construction work,
wind stresses, mathematical formulas, etc.
Arid so, for weeks, all concerned in the erection
of the station worked happily, undaunted by
nature's enmity, worked with the persistent
energy that comes from a surety of ultimate
success.

When the installation was finally completed
it had all the aspects of a beautiful job.

As the day arrived for the initial test, the
stage was all set to begin the test signals at 8

P.M. Dr. De Forest was
located at Key West, about
400 miles distant. He was
notified to listen-in at the
appointed time when we
were to send out the ac-
customed " D" test signals.
All of the reading instru-
ments on the operating ta-
ble registered perfectly, the

"WE SHOULD WORRY"

They seem to be saying, even though they are away
down in Pensacola. Mr. Butler, third from the
left, of this group of "Jolly Tars" is helping the boys
form the lucky combination of "four eleven, forty
four"

spark across the spark gap was fast and power-
ful, and there was every indication of a perfect
inauguration of service without delay.

IT WOULDN'T WORK

THE battleship Brooklyn was anchored in
the harbor about two miles distant. The
wireless operator aboard had been a daily
visitor at the station and was interested in the
test, so he planned to listen-in that evening.
It seemed ridiculous to us that he should listen
in on a 10 KW station located only two miles
away, but he did.

As I started the test I was positive of its
success. I sent "D's" for hours, waiting

MUNICIPAL PROGRESS AT KEY WEST IN 1 905

The lower cut shows the transportation system of
the city. One car, one mule, one street. To board
car, proceed to center of street. The mule then
stops, turns head around, and will not start until
passenger is aboard. The conductor at rear of car

gives the mule
"motorman" the
bell twice and on
you go until the
"motorman" stops
of his own accord
at the other side
of the next street.
At the left, the
diamond stack
wood-burning loco-
motive that was
still in use on the
Florida railroads
when Mr. Butler
went from Pensa-
cola to meet De
Forest at Key West
in 1905

494

Radio Broadcast

anxiously for a tele-
gram from De Forest
at Key West. Nothing
came.

However, at eleven
o'clock, the Brooklyn
operator came ashore
in a launch and re-
ported at the station.
He inquired as to why
we had not been send-
ing, and added that
he "had not heard a
peep" from us.

The following morn-
ing a message was
received from Dr. De
Forest stating that he
had not heard our
signals.

Every item of the
installation was care-
fully checked over and
not a flaw found. A slight change in adjust-
ment was made and the test resumed that
evening with the same result. This testing
continued week after week with relentless pa-
tience and continual changes. Even the large
spread fan antenna was taken down, closely
inspected and replaced.

What Dr. De Forest Said of
the Author

"Mr. Butler, is in fact the only
surviving member of the "old
guard" who is still interested in
wireless and who is in a position to
lay before the public, in a graphic
and interesting manner, a gripping
story of those old days and the sub-
sequent development of radio under
the De Forest banner. He has just
read me the first three installments
of a most graphic story of his early
days in wireless, recalling a thou-
sand interesting facts which I had
forgotten, and in which every radio
fan must be intensely interested."

The "ground" was
an item of suspicion.
This "ground" had
been considered a
good one for the rea-
son that it was made
of heavy sheet cop-
per one hundred feet
square and buried five
feet underground two
feet under water, and
connected to the spark
gap by a four-inch
copper bus bar.

To make sure the
ground was all right,
we dug up the plate
and prepared to sink
it deeper into the sea
water. To do this
it was necessary to
construct a coffer-
dam, and while a
force of men shoveled out the sand another
crew on each corner operated force pumps to
keep out the water so the digging gang could
work. It was slow, stubborn work. When a
depth of eleven feet had been reached, we
were compelled to stop further excavation on
account of the increased rush of the incoming

The De Forest station at Key West, erected in 1905 for the United States Navy. This spark set had a

capacity of twenty kilowatts. The radio scenery at Key West now looks vastly different, what with the

tall steel masts of the present modern Navy station now there

Pioneering With De Forest in Florida

495

water. Then we dropped a new one hundred
square feet of copper and buried it, feeling
certain it would solve our ground difficulties.
That evening we sent " D's" energetically and
with renewed confidence in our success.

It was a staggering blow to receive the fol-
lowing morning the old accustomed telegram
from Dr. De Forest, "Heard nothing." This
was followed by some suggestions of another
change and an admonition to keep up courage.

That day, when the clouds of despair were
at their darkest, an incident occurred which,
trivial in itself, was the turning point in our
apparently hopeless battle with an unknown
trouble.

It was a drink of water that brought about
the idea that solved the Pensacola problem.

A DRINK OF WATER SOLVED THE PROBLEM

WITHIN a few rods of the wireless station
was a well from which we obtained our
clear, cool drinking water. As I strolled over
to the pump to get a drink on this day I met a
Navy officer who reached the spot at the same
time I did. After the usual greeting, I said:

"This is fine drinking water. Wonder if it's
a drilled well."

To which he replied:

"It is. I know because I drilled it."

"How deep?" I asked,
and little realized the tre-
mendous importance of the
question.

"Fifty feet," came the
answer. " But," went on the
officer, "if I had stopped at
forty feet or gone down to
sixty feet, I would have had
nothing but salt water."

"How's that?"

"Well, you see it's this
way. This white sand
around these parts is about
forty feet deep, and below
that is a stratum of clay
and stone twenty feet thick,
and beyond that is an in-
definite reach of sand."

"Ah, I see," was my
rather inane comment. But
I was too stunned by the
idea that had flashed into
my mind to carry on the
conversation further.

The idea was that per-
haps that white silica sand,
the body of which was
greater than the thin film

of seawater that seeped around it, offered too
much resistance or formed a dielectric which
prevented a good ground.

I spent the rest of the day absorbed with this
idea. It still had full possession of me when,
in the evening, I went to the Western Union
office to send a telegram. Before I left I
asked the operator what kind of a ground he
had. He replied that the ground they used
consisted of an iron pipe driven down forty
feet, and that using any less than that pro-
duced no electrical results whatever.

That settled it. I was sure the solution of
our baffling problem was at hand.

The following day I bought about six
hundred feet of four-inch pipe and engaged
men to drive twelve iron pipes each forty-five
feet long into the loose, moist sand. These
were grouped in a small circle about two feet
apart. The twelve tops were joined together
with heavy copper cable and a large bus bar
run into the spark-gap.

The evening after this was finished we
started sending " D's" promptly at 8 o'clock,
and scarcely before I could realize it, the joyful
news was received from Dr. De Forest that he
had heard the first signals we sent out. To
have success so suddenly thrust upon us after
weeks of discouraging failures, was indeed a

PALMS AND WIRELESS AT KEY WEST

The palms hid the masts, but the station and its buildings took up an

entire block. The insert at the right shows Dr. De Forest as he

looked when he was doing the installation at Key West

496

Radio Broadcast

keen pleasure and relief. You radio fans who
enjoy making your own sets and revel in the
thrill of "hearing results" for the first time,
can perhaps appreciate to a degree the sensa-
tion that was ours that evening.

From this time on "PN" worked perfectly,
and it was not long
before we were heard
by distant Northern
stations.

KEY

WEST GETS
STATION

/COURAGE soared.
V> It was time for
another "forward
march!"

Leaving the Pensa-
cola station in charge
of the Navy wireless
operators, I departed
for Key West, over-
land, by way of
Tampa, and thence
by steamer. Even if I
.had not taken a snap-
shot . of it, I should
still be able to visu-
alize the primitive
engine that went
ambling leisurely from
Pensacola to Tampa,
an engine of the
"diamond stack"
wood burning type.
About every twenty-
five miles cords of
three foot stove wood
(Were loaded on the
tender, to be con-
sumed during the

I next twenty-five miles with much belching of
I smoke that, compared to coal smoke, was a
'grateful odor.

Arriving at the Tampa docks just before
noon, I had lunch, after which I found my
finances reduced to exactly five cents. My
boat ticket included meals, but the boat was
not to leave until evening. There was nothing
but a railroad yard at the Tampa docks, and
the city itself was ten miles distant. So, with
insufficient carfare to "go to town" there was
nothing to do during the long afternoon but to
watch the fish from the dock. It did not occur
to me to mourn over being broke, for, during
those early days of wireless, being broke was
the usual condition with all of us, and being
flush meant knowing where next month's rent

ALL IN THE DAY S WORK
Here are the laborers pumping out water from the

"ground excavation" at Pensacola to enable the
diggers to get at their job of making a place for the
large copper ground plate and below, the gang of dig-
gers shovelling sand for the "ground" excavation at
Pensacola. Some of them had to work waist deep
in the cofferdam. The peculiar character of the
ground connection here led to some unusual and
very discouraging difficulties

was coming from. And it was worth it, the
fight, the privation, the anxiety. And even
if any of us had had it in us to weaken, it
would have been impossible with De Forest
always at the helm, an inspiring leader.

I found him at Key West in his wireless
station set in the
midst of a picturesque
tropical grove. Co-
coanut, banana, and
palm trees completely
surrounded the sta-
tion and the living
quarters of the wire-
less crew. So far as
climate and scenery
were concerned, this
island was an ideal
place in which to live.
But the restaurants
were exceedingly
poor. The only appe-
tizing food was rice
and hard rolls. Al-
though fish was abun-
dant, no one seemed
to know how to cook
it. When our work
was going fairly well
(comparatively speak-
ing) we felt rather
disturbed about this
inadequate food sup-
ply. But when trying
to solve seemingly un-
soluble problems, we
scarcely knew whether
we ate or not.
Spread majestic-

ally over the trees
of the grove that sur-
rounded the station was the huge triangular
cage antenna consisting of 45,000 feet of wire,
suspended from three equi-distant masts, two
hundred feet high. The radio fan who has
used seven .stranded phosphor bronze wire for
antenna purposes knows how stubborn and
kinky it is and how difficult to handle. Think,
then, of the difficulty of this antenna installa-
tion owing to the density of the tree foliage
and the prevalence of high winds.

Many improvements in the wireless appara-
tus were noted at this station, and the quality
of the spark at "KW" (as it was then called)
was better than hitherto heard. Most notable
of these changes were new ideas in receiving
tuning devices. We made a definite endeavor
to overcome the incessant static.

Pioneering With De Forest in Florida

497

STATION PN
The De Forest Station at the Warrington Navy Yard, Pensacola, Florida

In my diary, under date of April 16, 1905,
I find a notation of an experiment we carried
on at this Key West station with an incan-
descent lamp for the purpose of eliminating
static. In these tests we used bulbs of various
voltages and watts in conjunction with coils
and condensers. The results were unique but
not definite.

This was two years before the famous "aud-
ion" bulb was invented by Dr. De Forest.
Little did we know how closely we were
stumbling at the door of the "wonder lamp"
that was destined to revolutionize wireless
and make radio broadcasting possible. Had
we gone a degree or two farther we might have
a different story to tell here.

Evidently the doctor had become tired of
"pump handling" " D" signals as was done

at St. Louis, day after day, because here he
had devised a mechanical contrivance operated
by clockwork, which sent out the "dash-dot-
dot" " D" signals incessantly, without manual
effort.

My stay at Key West was short, as it was
now time to begin operation at Guantanamo
Cuba, where the third station of the group was
to be erected. Again, I started forth with high
hopes, believing that the worst of my experi-
ences with wireless were behind me. As it
turned out I was going straight into a work
that called for wholly unforeseen and difficult
engineering feats and the most crucial physi-
cal endurance test of the entire contract.

How success was finally accomplished after
eleven months of hardships and disappoint-
ments is a storv in itself which will follow.

( The next article in this series will deal with
the experience of these radio pioneers in Cuba)

FIG.

The rear view of the seven-tube "super". The photograph shows what an excellent layout can be
secured using a standard 7 by 24-inch pane!. The small balancing condenser is shown between the

two variable condensers

Revamping the Silver
Super-Heterodyne

Complete Instructions and Discussion on Changes Necessary to Adapt a Dry-
Cell Straight "Super" for Storage Battery Tubes — A Complete How-to-Build-it
Article Describing a Super-Heterodyne Which Produces Remarkable Results

BY McMURDO SILVER

IN THE October, 1924, RADIO BROADCAST an article appeared by Mr. Silver,
describing a super-heterodyne that operated on 199'$, had remarkable selectivity,
and could be assembled from standard and easily procurable parts. In this
article, Mr. Silver has answered a demand for a super-heterodyne of the same
qualifications to operate with storage battery tubes. Experienced constructors,
and those not so experienced will readily appreciate that this "super" is well
worth the time necessarv to build it. — THE EDITOR.

SINCE the publication in the October
RADIO BROADCAST of the description of
the portable super-heterodyne receiver
using dry-cell tubes and self-contained
batteries, the writer has been swamped with
letters from fans asking all manner of ques-
tions, and reporting results far in excess of
what they had expected from the set.

Reports have come in from all sides, telling
of phenomenal DX reception with this set
and its exceptional selectivity and quality
of reproduction, both from seasoned experi-
menters and from builders who had no
previous constructional experience. One log

made by a man totally unfamiliar with radio
who had built the set, listed thirty-three
stations heard in one night, with loud speaker
volume on an 1 8-inch loop. This was the
second evening he had operated the set in
his home, in a thickly populated Chicago
residential district, surrounded by steel frame
buildings. Another report came from a man
who had built seven different super-heterodynes
in an endeavor to get selectivity and DX
reception in his home, located, within a
radius of five miles of a number of powerful
broadcasting stations. Suffice to say, that
he finally found whr.t he had been hunting

Revamping the Silver Super-Heterodyne

499

for as he was able to report during the first
week of operation three Pacific Coast stations
received with loud-speaker volume.

Several of the sets, located within five
blocks of WQJ and WEBH in Chicago, have
tuned-out these two stations and brought
in WGY in Schenectady and wos in Jefferson
City, with loud-speaker volume on a small
loop. The separation between WGY and WEBH
is ten meters, and between WQJ and wos,
seven meters. It is also possible to work
through WLS on 345 meters towsz in Springfield
on 337 meters. Some builders have reported
five Pacific Coast stations in one night, through
the locals. An experimenter in Delhi, New
York, reported loud-speaker reception from
KGO in Oakland, California, several times
in one week, as well as stations all over the
country.

Last but not least, Captain Irwin of the
RADIO BROADCAST COVERED WAGON reported
from Las Vegas, New Mexico, hearing both
east and west coast stations with loud-speaker
volume, operating the set right in the COVERED
WAGON. He advised that dead spots did
not seem to exist when the set was in operation,
and that it was the most selective outfit he
had ever operated. This will be realized
when it is understood that a one half degree
movement of both dials will tune from WSAI,
Cincinnati, to KGO, Oakland, with a silent
spot between them.

Practically all of the letters received about
this set have asked questions which might be
summed up as follows:

1. How can storage battery tubes be used?

2. How can the set be enlarged to make an easier
wiring and assembly job?

3. Can resistance-coupled audio amplification be
used?

4. How can a stage of tuned radio-frequency
amplification be placed ahead of the first
detector?

5. How can voltmeters be incorporated for A and
B battery voltages?

THE NEW MODEL

IN RESPONSE to these many questions a
larger model of the portable "super" was
designed, which for ease of reference, will be
called the laboratory model. This set is
24 inches long and fits in a 7 x 7 inch cabinet.
It may be used with any type of tube now
on the market, or various combinations of
types, and will permit of as many refinements
in the way of extra high grade material as
the builder may desire to incorporate.

The portable set has already proved to be
one of the most thoroughly satisfactory and
fool-proof "super" designs ever presented to
the public, and the larger laboratory model
is even superior to it in the matter of volume
when 20 1 -A or ov-2 tubes are employed.
This model retains all the desirable features
of the portable, but because it is spread out
more it is somewhat simpler to construct and
is recommended to the fan who is not inter-
ested in building a small, self-contained
outfit.

The results to be expected will be somewhat
better than those experienced with the port-
able set. In the suburbs of Chicago the
laboratory model will bring in the east or
west coast broadcasting stations on a small
1 8-inch loop with slightly greater loud speaker
volume than the portable. On locals the use
of the larger tubes gives considerably more
volume. As for selectivity, stations such as

WHN, WGY, WBZ, WFFA, WOAW, KGO, and

many others could be brought through while

FIG. 2

Shows the front panel view of the storage battery-operated super-heterodyne. The
small balancing condenser used in the receiver is not shown in the photograph

500

Radio Broadcast

FIG. 3

Schematic circuit of the seven-tube super-heterodyne

four or more of the powerful local stations were
operating within a radius of twenty miles.
The tuning of the set is so sharp that a
fraction of a degree will throw out out-of-town
stations, and a movement of two or three
degrees on both dials will throw out locals
completely.

ANY TYPE OF TUBE MAY BE USED

THIS laboratory model may be built for
use with any tubes on the market and if
the builder already possesses WD-II'S or
wo-12's, which heretofore have been con-
sidered unsuitable for "super" use, they may
be used in this design satisfactorily. The
tube combination may employ either WD-I i's,
wo-12's, uv-iQg's, ov-3's, uv-2Oi-A's or
ov-2's either throughout the entire set, or
as detectors, oscillator or intermediate ampli-
fiers. In any case the use of 2Oi-A's for audio
amplification is advisable in order that full
advantage may be taken of the volume
developed by the set. If volume enough for
home use is all that is desired, 2Oi-A's need
not be used, however.

A front view of the laboratory model is
given in Fig. 2, which, however, does not show
the small balancing condenser brought out
to the panel. Meters are not absolutely
necessary, but if the constructor desires to
add them they are very convenient for check-
ing up the battery voltages. Fig. i is a rear
view of the set, showing the placing of the
instruments and the general lay-out. Figs. 3
and 4 give the circuits, both pictorial and
schematic, and it will be seen that they are
practically the same as for the portable.
The panel lay-out is in Fig. 5.

Certain refinements have been added in
this larger model, such as the addition of
battery binding posts, a filament switch, the

location of the balancing condenser on the
panel, and the voltmeter, which need not be
employed unless desired.

Below is a list of parts used:

2 Silver .0005 Low Loss Condensers.

2 4" Moulded Dials — Tapered Knobs, preferably

vernier type such as Apex or National.

Howard 7-Ohm Rheostat.

Howard 2oo-Ohm Potentiometer.
7 Insulated Top Binding Posts, Eby or similar.

Single circuit-closed Carter IO2-A Jack

Open circuit Carter 101 Jack.

Silver R. F. Transformer Unit No. 401.

Silver Oscillator Coupler, No. 101.
7 Benjamin Spring Sockets.

2 Thordarson 3^:1 Audio Transformers.

1 On-off Switch.

3 .5 mfd. By-pass Condensers.

2 .00025 rnfd. mica Condensers with Leak Clips.
2 .002 mfd. mica Condensers.

i .0075 mfd. mica Condensers.

i .000045 mfd. balancing Condensers.

i .5 Megohm grid leak.

i i Megohm grid leak.

7 x 24 inch Panel.

7 x 23 x f inch Oak Base Board.

Bus-Bar, Spaghetti, Screws, Nuts, Solder, Lugs.

etc.
ACCESSORIES:

1 Loop with Center Tap.
7 Tubes

2 4^-voIt C Batteries.
A Battery — 6 volt.
B Battery — 90 volt.

Phones, or Loud Speaker, and Plug,
i 7 x 24 x 7 Mahogany Cabinet.
Tools needed: screw driver, pliers, soldering iron
and hand-drill with drills and counter-sink.

Other parts may be substituted for those
recommended in the list, but the constructor
should be very careful to see that they are of
first class manufacture and in every respect
of as good quality as those recommended.

Revamping the Silver Super-Heterodyne

501

If uv-2Oi-A, ov-2, uv-199, or Dv~3 tubes
are used, the Benjamin spring sockets will
work in very nicely. These sockets absorb
all vibration and eliminate almost entirely
the ringing noise often experienced with such
tubes. In addition, these sockets are ex-
cellent from an electrical and mechanical
standpoint.

If standard 4-inch dials are used on the
condensers, they can be tuned satisfactorily
either by means of a pencil with an eraser
rotated against the edge of the dial and the
panel, or by tuning the dial with the fingers
on the outside edge instead of on the knob.
If vernier dials are used, the Apex, which
is geared about 10 to i, is extremely satis-
factory and is to be recommended. The
Eztoon is also a good dial, except that the
vernier action covers only a few degrees,
after which the entire dial must be rotated
and the vernier re-adjusted. Any other good
standard vernier dial without "back-lash"
or play in it will be satisfactory.

Jefferson No. 41 transformers may be used
in the set although Thordarson 3^ to i trans-
formers seem fully as satisfactory as the
Jefferson.

The Thordarsons may be used in either

3^ to i for both stages or if a very great
volume is anticipated a 3^ to i in the second
stage and a 2 to i of the new type in the third
stage.

For details of the construction of the set.
the reader is referred to the unusually com-
plete construction article on the portable set
in RADIO BROADCAST for October, 1924.
Methods of construction in both sets are
quite similar.

HINTS ON ASSEMBLY

ALL PARTS are placed on the base-
board and panel, and should be located
according to the photographs. After the
panel has been prepared, the proper parts
should be placed on it and the sub-base
screwed in position. The parts to go on the
sub-base should be placed in their proper
positions, and their locations marked, care
being taken to see that they are so situated
that the wiring will be easy and that tubes
will not strike meters, etc. or the location of
any parts on the sub-base conflict with parts
on the panel.

All wiring that it is possible to do on the
panel should be done before the panel is
attached to the sub-base on which the sockets,

ooo

B9CH- AFC- B45+ RFC-

FIG. 4

A placement diagram of the units in the receiver

5O2

Radio Broadcast

transformers, etc. have been mounted. Like-
wise, all possible wiring should be put in
place on the sub-base before it is finally
screwed to the panel. If this is done, only a
few leads will have to be run from the panel
to the baseboard and the wiring will be found
quite simple and easy. The wiring may be
done with bus-bar, straightened, bent at
angles and soldered to lugs fastened to the
instrument binding posts, or it may be done
with flexible n.agnet wire covered with spag-
hetti, as described in the October article.

A C battery is used on the intermediate
amplifier tubes as well as on the audio ampli-
fier tubes. For uv-2Oi-A's this C battery
will vary between 3 and 4^ volts. The same
values will hold for uv-igg or ov-3 tubes,
while the C battery value for WD-II'S, or
wo-12's will range from if to 4^ volts. In
each case the C battery is connected with its
negative terminal to terminal 6 of the radio-
frequency transformer unit and its positive
lead to the center contact, or arm of the
potentiometer. The audio amplifier C battery
is connected with its negative lead to the F
terminals of the audio transformers and with
its positive lead to the minus side of the
filament line. The C batteries may be
located on the right hand corner of the base
board inside the cabinet. If a high value of
C battery is used on the intermediate amplifier,
the potentiometer will have no effect on the
volume of the set and a low enough voltage
to permit of the potentiometer volume control
should be used.

It will be noticed in Fig. 3 that three by-
pass condensers are used, each of \ mfd. One is
connected across the go-volt B battery, one
across the 45-volt B battery section and
one from terminal 6 of the radio-frequency
transformer unit to the minus side of the
filament. The cans of these condensers are
soldered together, and with the cans of the

audio transformers and the radio frequency
transformer unit, are grounded to the neg-
ative side of the filament. This is very im-
portant; instability of the set may be due to
the failure to ground all of these cans.

If meters are to be used in the set, a volt-
meter with a maximum scale reading of from
6 to 10 volts mav be connected directly
across the A battr , terminals of the set to
indicate the A battery voltage, or across the
filament terminals of one of the tube sockets
to read the filament operating voltage. This
latter is the preferable position as it will
permit operating the tubes at their best
point, and resetting of the rheostat to the
same value each time the set is used. A
milliameter in the plate circuits of the tubes
is of little value; a B battery voltmeter would
be preferable. The B battery voltmeter may
be connected directly across the B battery or
it may have its negative terminal connected
to the negative B terminal of the set and its
positive post brought through the resistor
to the center arm of a small single-pole double-
throw switch. If one contact of the switch
is led to the 45-volt B post and the other con-
tact to the go-volt B post it will be possible,
by means of this switch, to throw the meter
across either the 45- or go-volt battery sections
at will. If a double range voltmeter is em-
ployed, a small switch can be used to throw it
from the A to the B battery. The details
of these circuits are given in Fig. 6.

The advantage of bringing out the balancing
condenser to the panel is that it permits
maximum sensitivity to be obtained at every
wavelength. If the balancing condenser is
set at one fixed value, it will have to be at a
point where the first detector tube will not
oscillate at the shortest wavelength to be
received. At the longer wavelengths the
value of balancing condenser may be increased
slightly with resultant strengthening of

FIG. 5

The panel layout

Revamping the Silver Super-Heterodyne

503

signals. This control is not critical except
that if too high a value of condenser is used
the first detector tube will oscillate and
become unstable. The condenser may be
located above and between the two tuning
condensers on the portable model also, if it is
desired to take advantage of the full ampli-
fication possibilities of the set by means of
this one additional, but fairly non-critical
adjustment.

Binding posts may be located on small
bakelite strips on the sub-base so that they
will not appear on the panel. This will add
somewhat to the appearance of the set if it
is to be used in a permanent installation.

WIDE LATITUDE IN ASSEMBLY

T^HE assembly can be changed to meet
* any individual conditions of height,
depth, or length, such as might be imposed
by a phonograph cabinet. The amplifier
assembly should not be changed, but the
oscillator coupler and first two tubes may be
moved up against the panel between the two
condensers, which will have to be located
farther apart. The entire amplifier section
may then be shifted behind this portion of
the set, which will make an assembly 12 to
15 inches long and 8 to 10 inches deep.
(See Figs. 6, 7, and 8 of the article on the
portable receiver.) It is also possible to
locate the amplifier section above the con-
densers and first two tubes. The size would
then be approximately 10 to n inches high,
12 to 15 inches long, and 6 to 7 inches deep.
These variations are only suggested where
the constructor wishes to meet particular
space requirements, and feels confident that
he will be able to work out the changes
satisfactorily.

TESTING AND TROUBLE SHOOTING

Filter Condenser: The value of the con-
denser across the RF unit terminals 7 and 8
will vary between .0075 and .01. It is best to
start with .0075 and then build up to .01 by
adding .0005 and .001 condensers in parallel
with the .0075 condenser. The best value
will be where the oscillator dial reading is
sharpest on a comparatively strong local
signal. The proper number of condensers
may be bolted together with machine screws
and nuts and soldered in position on the
wiring.

Grid Leaks: For 201 -A tubes the grid leaks
should be from ^ to 2 megohms for the second
detector. One megohm is satisfactory. A
grid leak from 2 to 5 megohms should be used

for the first detector. The higher value is
preferable. Grid leak values for 199 tubes
are given in the October, 1924, article and the
same values are correct for ov-3's. For
WD-I I's or wo-12's they will be approximately
the same as for 2Oi-A's.

Filament Returns: In the portable receiver,
the first detector grid return, or center tap of
the loop is shown going back to the negative
side of the filament, and for the second detect-
or, terminal 9 of the can leads to the plus side

2 RAN6E VOLTMETER WITH

FILAMENT a PLATE VOLTASE

VOLTMETER RESISTOR

I RANGE VOLT ME TEH TOR
DETECTOR OB AMPLIFIER
PLATE VOLTA6E

VOLTMCTER RCSIST4*

FIG. 6

Wiring details of voltmeter which can be
used with advantage in the super-heterodyne

of the filament. In the laboratory model
both these returns are shown to the negative
side of the filament. It is not of very great
importance which connections are followed
out, although it would be advisable to keep all
returns, including those of by-pass condensers,
on the negative side of the filament line.

Overloading: Due to the extreme ampli-
fication, about 55 per stage (voltage) with 201-
A or ov-2 tubes, developed in the intermediate
amplifier it is sometimes possible to overload
the set on strong local signals. This may be
overcome by some of the suggestions offered
in regard to the portable super-heterodyne or
by connecting grid leaks of j\ to j megohms
across the radio-frequency amplifier tubes
from grid to plus or minus filament.

Potentiometer Control: In the case of
2OI-A, ov-2, uv-i99, or ov-3 tubes, the
potentiometer control will probably be satis-
factory in that the volume of stations may be
reduced by retarding its arm toward the
positive side. If this is not possible, de-
creasing the value of C battery on the RF
tubes will remedy matters. On WD-II'S or
wo-12's, good control will be difficult to
obtain and the C battery will have to be set
at the lowest value commensurate with good

504

Radio Broadcast

signal strength in order to obtain any volume
control at all on the potentiometer. This is be-
cause in the case of 2oi-A's, the voltage varia-
tion across the potentiometer is from 3 to 5
volts and with igg's from i\ 103 volts, whereas
with wo-12's, the variation is only about i volt.
Filament Rheostat: If one type of tube is
used throughout the set, a single rheostat for
all tubes is sufficient. This should be from
6 to 7 ohms for any of the standard tubes.
If SOI-A'S are used only in the audio stages,
their positive filament leads will have to be
brought out independently, when other types
of tubes are used up to the audio stages
The filament adjustment on the 2OI-A audio
tubes may be made by means of an extra
rheostat or by means of a small resistance
unit placed inside the set and adjusted once.
The filament current of the audio tubes is not
critical and when once adjusted may be left
fixed. If the igg's are to be operated as the
first five tubes in the set in conjunction with
2Oi-A's on a 6-volt battery, the rheostat
resistance for these five tubes will be from 1 5
to 20 ohms. If WD-I I's or i2's are used for
the first five tubes, they should be operated
either on a 6-ohm rheostat lead out to a separate
A-plus binding post and then to a 2-volt tap
on the storage battery or to a separate A

1 *

.0005 *

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.0075
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.000045- (

-6

FIG. 7

How to add an additional stage of radio-frequency amplification to the
"super". Another oscillator coupler, tube, socket, rheostat, and variable
condenser is necessary for the construction of this separate unit, which
should not be attempted except by the radio constructor who is expert
at tuning the super-heterodyne because the additional radio stage
sharpens the tuning greatly

battery. If they are to be operated directly
from a storage battery supplying the 2Oi-A's,
the rheostat resistance will be about 10
ohms. In both the case of the 199*5 and
WD-i2's, run directly from the storage battery,
the rheostat used with them should be just
barely turned on, as if it is cut all out the full
6 volts will be applied directly to these tubes
with disastrous results.

Volume Control: The volume of the set
may be controlled by the potentiometer,
operated in conjunction with the rheostat.
The potentiometer might be entirely omitted
and the volume controlled by the rheostat
only. It will be found that if the full amplifi-
cation of the set is used on local signals, a
slight amount of distortion may be evident.
With volume enough to be heard all over a
40 foot square room no distortion will be
experienced. In any event it may be con-
trolled by proper rheostat and potentiometer
adjustments. It has been found possible to
operate 2OI-A tubes with as little as 3! volts
on the filaments with perfectly satisfactory
results.

Location of Rheostat: Tube manufacturers
recommend that rheostats be placed in the
positive filament lead of the detector tube and
in the negative lead of an amplifier. The
reason for this change is that in the circuits
shown in the tube data sheets an endeavor is
made to use the voltage drop across the
rheostat for grid biasing purposes. If a
separate C battery is used and no endeavor is
made to utilize this voltage drop across the
rheostat, it is of absolutely no importance
which filament lead the rheostat is connected
in. It is always advisable, however, to keep
it out of the lead which is a
common B battery return.
The common point in these
sets is the negative. For
these and other reasons it
is shown in the positive fila-
ment lead, while the on-off
switch is in the negative
lead.

Plate Voltage: The set
will operate satisfactorily
with as little as 45 volts on
all tubes, but the C batteries
will have to be readjusted if
this voltage is used. Vary-
ing the detector and oscilla-
tor plate voltage from 22
to 45 may sometimes im-
prove reception slightly, and
decrease consumption a
small amount. The current consumption using
2Oi-A's on 90 volts is twenty milliamperes or
loss, and in using IQQ'S from 14 to 15 milli-
amperes.

If it is desired to add resistance-coupled
amplification to the set instead of transformer-
coupled audio it may be done by using the
amplifier circuit given in Fig. 8. This shows
two stages, which will give not quite the

Revamping the Silver Super-Heterodyne

Zfi&DEI

.0075

B-MS

FIG. 8

Two additional stages of resistance-coupled amplification may be connected
in place of the ordinary audio-frequency amplifier specified in the circuit

volume of two transformer-coupled stages.
This is of no very great importance, however,
since the volume obtained from the set is in
practically all cases, very much more than
will be needed for good loud-speaker operation.
It is suggested that lavite resistances of
about 48,000 ohms be used as the plate-
coupling resistances with grid leaks of from
j to I megohms. It will be advisable in this
case to leave out the jacks in this amplifier
and use either the detector output or the
full two-stage amplifier output, as is shown in
the figure. In this case, a C batten will be
necessary only on the last audio stage, where
it should be of approximately 45 volts. This
is because the effective plate voltage on the
first stage is only about 30 to 40 volts,
whereas the effective plate voltage on the last
stage is very nearly up to the full 90 of the B
battery. This will be made clearer when it
is realized that a 48,000 ohm resistance is in
the plate circuit of the first audio stage which
cuts the B voltage to approximately J that of
the full plate potential. Only a loud-speaker
or a pair of phones is in the plate circuit of
the last audio stage with the result that
practically all the B battery voltage is applied
directly to the tube.

SHORT WAVE RECEPTION

'IPHERE is a growing interest in a really
* sensitive receiver for operation on the
new low broadcasting wavelengths in the
neighborhood of 100 meters.

The wavelength range of the oscillator used
is about 150 to 550 meters, which is more
than ample for the entire broadcasting wave-
length band. This oscillator range will per-

mit reception over a range of from slightly
below 150 meters to about 600, by using the
lower heterodyne point at the upper end
of the range, and the upper points at the
lower end of the range.

It is also possible to use a harmonic of the
oscillator to perform the heterodyne function.
If the first harmonic, or half the wavelength
of the oscillator is used, it means that the
range of the oscillator, using this harmonic,
would be from below 75 meters to nearly 300
meters. If it is desired to receive a 100
meter signal, the oscillator dial may be set at
either of its points where a 200 meter station
may have been heard. Then the harmonic
will bear the proper relation to the 100 meter
signal to create the necessary beat with it.
This, of course, is general, but it indicates
how the set would be operated.

The loop circuit would have to be changed
for this work, the loop being cut to about four
turns. It may be rather difficult to employ
the split loop feature at these waves also.
If an antenna is used, the coil to replace the
loop may consist of about 20 turns of No. 16
or No. 18 DCC wire, on a three or four-inch form.
The antenna coil should contain three to eight
turns, depending upon individual conditions.

If a set is to be built for short wave work
only, the oscillator coils could be wound with
fifteen turns each in L.2 and 1,3, and about
six or seven turns of heavy wire in Li.

SHORT WAVE R. F. AMPLIFIER

UNDER certain conditions the experi-
enced fan may find it desirable to
add additional R. F. amplification to either
of the receivers. A condition which would

Radio Broadcast

justify this would be where the atmospheric
noise was not very great and where it was
desired to obtain the very limit that could be
gotten from a receiving system. Or, it might
be that the receivers were poorly located, so
far as collecting sufficient energy for their
operation is concerned, yet the noise level
might be very low. In either of these cases
it would be possible to add a stage of R. F.
amplification before the first detector tube,
which would involve but one additional tuning
adjustment. This adjustment would be com-
paratively sharp and the addition of this
amplification is not recommended until the
builder has operated his set for some time and
is entirely familiar with its operating charac-
teristics. This is because with three tuning
dials the set would be so sharp that it would
be extremely difficult to tune it without
knowing where at least two of the dials should
be set for a given wavelength.

The circuit for this amplification is given
in Fig. 7 and the only additional equipment
necessary to construct it would be an oscillator
coupler, as described in the previous section,
the tube with its socket and rheostat, the
tuning condenser, and a balancing condenser.

The entire amplifier could be housed in a
small box which would go at the loop end of
the set with three binding posts to connect
it to the set and three binding posts for the

loop. It would also be necessary to bring out
posts for the A and B batteries as shown in
the drawing.

It will be seen that this circuit is practically
the same as that of the first detector, except
that the grid condenser and leak and oscillator
coupling coil have been omitted.

In the plate circuit of this R. F. tube, the
coupling coil of an oscillator coupler is
connected. The stator windings of the
coupler are brought to three binding posts on
the panel of this unit and are in turn connected
to the three binding posts intended for the
loop on the set itself. The oscillator coupler
then performs the function of the R. F.
transformer. Its two stator coils with their
center leads joined, form the secondary cir-
cuit, the coupling coil acting as the primary.
The balancing condenser in this case is not
critical as in the first detector circuit of the
super and may be set practically all the way
in without oscillation occurring in the R.F.
stage. This condenser acts almost entirely
as a neutralizing condenser, its purpose being
to sharpen the tuning of the loop connected
in the R. F. stage and to prevent oscilla-
tion.

The same batteries may be used for this
unit as are used for the set itself, and any
standard type of tube may be employed in
the circuit.

FORCE OF RADIO HABIT

The Doctor: "H'm! that's strange,
Cuba ought to be on now!"

THE BOREDOM OF RANCH LIFE is Now BROKEN B

WoRD AND 1EN UCTURES OF THE JlrDAR RANCH

Bry Remington Schu^ler

STATIC" describes perfectly the eve-
nings on the old ranch in South Dakota.
So static were our evenings that in
desperation we turned in along about
nine o'clock of a winter's evening, bored to
death with each other.

The same old faces, stories, and magazines
grew terribly dog-eared. We knew the mag-
azines from cover to cover. We knew the ad-
vertisements with the same close intimacy.
We knew every yarn of the other fellow's and
every "funny story." Dynamite is "static"
till you wallop it. It only needed some slight
wallop to start something in the close harmony
of our bunk-house. It was a desperate time.
You can't forever talk horses, cattle, and wo-
men.

Living the same life, doing the same things,
day after day atrophied our brains. Our
conversation moved sluggishly in deeply worn
channels, all too familiar and threadbare.

The nearest ranch, Isaac Battleyoun's, was
fifteen miles over across the broken buttes of
the Key-a-pa-ha. Ike had a wax cylinder
Edison; a Steinway, a pipe organ, and a daugh-
ter who could certainly play. At times my
bunkie and I would ride over and sit in on
some music. It was not often, for by sun-
down we were dog-tired, and thirty miles,
what with the drifts, was no great sport after
a fourteen-hour day.

We were building up the E Bar. Our days
were long and full of toil. Four A. M, when it
was still dark and bitterly cold we "came alive,"
bustled into our frozen, board-like clothes and
got out and going. There were seven of us.

Six cow-hands and Bob Emory, our genial
foreman. Into the frosty darkness, one of us
would ride over the drifted prairies and round
up the pony herd and work horses. By
lantern light another chopped wood. A third
pumped water for the stock and calves in the
pens. The rest busied themselves pitching
hay or building the board corral and branding
chute. At six o'clock and barely dawn we
were heartened by the familiar ring of the
lustily beaten frying pan and the welcome
whoop, "Come and get it." In a ravening
pack we scrambled to be first into the grub
house. This nine by nine end of the log
cabin was also kitchen and washroom.

Hustling in the door, one slopped a dipper of
icy water into the tin basin — hurriedly soaped
and washed face and hands and slicked one's
hair. Then on to the grabbing match at the
oil cloth covered table.

At the round corral a lively scene followed.
The pony herd led by the wise old bell mare
had been driven in. With saddle rope drag-
ging we stealthily stalked our horse for the
day. If you were crafty enough, to mislead
the horse you were after into thinking you
were after some other one, then a sudden
swish of the throw rope and you had your
mount for the day.

Saddles were slapped on, latigoes made
snug and we were off about our several busi-
nesses. Some rounded up and counted the
scattered herd and threw them back on the
range, then looked for strays or cattle that had
"gotten down." Others set out with running
gear and teams to haul logs from the "breaks"

508

Radio Broadcast

of the Little White. The logs were needed
for our bunk house which was slowly rising
alongside the original ranch-house.

At noon and again at six we went through
the same washing rites and ate the same grub.
After supper "while we were resting" as Bob
used to say, we squared and wrestled into
place a few more logs on the bunk-house walls.

During the fall, the tent which "The Kid"
and 1 slept in had been the gathering place.
Now that winter was seeping down from
Medicine Hat it had grown too frigid to be
pleasant for gossiping.

Our new bunk-house was complete, so we
gathered the clan there. Pipkin and Am-
brose had one room, The Kid and I the other.
Our room had more bunks and a stove. The
Kid's mother had sent over some curtains
and do-dads that added to the coziness.

THERE was Pipkin — an ex-cavalry man,
a genial, hard riding good scout. He had
come to us in the summer. "Pip" was down
on his luck with a badly infected finger and
arm, but with a zest for work. After he ar-
rived we had taken turns as surgeons. A lib-
eral use of gauze, bailing wire and tobacco
quids had nursed him back to a normal use
of his hand and arm, and an intense desire to
work. His army stories and ditties had given
us quite a few thrills and furnished enter-
tainment. But he was running dry. We
knew his Sergeant McGillicuddy tales almost
perfectly.

Ambrose, nick-named "Old Nick," was a
dirty, unshaven, unbathed rascal. He had a
flow of language which was an undammed
stream of obscene profanity. He couldn't

even ask for a smoke without G-

-D-

-mg

it. And yet his folks were sturdy pious New
Englanders. The daguerrotypes of his par-
ents and grandparents showed fine stock, de-
pendable citizens. He had slipped from his
earlier snubbing post and was a disgusting
specimen. A bath with him consisted of
squirting water on himself and scrubbing white
spots with a sock. If ever his spots seemed
in danger of overlapping he would quit dis-
gustedly, muttering he was getting "too —

— particular". Then another month would
add its grime and grit unmolested.

"The Kid" was young, handsome, well knit,
the son of a teacher in the Indian day schools;
raised on the prairies, a good cow hand and
rider. But his mind dwelt constantly on new
conquests to be made and the remembrance
of former ones. A year as a fireman on the
Missouri and Elkhorn; another with the Ex-
press Company, these were the only times he
thought he had really lived. They were his
only vivid experiences. He constantly pined
for what he longingly called God's City —
Chicago.

For my part they knew all I could tell them
of my native state, Missouri. My camping
experiences down in the Ozarks among the
mountain people were the only bits of con-
versation that got by. So I would plunk my
old guitar and sing Negro camp meeting songs
and the latest popular hits I had learned
before leaving St. Louis. "Goo Goo Eyes"
"Under the Bamboo Tree" and such like.

The two Indians were just so much smoky
blanketed background. They silently rolled
and swiftly smoked cigarettes. Like most
Indians who smoke they resembled an engine
starting up. A series of short sharp puffs,
then a pause. Another series and then that
cigarette was about done.

Often I tried to draw them into the conver-
sation. But "The Kid" and Ambrose
thought only of them as "damned Injuns,"
and barely tolerated them in our circle.

Eagle Horn Dog was a noted singer of the
Sioux. That is, he made new songs and knew
all the old ones. He had a fine voice and loved
to sing. Sometimes I could get him to favor
us. It was stirring to listen as he thumped
the bunk edge with a quirt and sang "Sitting
Bull's Defiance" or "Go You to War?" or
"Horses I am Seeking." Last year when I
broadcast my western experiences from WEAF,
1 sang some of the songs which I had learned
from Eagle Horn. Eagle Horn is gone to the
Happy Hunting Grounds. Enlisting imme-
diately when we entered the World War, he

Static Days and Nights

509

went across with the First Division. He was
among the first to fall.

Except for an occasional grunt, " Was-Tay"
(good), "Waw-wee" (the Hawk) never made
himself prominent. He seemed to be glad
of the warmth and the company, but other-
wise was merely a blur in the smoky back-
ground.

Bob, our foreman, was our best entertainer.
He had grown up in the saddle. He had
known cattle and horses all his life. He had
been in on the last of the buffalo running. In
his youth he had
drifted over many
ranges. He told tales
of "The Panhandle,"
Montana, Idaho, and
the "Ute" country
near Carson Sinks.
The Dakotas were as
familiar to him as his
own quarter sections.
His kriowlege of cat-
tle ways and pony-
tricks seemed un-

Where It Drips Boredom

canny.

When the mood
was on him he could
recount thrilling ex-
periences in a stilted
matter-of-fact way.
He had been in
Spotted Tail's tepee
when Crow Dog had
ridden up and shot
"Old Spot" as a traitor to the tribe's best
interests. A moment later, sharp knives were
slicing the tepee to ribbons while stone mauls
were smashing the poles down about his ears.
The uproar and excitement following the
slaying, he told of as if he had been but a
guest at a tea party. Yet in actual fact, he
barely escaped alive by jumping his horse
down a cut bank and riding across a narrow
swift river on a one log bridge.

SO FOR a month or two we had good en-
tertainment. But as the snow banked
up around our log houses, and blizzard and
snow storm followed each other in steady pro-
cession, sweeping down on us over hundreds
of miles of treeless prairie from distant
Saskatchewan, we gradually got worn to a
frazzle.

We tried by superhuman efforts to hold the
herd from drifting too far with the blizzards,
then worked them back on to our range with
painful effort, almost carrying in the weak-

Remington Schuyler, who is well known to
readers of this magazine through the many
excellent covers he has done for us, spent
considerable time among a certain type of
real Westerners to whom we all attach a great
deal of "romance". And most of us have
thought of the life of the cow-puncher and
Indian as something resplendently virile and
somehow romantic. We think most often of
radio in the city or small town and on the
farm, but here is a view of what radio is
doing in the genuine "open spaces." The
sketches accompanying this story were made
some years ago by Mr. Schuyler on the
ground, and our cover this month shows one
of the typical ranch houses in this country
with radio holding its new sway.

— THE EDITOR.

ened steers. Now and then we rescued
some snow-blind, snow-bound freighter. And
again when a windless snowfall had buried
even the ridges, we fared forth with the pony
herd. All day we let them paw through to
the grass and then drove them on to another
pawing contest. The cattle herd followed,
and once having smelled the grass exposed by
the ponies they nosed out a meagre meal. At
night the tired hungry ponies were given some
hay and then set adrift to shift for themselves.
The prairie wind seldom ceased. All day

it buffeted one. The

drifts in the gullies
smothered any one
who got off the ridges.
It was struggle and
fiendish toil. Then an
evening as pictured
in the beginning —
monotonous in its

sameness.

But once a month
came a rift in our
clouded horizons.
The Rosebud, a four-

page newspaper,
printed at the Agency
School by I ndians
would arrive by some
circuitous hand to
hand route. But be-
draggled and mussed
though it was, it
brought news from
the outside world. We had new things to talk
about.

In memory I can see Old Bob, leaning back
in an old broken backed chair, following the
text with one finger and laboriously reading
and gloriously mis-pronouncing such interest-
ing items as "John Comes-Out-Holy" has
been visiting in Cut Meat with his old friend
"B rings-White" or "Bill Bates and Mack
Marsten have been out gunning for antelope
in the Bad Lands, or "Doug" McChesney,
Agency Brand: Inspector, was down near
Olaf Nelson's ranch checking up on Olaf's
report of too many strays from the settlers
down in Nebraska, or perhaps these bits of
Agency humor: "The stork has left a new
Annuity Baby at Mrs. Chased-by-Bears.
Louis Ribideau will have one more papoose
by next Annuity Payment Day. Good luck to
you Louie. We hope it will be twins."

And so the wonderful news of the outside
world dribbled in to us.

Except for The Rosebud and an occasional

510

Radio Broadcast

drifting cowboy we had lost contact with the
outside. We were thrown so much on each
other that it looked like a iVee for all would
be the only safety valve. There was no
telephone. "No nawthing" as Bob used
to say.

IT IS a winter's night on the old E-Bar in
* the year 1923. By hard riding I dropped
the drifted miles behind and received a rousing
welcome as I pulled up at dusk.

The supper is much the same and the old
wash basin and dipper still do duty. But the
bunch seems changed. Bob is there, grayer
and more wrinkled, Pipkin much the same. In
old Ambrose there is a marked change. He
seems too ungodly meek and thoughtful. He
gets through first and disappears toward the
bunk house. We follow leisurely and as we
come close to the door I notice for the first
time a rude antenna on the roof.

"Sh-h" says Bob as I start to congratulate
them. "Slip up here and have a look-see
at the old cuss."

Through the small window there is Ambrose
hunched down in front of a "super-het" set.

Through the thin panels of the door comes a
voice familiar through all the country. That
tough old ex-service man, McNeary, with his
grand voice and wonderful imagination telling
bedtime stories — and old hard-boiled Ambrose
listening-in on the loud speaker. When
WOR has signed off we stomp loudly up to the
door and bursting in, find Ambrose trying to
get WEAF.

At last we succeed and coming over the air
is Oskenonton, the Mohawk Singer singing
an Indian program. His rich voice and the
thump of the water drum comes clearly. At
the end he sings "Sitting Bull's Defiance"
and one of old Eagle Horn's plaintive melodies.

"Jest like old times ain't it Cinchbuckle?"
says Bob. "Can't you jest hearn Eagle Horn
a-yowling? I'll tell a man we sure got the
world by the tail with a down hill pull."

"When these here dinkuses furst came out
we didn't put no stock in them," says Pipkin.
"But Johnny in at the Agency got one and
when we all heered it, why man alive we just
cottoned to it."

"We hocked our German silver trappings
and we're way behind on the pay, but I'd eat
my socks if I had to to jest keep the dinkus
in prime shape."

It was funny to hear their remarks about
the different performers.

"Why," says Bob, "We nearly bought a
vacuum cleaner, after listening to a feller who
was 'loco' about it. It do beat all what you
can learn."

And so each evening while I was there we
had a radio banquet. Gone was the old
dismal gloom of snow-bound isolation. A
wider world had stalked across the frozen
prairies and opened up their lives. They
were living nowadays and happy. In an old
shed they had the wreck of a flivver jacked up.
It was Ambrose's job to keep her running
enough to store the battery. The three old
cronies Bob, Pipkin, and Ambrose still clung
to the remnants of the old E Bar doing freight-
ing carrying the mail, and Bob now and then
had put in a few years as instructor to the In-
dians in farming. But the tie that made the
old E Bar a rallying point — a home for all of
them, was radio.

Notes on Neutralizing the
Roberts Circuit

BY JOHN B. BRENNAN

RADIO receivers, especially those using
the regenerative principle, should not
be allowed to radiate energy into
space, causing unnecessary interfer-
ence with other receivers in the vicinity.

In the Roberts circuit, radiation is prevented
by the use of the coil N and the condenser
connected to the grid of the first tube and the
coil N. This coil N, because of its peculiar
connection, prevents oscillation in the plate
circuit of the first tube, and the condenser,
when properly adjusted, should exactly equal
the capacity between the grid and plate of the
tube. (See Fig. 4). Mr. Roberts describes
the theory of this action as follows:

Whatever alternating voltage exists on the plate
of the tube must be due to alternating magnetic
flux linking P. But the same flux also links the
similar winding N, which is connected the other way
'round, and hence, acting through C, produces an
effect on the grid which is equal and opposite to that
produced by P acting through the grid-plate
capacity of the tube. Thus the net feed back, or
tendency to regenerate is completely neutralized or
balanced.

Having now determined the necessity for
this neutralization, we must know how to

BUS- WIRE

"-METM. TUBING

BUSHING

TUBING

MOUNTING
'"'HOLE

; CONNECTING POST
'FOR. SLIDING TUBE

FIG. I

How to make your own neutralizing condenser.
Bakelite or formica may be substituted for the
hardwood base. If it is desired, the right side mount-
ing may be eliminated, making it possible to slide the
tubing over the end. This will allow a greater range
of neutralization

apply this method of neutralization to the
receiver.

To do that, one proceeds as follows: turn
the tickler control well up against the secon-
dary; light the filaments of the tubes and
rotate both dials until the carrier wave or
"squeal" of a station is located. Now adjust
the dials for maximum signal strength and
then lower the tickler coil to loosen the
coupling between it and the secondary.
Now, by rotating the left hand dial slowly,
the intensity of the squeal will be varied as
the dial is moved. The intensity depends on
the amount and the direction that the dial is
turned.

On another page are shown two curves, which
illustrate incorrect and extremes of unbalanced
neutralization which are occasionally experi-
enced in the Roberts circuit. To operate this
receiver successfully without radiation, the
neutralizer must be correctly adjusted. There-
fore a bit of instruction on this important
feature will not be amiss.

The best home-made type of neutralizer is

made from a length of bus bar with spaghetti

or glass insulation and a piece of copper

gasoline tubing for the sliding member. Fig. i

gives the dimensions for such a unit.

In determining whether or not your
receiver is properly neutralized, one must
| visualize the rise and fall in squeal in-
'— tensity.

The curves in the two graphs shown in
Figs. 2 and 3 are somewhat exaggerated
to make it easier to understand the ac-
tion of the neutralizer.

HOW TO TEST YOUR SET FOR IMPROPER
NEUTRALIZATION

BY ROTATING the dial (Fig. 2) in
the direction of the arrow, we find a
quiet spot X at the reading 50 and ex-
tending one or two degrees either side of
it. By continuing slowly to rotate the
dial, we immediately reach the full squeal
intensity indicated at B. As the dial
continues to rotate, the squeal intensity
gradually decreases to A. On the other

512

Radio Broadcast

An example of ex-
tremely unbalanced
neutralization.
Visualize your own
"squeal curve" on
condenser Ci in the
Roberts circuit

side of X, rotating the dial in the opposite
direction, we immediately reach the full
squeal intensity as before at C, but here the
decrease in intensity is very rapid ending at D.
In Fig. 3 the action is just the opposite.
The quiet point X is
found at 50. Rotating
the dial in the direction
of the arrow, the full
squeal intensity is im-
mediately reached at B
and then rapidly de-
creases to A. On the
other side of 50 we im-
mediately reach the full
squeal intensity at C
which gradually dimin-
ishes to D.

These two examples
of improperly balanced
neutralization will sug-
gest to the constructor
the proper setting of the
condenser. The graph showing the proper
balanced squeal curve appeared in the article
on the four-tube receiver.

Obviously, if your receiver produces squeals
similar to those indicated in Figs. 2 or 3, the
condenser tubing must be shifted until each
section on either side of the quiet spot (in-
dicated in the graph,) is equal and balanced.
It is well to remember that the same
setting will not always be correct for all tubes.
The Roberts receiver will operate equally
well on all types of standard tubes. In the
first description of the Roberts circuit appear-
ing in the April number, two types of tubes
were used, a uv-2oi-A and a vv-igg. The
only reason for this arrangement was the
saving of .19 ampere in
filament consumption.
Naturally the neutralizer
setting for these tubes
would not work out effi-
ciently if wo-12's were
substituted.

In determining the
location of the squeal,
this characteristic noise
should not be mistaken
for forced or over-
regeneration due to the
use of high B battery The correct .<squeal
voltage applied to the curve" will result
plate of the detector
tube. However, in this
operation, the tickler coil
should be turned well up

FIG. 3

Showing the other
extreme of unbalanc-
ed neutralization.

FIG. 4

The heart of the Roberts circuit. Any standard
tuned radio-frequency amplifier may be neutralized
by using the inductance N and the capacity C. In
the Roberts circuit, S is made of 44 turns of No. 22
dec wire wound on a spiderweb form having 13
teeth. The first turn diameter is 2| inches. The
outside diameter is 5 inches. S is shunted by a
.0005 mfd. variable condenser, preferably a vernier.
Coil N-P is wound on a similar form. A pair of
wires, of different colors for ease in winding and
connection, are wound for 20 turns. For this coil,
use No. 26 dec wire. The outside turn 'of one of the
wires is connected to the plate and its other end
(inside) is connected to the outside lead of the
other wire. From this point, a lead is brought to
the B battery or phones. The inside end of the
other coil attaches to the neutralizing condenser C
which is connected to the grid of the tube

against the secondary. Once the squeal of a
station has been located, the volume may be
reduced at will by decreasing the coupling
between the tickler and secondary coils.

To adjust the regen erative action so that
there is no sudden 'pkop' of the regenerative
squeal, regulate the detector B voltage to its
most effective value for the particular detector
tube used.

from a neutralizer
condenser setting
equal to the average
of the settings in
Figs. 2 and 3

ANOTHER GOOD TEST

NE of our readers, Mr. W. A. Golden, Jr.,
of Santa Ana, Calif., writes us as follows:

A very easy and effective method of determining
the point of neutralization can be had by the use of
a good crystal detector and a pair of phones con-
nected across the antenna and ground binding posts.
First tune-in a strong station in the regular manner,
allowing the detector tube to oscillate and form an
audible beat note with the carrier wave of the sta-
tion; then listen to the phones connected in series
with the crystal detector between the antenna and
ground and, if the set is not neutralized, this beat
note will be heard. Now adjust the small neutraliz-
ing condenser until this beat note becomes inaudible.
It is a good idea when doing this to listen to the
phones in the plate circuit of the tube set once in a
while so as to be sure that the detector continues to
oscillate and form the audible beat note at aH times
while the neutralizing condenser is being adjusted.
When the note can no longer be heard in the phones
between the antenna and ground, the set is adjusted
properly and should be left permanently in this
condition.

Notes on Neutralizing the Roberts Circuit

513

I have found this a very simple and efficient
means of performing this otherwise rather difficult
task.

The coil winding data contained in the
May RADIO BROADCAST is herewith re-
printed with slight elaborations.

A WINDING FORM FOR THE ROBERTS COILS

IT IS recommended that double cotton
covered wire be used instead of silk covered
wire as the latter is more apt to wear away

more quickly. Enamel covered wire may be
used, providing the builder is sure there are no
points at which the insulation has worn away.

Coils A-S and T are all wound the same way,
that is, over two spokes and then under two
spokes of the spiderweb form. The coil
N-P is wound over one, then under one
spoke.

The number of coil turns for the several
inductances is listed below the spiderweb
template. For those who wish to experiment

A TEMPLATE FOR THE SPIDER WEB COILS

Exact size. The winding for these coils, as used in various parts of the Roberts circuit and indicated by
the letters are as follows: A: 40 turns No. 22 dec wire tapped 1-2-5-10-20-30-40; Si: 44 turns
No. 22 dec wire; N:2O turns No. 26 dec wire; P: 20 turns No. 26 dec wire (two wires of N and P are
wound parallel as a pair); 82: 44 turns No. 22 dec wire; T: 18 turns No. 22 dec wire. Coils A, Si, 82
and T are each individually wound under two and over two spokes of the form. The NP coil is wound

under one and over one spoke

Radio Broadcast

A N EW TV PE
of the P-S coil
of the diamond

weave winding

THE N-P-S

UNIT

Made of coils
wound in dia-
mond w e a vte .
They are a new
possibility for the
Roberts circuit

with cylindrical coils, it is suggested that they
use the same number of turns as specified for
the spiderwebs and then increase or decrease
the number of turns, as the case may be, until
a satisfactory arrangement is provided.

NEW COILS FOR THE TWO AND FOUR TUBE
KNOCKOUT

SOME of our readers have reported some
difficulties in making the two- and four-
tube knockout receivers employing the Roberts
circuit perform satisfactorily. We have found
that in many instances this difficulty has been
caused by faulty manufacture in connection
with the spiderweb coils. In some of these
units, the coils were wound in the wrong di-
rection, and occasionally turns in one or more
of the coils have been short-circuited.

During the past few weeks, we have exper-
imented rather extensively with the coils illu-
strated here, which are made by the F. W.
Sickles Company, of Springfield, Massachu-
setts, and have found that the difficulties re-

ferred to in the case of the spiderwebs were
not encountered. With good condensers we
have discovered that these coils will cover a
wider band of wavelengths than was possible
with the spiderwebs, permitting reception on
amateur waves at the lower end and commer-
cial stations at the upper.

The following numbers of RADIO BROAD-
CAST have contained constructional and
operating information about the Roberts
circuits.

RADIO BROADCAST for April, 1924, pages 456 to 460

May,

" July,

" August '
" September

" October
" November

" December

73 to 78
' *¥2

279 to 285

and 308 to 314

379 to 386

and 438

490 to 497

60 to 62

and 1 12

" 279 to 281

A CORNER IN A

GERMAN TUBE

FACTORY

The German Radio Patents

The History of Certain Important Patents Seized
During the War, and Now Released for General Use

OM'E of the outstanding events in the
radio patent field took place Oct. 30,
1924, when the Navy Department
decided to issue licenses to approxi-
mately sixty independent radio manufacturers
under 129 German patents seized by the
Alien Property Custodian during the World
War.

Early in 1923, application for the patents
had been filed, but no decisive action was
taken by the Washington authorities. The
cooperation of Congressman Fred Britten of
Chicago, the National Association of Broad-
casters, and the Radio Manufacturers' Asso-
ciation was enlisted.
The majority of the
patents and applications
involved were originally
owned by the Tele-
funken Company, a
German corporation.
Among their patents is
the controlling patent
covering tuned radio
frequency amplification
— the well-known Wil-
helm Schloemilch and
Otto von Bronk patent.
Under a series of con-
tracts, the first dated
Feb. 21,1913, substantial
rights in these patents
and applications were as-
signed by the Tele-
funken Company to the
Atlantic Communication
Company, a German
corporation organized
under the laws of the
State of New York.

Under the provision
of the Trading With
the Enemy Act, as
amended, the Alien
Property Custodian
seized all right, title, and
interest in and to these
letters patent and appli-
cation, which remained
in the Telefunken

CONGRESSMAN FRED BRITTEN

Of Illinois, in an unconventional attitude.

Mr. Britten was influential in having the radio

patent situation clarified according to the

recent ruling of the Attorney General

Company, and simultaneously took over the
Atlantic Communication Company.

Under the provisions of the Trading With
the Enemy Act, as amended, the Alien Prop-
erty Custodian on Feb. 5, 1919, sold to the
Secretary of the Navy, representing the United
States, all right, title, and interest in and to
the said patents, which had been vested in
the Atlantic Communication Company and
acquired by him from it. Next day the
Custodian also sold to the Secretary of the
Navy all right, title, and interest in and to the
patents and applications which had remained
in the Telefunken Company after the assign-
ment to the Atlantic
Communication Com-
pany, and which had
been acquired by the
Custodian.

These sales were out-
right, without any
limitations, and covered
all the rights acquired
by the Government.
The sale expressly in-
cludes "the sole and ex-
clusive right, license,
and authority to manu-
facture or cause to be
manufactured within the
United States, its Terri-
tories and dependencies,
and within the Republic
of Cuba, and the right
to sell and install, to
use and to grant the
right to use. . . ."

THE SALE IS LEGAL

THERE is no ques-
tion about the
legality, of sales of this
nature. Title to pro-
perty so acquired vests
in the United States.
The Attorney General
has so decided.

It is also established
that the grant of a re-
vocable, non-exclusive

5.6

Radio Broadcast

license to use patents valuable to the manu-
facture of radio apparatus is well within the
discretion of the Secretary of the Navy.

On Aug. 5, 1920, the Secretary of the Navy
granted to the International Radio Telegraph
Company a non-exclusive, irrevocable license,
without royalty, to make, use, and sell for the
purposes and to the extent which the de-
partment has a right to do the inventions
covered by the patents.

The theory on which the independent manu-
facturers requested grant of license was that
such grant would tend to advance the welfare
of the people of the United States and would
promote a healthy competition in the manu-
facture and sale of radio apparatus; that to
withhold such license would tend to injure
the public welfare by tending to promote
monopoly contrary to the policy declared
by the Sherman act; that the denial of
the license to the applicants would make
the International Radio Telegraph Com-
pany the only licensee, which would be
inconsistent with governmental policy as to
monopoly.

As a part consideration for granting the
license, the independent radio manufacturers
agreed to grant to the United States of Amer-
ica, represented by the Secretary of the
Navy, a non-transferable, non-exclusive li-
cense under United States letters patent
which they now own or may hereafter own
during the term of the agreement, to make or
have made for it and use for governmental
purposes apparatus utilizing or embodying

the inventions of their patents, but not for
sale.

It is claimed that this grant of license by
the Navy Department to the independent
radio manufacturers will completely change
the complexion of patent litigation.

One of the chief obstacles to the greatest
development of the industry is thus removed.
The complexities of the radio patent situation
have been minimized.

A "muffler" or "blocking" tube is a
vacuum tube used in a special circuit to
climate radiation from a receiving set. The
patent which covers this method of preventing
radiation is owned by the United States Navy
Department. Proposals have been made to
release the invention to the public so that
American manufacturers can develop a device
to stop the interference caused by radiation
of receivers.

The patent was originally issued on Feb.
17, 1914, by the United States Patent Office
to two Germans, Wilhelm Schloemilch and
Otto von Bronk. The patent is 1,087,892
and is titled "Means for Receiving Electrical
Oscillations."

Since this patent was finally granted during
the World War to citizens of Germany it was
seized by the Alien Property Custodian Jan.
28, 1919. It was sold by the Alien Property
Custodian on Feb. 6, 1919, to the United
States Government as represented by the
Secretary of the Navy. The legal title now
belongs to the United States Navy Depart-
ment.— New York Times.

THE COVERED WAGON IN NEW MEXICO

Captain Irwin navigating a pass through the mountains in New Mexico on his way to California. He is
now in California where great interest is being show in the WAGON and its cargo of receivers developed in

the RADIO BROADCAST LABORATORY

Principles of Feed Back Circuits

Various Applications of this Method, Regener-
ation, to Receivers — A Simplified Explanation

WHAT MAKES THE WHEELS GO 'ROUND: IX
BY WALTER VAN B. ROBERTS

IT IS particularly fitting that this installment of Mr. Roberts's interesting series of
technical discussions which we have been printing since the March, 1924, RADIO
BROADCAST should have to do with regeneration and the feed back principle, for
the interesting application of that method is one of the features of his now famous
Roberts Knock-Out circuit. Many wild claims are being made these days for
various neutralizing circuits, and good radio terms are being played with fast and
loose. Some of Mr. Roberts's remarks may serve to clear up misunderstandings
which exaggerated claims have caused. This installment is quite worth the read-
ing.— THE EDITOR.

BESIEGED on all sides by new circuits
bearing peculiar Greekish names such
as Homodyne, Neutrodyne, Pliodyne,
and Superdyne, and others less
mysterious-sounding but equally impressive,
such as regenerative and super-regenerative,
the radio enthusiast will do well to deepen his
understanding of the principle of "feed back,"
upon which the operation of most receiving
circuits depends in greater or less degree.
Fundamentally, the idea of "feed back"
is quite simple: energy in the form of alter-
nating current is picked up by the antenna and
amplified by one or more vacuum tubes.
Some of the amplified alternating current
energy is then used to produce a voltage that
is fed back to the antenna or other part of the
circuit. In the simple regenerative circuit,
the voltage thus fed back into the antenna in-
creases the current in the antenna, and hence

FIG. 58

increases the strength of the signals. Figs. 58
and 59 are familiar single-circuit regenerative
receivers working in this fashion. In Fig. i,
voltage is fed back into the antenna circuit
by the coupling to the coil L of the coil T
(the tickler) which carries the amplified alter-
nating current.

74- THE TUNED PLATE CIRCUIT

IN FIG. 59, the voltage produced by the
amplified current flowing through the vario-
meter V is fed back to the antenna circuit
through the capacity (shown in Fig. 59, as a
small condenser drawn in dotted lines) that
exists inside the tube between the grid and
plate and the wires leading to them.

This latter is often called a "tuned plate
circuit" regenerative receiver, but it is easy
to see that the plate circuit is not tuned, at
least not in the ordinary sense of the word, be-
cause the amount of inductance in the vario-
meter required for regeneration is very largely
determined by the filament current and B bat-
tery voltage, whereas the inductance required
for tuning in the ordinary sense is determined
only by the frequency of the signal.

75. RELATION OF VOLTAGE PHASE TO FEED
BACK

SO FAR, only simple special cases of feed
back have been considered. In general,
feed back has two features:

1. The amount of voltage fed back, and

2. The phase of the voltage fed back.

5l8

Radio Broadcast

FIG. 59

While a complete explanation of the word
"phase" would be too much to include here,
yet those unfamiliar with it may be able to
get an idea of its meaning from the following:
Consider the familiar circuit of Fig. 58. Re-
generation is accomplished by bringing the
feed back coil T up close to the antenna coil L.
Now suppose that coil T is turned around so
as to present its other side to L without chang-
ing the distance between them. (Or, what is

FIG. 60

the same thing, the connections to T are
reversed). The amount of voltage fed back
into the antenna circuit will be unaltered but
its phase will be reversed, or expressed other-
wise, its phase will be changed by 180 degrees.
It might seem reasonable to suppose that if we
turned the tickler coil only, say, a tenth of
the way around we would alter the phase of the
feed back by 18°. This is however not the
case. In this simple circuit we can adjust
the amount of feed, back to whatever we
want, but the onlv control we have over its

FIG. 61

phase is the choice of the two values 180°
apart. If, by reversing the connections to T,
we get the wrong one, the result is that in-
stead of regeneration we will have what might
be called ^generation, or weakening of the
signals. In between these two extremes there
are other possibilities. If we could manage
somehow to feed back a voltage having a
phase 90° different from those considered
above, there would be no effect upon the
signals. Feed backs having other phases
cause more or less regeneration or degener-
ation.

76. r HOW CORRECT PHASE IS ATTAINED

WHENEVER feed back is desired,
whether for regeneration or to neutral-
ize some undesired feed back, it should be
supplied not only in the correct amount, but
also in the correct phase. In practice, a small
error in phase is not serious, as the feed back
can be considered to be composed of two feed
backs, one having just the right phase and the
other being off by 90° and hence having no
effect at all. Theoretically however it would
be desirable to have complete control over
both the phase and amount of feed back to
any part of the receiver or amplifier, and this
can be obtained in a number of ways, the
same general idea being behind them all.

Perhaps the most elegant method is that
shown in Fig. 62. To make things definite,
suppose this represents the last tube of a
radio-frequency amplifier. Coils a and b are
in a fixed mounting, concentric but at right
angles. The condenser in series with "a"
is adjusted so that the phase of the current
through "a" is the same as if resistance alone
were present in the lower branch. The con-
denser in series with "b" is adjusted so that
the reactance of the upper branch is equal to
the resistance of the lower branch. Thus the
currents in the two coils will be equal in
magnitude but 90° out of phase. As a result,
a rotating magnetic field is produced. If now
a small coil "c" is properly pivoted inside the
other two coils, it will pick up a voltage which
will be of the same amount in whatever
direction it is turned, but the phase of the
voltage depends upon the position into which
it is turned and can be set to any value what-
ever. The feed back from "c" to the desired
part of the circuit can be effected either
magnetically as shown in Fig. 63 or electrostati-
cally as shown in Fig. 64. If it is desired to
feed back to two different points another coil
"d" maybe placed inside of "c" and operated

Principles of Feed Back Circuits

independently of "c." In Fig. 63 the amount of
the feed back is controlled by the closeness of
magnetic coupling to the desired part of the
circuit, in Fig. 64 by the amount of capacity
coupling; in both cases the phase is adjusted

FIG. 62

by rotating coil "c." When it is desired to lis-
ten to a different station the two condensers in
Fig. 62 must be readjusted, but as their adjust-
ment is not critical they may be shafted to-
gether and the dial set to the wave length
desired, the dial readings being previously

FIG. 63

FIG. 64

calibrated in wave lengths. In actual practice
a radio-frequency choke coil would have to
be shunted around one of the condensers to
afford a path for the direct component of"
plate current.

The above very general type of feed back
was devised about two years ago by the writer
and successfully used to control the tendency
to regenerate in a two-stage Radio Corpora-
tion u.v. 1714 transformer-coupled amplifier.
On account of its complexity however it is by
no means recommended for ordinary use. The
chief thing is that it is a general method of
which regeneration, the neutrodyne, and the
superdyne as well as other less well known
circuits are merely simplified special cases,
and if its action is well understood, many
queer looking new circuits can be "solved"
at a glance.

The next article in this series by
Mr. Roberts will discuss the super- A
heterodyne.

The Complete Re

RADIO BROADCAST Will Publish Its Own Com
Radio Broadcast Tests Involving Two

By ARTHUR

THIS number of RADIO BROADCAST is going to press just
as the International Radio Broadcast tests are at their
zenith and it is impossible to get a complete story of the
most interesting radio event in history into type in time
to make our presses. The first two days of the tests, every tele-
phone in the Doubleday, Page & Company plant was swamped
with local and long-distance calls, and the telegraph offices in our
vicinity were overwhelmed with messages from every part of the
United States, reporting successful reception of foreign broadcasts.
The forecast, made in earlier numbers of this magazine, that
reception from abroad would be very generally and surprisingly
successful this year, in certain contrast to last year, is certainly
borne out in no uncertain fashion. Thousands and thousands of
listeners have reported their success to us, and that, in spite of
great atmospheric difficulties the first few nights.

We are compiling the complete story of the tests for the February
RADIO BROADCAST, which is as soon as we can possibly print it,
and we know that every radio fan, whether or not he is a regular
reader or subscriber to the magazine will be intensely interested
in reading the fascinating story of events radio as they progressed
at our laboratory at Garden City, at the Army Air station at
Mitchel Field, in the offices of the British Broadcasting Company
at London, and at the Wireless World and Radio Review in the
same city.

OFFICIAL LISTENING POSTS

WELL known radio amateurs, newspapers, broadcasting sta-
tions, and manufacturers' engineers were all appointed as
official listening posts and it is going to take some time to group
their reports and to analyze their experiences. Some of the best
radio locations in the New York territory were secured and special
receivers installed. Stories of loud-speaker reception of the foreign
stations await only the telling.

An official of the New York office of the United Press told us that
the interest expressed by newspapers all over the country as shown
by telegrams and telephone calls in their office was "positively
phenomenal." Several men in the various news services did nothing

port in February

plete and Exclusive Story of Its International
Continents and Millions of Radio Listeners

H. LYNCH

else for several days but devote themselves to handling news matter
about the tests.

The International Radio Broadcast tests are full of powerful
potentialities for international betterment and a firmer basis for
understanding. More than one person has agreed with us on this
stand. We have the following copy of a telegram which bears out
this contention and phrases the idea in most powerful fashion.

HEARD MENTION LAST EVENING OP TONIGHT'S GALA PROGRAM AND
CONGRATULATE YOU THEREON STOP THIS WEEK IS CERTAINLY A
GALA EVENT IN RADIO BUT PEOPLE SEEMINGLY REGARD INTER-
NATIONAL BROADCASTS AS JUST INTERESTING PEATS STOP
MOMENT'S THOUGHT WILL REVEAL AMAZING POTENTIALITIES POR'
BENEPIT MANKIND IN PREE EXCHANGE OPINIONS BETWEEN NATIONS
STOP IP ANYTHING WILL PUT ALL BATTLESHIPS AT BOTTOM OP
OCEAN WHERE THEY BELONG UNDER A REAL CIVILIZATION RADIO,' S
INPLUENCE IN PROMOTING BETTER UNDERSTANDING AND MORE
INTELLIGENT PUBLIC OPINION AMONG THE NATIONS WILL BE THAT,
PACTOR

ERIC H PALMER BROOKLYN NEW YORK
24 NOVEMBER 1924

We shall make an effort to print the names of all those whose
reception of the foreign programs has been verified, but the number
may grow too large by the end of the test, in which case other
arrangements will have to be made.

All the American broadcasters showed unanimously that they
appreciated the importance and interest attaching to this test and
were good enough almost unanimously to keep off the air during
the foreign transmission periods. It was almost without exception
that the American stations kept off the air and used every means
within their power to see that the American air was free for listeners
on this side. This involved considerable sacrifice on the part of
some of the stations who had contracts with various organizations.

The official detailed story complete with exclusive photographs
will appear in February.

WHEN YOU WRITE THE GRID . . .

Don't fail to enclose a stamped, self -addressed envelope with your
inquiry if you expect a personal reply.

Don't be impatient if you do not receive an immediate answer. Every
letter is answered in the order of its receipt. Do not send a second letter
asking about the first.

Look over your files of RADIO BROADCAST before asking a question
which might have been covered in a previous issue.

Don't ask for a comparison between manufactured apparatus. The
addresses of manufacturers of articles used in the construction of ap-
paratus described in RADIO BROADCAST will be given on request.

Don't include questions on subscription orders or inquiries to other
departments of Doubleday, Page §• Co. Address a separate inquiry to
The Grid.

Don't send us a fee for answering your questions. The Grid Depart-
ment is maintained for the aid and convenience of readers of RADIO
BROADCAST and there is no charge for the service.

QUERIES ANSWERED

HOW MAY I ADD AN R. F. AMPLIFIER TO MY
HAYNES SUPER'?

W. H.— - Baldwin, L. I.

HOW CAN I INSERT A JACK IN MY CIRCUIT FOR
LOOP USE?

E. J. B. — Lansing, Mich.

WHAT is A COUNTERPOISE AND HOW is IT USED?
L. W. A. — Chicago, Illinois.

CAN YOU GIVE ME A FEW POINTS ON TROUBLE-
SHOOTING IN THE KNOCKOUT CRYSTAL REFLEX
CIRCUIT?

W. E. D.— Peru, Indiana.

MY ROBERTS RECEIVER DOES NOT OPERATE COR-
RECTLY. HOW CAN I TEST IT FOR DEFECTS, ETC.?
C. J. F. — Chicago, Illinois.

CAN CYLINDRICAL COILS BE USED IN THE ROBERTS
CIRCUIT?

M. J. M. — Atlanta, Georgia.

WILL YOU PUBLISH A BUZZER CIRCUIT FOR THE
PRACTISE OF CODE?

A. W. M.— Bronx, New York City.
WHAT RHEOSTATS SHOULD BE USED WITH 2oi-A

TUBES?

R. N. R., Memphis, Tennessee.

MAKING THE SUPER MORE SENSITIVE

FOR those who, like Mr. W. H., wish to make
their Haynes super-heterodyne more sensitive
to weak signals emanating from great dis-
tances, the information contained herewith should
be helpful.

The circuit in Fig. i-A shows the use of an

antenna and an extra stage of neutralized radio-
frequency amplification placed before the first
detector tube of the "super" receiver. It is quite
necessary that this stage of amplification be neutral-
ized, especially when the antenna is used, so that
radiation does not occur. Ordinarily a good super
does not require the use of an antenna as a collec-
tive agency and its use is poor practise. In Fig. i

The Grid

523

RADIO FREQUENCY AMPLIFIER

HAYNES "SUPER" CIRCUIT

FIG. I

its use is indicated for general purposes when the
R. F. amplifier is connected with other circuits. The
method for plugging in a loop is shown in Fig. 2.
Explaining the circuit in Fig. i-A, no changes or
alterations are necessary in the Haynes circuit.
The amplifier may be constructed so as to be entirely
contained in its own cabinet as a separate unit.
See Fig. i-B and C. For the sake of compactness
P and S of Ti and N P-S of Ta may be wound on
spiderweb forms similar to those used in the Knock-
out Roberts receivers. The number of turns for
each coil is as follows:

Ti-P 40 turns No. 22 dec wire — S 44 turns No. 22
dec wire. T2-N 20 turns No. 24 dec wire — P 20 turns
No. 24 dec wire — S 44 turns No. 22 dec wire.

If it is desired, P of Ti may be wound with about
ten turns to make the antenna circuit a periodic or
untuned. €2, the neutralizing capacity may
be made by connecting a 4" piece of bus bar to the
grid post of the tube. A piece of spaghetti in-
sulating tubing is slipped over it and on top of this
is wound two or three inches of bare wire with the
turns soldered together making it one continuous
piece of wire tubing. Ci is a .0005 mfd. variable
condenser preferably of a vernier type.

Coils N and P are wound as a parallel pair of
wires. In this instance two spools of No. 24 dec
wire may be used for simultaneously winding both
turns together. A panel and base layout are shown
for use primarily as a guide, not as an actual definite
placement for the parts. This type of amplifier
will fit in nicely as an addition to any type of
receiver. See articles in the March and May, 1924,
RADIO BROADCAST for additional details.

DOUBLE CIRCUIT JACK FOR CHANGE-OVER PURPOSES

IN THE multi-tube radio frequency receivers,
super-heterodynes, and neutrodynes, a double
circuit jack may be included to change auto-
matically from loop to antenna by merely inserting a
plug to which the loop has been connected, in the jack.
This feature will also apply especially to those who
are inclined to experiment with couplers of various
designs, antennas, loops, etc. The circuit in Fig. 2
shows how the adaption is made. The secondary of
an additional coupler may be connected to the in-
serted plug which is of the Weston or other "instant
change" type.

USE AND VALUE OF A COUNTERPOISE

MANY operators of receivers are troubled by
broad tuning or by their peculiarity of
picking up local disturbances caused by
telephone ringers, house-lighting circuits, vacuum
cleaners, elevators etc. Usually these defects may
be attributed to faulty ground systems to which
many of the above named apparatus are connected.
A counterpoise, very similar to an ordinary flat top
antenna, excepting that it is mounted just above the
earth or in the cellar of one's home, may be ad-
vantageously employed to eliminate these forms of
disturbances. In Fig. 3, several forms of counter-
poise are shown with their constructional details and
method of use. It is only necessary to remember
that to be efficient they should be well insulated
from near-by objects. Any type of wire, insulated
or bare, may be used. Porcelain cleats may be
economically used as insulators. The counter-

524

Radio Broadcast

FIG. 2

poise is connected to the radio receiver in place of
the ordinary ground connection.

USING STANDARD PARTS FOR THE ROBERTS CIRCUIT

IN THE matter of substitute coils to replace the
spiderwebs used in the RADIO BROADCAST
Knock-out circuit, it is well to understand from
the start that endeavors along these lines so far have
been experimental in nature. Many experimenters
are working on the problem, and in a short while no
doubt the needs of all will be
satisfied in this particular
connection.

RADIO BROADCAST has ex-
perimented|with various forms
and herewith is presented a
few guiding facts which may
prove helpful to those who
wish to experiment of their
own accord.

In most instances those
couplers now on the market
such as Ambassador, Sham-
rock, Fischer, Eastern pickle-
bottle, and others of a similar
constructional nature may
be advantageously experi-
mented with by merely add-
ing to, or rewinding the
primary coil constituting the
N-P winding of the Roberts
circuit. The turn ratio be-
tween primary and second-
ary will vary according to
the coupler used and no
definite value can be given.
In general it is well to use

the same number of turns as specified for the spi-
derwebs, then vary for satisfactory operation.
Instead of a double wound primary a coil of
twice the number of turns as specified may be used

taking off a center tap as shown in Fig. 5 and 6. In
most instances the placement of the primary N-P
coil will have a very decided effect upon the opera-
tion of the receiver. The usual practice is to rewind
the primary N-P coil directly over the secondary
with cambric cloth insulation between the two.

Standard neutroformers offer an opportunity for
interesting experiment. The present primaries may
be removed and double-wound coils substituted.
In this case the N-P-coil would consist of as many
turns per coil as the removed primary. A vario-
meter in the plate circuit of the detector tube will
provide regeneration.

Mr. Roberts, in his original article describing the
two-tube receiver, mentioned the fact that the two
wires constituting the N-P winding should be wound
physically as close together as is possible. From
Mr. Roger Whitman, Associate Editor of Country
Life, comes the suggestion of cutting two pieces of
wire long enough to provide 20 turns each for the
N-P coil and twist them together. Mr. Whitman
has found that with about 3 to 5 twists to the inch

TO RECEIVER

FLOOR. INSULATOR TU8E /FLOORING

RADIAL I T° «K-
FLAT TOP

SUPPORT COUNTER'OISE-

CEILINS T1M&ERS TYPES OF GROUND LAYOU1S

IN CELLAR FOR. COUNTERPOISE

FIG. 4

DOUBLE WOUND N-P COIL

PLACED ON SAME PLANE

WITH SECONDARY

FIG. 5

this arrangement provided more stable, sharper
operation. Figs. 4 and 5 are illustrations of the vari-
ous points explained herein. Fig. 6 shows the circuit
diagram for the connection of the coupler with the
split primary illustrated in Fig. 5

GENERAL POINTERS ON THE ROBERTS CIRCUIT

MR. C. J. F'S. question is similar to a number
of others received by THE GRID. The
following general pointers will serve as an
aid in locating and eliminating the troubles some-
times found in the RADIO BROADCAST Knock-out
Roberts receivers.

1. Check over all the parts to be used, be-
fore assembling, with a view to preventing the
use of defective parts. A pair of phones and a
C battery, used as a testing circuit, will un-
cover any open circuits in the various coils,
transformers etc., and any possible short cir-
cuits in the several condensers to be used.

2. Tubes offer one of the greatest hin-
drances to proper, efficient operation. This is

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

A book the children
will enjoy — sent free
on request.

new Magnavox Receiver (with or without
built-in Magnavox Reproducer) is an entirely
new development of tuned radio frequency.

The ease of selecting the desired station directly
with one dial is only equalled by the quality of
Magnavox reception — the highest musical stand-
ard yet achieved in radio.

Magnarox Radio products are sold by reliable dealers ;;
everywhere. Interesting literature sent free on request.

TRF-5

$125

TRF-50
RECEIVING SET

with doors and built-in

Reproducer

$150

THE MAGNAVOX COMPANY

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

Neu) York: Chicago: San Francisco:

350 West 31st St. 162 N. State St. 2 74 Brannan St.

Canadian Distributors: Perkins Electric Limited.Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg
1R

Send me a complimentary copy
of Radiotikes.

Name
Address

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

526

Radio Broadcast

especially true in the case of the detector tube.
Change around the tubes until their best oper-
ating position is found.

3. Manufactured and home-made coils may
be so mounted that the direction of winding in
several of the coils is found to be opposite.
Check over the coil assembly and be sure that

TROUBLE SHOOTING IN THE CRYSTAL REFLEX
RECEIVER

I HE use of good, tested crystals in the RADIO
BROADCAST Knockout crystal reflex receiver
cannot be emphasized too much. Poor
crystals will cause squealing due to regeneration

FIG. 5

THE N-P COIL
PLACED OVER THE SECONDARY

all the coils are mounted so that the winding
direction in all the coils is the same.

4. When regeneration does not occur, it is
an indication that the tickler coil is reversed.
Also, the B battery voltage on the detector
tube may be too low. On the other hand, if
regeneration is too pronounced, the circuit
going in and out of oscillation with a decided
"plop," it is quite evident that excessive de-
tector plate voltage is being applied and must
be reduced for more stable operation.

5. Howling may be due to (a) an inter-
action or feedback between the several cir-
cuits; (b) Reversed leads to the primary of the
audio reflex transformer, (c) Incorrect values
of C battery. In some cases it will be found
necessary to ground the negative side of the
A battery to obtain stability.

6. Grid leaks clear up, to a marked degree,
the volume and tone quality delivered by the
receiver. Try various values of leak and grid
condenser.

7. The spiderweb coils; as designed, will
cover the entire broadcasting wavelength when
the secondaries are shunted by .0005 mfd.. vari-
able condensers. When the sensitivity of the
receiver varies for different wavelengths, that
is to say, when signals received are louder on
the lower wavelengths than on the higher
wavelengths, the receiver is then in a condi-
tion where the step-up of energy is not the
same over the entire wavelength scale. To
overcome this, the primaries and secondaries
of the two couplers must be made semi-variable
so that resonance may be obtained at all the.
wavelengths. Variation of the turn-ratio be-
tween primary and secondary will also serve
to eliminate this trouble.

8. The use of a by-pass condenser shunted
across the C battery and secondary of the
audio reflex transformer as outlined in the
November GRID is not a general cure-all for
poor volume output. In a majority of cases
this procedure does "tone up" the receiver
quite appreciably. This usually depends upon
the value of C battery and type of audio reflex
transformer used.

CENTER
TAP

FIG. 6

produced by a high resistance contact on the crystal
This condition also causes body capacity effects re.
suiting in unbalanced operation.

It is essential that the negative side of the A
battery be grounded. It would be well to have
the negative side of the A and B battery connected
together, thus providing a common ground for both

BUZZER

FIG. 7

batteries. In some cases, due to internal charac-
teristics of the receiver this does not work out well
and it is necessary to connect the negative B to the
positive A post.

A CIRCUIT FOR CODE PRACTICE

THOSE who have a longing to know the code
used in radio communication will find the
circuit shown in Figs. 7 and 8 useful in the prac-
tise of sending and receiving dots and dashes. The
system is especially applicable to Radio Clubs,

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

527

23Todulation plus ^generation

«^sffifiS»K

Modulation
i» the keynote
L.2 Wttayne
er,tion •• 'P
metnod of r»

daces P*£2

ordinary -
, vita 6teP'".
This corobin at

ceiving «ea
UHradyne to
small amount

cep

l°ejtfcation than
2T5 detection-
•*£ engineering.

"n produces tre
ion r re

° Vow» the
>|na^ , vety

'esP°n,w. Signals
^2£ »f times
" 0-ected

KDKA

\(TTAS

KSD

WTAM

New I'.
Omaha, Nebr.

Dallas, Tex.
Cincinnati, O.
Hastings, Nebr.
St. Loui"- Mo-
Charlotte, N, C.

V'£fc££?SU
any idea that » Plc ;ver could
,„ what a radio rec 25lh j

%TlS="

jSewark, r>-
Scheneciady.
New.york,^-c

heretofore expene^ ^ ^

-As regard • ««^lor fi»e •»«"
that I am only '0™,r^Lw station
.from the powerful^ on 42J
1 al Cincinnati, oper -^ „

*£ hin, on the
ecewe ,,

,enna, P"01"":. J . ,ir I can tune
is on »h«J'r;,nd receive
out compl«ei! • ™a nd

usually somewha

wave. other receiver

[LTR3DXP3

MODEL L-2

This application of regeneration is
the most recent development of
R. E. Lucault, E.E., A.M.I.R.E.,
since his perfection of the "Mod-
ulation System" used exclusively
in the Ultradyne and which has
so revolutionized all conception
of selectivity, sensitivity, volume
and range.

This Model L-2 Ultradyne,
without a doubt, represents the
peak of present day super-radio
engineering skill.

ULTRADYNE KIT

Consists of one low loss Tuning
Coil, one low loss Oscillator Coil,
one special low loss Coupler, one
type "A" Ultrafonner, three type
"B" Ultraformers, four matched
Grid Condensers.

The Ultraformers are new im-
proved long wave radio frequency
transformers, especially designed
by R. E. Lacault, Consulting En-
gineer of this Company and in-
ventor of the Ultradyne.

To protect the public, Mr. La-
cault's personal monogram seal
(R. E. L.) is placed on all genuine
Ultraformers.

Ultraformers are guaranteed so
long as this seal remains unbroken.
$30.00

Send for the 32 page illustrated
book giving latest authentic infor-
mation on drilling, wiring, as-
sembling and tuning the Model
L-2 Ultradyne Receiver.

50c.

PHENIX RADIO CORPORATION

5-7 Beekman Street New York City

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

528

Radio Broadcast

FIG.

A picture diagram of the actual layout of the parts
and wiring. Only the keys, buzzer, coil, binding
posts, etc., need be mounted on the top of the oper-
ating table while all the wiring is made on the under
side. As may be seen from the schematic diagram
in Fig. 7 the secondary-key-phone circuit is a series
parallel one allowing provision for additional oper-
ating positions

quency transformer and is a positive
means for controlling the volume
with its resultant distortion. The
Bradleyleak and other commercial
types of variable resistance are
admirably suited for this use.

In a unit of this kind a power
amplifier tube works better than the
ordinary type of vacuum tube —
the uvaoiA. The standard 5
watt tube or any of the Western
Electric power amplifier tubes are
fine for this purpose. Power am-
plifier tubes require a higher plate
voltage than the uvaoiA's and
in most circuits the addition of
a C battery inserted in the lower
lead of the secondary of the trans-
former returning to the negative
side of the filament supply will
often clarify and stabilize the cir-
cuit quite noticeably. The nega-
tive side of the C battery should
connect to the secondary of the
transformer and the positive ter-
minal of the C battery should con-
nect to the negative side of the
filament supply. The value of C
battery is governed by the amount
of plate voltage used and is out-
lined in the following table:

school classes, and other organizations desiring a PLATE VOLTAGE

means for group practise. 40

The material needed is a buzzer capable of pro- 60

ducing a high-frequency note (the General Radio 80

and Federal buzzers are very good for this work) a 100

telephone induction coil, a switch, a key and pair 12o

of phones per person, and the necessary batteries. j^o

By arranging the parts as shown in Fig. 8 the
circuit may be controlled by any one of the keys,
the signal being heard in all the phones. In this
way it is possible to maintain intercommunication
between the several receiving points.

By putting the buzzer in a continuously operated
circuit, the tone produced will be more constant
than if the several keys were used to interrupt the
buzzer circuit. Also, by placing the keys in the
secondary side of the circuit there will be no ap-
preciable "lag" or "key thump" in the signals
as transmitted.

A POWER AMPLIFIER AND C BATTERY

THE fundamental idea involved in the design
and construction of a power amplifier is briefly
outlined in the circuit shown in Fig. 9. First, a
low ratio audiofrequency transformer is necessary to
prevent distortion and unbalance in the input side
of the vacuum tube. The resistances unit composed
of various values of resistance from 25,000 to 100,000
ohms directly shunts the secondary of the audio fre-

C BATTERY VOLTAGE

o . 5 to i . o

i .o to 3.0

3.oto 4.5

4. 5 to 6.0

6.0 to 9.0

9-O tO 1 2 . 0

The use of a C battery in any audio-frequency
amplifier circuit will materially reduce the current
drain on the B batteries, thereby increasing the
number of hours of use of these batteries. A C
battery will also permit a vacuum tube to function
at its most efficient point of operation, amplifying
the signal applied to the grid of the tube in a distor-
tionless and also economical manner.

Shows a power amplifier circuit. The volume
output is controlled by the shunt resistances

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

529

No. 772

large

vertical

Price

$3.75

§$g

*^5
&&

<"•': *

&***&*

^,.u. <.»•""'

i>^>:

No. 766
22^-^o/f

large
horizontal

Price

$2.00

Cut your
operating cost

THIRTY years' experience in the man-
ufacture of dry batteries has enabled
us within the past two years to steadily
and greatly improve "B" Battery
quality. Eveready "B" Batteries are
now from two to three times better than
ever before.

Eveready "B" Batteries will long
outlast any others, and are the most
economical and dependable source of
plate current. These are strong state-
ments, but they have been proved by
tests in our own and in independent
laboratories. Check them for yourself
on your own radio set. Get Eveready
"B" Batteries.

There is an Eveready Radio Battery
for every radio use.

Manufactured and guaranteed T>y
NATIONAL CARBON COMPANY, INC.

Headquarters for Radio Battery Information
New York San Francisco

Canadian National Carbon Co., Ltd., Toronto, Ont.

EVEREADY

Radio Batteries

"they last longer/

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

New Equipment

GRIMES INVERSE DUPLEX
An inverse duplex receiver designed by the inventor
of this system of reflexing. It employs three tubes
and a crystal detector and is very satisfactory for
quality and distance. Made by David Grimes,
Inc., 1571 Broadway, New York City

RADIO
VOLTMETER

A double range,
o-io and 0-50
volts, voltmeter
which is well
made. The
double range
makes it possi-
ble to take ac-
curate readings
of A, B and C
batteries. Made
by the Roller-Smith Com-
pany, 233 Broadway, New
York City. Price $5

A CONDENSER

Of the all-vernier type, the vernier control is at-
tained by means of the friction plates showing at the
back of the condenser. One possibility of loss is
eliminated because the stator plates are stamped
from one piece of aluminum and not severed. A
very good range of capacity is covered. Made by
the U. S. Tool Company, Inc., 117 Mechanic St.,
Newark, N. J.

REMLER CAPACITY UNIT

An instrument of novel design very well built. The
photograph is the rear view showing the embossed
plates, twin rotors, and all-vernier control. Made
by the Remler Radio Mfg. Co., 154 W. Lake St.,
Chicago, Illinois

SPLITDORF RECEIVER

The Splitdorf receiver is a five-tube neutralized set of the tuned radio-frequency type. It is of fine
appearance and a very pleasing set to operate. Made by the Splitdorf Electrical Co., 392 High St.,

Newark, N. J. Price $150

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

531

The FA DA Neutroceiver

will surpass anything you have

expected of a radio receiver

VOLUME? The FADA Neutro-
ceiver will give you all the con-
trolled volume you can possibly
desire. Designed to use powerful
tubes and operate on either indoor
or outdoor antenna, it is guaran-
teed to give powerful results.

Clarity? This wonderful, five-
tube Neutrodyne offers you a tone
quality which is unexcelled. It re-
produces every tone of the human
voice and of every musical instru-
ment with lifelike fidelity.

Selectivity? Separates stations,
tunes through powerful local
broadcasting and brings in distant
concerts — even when their wave
lengths are but a few
meters apart.

Simplicity of control?
Anyone, without exper-

UTR

ience, can operate the Neutro-
ceiver. You can turn your dials to
previously located stations and
bring them back night after night.
Beauty? As a piece of art-
furniture, the FADA Neutroceiver
is a masterpiece. The cabinet is
solid mahogany, with the panel
perfectly balanced and sloped
gently to facilitate easy tuning.

Supplementing the FADA Neu-
troceiver and making a complete
FADA line, are five other Neutro-
dyne receivers — three, four and
five tube sets — in plain as well as
artcraf t cabinets. You have a price
range from $75 to $295 from which

to select. Each model

extraordinary in results;

each a remarkable value.

See your dealer.

FADA "One Sixty"

No. 160- A

"The receiver that has
taken the country by
storm." The best known
of all Neutrodynes. Four
tubes. Price (less tubes,
batteries, etc.) $120.

FADA Neutrola Grind
No. 185/90- A

The five-tube Neutrola
185-A, mounted on FADA
Cabinet Table No. 190-A.
Price (less tubes, bat-
teries, etc.) {295.

F. A. D. ANDREA, INC., 1581 JEROME AVENUE, NEW YORK

a d i o

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

Our ^Authors

PEMINGTON SCHUYLER is repre-

l^- sented with the cover on RADIO BROAD-
CAST this month and a story "Static Days and
Nights" both of
which tell some of
his experiences in
ranch life in the
West. "Building a
house has certainly
kept me busy,"
writes Mr.Schuyler,
but my first celebra-
tion in the new home
is going to be a
Four-Tube Knock-
REMINGTON out set." Mr.

SCHUYLER Schuyler is one of

In Indian Costume the best known of

American painters

of Indians. During Marechal Foch's recent
tour of this country he was official American
Legion painter and made portraits of French
and American officers on the trip.

|N SEEKING re-
* lease from amateur
photography, I found
a substitute in radio.
I hocked all my
cameras and bought
condensers. I haven't
had a fish rod in my
hands since I became
infected. I am fond
of soldering paste in
my coffee and own a
Roberts Knock-out
receiver." The photo-
graph is a flashlight of Mr. Bradford being
much pained by the squealers. Mr. Bradford,
cartoonist for the Philadelphia North American,
did the cartoon which appears as our frontis-
piece this month.

W. R. BRADFORD

In a self-posed photo-
graph, saying something
definite about "bloopers"

F. MIESSNER is a

c o n's u 1 1 i n g engineer
with Wired Radio, Inc.,
New York. He has been
for many years engaged in
radio and electrical work
for the Navy, John Hays
Hammond, Jr., and Emil
B. F. MIESSNER J. Simon. For a time, he
was director of the
acoustical research laboratories of the Bruns-
wick Balke Collender Company at Chicago.
Mr. Miessner invented the Automatic Helio-

ALBERT C. ALLEN
Taking movies of wild life

trophic Machine (the Electric Dog). He is
also the author of Radio Dynamics, published
by D. Van Nostrand and Company.

TAMES MILLEN is a student at Stevens
J Institute of Technology and is specializing
in radio work.

ALBERT C. AL-
LEN "was born
and raised in the
regular army, and
served in the Span-
ish and Phillipine
wars." He has
always lived in what
he calls "the real
West"— West of the
Rockies, and has of
late been particu-
larly interested in

horticulture, and also in photographing wild
life.

DOBERT H. MARRIOTT is not un-
1^- familiar to readers of this magazine, for
his contributions have appeared here quite
frequently. One of Mr. Marriott's distinc-
tions is that he was the first president of
the Institute of Radio Engineers. He was
one of the first to take up radio engineering as
a profession and began actively in 1901. He is
now chief radio engineer for the Puget Sound
Navy Yard at Bremerton, Washington.

FRANK E. BUTLER is well known to
many old timers in radio when it was
wireless. The story of his experiences with
Dr. Lee De Forest in the early experimental
days is printed in this magazine for the first
time, and, according to the mail we are re-
ceiving in the office, is attracting an unusual
amount of attention. There are more articles
by him to follow.

MC MURDO
SILVER is a
rare combination
among radio men.
His spare hours, in-
stead of being de-
voted to radio, as
are those of most
other radio men,
are devoted to
James Branch Ca-
bell, Arthur Machen, and Roland Firbank.

MCMURDO SILVER

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

657

Radiotron

WD-12.
The standard
base dry cell
tube.

^N "tf ^

jret a good detector

Radiotrons WD-11
and WD-12 are the
same tube but with
different bases.

Radiotron WD-12
has a standard navy-
type base. With it,
you can change your
set to dry battery
operation. Askyour
dealer today.

This symbol of

quality is your

protection

What will Radiotron WD-1 1 and WD-12 do as de-
tectors? First — they are sensitive to weak signals —
superlatively sensitive, as remarkable distance per-
formances show in thousands of one-tube sets.
Second, they are good "oscillators" — and that is
important in regenerative circuits. And third, they
are quiet in operation — add no electrical noises to
the music, or speech. Radiotrons WD-11 and
WD-12 are famous as audio and radio frequency
amplifiers — too — and have made possible the hun-
dreds of thousands of dry battery receivers that are
in use today. They mean clear, true reception —
over big distances— with dry batteries! Be sure
to get a genuine Radiotron.

Radio Corporation of America

Sales Offices: Suite No. 32

233 Broadway, New York 10 So. La Salle St., Chicago, III.

28 Geary St., San Francisco, Cal.

R-EG. -U. S. PAT. OFF.

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

mggm

THE HUB OF THE INTERNATIONAL RADIO BROADCAST TESTS

The masts of ibe receiving and transmitting station at tie laboratory of tins magazine. Two separate
cage antennas are used, one for receiving and one for transmitting. The insert shows a corner of tbe
laboratory with John B. Brennan, H'illis K. Wing, and Zeb Bouek'jof tbe editorial staff. Mr. Brennan
is operating a super-heterodyne and a Knockout four-tube receiver as an alternate. Mr. Wing is oper-
ating tbe line u'bicb controls tbe wireless circuit to London, and Mr. Bouck is talking over tbe radio to
official listening posts at Mitcbcl Fitld

RADIO

ol. 6, No. 4

February.

How Michael Pupin Succeeded

A Story Which Reads Almost Like a Chapter From Horatio Alger,
Jr.— The History of "Immigrant to Inventor," Whose Electrical
Inventions Have Greatly Aided Radio, the Cables, and Telephony

BY MYRA MAY

STURDY, dark-haired boy, clad in
a summer suit of clothes and wearing
a red Turkish fez, crept close to a
stack on an ocean liner during apar-

gicularly cold March crossing to America in

i ^74. He was a queer figure, this youngster of

Ijfteen, minus the traditional mattress and

Blanket of the immigrant, with no friends or

family aboard and only the warm smoke stack

for company.

I Yet he kept his courage, although he had

jwily five cents in his

Socket, when he

funded at Castle Gar-

j|en, at the Battery,

fS'ew York. The ge-

j|ial sunshine, the ac-

•vity in the harbor,

jtshe swarms of people,

.l|ll thawed out his

loneliness and au-
gured that he had

peached the land of

Opportunity. When

%c left the ship, he

Bought a prune pie

|rom a vendor. The

»ie, however, proved a

Siarc and a delusion.

"The more boys work with
their apparatus, the more knowl-
edge of the science of electricity
they will obtain and the more
will their interest in the marvels
of radio be aroused. Radio is
the coming science and if its
disciples attain as much practical
experience and grounding in
electrical principles as is possible
to crowd into their lives, they
can be sure of making progress."
— PROFESSOR PUPIN.

It was filled with prune pits instead of the
actual prunes. Having spent his entire cap-
ital, he nonchalantly strolled up Broadway.
So Michael Pupin, now professor of electro-
mechanics at Columbia University, and widely
known as the inventor of the Pupin coil, en-
tered America.

He had run away from home. Back in
Hungary, he had been known as a bright boy
who had too easily absorbed the nationalistic
theories of the radicals and so had been trans-
ferred from his own
local school to Prague.
There, disgusted with
the military spirit of
the academy, he de-
cided to run away to
America. It was a
sudden decision-
There was no time to
write home and dis-
cuss the plan, but
time only to hurry to
Hamburg where an
immigrant ship bound
for America sailed.
To supplement his
scanty funds, he sold
his warm clothing,

66o

Radio Broadcast

his books and even then, lacking sufficient
money, he had to sell his heavy sheep's wool
overcoat and cap to eke out his steerage fare.
Then clad in the light summer suit — his sole
remaining garment — plus the red fez, he came
aboard.

Immigrants had to supply their own bed-
ding. But young
Michael Pupin, too
poor to buy even a
mattress and blanket
for the hard bare
floor of a third-class
ship, hugged close to
the smoke stack and
fought off intruders.
He had national tra-
ditions and five cents
to bring to the new
country.

Discharged from
Castle Garden, Pupin
looked with bewil-
dered eyes at the
clanging horse cars,
at the thick network
of telegraph wires
overhanging the
buildings, at the hand-
some new custom
house, at the New-
York of 1874. Prague
and Budapest had
seemed bustling cities
compared to his na-
tive village but the vastness of New York
overshadowed even those cities.

TWO-FISTED AMERICANS

HE WAS soon accosted by a group of news-
boys attracted by the novel fez. Pupin
could speak no English, and the bully of the
crowd, finding that he could not fight him with
words, substituted fists. These Pupin under-
stood much better. In his native Hungary, he
had tended cattle and out in the open had
learned wrestling from the sportive herdsmen.
He was lithe and strong. It was not long be-
fore he had his adversary down on the ground
yelling "enough."

"I then had my first introduction to Amer-
ica," Professor Pupin relates. "In Europe a
crowd stuck together, putting up a united
front against the stranger. Over here, on my
first morning, the newsboys initiated me into
the fraternity of fair play. When the boys
saw that I had won the fight honorably, they
cheered me and when a large official in blue

Once in a Lifetime

The story of the success of Michael Pupin,
who progressed from a poor immigrant, who
landed in New York with five cents in his
pocket, to a famous scientist known and re-
spected by the entire world is one which can't
be read very often. But a success such as his
happens just frequently enough to assure the
world that such things can happen, after all.
It was not altogether by what the enthusi-
astic fiction writers call "sheer pluck and
indomitable energy" that Pupin arrived at
the position he now holds. There is a great
deal of what we call ability involved. Pro-
fessor Pupin, in addition to being a scientist
of unquestioned standing and prominence, is
personally, a tremendously good fellow, as
any of his acquaintances will tell you. Miss
May's story is published through arrange-
ment with Charles Scribner's Sons, New
York, who publish his autobiography, From
Immigrant to Inventor. Many of the photo-
graphs used in this article are reproduced
through, the courtesy of Scribner's.

— THE EDITOR.

suddenly appeared, they apparently inter-
ceded in my behalf, for the large official
dropped his gruff tones, released my arm and
even handed me my battered fez, torn and
dusty from the scuffle. My adversary shook
hands with me and as I swaggered back to
Castle Garden the whole crowd cheered. I al-
ready, liked America.
Even in far-off
Hungary the fame of
Franklin and Lincoln
had penetrated.
Now, while working
on a Delaware farm —
almost his first job
— the immigrant boy
learned the legends
of Pocahontas, of the
Jamestown settle-
ment, the gallant
Captain Smith, and
many of the other
blood-quickening
tales of pioneer
America.

IN PHILADELPHIA
LIKE FRANKLIN

HE lessons which
I learned from
my farm teacher
seemed to prove
that America was a
great country with
equal opportunities

for all if we could only take advantage of
them," Professor Pupin says. "I made up
my mind to find new opportunities for myself,
to leave the Delaware farm and to journey to
Philadelphia."

"I had compared myself to Benjamin
Franklin, whose story I loved because he had.
been my incentive in coming to America and
because he had first awakened an interest in
electricity. I made my entrance into the
town in the most approved Franklin manner,
walking along the street eating a roll. Al-
though I wandered five days I could find no
work. I was ready for opportunity but it
seemed to have passed me by. My heavy
farm boots were almost worn out from hard
use I had given them while I searched for a
job. My ten dollars — wages I had brought
from the farm — was nearly gone. As I sat i ft
Fairmount Park and ate a big Philadelphia
bun, I reflected that even Franklin with all his
hardships, had been an American and had
known the printing trade and all I knew was

How Michael Pupin Succeeded

661

how to drive mules. While 1 moodily specu-

( lated on my difficulties, a farmer approached

, me and offered me a job driving mules. 1

accepted and once more left for the country."

',' But the farm was hot, the opportunities to

learn English or a new trade negligible, so once

rnore Pupin took up his wanderings. From

the farm in southern Maryland, he journeyed

to Baltimore and thence to New York. In

those days before the Pennsylvania tunnel,

'trains deposited their passengers at Jersey

'City and a ferry took them over from there to

New York. Along with the rest of the crowd,

^Pupin was landed in lower New York in the

heart of the shipping district.

As he walked uncertainly through the un-
familiar neighborhood, he saw a small hotel
'AJvith a German name. It was an oasis in a
Vegion of strange sights and sounds. The
proprietor had a son about Pupin's own age
and the two became friends immediately.

Pupin's funds were so limited that the two
boys decided their first consideration must be
•to get him a job. This, however, was no easy
"matter. During the previous year the entire
country had suffered from the great panic of
/i 873. This was the summer of 1874, but the

country was not yet settled again. There was
widespread unemployment. No matter how
early the two boys went in response to adver-
tisements for labor, they were sure to find long
lines ahead of them. In those gloomy days
men were so desperate they waited all night
at the newspaper offices so that they could
read the "help wanted" inserts in the first
editions and stand all night in line to apply
for work the next morning.

Pupin and Christian, the son of the hotel
keeper, soon discovered that the erstwhile
farmhand would never get a job in this way.
More drastic methods were necessary in a
neighborhood so close to the shipping center.
The opportunity finally presented itself. Dur-
ing a strike of longshoremen, Christian,! wjio
acted as Pupin's business manager, signed up
his client as a scab.

"My job was to help the sailors paint the
ship," Professor Pupin remembers. " Partly as
a means of protecting us from the strikers and
partly as a means of getting the work done
quickly, we substitute workers were out in. the
bay. Of course, 1 knew nothing about pa.int-
ing but bitter need for employment will give
us ability to do almost anything. At the end

CASTLE GARDEN, NEW YORK

Where Pupin landed from the German immigrant ship in 1874. Castle Garden has since been con-
verted into the Aquarium and immigrants no longer land there, hut down the Bay at Ellis Island.

662

Radio Broadcast

of three weeks, when I returned to the little
German hotel and my friend, I was a full
fledged painter with thirty dollars, which was
more money than I had ever earned before.

My new found work was short-lived. Chris-
tian left town for a Western city and I, with
my best friend gone, was no longer interested
in the German hotel. I rented a small room
near Cooper Union, in an entirely different
part of New York.

WHERE HIS STUDY REALLY BEGAN

HPHEN I started hunting work as a painter.
' Conditions were hopeless; more than a
year had passed since the great panic, and
labor was still a drug on the market. I
tramped the streets from early morning until
the last shop closed, but I could not find em-
ployment. My little hall bed room was so
unfriendly that I formed the habit of spending
my evenings at Cooper Union. Here I first
read of the mysteries of science and tried to
reason out the phenomena of sound and light.
"After 1 had hunted work in vain for several
weeks I finally created a job for myself. 1

followed coal wagons and when the coal was
dumped in front of its destination, I would
offer to put the coal in the cellar for fifty cents
a ton. It was back-breaking work. I fre-
quently toiled two days to make a half a dollar.
But when it was over, I could buy a bowl of
filling bean soup and a chunk of brown bread
for five cents at the Bowery Mission, so 1 never
starved.

"When the coal was in the cellar I would
suggest that 1 paint the walls and ceiling of the
basement. My story of being a journeyman
painter out of work and forced to carry coal
for fifty cents a ton was so heartrending that
owners were often glad to help me by giving
me painting jobs. Carrying coal and refur-
bishing damp, dismal cellars were not cheerful
occupations for the winter, you will admit."

In the spring, Pupin paid a return visit tc
the German hotel keeper. He was full of sym-
pathy for the unfortunate immigrant and
promised to get him a steady job. Within a
few days he had made good his word. Pupin
had a position in a cracker factory, working
with a squad of boys punching the name of

PUPIN S BIRTHPLACE

In Idvor, in Banat, Hungary. The house is the first on the left. Pupin left his native
Hungary in 1874 to come to this country where he landed with scarcely a cent in his pocket

How Michael Pupin Succeeded

663

. the company on sweet biscuits. 1 1 was not the
^mechanical act. of pressing the name on the
crackers that interested him, for that merely
required a certain manual dexterity. It was
the. boiler room in the factory that fascinated
iseventeen-year-old Pupin.
; Early in the morning, before the factory
whistle blew, he was shoveling coal, watching
the fires, and learning engineering from the
fireman. There, in the boiler room, he had his
first lessons in engineering. He was puzzling
over the phenomena of light and sound, but
the boiler-room professor could not shed much
light on his difficulties.

A BOILER SHOP SCHOOL

THIS improvised school, .with its science
department in the basement, had a clas-
sical course which was given on the top floor.
In a philanthropic attempt to utilize some
: waste space to the advantage of the workers,
the company had made sleeping accommoda--
tions in the attic of the factory. Pupin, a
homeless waif, lived in this make-shift dormi-
'; tory. One of his roommates was a crippled
German student with a remarkable knowledge
of Greek and Latin, a ven-
eration for ancient civiliza-
tion, and a contempt for
modern industrialism. He
instilled in Pupin a love for
the classics. At the close
of the factory day the two
machine workers forgot
their manual labor during
the long mill hours, and re-
cited Latin prose and reveled
in the sound of Greek verse.
Naturally under these cir-
cumstances, Pupin longed
!for more education. He
• had no money to pay for
•college tuition. But a boy
who had taught himself the
ways of a new land could
find the means to get fur-
ther education. He did.
The factory was his high
school. For a science lab-
oratory, he used the boiler
room . and for his classical
subjects, he had an expert
tutor in the German
: scholar. In his Columbia
College entrance examina-
tions he did so brilliantly
that he was given a scholar-
ship for the entire four years.

College over, Pupin was offered his choice of
a fellowship in either literature or science.
His record in both departments had been
equally high, but he chose the science. •••.

"When I was a little sheep herder in the old
country," Professor Pupin confides, "we used
to warn each other about straying cattle, by
means of signals which we sent by tapping on
a knife stuck deep in the hard ground. 1 had
observed that the sound was carried for greater
distance through the hard ground than
through the air. I could not understand why.
It was a problem that fascinated me so that
when I had the chance to continue my studies,
I selected science in the hope that it might
answer my question."

In Europe, Professor Pupin worked at. Cam-
bridge and then studied for a doctor's degree
at Berlin. Meantime Columbia University,
his alma mater, had organized a department of
electrical engineering in the school of mines.
When Pupin heard of it, he applied for the
position. Needless to say a student who had
made his brilliant college record, who had won
scholarships in Europe, was promptly given
the post at Columbia.

© Underwood & Underwood
A RECENT PHOTOGRAPH
Of Professor Pupin, who now holds the chair of
mathematical physics at Columbia University

664

Rg.dio Broadcast

A PROFESSOR AT COLUMBIA

THE physical equipment of the new de-
partment was primitive. There was only
a temporary shed, a "cowshed" the students
called it, with a laboratory equipment of a
dynamo, a motor, and an alternator. 1 1 seemed
a hopeless prospect to the young teacher fresh
from the marvels of European science but his
enthusiasm was such as to conquer all diffi-
culties.

" From my studies of the experiments of the
European physicists,
1; concluded that
sound, like Ijght, trav-
eled by the vibrations
being carried from
one wave to the other,
reinforced by each
wavelength. I be-
lieved that by short-
ening the length of
the wave, the sound
could be carried fur-
ther and on this
basis I perfected my
induction coil. By
using three or four
coils to the mile on a
long-distance tele-
phone wire, the size
of the wire could be
considerably reduced.
Not long ago, a friend
of mine, a telephone
executive, figured

that my invention had saved the telephone
company about a hundred million dollars and
went on to say that without it long-distance
communication could never have been greater
than about twelve miles."

Professor Pupin has not only cradled the art
of long-distance telephonic communication but
he is responsible for six out of the nine basic
radio inventions. In 1895-6, while he was an
assistant professor at Columbia and working in
the derided "cowshed" laboratory, he evolved
an apparatus for electrical tuning and rectifi-
cation, and in 1902 he sold his patents to the
Marconi Company. This fact is not generally
remembered.

Professor Pupin, fresh from his European
studies, had become much interested in the
theories of Hertz, the father of radio, and had
begun experimenting with them. At that
time, the rectification electrical transmission of
sound was not known, the waves brought an
indistinguishable buzz which Professor Pupin

PROF. M. I. PUPIN

In 1883 when he graduated
from Columbia University

hoped to make audible. After a year's ex-
perimenting, he succeeded.

Sounds which the waves brought could now-
be understood. But the growth of radio had
only just begun. Professor -Pupin, who nur-
tured radio in its infancy, brought it still
another step . forward. He suggested .modi-
fications which transformed these explosive
electrical motions into more or less ^damped
oscillations.

All of us know to-day that when our
receiver is not in resonance with some par-
ticular transmitter,
we simply turn a
knob to get the de-
sired wavelength.
But in the 1890'$
tuning- wasn't so sim-
ple. In fact, trouble-
some wavelengths
were one of the big-
gest drawbacks -to
the science. Profes-
sor >Pupin undertook
to correct, this de-
ficiency. Through
e x h a u s t i ve experi-
ments, he devised
an ^apparatus which
sup-erimposed these
waves and got them
in phase.

"The electrical tun-
ing at .the receiving
end, as we know it.
came into use when

Marconi took over my invention of electrical
tuning," Professor Pupin explains. "Selectivity
was thus introduced into wireless reception and
it eliminated some of the objections to the new
form of electrical communication. Rectifica-
tion of the received electrical oscillations by.
crystals of asymmetrical conductivity, or by
my balanced electrolytic rectifier was the next
advance."

A TEACHER OF FAMOUS MEN

AS, A teacher, Professor Pupin has started
many of our most famous radio figures on
their triumphant way. At one time three boys
were working under him for their doctor's
degrees. They were E. H. Armstrong, 'J.
H. Morecroft, now of Columbia University,
and Alfred N. Goldsmith of the College of
the City of New York. It was in Professor
Pupin's laboratory at Columbia that Arm-
strong successfully developed his feed back cir-
cuits. It was in Professor Pupin's laboratory

How Michael Puj3ih' Succeeded

"665

that Robert Andrew Millikan began his scien-
tific career.

Pupin, this famous teacher of famous men,
exhorts boss everywhere to "monkey with
their sets."

"The more boys work with their apparatus,
the more knowledge of the science of electri-
city they will obtain, and the more will their
interest in the marvels of radio be aroused,"
he says. "Radio is the coming science, and
if its disciples attain as much practical expe-
rience and grounding in electrical principles as
is possible to crowd into their lives, they can
be sure of making progress."

During the war, Professor Pupin did re-
search work for the United States Government

in radio communication. His results became
government secrets and outside of the. fact
that his war activities necessitated many trips
to Key West, the world knows nothing of his
work. As a product of his activity at this
time, he helped organize the third arm Of our
national defence— the National Research
Council, an organization of scientific men
with headquarters in Washington.

The story of America contains many epics of
boys who, beginning at the bottom, struggled
to the top, but none illustrates more clearly
than this one the chances for a penniless,
working boy to achieve a technical educa-
tion and to become a power in the scientific
world.

THE CHURCH

Where Pupin worshipped as a young boy in Idvor

A Word About Common Deceptions in the Sale of Tubes, Batteries, Antennas,
and Complete Sets — Some Guides for the Tyro Wandering in the Radio Forest

BY WILLIAM P. GREEN

Associate Director of the National Vigilance Committee, Associated Advertising Clubs of the World.

ROBABLY the most outstanding in-
stance of outright fraud in radio to-
day, is found in the manufacture and
sale of counterfeit tubes, both in tube
construction and in fake labels and cartons.
The; counterfeiting at times would almost
baffle :an expert.

In some instances former employees of large
electrical manufacturing concerns which hold
tube patents are ferreted out as members of
these counterfeiting rings. They hold forth
in secluded. spots, sometimes in the rear, of a
gafage or perhaps in a private residence. No
signs are in evidence to indicate what is being
done on the premises. Frequently the blinds
ate drawn. In many cases investigators have
found it :. difficult to secure entrance at all,
visitors being required to state their business
in. a front hallway or even out on the sidewalk.
As1 many as eight
hundred tubes a day
have been manufac-
tured in one of these
places alone.

i Recently a com-
plaint was made to
the National Vigi-
lance Committee that
a concern in a middle
western city was sell-
ing tubes represented
to be genuine Radio
Corporation of Amer-
ica products, under
circumstances that
appeared suspicious.
Tubes were purchased
at the store and for-
warded east for ex-
amination. This ex-
amination showed
that the grid, plate,
and the glass bulbs
were not genuine R.
C. A. products. The
bases were the genu-
ine article. The use

Truth in Advertising

Is the splendid slogan of the Associated
Advertising Clubs of the World, and this
forms the second of a series of excellent
articles by Mr. Green, an official of that or-
ganization, on common deceptions in radio
merchandising and advertising, all of which
are violations of faith, whether the decep-
tions are committed intentionally or other-
wise. The first of Mr. Green's articles
appeared in RADIO BROADCAST for August,
1924, and discussed fraudulent practises in
selling complete radio receivers. The Better
Business Commission, which is now organized
in 36 cities in the United States, has also in
some cities taken steps to insure that radio
dealers abide strictly by the highest code of
professional ethics in their advertising and
merchandising. Neither this magazine nor
Mr. Green wish to give the impression that
the radio business is full of irresponsible and
conniving dealers. That there are not more
dealers whose methods are not above re-
proach is remarkable, considering their now
large numbers. Every one who buys radio
apparatus should be interested in what Mr.
Green has to say. — Tin- KDITOK.

of the base in this way made it possible for
the tubes to be sold with every appearance of
being a genuine Radio Corporation product.

Occasionally the practice of buying up worn
out tubes of standard make, in order to secure
the bases, is discovered. Add to the base a
counterfeit filament and other essential parts
and the finished product has all the appearance
of the genuine article. Even the identifica-
tion mark, such as the well known General
F.lectn'c circle frequently is counterfeited.
The counterfeiting of the cartons and the
directions accompanying standard make tubes
usually is accomplished by means of the ordin-
ary photographic plate process.

One manufacturer of counterfeit tubes may
sell to many distributors. As a general rule
the distributor knows what he is buying and
when questioned about the tubes he is market-
ing, he refuses to dis-
close the source of
supply.

The manufacture
of counterfeit tubes
is, of course, outright
fraud. It is not to be
classed with many
other forms of decep-
tion and trickery that
put in an appearance.

REPAIRED TUBES

THIS counterfeit-
ing of tubes is one
of the handicaps in
radio to the removal
of which manufac-
turers and retailers
are devoting much
attention.

Some concerns
advertise that they
will repair radio tubes
and this raises the
interesting point of
whether the tube
actually is repaired

The Way of the Transgressor

667

or a new tube constructed on the old base.
This question is closely concerned with the
patent rights of the leading manufacturers of
tubes.

There is one Feaeral decision which holds in
effect, that the replacement of a vital part is a
violation of pat-
ent rights.

Most certainly
the filament of a
vacuum tube is the
vital element of
the product (said
an official of the
Radio Corporation
of America in dis-
cussing this ques-
tion). It is the
part that emits the
electrons, produc-
ing the actual
phenomenon of de-
tection or amplifi-
cation. There is
no substitute that
can be used for this
filament. If it is
omitted, no results
whatever will be
obtained. In most
so called repair
work, the replacing
of the filament is
not the only thing
that is done. A
new vacuum must
be obtained to per-
mit the electrons
to pass from the
filament to the
plate. The tube,
therefore, must be
evacuated anew

and, as a matter of fact, it costs almost as much
to repair certain tubes on a commercial scale
as it does to make a brand new product.

This question of tube manufacture and re-
pair still is fraught with some uncertainty.
The chief interest of the consumer is in the
question of whether tubes are genuine or
counterfeit, actually repaired or completely
rebuilt, and, in any case, whether the result, as
determined by actual use, is in accord with
the representations made by the advertiser.
The average consumer is not much interested
in patent rights or infringements. What he
wants to know is whether the merchandise
he buys is what it is represented to be, in name,
quality, and utility.

Still other conditions which vitally affect
the public are coming in for consideration.

L. E. HOLLAND

\Vho is serving his third term as president of the Associated
Advertising Clubs of the World Himself an ardent radio
enthusiast, Mr. Holland has been keenly interested from the
beginning in the protection of the radio industry and the public
from deceptive merchandising and advertising practices

Perhaps the most interesting of these is the
cut price situation. Some retailers, as a
steady policy, offer sets at prices on which the
manufacturers claim the retailer cannot possi-
bly make a profit. These manufacturers do
not claim that the merchandise is not always

genuine or that
it is defective,
although many
purchases have
been traced
where such was
the case. Their
chief contention
is that in some
instances cut
price merchan-
dise is offered as
a leader in order
to bring the cus-
tomer into the
store as prey for
the sale of other
inferior goods.
Undoubtedly it
is true that radio
offers a fertile
field for certain
types of "bait
advertising" be-
cause of the
number of acces-
sories needed
with a set. In
many cases the
t o\ a I cost of
such accessories
equals or exceeds
the cost of the

set itself.

The source of supply of cut price merchan-
dise is a constant problem with the radio manu-
facturer. Much of this cut price merchandise
is secured through indirect channels. The re-
tailer asks some friend in a distant city, who
happens to be in good standing with the dis-
tributor, to order certain goods which, when
received, are relayed to the retailer desiring
them. Another source of supply is the over-
stocked retailer who, when a representative
of a cut price store appears on the scene, is
glad to unload at a price approximating the
manufacturer's.

One retailer, whose chain of radio stores
features cut price merchandise, maintains
that the radio manufacturer's profits are in
proportion to his sales and that the retail price
is not a factor in his profits at all.

668

Radio Broadcast

DOWN WITH THE ROOF WIRES

Regardless of the type of tube
set you operate, this indoor
aerial will equal, and in many
cases exceed, any outdoor aerial
you may be using.

MORE THAN A SHADOW OF DOUBT
Kxtravagant claims, which in many instances,
actual trial shows to be unjustified, breed certain
dissatisfaction and tend to impair the enthusiasm of
radio purchasers. The radio public itself should
cooperate to require advertisers to tell the truth
about their products

: "If the manufacturer maintains a senti-
mental attitude as to how his goods shall be
priced by the retailer," he argues, "let him
total his cash book at the end of the year and
he will find that the radio chain store quite
probably has moved one hundred times as
much merchandise as the collection of small
jobbers."

Careful reading of magazines and news-
papers continues to disclose practices which
bear out the statement that radio is passing
through a period in which the buying public
must exercise great caution and discrimination.
Take as an illustration a recent advertisement
of a well known battery by a retail store. It
road-

We are the only dealer in
the city in a position to supply
the public with unlimited
quantities of this

NEW

108 volt B battery

The fact was that this battery, instead of
being a new model, was being discontinued.
The agency handling the advertising copy ex-
plained that the word "new" was intended to
mean that the batteries were fresh from the
factory and that "unlimited" meant that
enough were available to supply the store's
trade. Certainly the word "new" in the copy
was objectionable because the average reader
might well take the advertisement to mean
that the manufacturer was bringing out a new
model.

THE OVER-HNTHUSIASTIC ADVERTISER

NOW and then advertisers inadvertently
get off on the wrong foot. Around the
time of the national political conventions, an
eastern manufacturer of radio sets advertised
in newspapers on the Pacific Coast, urging the
public to buy his product in time to listen in.
Investigation developed that Kansas City was
the nearest point from which the conventions
were being broadcast and the feat of reaching
that far east from the west coast during the
day time, when range of reception is very
limited, was anything but a certainty. Again
we have the manufacturer of a well known
loud speaker, whose advertising in the middle
west emphasized the pleasure to be derived
from listening in on New York grand opera.
It is well known that the Metropolitan com-
pany is not heard over the air.

Another case in point is the loose statements
made about "noisy batteries." One radio
expert to whom the writer talked recently
stated that such noise practically never occurs
in batteries used for filament supply but that
it sometimes is found in plate batteries. The
cause is either a defective cell in the battery,
or a loose connection between the cells. Al-
most any dry cell, he pointed out, even those of
the most reliable makes, may develop noise
when they are nearly used up.

Other extravagant claims are made con-
cerning the life of batteries. This is a difficult
factor to determine, and it is here that bat-
teries of different manufacture may be ex-
pected to vary materially if at all. Only
usage can determine the real utility and life
of any particular battery with consideration,
of course, for proper care. This is all the more
reason why purchasers of radio equipment
should give real consideration to the makes and
types of batteries they purchase for their sets
in order that they may have the maximum
protection on the money expended.

Claims for new and startling discoveries in
the battery field likewise should be carefully
examined. Years of study have brought them
to their present point of efficiency and most
of the possible improvements could hardly be
called revolutionary.

Within the last year one concern has ad-
vertised that its batteries will enable the opera-
tor of a radio set in the middle west to hear
England or South America as clearly as De-
troit or Chicago. The advertising copy was
so worded as to make it appear that whatever
troubles are encountered with a set may be
removed by substituting the batteries ad-

The Way of the Transgressor

669

vertised for those in use. This is obviously
absurd.

Another type of advertising into which
the public should inquire carefully before
purchasing the goods advertised is that offer-
ing various indoor aerials either of the loop
or single wire type. Representations that
such aerials will equal or outdo the results
obtained with an outdoor aerial, regardless
of the type of set used, are not always justi-
fied, as shown by actual experience in certain
locations and under varying conditions. Re-
sults obtained at close range may not be pos-
sible at a'l over long distances and it would be
well for purchasers to have a very definite
understanding that the merchandise may be
returned if it does not live up to the claims
made for it.

Then again, we often hear mathematics
spoken of as an exact science. One might
reasonably conclude from this that statements
in radio advertising that are based on mathe-
matical calculation could be taken without
the proverbial grain of salt. That such is not
always the case, however, was demonstrated
recently when a well known radio store ad-
vertised a standard make receiver at half price,
with the added attractive offer that with each
purchase an extra piece of apparatus, designed
to increase signal strength, selectivity and to
improve tone quality, would be given free.

Price figures were set out in detail, as illus-
trated in the following:

List price of receiver

List price of extra unit ....

Now if the receiver were being sold at half
price, and the extra unit given free with each
purchase, the customer would have to put on
the counter only $751. to be entitled to the
complete outfit. On the contrary, however,
the price quoted was $87.50. Either the re-
ceiver was not being sold at half price or the
extra piece of apparatus was not being given
free to each purchaser of a set. The advertis-
ing agency explained the discrepancy by saying
that a mistake had been made in the figures.

BUY CARH FULLY

RADIO BROADCAST, through its columns, is
endeavoring to inform the public concern-
ing practices by reason of which purchasers of
sets and accessories should shop carefully. The
National Vigilance Committee of the Associ-
ated Advertising Clubs of the World recently
prepared a resume of practices which may 'be
useful to the radio public in reading radio ad-

8 1 50 . oo
25.00

vertising and in making purchases on the
strength of it. This resume is as follows:

i. — Appropriation of radio tube type numbers,
or any substantial or material part thereof,
such numbers having been originated by
and become identified with the products of
certain well-known manufacturers is a form
of unfair competition. Illustrations of
such original type numbers are "wo-ia",
"uv-i99" and ''aoi-A1' as applied to the
tubes of the Radio Corporation of America,
and "ov-2" as applied to the tubes manu-
factured by the De Forest Radio Telephone
and Telegraph Company. Tubes manu-
factured by any other companies should be
advertised and sold under their own
original and distinctive identification
marks.

2. — Sets built by retail stores and containing
certain licensed parts bearing the names of
well-known manufacturers of sets using the
same circuits, should be advertised and
sold in such a way as to make it perfectly
clear to the public that they are store built
rather than factory built. Neutrodyne
sets are a case in point.

3. — When a concern seeks to advertise any
type of radio product concerning which
there is reason to believe that the patent
or license rights do not permit the manu-
facture or sale of the product, the concern
should be required to make a reasonable
showing that it is within its legal rights
and entitled to market the merchandise.

4. — Claims for radio apparatus, such as dis-
tance reception, should in most cases be
based on average performance rather than
some rare, exceptional feat. If the ex-
ceptional instance is featured, the advertis-

SPECIAL OFFER
FOR TODAY ONLY

THE SENSATIONAL COLUMBIA
REFLEX

At the Unheard-of Price of

$79.50

DOES THIS MEAN WHAT IT SAYS?
In going to a store in response to an advertisement
like .this, it is important to observe whether or not
the retailer has on hand a sufficient number of these
sets to fill a reasonably popular demand. Often
only one set, advertised as the sample ad above
shows, are being offered as bait to get the public
into the store. The customer should be careful
to see that the accessories he buys with the set are
genuine and recognized by the trade as efficient
products

670

Radio Broadcast

KXO. o. «. wrwrr orrict

Model UY-201-A

DETECTOR

Model UV-201-A

DETECTOR

AMPLIFIER

Fit. VOITS.™.- J

FIL AHP -41

HATf V..

AMPUFI

FIL VOLTS

PUTE

Radio
Corporation

Corporation

WHICH IS GENUINE?

The only distinguishing mark between the two tube cartons cannot be de-
tected' in the photograph. The carton on the right is genuine and the one
on' the'left is ; counterfeit. The tube which came in the counterfeit container
was counterfeit. The color of ink on the genuine container was a deeper red
than the false one

ing copy should make clear the fact that
•• the same result is not to be expected in
average day to day performance. Much
disappointment and dissatisfaction may be
avoided if radio novices are given some
information in advance that atmospheric
disturbances, seasons, and other conditions
affect radio reception.

:5. — Merchandise advertised as being reduced
from a certain list price and represented as
possessing the list price value, should carry
all of the advantages, such as factory
guarantees and repair privileges, to which
any purchaser who buys at the regular list
price is entitled. Otherwise the customer
is not getting the complete service or value
that is included in the regular list price
quoted in the advertisement.

6. — Advertising of radio sets should state what
accessories, if any, are included at the
price quoted, and if accessories are not
included, this should be apparent from the
wording and arrangement of the advertis-
ing copy.

7..— Claims as to batteries and other accessories
should accord with such limitations of

performance as recog-
nized scientific opinion
in the industry has de-
termined that the pur-
chaser may reasonably
expect from a particu-
lar type of product.
Guarantees, refunds
and other sales appeals
should be free from the
ambiguity or tricks
that sometimes make
them the source of cur-
rent dissatisfaction and
a future distrust of
advertising.

8. — When a set is adver-
tised at a reduced price
after the model has
been discontinued by
the factory, it should
not be represented as
still possessing its reg-
ular list price in a way
that leads the public to
believe that it is secui-
ing a much better cur-
rent value than actu-
ally is the case.

9. — When any particular
. piece of radio mer-
chandise is featured
through advertising as
a leader, the concern
should be required to
have a sufficient supply
on hand to fill a reasonable public demand.

10. — Claims for the efficiency of indoor aerials,
as compared with outdoor ones should
be made with due consideration of the
types of radio sets to be operated, dis-
tances from broadcasting stations, location
of the aerial or loop in the buildings where
used, etc.

ii. — Advertising of radio devices to reduce
station interference should not infer that
any number of broadcasters may be elim-
inated at one time, when such is not the
case. Claims of the perfect operation of
such devices should be made with due re-
gard for usage under exacting conditions, in
that such merchandise usually is purchased
by reason of unfavorable location, or out
of date receiving apparatus, etc.

12. — In advertising radio accessories, such as
dry batteries, which show certain shelf de-
preciation over a period of time, use of the
word "new" should carry with it a clear
indication of whether reference is being
made to a new model of the article involved,
or merely to the receipt of new stock, fresh
from the factory.

What Reflex Means

How One Tube is Made to Do the Work of Two — Problems of Reflexing and
How They Are Solved— Various Uses of Reflexing— Another Family Tree Diagram

BY JULIAN KAY

TH IS article in this series of informative articles about some of the technical phases
of radio written in a decidedly non-technical fashion deals this month with the use
of reflexing. The patent on the reflex system dates back to February, 1913, when
Schloemilch and Van Bronck had their application approved. There are few who
have heard something about radio who haven't also heard the word "reflex."
Many radio listeners want a good review of reflexing and that is just what Mr.
Kay has done. Other articles in Mr. Kay's "What's In a Name?" series have
discussed the various classes of receivers in use, radio-frequency amplification, audio-
frequency amplification, and the super-heterodyne. — THE EDITOR.

THE old song that "every little bit
added to what you've got makes just
a little bit more" applies nowhere
in radio quite so well as in this reflex
business. Given a small pocket book and a
long way to go via radio, what is one to do?
The answer is to add just the little bit more —
and that is what reflexing effectually does.

In the preceeding articles of this series, the
various forms of detectors and amplifiers have-
been analyzed as separate units. Some men-
tion has been .made* of complete receiving
equipment such as the neutrodyne and the
heterodyne, both of which are really efficient
combinations both of detectors and amplifiers.
It is in the latter class of complete receivers
that the reflex lies.

The Family Tree diagram on page 672 shows
the place of the reflex among radio circuits.
It is a combination, a sort of trick combination
if you will, of a detector and two amplifiers.
The reflex idea may be extended to other com-
plete receiving systems, such as to the neutro-
dyne, for example in the Fada 160, or to the
super-heterodyne as in the Radiola.

The main idea of reflexing is to do away with
one vacuum tube, to make one do the work of
two. And while it is fairly simple to build a
detector and an amplifier as separate units,
it is a more difficult problem to build a reflex
that works as well as the more complicated
apparatus it replaces. Unless the reflex is
correctly constructed from tried and true
methods it will lose as much or more than it
gains— a state of affairs that is not true econ-
omy.

Fig. i shows the general scheme. Energy
from the output of the circuit is fed back into
the input so that the apparatus involved does
double duty. The necessity for the frequency
changer lies in the fact that one cannot per-
form this feeding back stunt without having
something happen — a something usually made
evident by howls and groans. In other words,
the amplifier oscillates.

A SIMPLE FORM OF REFLEX

A SIMPLE form of reflex with which every-
one is familiar is the well known "tickler"
feed back affair. In this case, shown in Fig. 2,
some of the radio frequency energy is placed in
the input again by means of a coil inserted in
the output or plate circuit. If the tickler is
brought near enough to the secondary coil, the
system oscillates. The remarkable amplifica-
tion that results just before oscillation takes
place is well known.

I f the same scheme could be applied to audio-
frequency amplifiers, much more amplification

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672

Radio Broadcast

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What Reflex Means

673

might be expected. Here, however, we are
dealing with a different problem. In the tick-
ler case we are interested in a very small per-
centage of the total frequency, that of the in-
coming signals, say one million cycles. The
tuning is so adjusted and the position of the

— FIG. 2

One of the simplest forms of reflex and one of the
best known. The coil in the plate circuit is known
to all users of regenerative sets. Some of the radio
frequency energy is fed back again through the tickler
coil to the primary circuit

tickler so arranged that oscillations over this
comparatively narrow band can be controlled.

In audio-frequency amplifiers, however, we
are interested in the uniform amplification of
the whole band of frequencies from fifty to
several thousand cycles. If the tickler were
adjusted for one particular frequency, oscilla-
tions would probably occur at another. For
code reception where all signals can be brought
to a single audible note, say 1000 cycles, the
audio amplifier may be made to regenerate in
this fashion with remarkable results.

In the case of the resistance-coupled ampli-
fier, as illustrated in Fig. 3, part of the output
energy of one tube is sent around the circuit
again. There are certain precautions that

must be taken before such a scheme works,
precautions with what the engineer would call
the "phase relations." In general such feed
back is undesirable because of the difficulty in
controlling the system.

WHEN AMPLIFIERS OSCILLATE

A UDIO-FREQUENCY amplifiers very fre-
** quently do oscillate, a result of some un-
desirable coupling between the output and the
input. A high pitched squeal may betray this
state of affairs, but often the oscillations take
place at a frequency above audibility. Lack of
amplification and some distortion is the result.
It is for this reason that all grid and plate leads
in multi-stage amplifiers should be as short and
as far apart as possible.

In practice, then, a frequency changer fol-
lows the amplifier that is to be reflexed and it
is the greatly changed frequencies that are
returned to a precceding part of the circuit to
go the rounds again. Fig. 4 shows the general
principle. Incoming signals are sent through
a radio-frequency amplifier where they are
boosted in amplitude. They are then changed

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Reflexing in a resistance-coupled
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"^ THE ORDIf1Af?Y REFLEX

FIG. 4

A schematic diagram of the application of the reflex

principle to a common type of circuit. The paths

of the various frequencies are made quite clear by

the arrows

in frequency by the detector and are sent back
to the first amplifier. This first tube, as in
the Roberts Knockout circuit, has currents of
two widely different frequencies flowing
through it — so widely different that no inter-
action occurs. For instance at 300 meters the
incoming signals have a frequency of around
one million cycles, at least one hundred times
greater than any audio-frequency tone that
will be amplified.

The detector may be any one of the various
forms. Quite often a crystal is used, although
louder signals will result from using a tube
detector. The crystal is somewhat tricky in
adjustment, a fact that has some bearing on
the tuning and upon the quality of signals, as
will be explained later.

674

Radio Broadcast

The advantage of the reflex trick is obvious.
With two tubes, one used as a detector and the
other functioning as both radio- and audio-
frequency amplifier, we get results equal to
that when three tubes are used. This reduces
the first cost of the set by one third and at the
same time decreases the space required as well
as materially lessening the battery upkeep.

REFLEXED SL PER-HETERODYNE

ONE of the best examples of reflexing is
that performed on the super-heterodyne.
Fig. 5 shows how the idea is applied. Follow-
ing the first amplifiers, the frequencies are
materially reduced by means of a detector and
are then fed back into the amplifier whence
they go to other intermediate-frequency ampli-
fiers. Another stage of reflex might be applied
as the dotted lines show, but the trouble from
oscillations and from overloading probably
would not warrant this decrease in tubes.

THE INVERSE DUPLEX

THE Inverse Duplex credited to Grimes
is a good example of a complicated reflex,
as shown in Fig. 6. In this case radio signals
are amplified twice. Then the detector output
of low frequency is fed back into the second
radio amplifier, thence into the first radio am-
plifier and finally into an audio stage all its

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A schematic diagram of the Radio Corporation re-
flexed super-heterodyne. Some very delicate and
rather difficult technical problems are involved in
making a circuit of this sort commercially practic-
able, but it was done by Messrs. Armstrong and
Houck of the Radio Corporation

own. The " inverse" idea comes from the fact
that the second stage of radio is the first stage
of audio, and the first stage of radio is the sec-
ond of audio — just try and figure that out !

Other reflexes are shown on the Family Tree
diagram and do not differ materially from
those described.

REFLEX TROUBLES

HPHE only advantages in the use of reflexing

1 lie in the .economy of apparatus and space

effected. Electrically there is no advantage in

performing three operations in two tubes in
place of three. In fact, unless considerable
care is taken, there are several disadvantages.
For the fan, however, who is cramped for
funds, who wants to get "just a little bit more"
out of his apparatus, the reflex is the thing.
RADIO BROADCAST has taken considerable
pains to perfect the Roberts circuit which
works and works remarkably well. By follow-
ing the detailed directions that have been
given for its construction, any one can have

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The inverse reflex system usually known
by the trade name as the "inverse duplex"

an unqualified success with the circuit. The
other fellow has done the experimenting on it,
it is now on a pro bono publico basis.

There are several inherent disadvantages in
the reflex scheme. In the first place there are
currents of widely different frequencies in the
amplifier tubes. It is not the fact that these fre-
quencies are far apart that matters, for therein
lies its success, but the fact that the tubes are
doing double duty. Their plate circuits are
traversed by two currents, either of which may
be enough to overload the tube.

Receiving from a local station may cause the
entire straight portion of the tube "character-
istic" to be used. Addition of more voltage
from any source may cause the curved portion
of the characteristic to be used — and this
means modulation or distortion.

Overloading is particularly liable to take
place if high ratio transforfhers are used. This
effect was described in the article on audio-
frequency amplifiers in RADIO BROADCAST for
November, 1924. The remedy, of course, is
the proper C battery and a lower turn ratio.
As far as the writer knows there is no very higli
ratio transformer on the market to-day with
a proper characteristic, so that one is safe only
by avoiding the " 10 to i " coils.

Another defect is the introduction of hiqh

What Reflex Means

675

iripur

OUTPUT

FIG. 7

The usual push-pull audio-frequency amplifier

circuit. A special case of the push-pull circuit is

discussed in the accompanying article

resistance into the various circuits, either
through the transformer winding or by the
: crystal detector. This makes tuning broad,
• and in the crystal case it makes the tendency
! toward oscillation somewhat greater. For
: this reason, potentiometers are used to make
the amplifier grids positive — a bad practice at
best. Every adjustment of the crystal changes
the resistance in the circuit, and necessitates
readjustment of other parts of the set. Under
certain conditions better signals may be ob-
tained by removing the crystal contact, a sure
3ign that something is wrong. Often a point
may be found that gives loud signals which if
used in an ordinary crystal circuit would not
be sensitive at all. This is due to the semi-
regeneration which occurs in the circuit and is
caused by the crystal resistance.

THE PROPER TRANSFORMERS

OROVIDED the ratio is not too high and
\ the resistance not too great, any good
audio transformer may be used in reflex cir-
cuits. Here as in any other audio amplifier
circuit, only the best transformers should be
used — if one is interested in quality as well as
quantity. Much depends upon the proper
value of by-pass condensers, and the poor
quality emanating from some reflexes may be
traced to these small components.

For example, a small condenser placed
across the secondary winding of an amplify-
ing transformer has the same effect as a large
condenser shunted across the primary. The
result is that high frequencies find a ready
path through this effective primary capacity,
and they naturally refuse to bother going
through the transformer. The average trans-
former is a poor device anyway beyond 3000
cycles and when shunted by a condenser of
too large a capacity it misses most of the high
notes.

The coming year promises much in the way
of good transformers. The writer has seen one
new coil that will probably be on the market
by the time this is being read and doubtless

others are being perfected. The overall am-
plification of this transformer and a uv-2oi-A
tube is far beyond that attained at the present
time in the point of equality of amplification
over the audio band. The future of radio
seems to point toward better and better re-
production, a future that will be present as
soon as more nearly perfect transformers are
for sale.

PUSH-PULL REFLEX HOKUM

POURING the past year, the writer has
I—' seen several articles on how to reflex a
push-pull amplifier. Enormous amplification
is claimed, as one might suppose from getting
two tubes to act as four. Who couldn't get
signals loud enough to stop the clock with a
four stage amplifier, one of which is push-pull?

What is wrong with this scheme?

Fig. 7 is the conventional push-pull ampli-
fier. Between the B batteries and the output
winding are two "XV which should normally
be connected together. Now the great ad-
vantage of the push-pull amplifier connected
as shown, lies in the fact that all of the distor-
tion due to overloading is balanced out, ap-
pearing only at X and not in the output. 'Jf
one placed his receivers at X he would get all
of the distorting harmonics and none of the
fundamentals.

Fig. 8 is one of the reflex schemes. The
normal output is fed back into the input as

IfiPUT

FIG. 8

A reflex scheme which has been exploited to some
extent which contains a serious technical flaw ex-
plained in the article

shown and the receivers are placed where the
distortion is greatest. Another scheme is to
interchange the output coil and the receivers,
thereby sending the distortion around again.
In either case the amplifier will probably howl,
and should if it does not, for here is a straight
case of feeding the output back into the input
without the usual ceremony of changing fre-
quencies! Other ideas, fully as unnecessary,
haveTappeared for reflexing the push-pull,
transformer arrangement as if it were not
valuable enough by itself.

JUST BEFORE ELEVEN O CLOCK

On the first night of the International Radio Broadcast Test at Mitchel Field, Long Island. Under com-
mand of Capt. H. M. McClellan, men of the jth Observation Squadron, U. S. Air Service, set up special
radio receiving and transmitting trucks shown in the photograph. Communication was maintained with the
laboratory of the magazine by short wave radio telephone and code. Various stations in England, France

and Radio Iberica, Madrid, were heard here

The International Radio Broad-
cast Test of 1924

A Review of the Second Annual Test Between Europe and
America — What They Proved Socially and Technically
— Sidelights on the Event Which Interested Nations

BY ARTHUR H. LYNCH AND jriLLIS K. WING

THE thousands of letters, telegrams,
telephone calls, and personal messages
which we received during and after the
International Radio Broadcast Tests,
concluded a short time ago, proved con-
clusively that the signals from foreign broad-
casting stations were heard in every nook and
cranny of the United States. Reports came
with surprising accuracy and regularity from
California and Oregon as well as New York
State and Maine.

The average moderate-sized house has, per-
haps, twenty-five forty-watt electric lamps to
light it, which consume about one kilowatt of
energy. Consider, then, that these avid and
enthusiastic radio listeners who strained at
their receiving sets each night of the tests were
trying to pick up signals from transmitting
stations using a power equivalent to that con-
sumed by about fifteen forty-watt lamps, and
then marvel, as we all do, that the foreign
broadcasts were so generally and so well heard.

The International Radio Broadcast Test, 1924

677

Marconi, when he hoisted his kite aerial near
St. Johns, Nova Scotia, on December 6, 1901,
used twenty-five kilowatts of power in trying
to push the historic letter S across the stormy
reaches of the Atlantic. The English and
Continental broadcast pioneers, A. D. 1924,
were using five hundred watts, less than one
fiftieth of that power! It took Marconi weeks
of effort to record the signal S, with no other
obstacles but natural ones and the crude re-
ceiving apparatus at his command. North
American listeners were trying to hear foreign
programs with receiving sets of advanced
design, it is true, but against great odds.
Your listener, in 1924 not only had the
difficulty of unusually unfavorable natural
conditions, but he had to cope with man-made
interference which is well-nigh impossible to
overcome, in the form of squeals and howls
from improperly designed and operated re-
ceivers, which were so pernicious in almost
every locality you could name, that receiving
with any great degree of success was nearly
impossible.

It is safe to say that every one of the broad-
casting stations in Europe and England was
heard at one time or another during the tests
while but few of the American stations were
heard abroad. Those that were heard were

using power considerably above the average.
Inasmuch as the average European transmit-
ter is not capable of any greater range than the
transmitters used here, it seems reasonable to
assume that our receivers are more sensitive
than those used by the average listener in
foreign countries. It will be remembered that
but few of the European stations were heard
in this country last year, which would seem
to indicate that we have improved our re-
ceivers very materially during the past twelve
months. Within the next year one can
assume that additional improvements will be
made in receiver design. It is also probable
that high-power broadcasting stations, now
being seriously considered, will result in much
better reception of our programs by foreign
listeners.

When a receiver is made more sensitive, it
is more susceptible to interference as well as
more responsive to the signal desired. It may,
therefore, be desirable to use greater power
for broadcasting of this nature. Then, too,
there is the possibility of broadcasting on short
waves for the purpose or rebroadcasting in a
distant locality or foreign country. A very ex-
cellent indication of the progress being made
in this direction may be seen from the success
with which the programs from KDKA, the
Pittsburgh station of
the Westingho'USe
Electric and Manu-
facturing Company
were re-broadcast by
the British Broad-
casting Company
during the tests.

THE RADIO PARIS
STATION AT PARIS

678

Radio Broadcast

With the logical assumption that more
powerful American signals will be available
in our tests next year, it is probable that
American programs will be more generally
heard abroad than they were in 1924. And
when we assume that perhaps more power will
be available from broadcasting stations abroad
and that our receivers will be improved in
design and operation alike, completely satis-
factory international broadcasting will without
question move another step nearer.

RECEPTION IN THE LNlThD STATES IN
1923 AND IN 1924

WE HAVE been asked how reception in
North America during the tests this
year compared with that of last year. In
1923, the English stations were reported in
every section of the United States and in many
parts of Canada by relatively few listeners.
This year, the English and Continental
stations were reported by literally thousands
and thousands of listeners in every part of the
nation. Many more cities and towns were
represented. The difference may be laid,
first to the hearty cooperation of American,
Canadian, Mexican, Porto Rican, and Cuban

broadcasters in keeping off the air during the
foreign transmission times. Secondly, re-
ceiver design has improved, and thirdly, the
owners of those receivers have grown more
expert in their operation.

As a striking example of what can be done
in the future, the reception of Mr. F. R.
Hoyt, of Stamford, Connecticut, is of consider-
able importance. Each evening of the test,
he brought in the foreign programs with such
volume that he was able to make phonograph
records of them.

A listener on a small island off Beverly,
Massachusetts, where there were no radiating
receivers about, carried foreign programs
almost without interruption until the distant
announcer stepped away from his microphone
and closed the program.

Several listeners of Maumee, Ohio, a suburb
of Toledo, on several occasions received the
foreign stations with clarity that they were
able to put the loud speaker near the telephone
which was connected by long-distance lines to
our office in Garden City, nearly seven hun-
dred miles distant. We heard a part of the
program picked up from Madrid and Paris.

One of our readers who used a Knockout

THE STUDIO AT BOURNEMOUTH, STATION 6 BM

The signals from this station, operating on a wavelength of 385 meters were generally heard all over this
country. The installation here looks more like that of the average American studio because the apparatus

is that of the Western Electric Company

The International Radio Broadcast Test, 1924

STATION SBR BRUSSELS

Signals from this station, on 265 meters were reported as far west as Denver, Colorado

four-tube receiver at his home on Long Island
received Madrid every night they broadcast
with intensity enough to permit a group of his
friends plainly to hear their programs through
the loud speaker.

Verified similar instances of just this sort
occurred times without number all over the
country as any reader may discover by inquiry
in almost any radio group.

THE COMMUNICATIONS AT HEADQUARTERS

HAD the announcements from foreign
stations been more frequent, the total
number of verified North American listeners
to those stations would without question be
enormously increased. Many heard frag-
ments of programs and even one or two com-
plete musical numbers but the station faded
out before the announcement was made. This
made the work of verification at our office
much more difficult, because the foreign
stations were transmitting between four and
five o'clock in the morning their time, and it
was obviously very difficult to get many
artists at their studios at that time. Their
programs depended much on the ingenuity of
the studio manager. Most of the selections
broadcast from the English stations were
phonograph records of well-known operas,
although organ music was sent from several
of the English stations during the early nights
of the tests.

Very general good sportsmanship was shown
by listeners on this side who heard programs
on wavelengths on which no American stations
were sending. These listeners wrote us,
wired, and telephoned about the signals they
had heard, but made no effort to claim re-
ception when they had not intercepted a
definite announcement.

But there were other sides to the communi-
cations. "Last night, at 11:20, I heard a
woman singing a soprano solo. What foreign
station did I hear?" was a question asked more
than once, probably in all seriousness. A
radio enthusiast in Costa Rica wrote in that
he had heard nothing about the tests until
on the second night, he heard announcements
from several American stations. Accordingly,
he tuned-in on the foreign wavelengths and
heard the test programs in succession from
both continents. Another listener in Denver,
Colorado, wrote in to ask what American
amateur station was using the call letters
5 NO, saying that he heard a radiotelephone
program whose operator used that call. It
should be remembered that American ama-
teurs use call letters beginning with numerals.

THE ARRANGEMENTS IN ENGLAND

THE burden of making the extensive and
difficult arrangements for the tests on the
Continent and in England fell on the capable
shoulders of Hugh S. Pocock, editor of the

68o

Radio Broadcast

Wireless World and Radio Review. Mr. Po-
cock, working with the British Broadcasting
Company in the tests of 1923 made the com-
plete arrangements then, and cooperated with
them in verifying reports and in answering
correspondence with the great number of inter-
ested British listeners. This year, his problem
was a vastly more difficult one. Arrange-
ments with scattered broadcasting stations on
the Continent had to be made. Programs
were finally arranged with stations in Spain,
France, Belgium, Italy, Denmark, and Ger-
many, and difficult problems were excellently
solved. Working
in close coopera-
tion with him was
Captain A. G. D.
West, assistant
chief engineer of
the British
Broadcastin g
Company, and
when Captain P.
P. Eckersley,
chief engineer of
that .company,
returned from
his trip to this
country to at-
tend the Hoover
Radio Confer-
ence in Washing-
ton,,he, too, lent
his valuable aid.

North Ameri-
can listeners owe
a great debt to
the broadcasters
abroad who sac- '

rificed their rest for seven nights and sent
programs from four to five A. M. It was no
small task to maintain their regular schedules
and to make the necessary arrangements for
the special late test programs as well.

The operators at the high-powered trans-
atlantic stations of the Radio Corporation of
America at Carnarvon, Wales, and at Chris-
tiania, Norway, listened for American broad-
casting, and were successful in hearing many
complete programs.

ARRANGEMENTS IN THE UNITED STATES

THE first task on this side was to secure
the cooperation of the five hundred and
fifty American broadcasters. This meant
the sacrifice of probably their most valued
program hour to allow listeners here a clear
ether for the foreign signals. Without notable

exception they agreed to make every necessary
arrangement. In Canada, Mr. Jacques Cartier.
director of station CKAC, La Presse, at Montreal
undertook to make arrangements with the
fifty-odd stations north of the border. Co-
operating with him were the independent
stations and the large chain operated by the
Canadian National Railways. In addition,
the Cuban Telephone Company aided, with
their station p\vx, as did other Cuban broad-
casters. Station \YKAO.. at Porto Rico, also
joined in the arrangements. The stations of
El Excelsior and El L'nk-crsal in Mexico City

helped as well.

Among the or-
ganizations who
lent their best
efforts toward
the success on
this side were
the United States
Army Air Serv-
ice, who extended
their facilities at
Mitchel Field,
Long Island, the
General Flee trie
Company, who
gave complete
informal ion
about the tests
through their
various stations.
In transmitting
periods from this
side station WGY
made all their an-
nouncements in
five languages

to make identification of their signals easy for
foreign listeners. The Radio Corporation of
America had the operators of their high-power
stations listen for foreign broadcasting, and
the staff at their Chatham station turned in
several complete logs of reception. The
broadcasting stations of the Corporation took
a very active part in the tests as well. In
addition, the Westinghouse Electric and
Manufacturing Company gave the full support
-of their stations and on at least one night,
programs from KDKA were re-broadcast in Eng-
land for listeners there. The Radio Trade
Association, the American Radio Association,
the National Association of Broadcasters', the
Esperanto Association, and the Ilo Association
were most effective in their respective fields.
Newspapers throughout the country were
most active in covering the tests as a piece

CAPTAIN H. M. MCCLEI.LAN

— United States Army Air Service, at a special super-heterodyne
loaned him by RADIO BROADCAST. This is the same "super"
which was successful in reaching out to London and other
English stations in the transatlantic tests of last year. This
receiver brought in Madrid, Bournemouth, Newcastle, Car-
diff and Paris this vear

The International Radio Broadcast Test, 1924

THIS DEVICE RECORDED FOREIGN BROAD-
CASTING ON A DISC RECORD

A series of thirty records was made by Mr, F. R
Hoyt, of Stamford, Connecticut, using this method
of recording the signals. These discs show very
plainly how considerable was the interference ef-
fected by the users of oscillating receivers. Some of
the foreign signals recorded came through with
great volume

of important international news. Practically
every paper listed local test listeners who heard
the foreign stations. Radio editors of many
.of the dailies were in touch with our offices by-
telegraph and telephone exchanging informa-
tion. Some very complete and careful logs and
reports came to us from a number of radio
editors who took great personal interest in
the tests.

Almost a thousand manufacturers of radio
receivers were assigned official numbers and
acted as official receiving stations and were
most helpful in submitting reports of their
reception. And other manufacturers sent
receiving equipment and in some instances
sent engineers to install and operate it, at our
headquarters, at Garden City. These receiv-
ers were successful in many instances in. pick-
ing up the foreign stations and, by means of
liaison maintained between them by special
buz/.er circuits put up for the purpose, it wa*
possible for several receivers here to keep an
accurate log of several foreign stations at the
same time. These logs were very valuable in
checking the reports from listeners throughout
the country, which began coming in by tele-
phone before the hour for receiving was com-
pleted.

AT GARDEN CITY

PHEN, too, it was possible for us to keep
• in touch with the three receiving sets
operated at Mitchcl Field by means of
the short wave transmitter, which was loaned
us by the Radio Corporation of America for
that purpose.

Many of the manufacturers, who had ac-
cepted assignments to act as official listeners,

went to no end of trouble to see that their
work was effective. In several instances they
had receivers installed in four or five different
locations and arranged for telephone com-
munication between them, in order that each
would have a check on the others and so that
the reports of reception could be wired to
Garden City as soon as practicable.

The Western Union Telegraph Company
and the Postal Telegraph Company made
great effort to see that listeners knew where
to wire their requests for verification of
foreign broadcasts before the tests actually
took place. The former organization went to
the trouble of distributing more than two
million circulars, telling people how to route
their telegrams to us. in order to expedite
their delix er\ .

Several manufacturers offered prizes for the

• best reports of reception of the European

stations with receivers of their manufacture

and in one instance they called upon us to pick

the winner.

.Many of those who took part in the tests
last year will remember that the listening
periods were only half an hour in duration,
while this year the much more satisfactory
period of one hour was put into effect. Next
year we hope to have the test so well organized
that no hitch whatever will arise and it is
probable that a representative of RADIO
BROADCAST will visit Europe in order to ar-
range the programs, so that a check of the
broadcasting carried on during any test period
will be found in the papers throughout this
country and Canada the next morning. We

©Underwood & Underwood
A SILVER CUP

Was presented by J. D. R. Freed, president of the
Freed-Eisemann Company to Mrs. Edna M. Smith
of Springfield Gardens, Long Island, the first listener
using one of the receivers manufactured by that.
company who heard verified foreign signals

682

Radio Broadcast

hope to arrange a program which will be
adhered to very closely, on which there will be
a very close time check and it is very likely
that the European broadcasters will make
much more frequent announcement of their
call letters and location, since the shortcomings
of this year's effort have been brought to their
attention.

It is very likely that with a year in which to
make our preparations and inspired by the
great success we have had this year, it will be
much simpler for us to enlist the aid of those
who have, up to now, been somewhat luke-
warm concerning the interest they believed
listeners would take in tests of this nature.
What more conclusive proof could there be of
this interest than the fact that hundreds of
thousands of us, everywhere in the North
American Continent, Europe, and Australia,
spent approximately two hours each night for
a solid week listening to (or in some cases just
listening for) stations in other lands?

THE RESULTS

THE International Radio Broadcast Tests
interested great numbers of people who
had yet to be convinced of the possibilities and
benefits of radio. They showed to practically
every listener that the menace of the radiating

A CLOSE-UP OF ONE OF THE ARMY RECEIVING TRUCKS
At Mitchel Field, showing the receiver and transmitter installed and a
group of officers and men. Capt. McClellan is holding to the iron strap
on the truck. The night this photograph was taken it was extremely
cold, and there was no illumination except that furnished by lanterns
and flashlights. The officers took the radio truck out to the center of the
landing field, away from all obstructions and listened for the foreign
broadcasts, which they heard, at times badly interrupted by blooping

receiver is so serious that some definite, mili-
tant, and constructive measures have got to be
taken in the very near future to protect radio
receivers and to give listeners an air clear frorh
artificial, unnecessary, and absurd man-made
interference. And, too, they brought listeners
on this continent a little closer to their broth-
ers across the sea.

We have long talked in beautifully figurative
language about "hands across the sea," but
now in a very real sense we have voices across
the sea. No matter now if the voices could
not deliver any very complete message. It is
enough that one entire continent was listening
for another, that radio folk grew to think even
for a short time of those on the other side.
The start has been made, and in the years of
progressive technical experiment, trial and
error to follow, we shall get nearer and
nearer to nations which before had been but
names on a complicated map, or dull words in a
newspaper story.

The important thing is that the effort has
been made, that the electrical ice has been
broken. The task is the engineer's now, and
in his capable hands we can well leave it. It
requires no glib gift of prophecy to think of
close radio unity in future years with every
nation of the globe.

Hon. Alejandro Berea.the
Consul General for Spain
at New York, in an address
recently made at a luncheon
attended by a number who
participated actively in the
direction of the Interna-
tional Tests phrased very
well his conclusions about
the tests:

I most heartily congratulate
the organizers of this commun-
ication across the Atlantic, and
I am sure that the spiiitual
compenetration between Eu-
rope and America will be
thoroughly perfected within a
short time by the use of scien-
tific transmitters and receivers;
and Spain, on account of its
geographical position and be-
cause it is one of the nations
cf continental Europe nearer
to this country, will be one of
the first to avail itself of the
benefits of broadcasting and
be in contact with America,
which is bound to it by the
ties of ethnography and his-
tory.

The International Radio Broadcast Test, 1924

683

IN CHARGE OF CANADIAN COOPERATION

For the International Radio Broadcast Tests was the stall' of station CKAC, La Pressc Montreal. J. N.Cartier,
the fourth from the left in the last row, director of the station, completed his arrangements with brother
Canadian broadcasters for participation in the International Tests. In the back row from left to right are
Arthur Dupont, assistant announcer; Adrien Arcand, radio editor of the paper; Leonard Spencer, techni-
ciar . J. N. Cartier; A. Lebeau, master of ceremonies; Front Row, J. P. Calligan, "Father Radio": Mary
Brotman and Nora O' Donnel, stenographers

THE NEW ANTENNA AT 2LO

The London station of the British Broadcasting Company. A good
part of the English programs during the tests were simultaneously broad-
cast from this studio through the various other Island stations, linked
to London by wire

'Che Listeners' Point

b\ Jennie Irene THi5£

WKat is Going to Happen to Radio
Advertising

PERHAPS this much discussed question
of advertising by radio will ultimately
be settled by the advertisers them-
selves. They may find that the re-
turns in sales in no way measure up to the
amount expended in getting the name, and in
some instances a description of their product,
to the radio public. And, again, even under
these circumstances, they may keep right on
engaging broadcasting privileges at so many
dollars per minute, just as they keep on send-
ing out sales letters although not more than
a half dozen out of a hundred letters usually
bring returns. •

One feature of this question, however,
, seems bound to be settled but one way.
This is, giving the listener-in the privilege of
knowing that advertising is about to be broad-
cast. Of course, when a musical organization
or a monologuist bearing the name of a well-
known commercial product is announced, that
is easy. Twist the dial if you do not want to
listen. But when a man is announced as a
speaker on "The products of the Province of
Paragon in Paradisio," with but a murmured
postscript, "Mr. Blank is pleased to take ad-
vantage of the facilities of this station to talk
to you," then, beware! You may listen quite
a time before you catch on to the fact that Mr.
Blank is telling you about these products
because he wants you to buy them.

The radio audience will eventually take care
of this unjust manner of radio advertising.
They will tune Mr. Blank out, and they will
do this to such an extent that even the low
average of returns from sales letters will seem
to him, in comparison, an almost alluring mar-
gin of profit.

It is these veiled advertising talks, and not
the performances of orchestras, singers, and
monologuists, that arouse the ire of the lis-
tener. When "The Gold Dust Twins" are
announced, or "The Eveready Quartet," and
other organizations or individuals broad-
casting wholly for advertising purposes, that
is a straight-from-the-shoulder game. It is
offered you with no subterfuge back of its
promotion. You may take it or leave it, as
you please. And, in all fairness, it must be
acknowledged that very often these perfor-
mances put on by commercial houses to
advertise their goods are superior in quality
to similar attractions not paid for by adver-
tisers but put on the broadcast program by the
director who must choose his talent from the
hodgepodge group of people he may be able
to persuade to work for him for nothing.

The plea of the broadcasters that they can-
not afford to entertain the public for nothing,
and therefore they must accept advertising
numbers for which they are paid, does not
make any impression on the intelligent portion
of the radio public. No one asked these
broadcasters to erect and operate their station.
A goodly number of them could go out of exis-
tence overnight and no one would complain.
Many, indeed, would rejoice! This because,
with some few and notable exceptions, all the
stations put on the same character of pro-
grams, cheap enough, at best, and ones that are
given with the same uniform mediocrity of
performance. These broadcasting stations
are maintained for the purpose of reaching
the largest number of people possible, rather
than with the desire ever to make an appeal
to a discriminating public.

The Listener's Point of View

685

CARYL MARSHALL, SOPRANO
Who recently was heard through station wov. Miss
Marshall was one of the winners in the Juilliard Scholar-
ship test held in New York not long ago, and in which
were entered competitors from all over the country

686

Radio Broadcast

The attitude of the directors of such stations
is, to a degree, similar to that of the merchant
who sells to all classes of people because this
is the sensible way in which to conduct busi-
ness. But the wise merchant keeps a quality
of goods that will appeal to customers of re-
fined taste, the while he also has a "bargain
basement." Yet the same merchant will go
to theenormous expenseof installing and main-
taining a broadcasting station to advertise
his store, and then permit the director of that
station to put on programs that appeal only
to "bargain basement" customers. Poor ad-
vertising, this!

The owner of a broadcasting station that
permits paid advertising has a strong argu-
ment in his favor when he wishes to defend
himself. He can justly say that, only as long
as no one is piid for broadcasting, every num-
ber on every program is in the nature of ad-
vertising. He will tell you that the persuasion
brought to bear in order to get contributors to
programs is that their names going out over
the air to countless listeners is a rich source ,of
advertising. And so it is, provided they prove
worth the hearing.

During the last two months an increase has

LEON ROTHIER

One of the greatest operatic bassos ever heard in this country,
and who has for many years been with the New York Metro-
politan Opera Company. He is here seen broadcasting from
station CK\C, Montreal, prior to a concert given in that city

been noticed in the number of good musicians
of fairly wide reputation who have broadcast.
To be sure, their number is so small com-
pared with the mediocre talent presented that
they are all but lost in the mass. But they
have been heard and greatly enjoyed. Per-
haps some, or all, of them are paid. We have
a very strong suspicion, pretty well justified
in one or two cases, that certain stations are
growing tired of giving programs by "micro-
phone pluggers," as they are designated in the
studios, and are engaging the best talent avail- '
able in their vicinity and paying for it.

To a director who desires to put on fine
programs and cannot do so because the com-
pany for which he works will not give him any
money for this purpose, it must be a godsend
to find promoters of public concerts who are
willing to have their attractions broadcast.
The best stations, so far as the present writer's
knowledge goes, never miss such a chance.
This shows what sort of music they would give
the public if they had money to engage good
artists.

Among the features of this character that:
have recently lifted radio music above its,
accustomed dullness, are the concerts of the
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
^^m broadcast by station KSD, and com-
mented on in this department last)
month. Others of notable quality
are the Wednesday night pro--
grams of the New York Philhar-
monic Orchestra, broadcast through
WEAF. Also, through WEAF, the^
series of New York programs being
given by George Barrere and his
Little Symphony Orchestra. Mr.
Barrere, it is scarcely necessary to
explain, has been for more than
twenty years first flutist in the New
York Symphony Orchestra, coming
to this country from Europe to join
that organization. He is not only
the most famous flutist in America
but also has no superior in Europe.
For some years he has been at the
head of the Little Symphony, which
he organized and which confines
itself mainly to playing works not
suitable for a large orchestra. The
broadcasting of his series of New
York concerts this season is doing
much to lift radio music from its
deadly monotony.

Then there are the programs of
the American Orchestral Society
heard through wjz and WJY. This

The Listeners' Point of View

687

SIGNOR GUERRERO AND FERDINAND PILLION

Recently heard in joint recital from station WGY. Signor Guerrero is a South American pianist, now of the
staff of the Toronto Conservatory of Music. Ferdinand Pillion, concert violinist, is also on the staff of the

Toronto school

orchestra, of more than one hundred mem-
bers, is maintained chiefly for the purpose
of giving young American ' musicians of
recognized ability opportunity to keep in
orchestral training so as to be ready for posi-
tions in the permanent symphony orchestras
of the country when vacancies occur. Al-
though American compositions are featured in
the programs, an extended variety of the stan-
dard orchestral masterpieces are also played.
In all, eighteen concerts will be broadcast,
thirteen for adults, under the direction of
Chalmers Clifton, and five for children, under
the direction of Ernest Schelling. The re-
maining dates for the programs for adults are
January i<S and 22, February 15, 19 and 2H,
March 22, 26, 30, and April 19 and 23.
The dates for the children's concerts have not,
at this writing, been announced, but they will
be given at Aeolian Hall, New York, Saturday
mornings during February and March, prob-
ably in alternate weeks. Thanks to the
farseeing judgment of Franklin Robinson,
executive secretary of the American Orchestral
Society, the broadcasting of these programs
has been made possible.

Also, there is the Eastman School of Music
at Rochester, New York, that is making
possible, through station WHAM, the hearing
of much good music by owners of radio sets.
The concerts of the Rochester Symphony
Orchestra, operated in connection with the

Eastman school, are being broadcast through
station WHAM. The schedule of dates for the
remainder of these programs is: January 22,
February 19 and March 19, in the evening at
8:30, eastern standard time; and the after-
noons of February 26, March 5, and March 9.

This Eastman School of Music is likewise
presenting chamber music concerts which are
also being broadcast by WHAM. There still
remain in this series the evening programs of
January 20 and 30, February 27, March 9,
and March 27.

The directors of WHAM have stated that
these two series of concerts are broadcast this
winter because last season when the experi-
ment was tried of putting a few of the programs
from each series on the air they proved by far
the most popular feature the station had ever
broadcast. Which is but another proof that
the public, given a chance to hear or see the
best in art, will quickly appreciate it.

Some Suggestions on Studio Etiquette
and Management

SOME time ago we took pleasure in
quoting in this department some com-
ments on broadcasting received from
Mr. Richard K. Morton, of South Boston,
Massachusetts, who has himself been heard
from various radio stations in the East. Now
comes to hand another letter which so well

688

Radio Broadcast

covers some of the questions that are continu-
ally being asked the conductor of this depart-
ment, by people near and far, that Mr.
Morton is again quoted.

Many Hsteners-in wonder why so little considera-
tion is given to balancing radio programs. If there
is an important psychology in the arrangement of
concert recitals, articles in magazines, etc., there is a
psychology in radio
programs. . . .
What can a radio
lecturer do, if he
follows the broad-
cast of a prize fight?
Why, moreover, is
there so little re-
gard either for the
psychology of the
radio artist or the
listener-in? . . .
Take, for example,
the tired listener-in
who is furnished
late at night with
a lecture immedi-
ately following
jazz!

While broadcast-
ing from one stu-
dio, this was the
situation which
confronted me: the
announcer had, at
the last moment,
scribbled data re-
lative to my name,
the title of my talk,
etc. He was vigor-
ously puffing a

cigarette in the well-padded and almost hermeti-
cally sealed studio. The air was hot, stagnant,
stale. I had to stand and talk into a micro-
phone which was only as high as my waist; the al-
ternative was to sit in a cramped position at a small
table. Fully twenty-five artists and visitors were
in the studio. They made distinctly audible and be-
littling remarks relative to me and to my contri-
bution.

Am I a hypocritical grouch when I ask if listeners-
in want this type of situation to be endured by radio
artists?

Numerous inquiries have come to the editor
of this department, all couched in about the
same form. "Do broadcast directors allow
people in the studio while any one is broad-
casting? I'm sure I can often hear other
voices from the studio in addition to the one
that is giving the number."

And many artists have said with emphasis
after a first broadcasting experience, "Never
again! There was a mob in the studio, and
another mob running in and out. Imagine

trying to give a decent performance on a con-
cert stage under such circumstances."
Note what Mr. Morton has to say:

It is beyond me to understand why so many sta-
tions still persist in allowing a full studio while a
number is being broadcast. It is also beyond me
to understand why they allow going into and lea\ ing
the studio during a number. Personally, I feel that

it is wrong for an
artist to bring to
the studio, for ob-
vious reasons, a
host of his ad-
mirers.

As for the ques-
tion of requesting
cards from the
radio audience,
think it is very
poor taste for
speaker to requesl
cards relative to
his own speech
Even announcers
should make such
requests with
moderation. .
And why do lis-»
teners-in, when
sending in cards
relative to broad-
casts, confine them-J
selves to flattering
but meaningless
generalities? Why

Kossuth, Wheeling
GEORGE BARRERE

Flutist of international renown and conductor of the Barrere

Little Symphony Orchestra whose New York concerts this

season are being broadcast by station WEAF

not give the artist
genuine criticism,
showing an intelli-
gent interest in his

contribution? Why not be specific, discussing the
item in a concrete, analytical style, which wil
stimulate the artist, give him suggestions, and call
his attention to points of value to him?

The cards that are sent to radio stations
are a good deal like the telegrams and tele
phone calls sent in during a program, than
which nothing could be more tiresome 01
stupid. Fortunately, broadcast directors d(
not attempt to read to their listeners-in th(
communications they receive by mail. If they
did — but perish the tho't!

Radio Vision Both Ways

O CARCELY a week passes without
^S story being published regarding the
^ future of radio vision, if it may be callec
that. We are constantly being told that, eft
long, we shall all be able to see as well as heai
the radio speaker or musicians. We shaJ|
even be able to follow the games that, point bj

The Listener's Point of View

689

[point, are now broadcast, or to see the opera
[to which we listen at the receiving set, or the
[orchestra.

Will this predicted marvel work both ways?
[Will the broadcast directors be able to watch
ttheir listeners-in? It is to be hoped so. For
Ithe quickest and surest way to bring about
[the much needed reform in radio programs is
por the broadcast directors to see how their
[programs are being received. Some of them
[would experience a tremendous shock.

\Yhy They Say "Please Stand By"

HAVE you ever wondered why the broad-
cast announcer, when there is a wait
between numbers, always tells you to
["Please stand by"?

Why, "stand by"? That ancient bos'on's
jjwarning?

Mr. Rhodehamel, of station KGO, at Oak-
land, California, explains that this term and
[various others used by broadcast announcers,
Lame into use in radio stations because nearly
ell broadcasting operators have been to sea as

ship operators. He states that, at KGO, the
operators alway refer to the floor as the
" deck." Walls are spoken of as " bulkheads."
Windows are called "ports." Operators do
not work so many hours, they "stand watch."
The book recording transmission and changes
of apparatus is called "the log." The clock
isn't a clock, but a chronometer, all rigged up
in gimbals to take care of the swaying of the
ship, in the regular little brown mahogany case.
Not all broadcasting stations are as nautical
as this, but from every one of them you will
hear the old call of the sea, "Stand by!"

There is a Demand for Education by
Radio

THE lectures on music appreciation
given Friday evenings at 7:30, through
station WBZ, by Professor Stuart Mason of
the New England Conservatory of Music, have
been a pleasing diversion to some listeners-in
and, no doubt, a source of much desired in-
struction to many more.

But, as these lectures, which are illustrated at

Thomas Coke Knight, New York
BERNHARD LEVITOW

And his Hotel Commodore Orchestra scheduled for 200 radio concerts from wjz
and WJY this season. They play much beautiful music and play it remarkably well

690

Radio Broadcast

Whitinu. St. Louis
RUDOLPH GANZ

Conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
whose Saturday evening concerts are being broad-
cast from station KSD. Mr. Ganz, in addition to his
orchestral work, has long been among the world's
noted concert pianists

the piano by Proiessor Mason, occupy but one
half hour, he must feel, as do some of us who
have studied the subject matter of the lectures
during our years of musical training, that the
time allotted him is so short he can scarcely
touch his subject before it is time for him to
stop. That he can get over as much ground
each week as he has so far succeeded in doing
shows well that he is thorough master of his
subject. But, even so, such courses in music
appreciation confined to one half hour a week
cannot be other than superficial.

When radio has settled down to a con-
structive basis, instead of being, as now,
chiefly a medium for light entertainment, these
educational courses will take on a more im-
portant aspect. No doubt, broadcast direc-
tors would hesitate to put on a musical lecture
that lasted an hour. They would see, in their
imagination, thousands of impatient listeners
tuning out to a more congenial attraction.
Yet, they might also use their imaginations to
realize that those who interest themselves in
these educational courses would be more
numerous if they thought that the paying of
the fee of one dollar, for literature and exami-
nation papers, would include an hour's in-
struction weekly.

Perhaps, in time, we shall have certain
broadcasting stations given over whollv to
educational programs. If this day comes —

and is not such a thing plausible? — a course
in musical appreciation, in literature, or anjl
of the other educational subjects now put ort
the air, will be more thorough than is at pres-
ent possible.

A Good Entertainer of Children

THE oh, so sweet, dearie-dovey children's
entertainer is the most aggravating
thing that comes over the radio. But
when such an entertainer is good, that is to say,:
when he or she talks to children as if they knew
something, then this program feature is
delight.

Such an entertainer is "Uncle Walt,'/ of the
Chicago Tribune station, \vc,\. He is an un-
failing joy. He talks to the children as if
they were his equals, and so they are. Who
was it said that the only people for whonfi
you have to write in words of one syllable
are grown-ups? For children, never! Uncle
Walt understands this. Have you ever heard
him reading Alice in Wonderland to the chil-
dren? And have you ever heard him sending
up stars for them? If you haven't heard
him sending up the stars you have missed
one of the most beautiful features ev-er broad-
cast.

It really seems as if it is up to us listeners-in
to devise some way of sending up a big star for
Uncle \Yalt. Yet, upon second thought, that
would be much like carrying coals to New-
castle. For Uncle Walt is himself a bright and
shining star in the broadcasting world.

Musical Laughter

HERE is a semi-musical joke that came
from station WEAF. If memory serves
rightly it was told by one of the " Hap-
piness Boys," excellent fellows that they are.

"Did you hear about George going home
just a little lit-up the other night? No? Well
I'll tell you about it.

" His wife, she was awful mad when she sa\v|
him, and she says:

'"What's the matter with you?'

'"Syn — syn — co — pa — shun,' says George.

"'What?'

'"Syn — syn— co — pa — shun.

'"And what's that?'

'"It's syn — syn — co — pa — shun.'

"Well, his wife didn't say anything more
that night. But when George came home the!
next night she says:

'"Huh! I knew I was right last night about
what was the matter with you. I looked that!

The Listeners' Point of View

f syncopation up, and it said it means, uneven
rhythm from bar to bar!'"

That's a relief from jazz, anyway.

NEVER, even though the whole world
adopt it, will this department ever refer
to broadcasting as "radiocasting." Of all
the unimaginative, hard-sounding, machine-
like words invented, "radiocasting" is the most
disagreeable. When it comes over the air,
"This is radiocasting station XYZ" — a has !

IF DELILAH had jazzed "My Heart at Thy
*• Sweet Voice," when she was putting over
the treachery "stunt" on Samson, he never
would have been shorn of his strength by
losing his locks. For he never would have
fallen for jazzful love-making.

SOME women's voices of beautiful quality
have been heard over the radio lately,
but almost without exception the slow tempo
at which the songs were sung com-
pletely ruined them. There was the
contralto who sang not long ago
from \\ BZ'S Boston station "When
the Roses Bloom Again" and " Drink
to Me Only With Thine Eyes." We
heard a lovely voice, but it was quite
impossible to listen to it because
of the dragging interpretation.

ROM a WGY program :

Waliz, "Take a Look at Molly". Franklin

Research Talk, "The Metallography of
"Paint" (Courtesy Engineering Founda-
tion)

Fox Trot "Jealous" ..... Malic-Finch

Does any one except the com-
piler of this program know why a
talk is put in such a place? Does
even the program compiler him-
self know?

IF THOSE responsible for the
mid-week services under the au-
spices of the Greater New York

Federation of Churches, broadcast from
WEAF, expect to further the cause of re-
ligion through radio, they will have to "pep
up" some of the performances. We tuned in
on such a whining performance of "Abide with
Me" the other night, that we abided only
long enough to tune-out. For consolation we
listened for quite some time to the Night
Hawks.

/CHICAGO is one of the greatest music
>-* centers in the world, and in this country is
ranked by all as equal to New York (and by
some as that city's superior), as a place where
the best music may be heard under the best
advantages.

How, then, does it happen, that the music
programs broadcast from Chicago are, with
rare exception, not equal in quality to programs
heard from some other cities of but slight
musical reputation? Certainly, one of the
Chicago stations can bring us something good.

Thomas Coke Knight, New York
MRS. CLARA E. BREAKEY

Lecturer on home economics at New York University, who
gave a course on cooperative economics from station wjz with
such success that she seems to have nullified the contention
that women arc never as effective speakers over the radio as
are men

Some Experiences With the Blind

and Radio

BY CHARLES T. WHITEFIELD

WE FANS have got the impres-
sion, no doubt, that everybody
in the United States knows
about radio — at least, knows a
little — but 1 have recently had some expe-
riences which have caused me much surprise.
I live in a county which contains about
125,000 people, and in a moment of bravado
I offered to provide all the blind people in the
county with a suitable radio receiver, so that
they might listen in
to the concerts in
New York and get
the benefit of all the
good things that were
going on within a
few hundred miles of
the metropolis.

In such a large
county I expected
that there would be
a hundred blind per-
sons. Much to my
surprise, after mak-
ing every effort to
find every blind or
near blind individual,
I discovered that
there were only about
twenty. Each one
of these people I
visited, and had some
tragic experiences.

For instance, ap-
proaching a broken-
down old house,

with debris of all kinds spread in every
direction from the front door, the old man
who opened the door kept his foot care-
fully in possession of the opening so that I
could not break in. When I told him that
1 wanted to give his son — a grown man of
thirty or forty who has been blind for twenty
years — a radio, he was very wroth. After
some conversation he said that if I brought
the radio machine, he would take it out in
the backyard and chop it to pieces.

Here the conversation would naturally seem

Is It Not True

That most of our happiness comes from
making others happy? Here's a chance for
you to do a great deal of real good for the
blind in your neighborhood. The accom-
panying article describes ho\v the Wind in
a certain county were made more happy
by the gift of a radio set. The gift
was made complete, with batteries, head
phones, and loud speaker, and the local Boy
Scouts agreed to install and inspect the sets
monthly. There is much that radio can do
for those unable to get out in the work-a-day
world, and it is good to know that concerted
effort is being made to see that the wounded
veterans have receivers. This latter is being
handled by the S»;;-Roxy Fund in New
York. Another fund now being raised nation-
ally by the American Radio Association, 50
Union Square, New York, is to buy radio
sets for every blind person. The Association
will undoubtedly welcome independent aid
of the sort outlined here. — THE EDITOR.

to end; but I asked him if 1 could not see his
son, who still at eleven o'clock in the morning
was lying in bed with nothing to do except to
think of his own misery. The son took a more
cheerful point of view, and said that he had'
been told about the radio, but had never ac-,
tually listened to one. After some persuasion
I got the old man to agree that if I would
send a machine, with a Boy Scout to put it'
up. he would allow it to be introduced; but
he reiterated a dozen
times that he
wouldn't pay a cent,
and I had the great-
est difficulty in con-
vincing him that I
was not looking for
money.

Some of the other
cases were not quite
so successful as this.
For instance, I visited
an old man who had
canned chairs and done
other things, but in
his weakness had had
to give up even this
occupation. He was
taken care of by two
or three sisters who
lived in the house
with him, and I
thought it was an
ideal place for a re-
ceiver. After broach-
ing the matter with

as much delicacy as I knew how, he made
a violent speech to the effect that he had
already heard the radio once, and he never
wanted to hear it again. I still urged that
perhaps this radio was better than the one,
he had heard and that his sisters might
enjoy it with him; but he ended up by stamp-
ing his feet and saying that he was prejudiced
against the radio and would not have one.
1 hope to live long enough to go back with a
portable set and make a convert of him, but
the incident is closed for the present.

Some Experiences With the Blind and Radio

693

Some of my visits were quite inspiring.
For instance, one man who had been blind
,for about seven years was extraordinarily
cheerful, and he told me that until he adjusted
himself to his new life he was very, very un-
happy. Finally he convinced himself that a
man could live and take an active part in life
though blind; and when he had done this he
became happy, and has been happy ever since.
He had accomplished the extraordinary feat

! of building himself a house, mostly with his
own hands and the help of his wife. He was

; an enthusiastic radio fan, but had to go a mile
and a quarter to the house of a friend when
he wanted to listen in, and this was difficult
because he had to have some one take him.
Naturally, the idea of having a machine for
himself was a source of great joy to him.

Three or four blind people 1 found had a
radio, and all of them were receiving the
greatest benefit and enjoying it hugely.

HOW THE SETS WERE INSTALLED

AFTER rounding up all the people whom
I could find, I enlisted the help of the
Boy Scouts to put up the machines and take
care of them. We selected a very simple type
of machine, some with a pair of head phones,
and some with loud speakers. The cost of
•the machine, batteries, and tubes was about
.forty dollars apiece. The Boy Scouts put
.them up, of course without charge, and are
expected to make a monthly inspection of each
blind person's radio and report the conditions.
Although there were some blind people who

were unwilling to have anything to do with
this new-fangled machine, in almost every case
I persuaded them that they would get pleas-
ure. The humorous side has been their fear
that it would cost them money. Without ex-
ception, they showed the greatest apprehen-
sion lest they would be led into- something
which would bring them financial responsibil-
ity. When I told them that I was doing this
for pleasure, they did not accept it with any
degree of cordiality, feeling that there was
something behind which they did not under-
stand; in fact, that something was being put
over on them.

The experience of visiting these people,
which I apprehended would be an unpleasant
job, was quite the reverse. Enough people
were very grateful to make the whole enter-
prise worth while, and I feel sure that the
success of the thing is beyond peradventure.

Among the readers of RADIO BROADCAST
there must be thousands who could do this in
their local town or county. My own expe-
rience has proved that it has to be done per-
sonally and cannot well be done by somebody
hired for the job. I cordially recommend the
idea to anybody who wants to add comforts
and pleasure to the lives of blind people. If a
sufficient number of people could be got to-
gether to cover the country, the load of pain
and suffering would be tremendously de-
creased.

For the practical reader I may say that the
machine we have found best adapted to the
purpose is of the reflex type.

"AS THE BROADCASTER SEES IT"

IS THE title of an interesting series of articles by Carl Dreher, the
first of which will be a feature of this magazine for March.
What the broadcaster is doing, how he does it, and what he is
thinking of while he is doing it, will form the subject matter of this
series which should interest those both active and passive in radio.
"As the Broadcaster Sees It," will give the broadcasters — engineers
and program directors — a place where they may exchange ideas.
Listeners will be able to "look at" broadcasting from the inside. Mr.
Dreher is chief engineer of one of the best known American broad-
casting stations. These articles will not supplant but complement
"The Listeners' Point of View."

CHECKING RECEIVERS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BROADCAST TEST

A corner in the RADIO BROADCAST Laboratory which shows some of the apparatus employed in the tests.
At the left is a low powered radio telephone transmitter, presented by the Radio Corporation, next to it is
a Roberts short wave receiver, and beyond that, a Kennedy long wave set is being operated by John B.
Brennan, editor of the Grid. Signals from all the European countries participating in the tests were logged
at the laboratory through which the broadcast activities of two continents filtered during the test week

THE MARCH OF RADIO

Past President, Institute of Radio Engineers

The Great Success of the International Tests

WE CAN record a well-merited
success for those who conceived
and executed the international
radio broadcast tests of 1924.
It is only a short time ago that Mr. Paul F.
Godley, one of the most skilled radio operators
in America, first attempted to hear a low-
powered, short-wave set span the Atlantic.
It was really a wild idea at that time, and
one for which a successful outcome had been
predicted by practically no one.

He used a many-tubed super-heterodyne
working on a specially constructed antenna,
and was finally successful in picking up code
signals from several American amateurs. Mr.
Godley's receiving apparatus was set up in
Scotland.

During the test just come to a close, thou-
sands of American radio fans heard many of
the low-powered, short-wave European sta-
tions. When one compares Godley's test with
those of 1924 one cannot but believe that radio

The March of Radio

695

communication is striding forward rapidly.
The successful listeners during the test were
not skilled amateurs. They had sets using a
half or a third as many tubes as did Godley's,
they .had ordinary short antennas, and in some
cases loops only, and they received radiophone
signals, whereas Godley received dot and dash
telegraph signals. This latter fact is of much
more importance than one might think; the
same amount of power used for telegraphing as
used for telephoning is good for possibly twice
the distance of communication.

It is not easy to conceive of just what these
long-distance tests mean from the standpoint
of power. A station rated as 500 watts prob-
ably radiates about 100 watts of power, and
the energy thus thrown off spreads out in all
directions. Much of it is radiated up 50 or 100
miles and there is partly dissipated in the semi-
conducting atmosphere and partly reflected
down again to the earth. Part of the energy
is absorbed by buildings, and even by vege-
tation on the earth's surface, which is evi-
denced by the fact
that the signals which
travel over land be-

tween two stations are by actual measurement
only about one third as strong in summer as
in winter.

In spite of this dispersion, absorption, and
reflection, there is still left sufficient power
after a voyage of 4,000 miles to give an intelligi-
ble signal to the radio listener. Imagine a
500 watt incandescent lamp burning in France,
Italy, or England, being visible to thousands
of observers in our country! Imagine com-
munication being carried on between those
countries and ours by a blinker code worked
on the lamp. In trying to imagine such a feat
remember that our best lighthouses, having
lamps of 100,000 candle power or greater, are
visible at most over perhaps 50 miles. One
feat which has been accomplished in radio is
still ailing to be solved in the realm of optics,
that is, the magnification of the received sig-
nal. If we had some apparatus through which
to look, which would do the same thing to
the light waves as our amplifiers do to the
radio signal, then possibly the 500 watt lamp
in Europe would be
visible in America.
Unfortunately, it is

HENRY FORD S RADIO PLANT

At Dearborn, Michigan. The three towers of the 1000 watt station WAV which operates on 1713 meters
with Ford stations at Springfield and Jackson, Ohio. The four lake carriers of the new Ford Fleet are in
constant communication by radio with the home office, wherever they may be on the Great Lakes, which
can be a maximum of five hundred miles distant. More than 400 messages a day are handled by the

operators, shown in the insert

696

Radio Broadcast

not possible to amplify light as yet. Radio
has been able to march right away from the
older branches of science in this respect.

Besides giving a thrill to the broadcast lis-
teners who heard the transatlantic stations,
these tests, planned and executed by RADIO
BROADCAST, have a real educational value.
Few listeners to-day really appreciate the true
status of radio transmission. If a signal will
go i, ooo miles, why not 2,000? No reason at
all, and it actual!)' does go 2,000 miles, or
10,000 miles for that matter. Every day the
signals from all the European stations are
racing past our receiving sets. Just because
we don't hear them is no evidence that they
are not there. The signals are there, but so
are all the other electrical noises set up by
electrical disturbances of all kinds, artificial
as well as natural. Even- time a trolley wheel
jumps off the wire in Chicago a radio signal is
sent to New York and beyond, and even-
elevator which starts or stops, in New York re-
ciprocates for the benefit of Chicago listeners.
Every electrical storm in the Gulf of Mexico
splashes radio signals of all conceivable fre-
quencies over the whole world, and the little
regenerative receivers in Baraboo and Chap-
paqua add their share to the Babylonian
chatter resulting in what we call interference,
static, or plain "noise."

And here we add the telephone engineers'
motto on transmission, a motto which is ot
as much significance to the listeners as to the
engineer. "Don't let your signal get lower
than the noise .or you'll never find it again."
Now the reason we do get European stations
during these tests and not at other times is
because ordinarily the noise level is higher
than the signal and there is no set yet made
which can reach down into this mess of noise
and extract the signal we are looking for. So
we know now that the way to hear Europe is
tjp lower the noise level (at least insofar as it is
due to artificial causes) and hope the natural
noise is not too loud. Another way is at
once evident to us, that is, to raise the signal
strength by putting more power into the send-
ing station— this is probably the real answer
to transoceanic radio phone transmission.
Raise the signal level a. hundredfold, then the
amount of noise we ordinarily have to-day
will not be able to submerge it.

Government Monopoly of Radio Is Wrong

IN A recent talk before a meeting of repre-
sentative business men, Professor Pupin,
known to scientists because of his contri-
butions to alternating current theory and

practice, and to the general public because
of his autobiography From Immigrant to In-
ventor, expressed his views on governmental
control of technical developments and in-
dustries. In view of a recent cable dispatch
from France indicating a tendency in that
country to control radio by strict govern-
mental supervision, Professor Pupin's views
seem especially timely. Besides being a
scientist of a high order, he is known by his
friends to be of sound business sense, having
reasonable and well-founded views on the
important questions daily confronting our
country.

The weakest point in democracy has always been
the lack of appreciation of expert knowledge.
Railroads, telegraphy, telephony and radio-
broadcasting, electrical lighting and the electrical
transmission of power are certainly public utilities,
hut the intelligent people of the United States will
never consent that these things, requiring an enor-
mous amount of expert knowledge, be placed under
government ownership. The machinery of our
government or of any other form of government
known toman to-day is utterly incapable of handling
technical problems, which require the highest type
of training applied to the highest type of intelligence.

AH of these public utilities are full of complex
technical problems which cannot, and never were
intended to be, handled by any government. In
Europe we see that where there is governmental
ownership, the utilities are being run at heavy defi-
cits. And only recently Mussolini has said that he
wants to get away from government ownership
and adopt the American system.

In the light of this opinion, it is apparently
an unwise step which is being fathered by
Pierre Robert, Under Secretary of State for
Posts, Telegraph, and Telephone. He re-
cently announced in the Chamber of Depu-
ties that he believes that radio broadcasting
should be organized as a government mo-
nopoly. He proposes to submit a bill to the
Chamber at its present session and will urge
its adoption. It seems strange that Professor
Pupin, who knows his Europe much better than
most of us, used it as a striking example of the
futility of expecting public utilities to be oper-
ated successfully under governmental control.

We learn also that the .Minister of the In-
terior has organized a special "listening-in"
service to be operated by police headquarters
to insure that radio broadcasting shall not dis-
seminate information detrimental to what he
considers the "country's good." Propaganda
of all kinds will be taboo, and we learn that
the police will try to prevent the "transmission
throughout the provinces of information on
daily market conditions and prices, as essen-

The March of Radio

697

tial products would thus be held up by the
producers for the most favorable terms, thus
increasing the cost of living." Here in the
United States the farmer is continually urged
to utilize the radio dispatches of the Depart-
ment of Agriculture and other government
bodies which send out market conditions
specifically to enable him to market his prod-
ucts most profitably. It is difficult to under-
stand the French attitude. Isn't the farmer
entitled to whatever help radio can give him?
Certainly no government official in the United
States would boldly declare, as did the French
minister, that he didn't mean to help the
farmer market his wares as profitably as
possible. It seems that there must be no
"farmer vote" to worry about in France as
there is in America, as most of our politicians
seem to think.

Photographs Across the Sea

ONLY a short time ago we commented
on the excellent transmission of pic-
tures from Chicago to New York over
the wires of the American Telephone and Tele-
graph Company and also on the successful
attempt to send them from Washington to
Baltimore by a radio channel. About the
same time that occurred here, in France M.

FACES ACROSS THE SEA

Became a reality when engineers of the Radio Corporation of America and the British Marconi Company
succeeded in transmitting photographs by radio from London to New York. The system was developed
by Capt. R. H. Ranger of the Radio Corporation. The top photograph shows Capt. Ranger, the round
insert is a photograph of Ambassador Kellogg, one of the first to be transmitted across the Atlantic.
The bottom view shows General Harbord, president of the Radio Corporation (right) and Capt. Ranger

Radio Broadcast

Belin announced the successful conclusion of
his efforts to transmit pictures by radio.
Now we have pictures across the Atlantic.
The Radio Corporation of America has suc-
ceeded in sending some quite recognizable por-
traits from Carnarvon, Wales, to Riverhead,
Long Island. High power is used so that the
signal received in America is reasonably large
compared with static disturbances, and in this
way the blotchy appearance which is some-
times caused by atmospheric disturbances has
been practically eliminated.

The general scheme used is the same as be-
fore: light from (or through) the portrait to
be transmitted falls on a sensitive photo-
electric cell. The action of this cell controls
the intensity of the signal sent from the trans-
mitting antenna. The light beam used is very
small (only about one hundredth of an inch
square) so that it covers only a very small

THE u.s.s. "TEXAS"

Showing the elaborate radio antenna system, which is used to dispatch the
very considerable radio traffic necessary on practically every naval vessel

part of the portrait at one time. By moving
the picture past the light beam back and forth
and having quite similar receiving apparatus
actuated from the received signal, a picture
is formed by packing together a series of
shaded lines. It takes about three seconds
to draw one line completely across the picture,
and as there are about 100 lines per inch it
may be figured out that to transmit a picture
about three inches square requires twent
minutes.

Fixing the charge for picture service by the
amount a station could earn in a similar time
by transmitting telegraph signals, each picture
would cost about $50. Most of us will evi-
dently send our pictures by mail for quite some
time to come, but newspapers may well use
this picture service. The same apparatus
can be used for sending the written or printed
word, and it may turn out that, with the im-
provements which
are sure to come,
one can send a
message faster by
this photographic
scheme than it is.
by the present dot
and dash code.

It is not quite
clear from the an-
nouncement made
by the Company
just what its engi-
neers have contrib-
uted to this photo-
graph transmission
development.
Practically the
same process as
that outlined has
been used before
for picture trans-
mission, but it is
quite possible that
valuable additions
to the progress of
the art have been
made in synchro-
nizing the sending
and receiving ap-
paratus, and in
eliminating the
blotches caused by
atmospheric dis-
turbances. After
the transmission
has once started, it
is essential in anv

The March of Radio

699

PROMINENT FIGURES IN THE RADIO WORLD

In the group, from left to right are, Prof. Alfred N. Goldsmith, past president, Institute of Radio Engineers,
and chief broadcast engineer, Radio Corporation of America, John V. L. Hogan, consulting radio engineer,
Prof. J. H. Morecroft of Columbia University, another past president of the Institute of Radio Engineers.
Philip Torchio, L. \V. Chubb, and Prof. L. A. Hazeltine, Stevens Institute of Technology to whom the
patent on the neutrodyne" receiver was granted

of these schemes that the sending and receiving
drums run in exact synchronism, and to do this
when 3,000 miles of ocean separate the two, is
quite evidently a real task. Undoubtedly we
shall later get a better explanation of the new
features of the Radio Corporation's scheme,
which shall show how the requisite synchron-
ism of sender and receiver is maintained in
the radio channel.

The Radio Compass Can Guide
Aeroplanes

A REPORT from Washington, evidently
emanating from the Army Air Service,
tells of "the first practical test" of the
radio compass as an aeroplane guide. We
were under the impression that the radio
compass was quite successfully used during
the War to guide aeroplanes, but now it ap-
pears that some new developments make
the Signal Corps rise and assert that a real
advance has been made. Two special radio

compass stations have been established, one
at Dayton, Ohio, and the other at Mounds-
ville, West Virginia. By means of the signal
sent out from these stations, Lieutenant G. W.
(ioddard was able to "keep in a bee-line,"
as he says, between the two fields even though
the day was so foggy that he could not get his
bearings from well-known landmarks.

The transmission system was such that
when he was on a straight course he heard
only dashes in signalling, but when he got off
the course the signal was changed. If his
plane was veering to the left he heard a dash
and dot repeated at ten-second intervals, but
if he was going to the right of the proper course
he heard a dot and a dash repeated at the same
interval. By thus correcting the direction
of his flight until he heard dashes only he knew
that he was directly in line with the station
toward which he was trying to fly.

One who has not been up in an aeroplane
cannot appreciate the difficulty of getting
radio signals in the cockpit. Many times we

yoo

Radio Broadcast

ask some one in the house to keep quiet when
we are trying to pick up a distant station.
Even a low-pitched voice in the same room
gives quite appreciable interference. How
is it when the air is rushing by the listener at
the rate of 100 miles an hour and the guy wires
all singing notes of their own and the 1 50 horse-
power motor exhausting right at his side with
no muffler at all? The combination of noises
is as bad as that in a boiler shop, if not worse.

To overcome this excessive disturbance, the
radio listener must wear a padded helmet, in
the sides of which are fitted the ear-phones.
It is remarkable how much noise half an inch
thickness of leather and felt can shut out.
The rushing air becomes quiet and even the
roar of. the engine exhaust becomes a low hum.
Of course even with the best helmet obtainable
one needs a pretty strong signal for reasonable
audibility, considerably stronger than is re-
quired by the ordinary listener. To assist
the helmet in eliminating engine noises, long
exhaust pipes were fitted to the engine of the
test plane, so that the exhaust actually took
place behind the cockpit, whereas general'y
it is right beside the pilot.

The antenna used was a long trailing wire
hanging through the bottom of the cockpit
and held reasonably vertical by a heavy lead
weight. The general scheme used during the
War was to have a loop antenna on the plane
and get compass bearings as a ship does to-
day.

After landing at the end of his successful
flight Lieutenant Goddard said that it "had
not been necessary to keep an eye open for
landmarks at all." The radio signals enabled
him to find his way directly to the station
which was his destination.

In the same line of radio's progress we read
with interest the report of George R. Putnam,
Commissioner of Lighthouses of the United
States. His department, we learn, now has
twelve radio fog signal stations scattered along
the coast and is establishing new stations as
fast as funds permit. Commissioner Putnam
says that this country leads the world in this
form of relief. We were the first to give fog
signals successfully and now have more of
such stations than all of Europe put to-
gether.

Top Many Went to Fights by Radio

IN GENERAL, radio is praised for the suc-
cess with which it disseminates news and
entertainment, weather reports for the
navigator, market conditions for the farmer,

music for the dance party, and football nar-
ratives for the college alumni or sports devo-
tees. Football games, especially, have been
well broadcast. An announcer like Graham
McNamee performs his task so well that we
can quite clearly visualize the mud-covered
combatants as they slosh around through
the mire of their battlefields. Judging by
the newspaper reports of the attendance at
these games, which at times have been as many
as 100,000 for a single contest, one may safely
come to the conclusion that football broadcast-
ing has not seriously interfered with the gate
receipts.

Another line of sport has apparently not
fared so well as a result of radio's publicity.
Tex Rickard, who makes a very good living by
matching prize-fighters, has just put radio on
his own Index. For the past three years bouts
have been fought before the microphone so
that the cheers and jeers, the gong, and even
the thud of blows could be heard by the radio
listener. And so vividly has radio portrayed
the fight that many have preferred to stay at
home, where there was no admission to pay,
and no crowd of a hundred thousand through
which to mill. So Mr. Rickard has decided
that hereafter radio and he shall part company;
the fight fan who wants to see two human
beings who consent to batter each other for
about $1000 a punch will have to go to the
scene and contribute his share of the gate
receipts.

How Electrons Are Heard

IT IS only a few years ago that scientists
dared to venture the idea of the electron,
for before that the idea of the molecule
and then its small comrade, the atom, had
certainly stretched imagination to its ap-
parent limit. For example, in a piece of
cubical copper about one half inch on an edge,
there are one million million million million
atoms. To make a row of copper atoms one
inch long, about two hundred million of them
would be required. Imagine then the intre-
pidity of the scientific worker who dared to
announce the existence of particles much
smaller than the atom, so small that it takes
one hundred thousand of them to make a mass
equal to that of one copper atom. Gifted
with a powerful imagination must be the
worker who deals with electron phenomena,
and especially is this true of the research
worker who is going to find out new facts
about the behavior of these infinitesimal par-
ticles of electricity.

The March of Radio

701

It might be thought that particles as small
as the electron could be dealt with only in the
imagination, that measurements as to their
size, velocity, quantity of electricity, etc.,
could not possibly be made. Yet this is far
from the truth. The mass of the electron,
and its size and electric charge, are known as
accurately as is. the length of a yard stick.
Measurements of the electron carried out by
independent methods agree with each other
to better than i per cent.

Professor Millikan, when at the University
of Chicago, carried out some remarkable experi-
ments on electron measurements. So im-
portant were his results regarded in the
scientific world that he was given the Nobel
Prize. Millikan sprayed oil into very small
drops, so small that they were nearly sta-
tionary in the air, even though free to fall.
Some of the drops he used fell only one
quarter of an inch in ten seconds, so little did
the force of gravity attract them. A very
powerful microscope was required to see them;
in fact, the drops were never seen as such but
appeared like the dancing circles which appear
if one presses his eye-ball too severely. By
having these drops of oil between electrically
charged plates it was possible to make them
stop falling or even move upwards if the drop-

let happened to be charged electrically. Now
if electrons were produced in the space where
the oil drops were being observed, one would
occasionally attract itself to an oil drop, which
would then immediately change its motion.
By observing the change in motion and know-
ing the size of the drop (by other experiments)
the charge of a single electron could be com-
puted. Occasionally an oil drop suddenly
changed its motion twice as much as did the
others. This meant to the observer that two
electrons had simultaneouslv attached them-
selves to the oil drop.

So by these remarkable experiments of
Millikan's the electron was almost observed
in motion. Now the electron is being heard!
Dr. Albert W. Hull, one of the best-known re-
search workers of the General Electric Com-
pany, announces that by apparatus which he
has perfected it is possible actually to hear the
electrons which fly across a vacuum tube.
When they strike the plate of the tube they set
up oscillations which, if sufficiently amplified,
can be heard. Of course the amplification re-
quired is enormous, so great that if it were
tried with the ordinary unshielded amplifier
outfit, the noise due to atmospheric electricity
would swamp the noise due to electron bom-
bardment. By working inside a metal cage,

C. FRANCIS JENKINS

A radio investigator of Washington who recently was successful in transmitting photographs by radio from
Anacostia, Maryland to Medford Hillside, Massachusetts on a wavelength of 746 meters. The photograph
shows a laboratory set up of some of the inventor's apparatus at Washington

7O2

Radio Broadcast

however, the listener is reasonably well
shielded from extraneous electrical disturb-
ances, and it is with such an arrangement that
Doctor Hull and his co-worker, Prof. W. H.
Williams, announced that they now hear the
bombardment of the plate which is set up by
the billions of electrons which every second
pass from the filament to the plate of the
ordinary radio triode.

Broadcasting Invades the Philippines

IN THE last session of the Filipino legis-
lature a bill was passed granting a
franchise to the Radio Corporation of
America and two other concerns for the opera-
tion of radio broadcast service in that prov-
ince. Governor Leonard Wood has just
signed the bill, so that probably within the

OLD SOW RADIATOR

I know an old pest who be-clutters the air,
She has many children — she has 'em for fair;
She gives squealing lessons to all her young brats —
(For sharp oscillations, they have it on cats.)
A selfish old hag — with the sharpest of voices,
In spoiling our concerts she gayly rejoices;
Sing ho! — for a law to put her on the "skids —
And listen, dear fan — don't raise one of her kids!

— Dialing and verse by W . /?. Bradford.

The March of Radio

703

year the Philippines will
have their local broadcast
channels and occasionally
the listeners on these islands
will undoubtedly pick up
messages from other lands.

Locating the Broadcast
Station

IT IS now about two years
since the first systematic
measurement of radio
signals was attempted and
carried out. Where evi-
dence about audibility and
interference is obtained
from untrained, observers
as was first done, but little
progress in radio transmis-
sion development is possible.
Real knowledge of radio
conditions can be obtained
only by making measure-
ments with instruments
which can actually be read.
It cannot be obtained bv

RADIO IN RETAIL MERCHANDISING

The radio telegraph station wm at the New York store of John \\ ana-
maker. The Philadelphia and New York Stores carry on a great deal of
traffic which was formerly handled by telegraph, letter, and long distance
telephone. A five kilowatt arc is used, transmitting on a wavelength
of 1700 meters. The operator in the photograph is Douglas Smith
manager of the radio department at New York

comparing the observations of two listeners
having no other evidence than that given by
their ears.

The next step in radio transmission investi-
gations, after portable receiving apparatus
had measured the signal strength in all di-
rections from a fixed transmitting station,
was to move the transmitting station itself to
compare its performance under different con-
ditions. It is probably true that to serve a
large city and its suburbs, a transmitting
station should not be in the city itself. If the
transmitting station is in the middle of a group
of steel buildings, practically all of its energy
is absorbed in the immediate vicinity of the
station and thus wasted. Much better serv-
ice would probably be furnished to the city
dwellers if the station was located in the
country, possibly twenty miles or more away,
in the open country where the absorption is
comparatively small. Such a location must
have good grounding facilities, and therefore
actual trials of the location are always advis-
able before a station site is determined.

Station WJAZ of Chicago and vicinity has
been doing just this thing lately. Their 100
watt transmitter, mounted on a truck, has
been operated in various locations around
Chicago and now a compilation of the data
obtained by variously placed receiving sta-
tions around Chicago will permit the logical

selection of the most suitable location for a
new broadcast station.

A German Broadcast Station on a
Mountain

THERE are indications from Germany
that radio is progressing there, even if
not at the rapid pace it has assumed
in our country. At Lake Kochelsee in Bavaria
a station is being erected which, it is claimed,
will be the most powerful in Europe. The
antenna will extend along the side of a
mountain from the summit to its base, where
the station is being erected on the shore of the
lake. This will give an antenna two miles
long and of rather indefinite height as far as
radiation efficiency is concerned.

Following our lead in educational radio, a
broadcast station in Berlin has started to
radiate some university courses two evenings
a week. While intended primarily as a help
to those who attend the university, probably
some data will be obtained as to the genera!
appreciation of this type of broadcasting.

Is Education by Radio Wanted?

IN AMERICA, it seems likely that the de-
mand for solid educational material is one
which has to be cultivated. By far the
vast majority of radio listeners regard the radio

704

Radio Broadcast

MAJOR WILLIAM N. HENSLEY, JR.

Commanding Officer, Mitchel Field,

New York

" The adaptation of radio to the airplane has
completely changed the aspect of war. Under
present conditions, an enemy would have no
secrets, To mass troops at any one point would
simply serve to inform the opposing forces that
an offensive was contemplated. Artillery fire
could lie directed with such deadly accuracy as
to annihilate any stronghold. The gun pointer
would have first hand and almost instantaneous
information as to the necessary corrections with
the result that big guns can be fired with the
precision of a rifle"

channel as one through which material for
entertainment rather than education should
be sent. It is not at all impossible that the
educational possibilities of radio have been
overestimated. Possibly the contact with
the instructor, the opportunity to ask ques-
tions, to get his criticism and occasional
praise, have a much higher value in the field of
education than is generally supposed. The
progress of educational radio must depend
upon its reception by the public, and the pub-
lic's demand for it may show conclusively, as
has often been stated, that the teacher, and
not the method or material taught, is the fac-
tor which advances the world's knowledge.

Yap Gets a Radio Station

THE small island of Yap in the western
Pacific has several times loomed up in
international affairs with a valuation
much greater than its physical dimensions and
natural riches warrant. It occupies a strate-

gic position in cable and radio communication
between the eastern and western shores of the
Pacific and assumes unexpected importance,
especially for Japan and the United States.

At the Disarmament Conference in Washing-
ton, Japan was granted mandatory powers in
Yap, with the provision that other interested
nations should have equal rights with Japan
in the use of its communication facilities.
Japan now announces her intention to erect
next year a powerful radio station in Yap,
presumably to increase the certainty of her
transpacific communication channels. Un-
doubtedly the new station will be used for
relaying. In that role it would be useful also
to the United States when static interferes
with the long spans over which our present
circuit to Japan extends.

Cooperation in Solving Interference

IN A recent issue we had occasion to com-
mend the activities of Mr. Alfred Caddell
of the American Radio Association and
used as an illustration of the work he was
attacking with success the question of inter-
ference in the broadcast channels caused by
the steamers of the New England 'Steamship
Company, which carried on a heavy commer-
cial traffic with spark transmitters.

The interference was there without any
doubt, and we quite rraturally commended
Mr. Caddell for the lively measures he was
taking to eliminate it. We have received a
very courteous letter from the president of the
Steamship Company asking us to assure the
broadcast listeners that his company was
anxious to help in clearing up interference as
much as possible. In accordance with the
recommendations made at the last radio con-
ference the ship traffic is now being carried on
on a wavelength much farther removed from
the broadcast channels than the originally in-
terfering wave of 600 meters, and he hopes the
interference nuisance has been done away with.

His letter, however, contains one na'ive
statement which we think worth while passing
along. "I get no interference from these
steamers," says Mr. Parnell, "although I use
a simple set consisting of three stages of radio
frequency, a detector, and three of audio
frequency, seven tubes in all." Well, natu-
rally, he gets no interference. Three stages
of tuned radio frequency will eliminate a whole
lot of interference, but surely this is a rather
expensive equipment to expect the average
broadcast listener within a few miles of New
York to use. If all the listeners who have

The March of Radio

been bothered by the ship traffic would put
in three stages of tuned radio frequency, the
interference problem would unquestionably
be solved, but the expense involved for the
listeners might in the aggregate be sufficient
to buy out the Steamship Company. An
easier and more equitable solution, which we
feel sure will more likely meet with commen-
dation from the broadcast listeners, is for Mr.
Parnell to order his ships to use their spark
sets no more than absolutely necessary during
broadcasting hours, and we are sure from the
tone of his letter that suggestions of this kind
will be complied with as much as possible.

Interesting Things Interestingly
Said

XAAJOR GENERAL GEORGE O. SQUIER
JYl (United States Army, retired; former Chief
Signal Officer): "A world-wide net of electrical
intercommunication linking together radio, land
lines, and submarine cables in a new-born spirit of
closest cooperation must be developed to the limit
of possible usefulness, both for the needs of peace
and as a powerful agency in preventing war."

E J. ELTZ, JR. (New York; Treasurer,
- Radio Apparatus Section, Associated Manu-
facturers of Electrical Supplies): "A large number
of people who have been indifferent to the appeal
of radio have just awakened with a start to find that
the art has been making great forward strides.
Moreover, radio has taken on a new artistic nature.
When broadcasting first began, there was the at-
tractive novelty of drawing music and speech from
the air, and just what came mattered little, but
now the main interest is in the quality of the enter-
tainment and the perfection of its reproduction. A
critical interest is being taken in programs, which is
brought forcibly to the attention of broadcasters
by the thousands of letters they receive each day."

|_I ARRY L. FOSTER (travel writer, in A Gringo in
' * Mariana Land) tells of hearing a radio concert in
the Honduran wilderness at the house of a mine
superintendent at Rosarie): It was as clear as though
one listened-in from New York. Out there in the
wilderness, forty miles from the nearest town, and
many hundred miles from a railway, gringo energy
had produced all the comforts of home.

"That's Vincent Lopez in the Pennsylvania
Grill,' the superintendent informed me. 'Wait
until I get Schenectady, and we'll have a bedtime
story.'"

\A7ILLIAM M. BUTLER (United States Sena-

" ' tor from Massachusetts): "Citizens who here-

tofore regarded politics as an incident in the life

of the nation have now,- thanks to radio, a keener

HERBERT H. FROST

Chicago; President, Radio Manufacturers'

Association

" By next summer, the new 'high power broadcast
stations, authorised at the recent Washington
radio conference will be in operation and they
will make it possible for the farmer to receive
his market and weather reports during daylight
hours. Heretofore, such reception has been
difficult, which kept the farmer from buying
radio. Now, probably not more than fifteen
per cent, of the American and Canadian farmers
have receiving sets.

" The best engineers in the country are of the
opinion that there will be no fundamental
changes in radio receiving equipment in the next
few years. Development in this respect is bound
to be gradual and there is no danger that a person
will secure a good set to-day and to-morrow find
it obsolete.

"Radio has ceased to be a fad. It is the
greatest source of communication since the first
language was developed."

insight and a fuller appreciation of political activi-
ties. I have been much impressed with the political
importance of radio as illustrated during the progress
of the national conventions. I think that those of
us who listened-in must have had sober moments
when from the convention hall, the actual voices
of the delegates came to our ears as well as the dis-
turbances and interruptions."

HP. DAVIS (Pittsburgh, vice-president, West-
• inghouse Electric and Manufacturing Com-
pany): " International broadcasting, as I have con-
sistently stated in the past year, must take its place
as a regular feature of broadcast programs, and
this may come in the very near future."

/CHILDREN Sing for WBZ," says a headline in
>-* a Boston paper. Which goes Castoria one
better. — Boston Transcript.

STATION WHAZ

At Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York was one of the first college broadcasting stations to be

installed. It is pointed out that a college broadcasting station is quite as good an advertising medium for

such an institution as it is for a radio manufacturing concern

Who Owns Our Broadcasting

Stations?

BY DUDLEY SIDDALL

R. B. C. PHANN, his wife and kids,
aren't using their radio set as they
used to. Six months ago it was a
novelty. At first the whole Phann
family came a-running at the mere cry of
"Here's some DX!" But after a few weeks
the thrill wore off. To-day the Phanns
wouldn't sit up till midnight to hear Havana.
The Phann family has become discriminat-
ing. Nothing less than a surpassingly good
radio feature will keep them away from
movies, theatres, magazines, books, and other
diversions. Radio no longer intrigues them
with its mechanical mysteries. The loud
speaker is now forced to compete for their
time and attention on an equal basis with

other forms of entertainment, amusement,
news and education.

The movies, starting with men whose imagi-
nations ran no farther than a single reel
"chase" picture, soon produced directors like
D. W. Griffith. The theatre has its creative
geniuses like David Belasco. Magazines are
edited by men who appear very definitely to
know what the public wants, such as George
Horace Lorimer and Ray Long. Books, when
written by Gene Stratton Porter or Edna
Ferber sell by the hundreds of thousands.
In every line except radio, huge incomes await
men and women who can capture public
interest.

Analysis of information showing the owner-

Who Owns Our Broadcasting Stations?

707

ship of broadcasting stations proves beyond
^juestion, if there were any question, that the
vast majority of broadcasting stations are
operated largely for advertising purposes: in
other words, as a feeder for the broadcaster's
real business interest, his radio store, his gar-
age, his jewelry shop, his clothing store, or his
dance hall. So there are many who claim that
the radio broadcasting station has much in
common with the old time, now almost his-
torical patent medicine vendor's show. It is,
basically, they say a bally-hoo. Obviously
no bally-hoo can hope to approach the pro-
portions of grand opera, a feature film, or a
Broadway theatrical
production.

CASES IN POINT —
WITHOUT NAMES

pONSIDERaspe-
^ cific station, in a
Southern state. In
10.22 an electrical
store put in a line of
radio supplies. To
draw trade, the dealer
installed a 500 watt
transmitter and hired
a local newspaper re-
porter on a part time
salary of $20 a week
as "director." This
reporter is also the
announcer, the pub-
licity man, the scout
for talent, and all the
rest of the non-tech-
nical staff. One of
the store clerks serves
as the engineering de-
partment of the station. The "director" has
long since made the rounds of such local talent
as can be induced to sing, play, or talk. He
has no fund to hire artists or even to buy them
dinners and taxi rides. All things considered,
he does fairly well; but he has no opportunity
to give his radio audience anything better or
bigger or newer or more impressive than as it
he were directing a Sunday school social en-
tertainment.

The dealer who pays the small weekly bills
for this station charges the expense to adver-
tising and is content. At heart he is an elec-
trical retailer. Even if he were willing to
spend $2000 a night on talent, which he isn't
and never will be, he wouldn't know how to do
it.

Anothercase. A chief executive in a metro-

What the Idea Is

Many radio listeners have often asked
themselves, or what is more to the point,
others, who owns all the vast numbers of
American broadcasting stations. Those who
tune-in, night after night, to the more or less
varied programs from every section of the
nation, should be, and usually are, interested
in knowing the ownership of the stations
figuratively knocking at their antenna in-
sulators each evening. Mr. Siddall has
analyzed the ownership of our 550 stations
and has included some interesting remarks
of his own about the general problem of who
is broadcasting, how they are doing the job,
and what is likely to happen to broadcasting.
According to the estimate of the writer, it
takes roughly 11,000 separate features to
supply American broadcasting programs for
one day. Is there that much talent in the
country to supply material for each of the
365 days? — THE EDITOR.

politan city plays with radio as a hobby. His
real job is selling building materials. He
cheerfully writes out a small weekly check to
support a broadcasting station just for the
fun of the thing.

Much the same sort of a motive is back of a
station operated by a large service company.
A high executive in the organization is a radio
enthusiast. He is so high up that nobody
questions his right louse company time, men,
and money to build a transmitting station; nor
to pay a part-time salary to a publicity expert
to "direct" it. Ostensibly the station is run
so "that employees maybe benefited." Thus
the bills pass the
auditing department
under the general
heading of welfare
work. But those on
the inside like to. call
this station "the
chief's toy."

Newspapers, not
knowing exactly what
effect radio was going
to have on their busi-
ness, went into broad-
casting on a fairly
large scale to find
out. Many of them
did find out, and soon
there was a lot of
transmitting ap-
paratus in newspaper
storage roorns for sale
cheap. A few papers,
strategically located,
have been able to
make broadcasting
pay by adding
special radio sections to their Saturday or
Sunday issues. Because the papers with
broadcasting stations stand out as "radio
mediums" they garner most of the radio ad-
vertising in their territories. These excep-
tions will stick to broadcasting as long as
radio advertising volume holds up. Since the
expense is usually charged to "promotion" it
is certain that no radical artistic program
innovations of an expensive nature will ever
come from this source.

Nor can the public expect anything very
highly artistic or highly important from the
municipal stations, of which WNYC, New York
City, is a notable example. Whether or not a
municipal station is, as has been charged, a
bally-hoo for the politicians is of no import-
ance. The fact remains that tax-payers

Radio Broadcast

MANY PURELY COMMERCIAL CONCERNS

Have gone into broadcasting, presumably directly to influence their
sales. This photograph shows the bank of batteries used to run the sta-
tion which is maintained by a battery manufacturer

would resent any lavish expenditure for talent
on the part of a municipal broadcasting sta-
tion. City officials are not elected for the
purpose of giving nightly musical entertain-
ments. So, while municipal stations may
perform certain modest functions very capablv,
the people who sign "Irate Tax-payer" to
their letters "to the editor" can be depended
upon to sit on the municipal lid.

HOW GOOD A JOB IS BEING DONE

C DUCATIONAL institutions, churches,
*-* national guard, chambers of commerce,
hotels, department stores, grain and feed
establishments, monument dealers, lawyers,
a chiropractic school, newspapers, music-
stores — so runs the list of broadcasters.
Plainly, they are using radio to advertise
everything from the Gospel to "$2 Dinners
With Dancing."

Day after day and night after night these
stations pour forth programs. Take a pencil
and figure out the staggering quantity of stuff
that is annually being pushed into the air.
Suppose each of the 550 broadcasting stations
operates two hours a day, and suppose that the
average length of each program number is six
minutes, or ten items an hour. Multiply
550 by 2 by 10. The answer is 11,000; for

this is the daily number of
program items required to
fill in the time of America's
broadcasting stations. Now
multiply 11,000 by 365,
to get the annual number
of items. The answer is
4,015,000. If you're con-
servative, cut this in two
and you'll find that at least
2,000,000 songs, dance
numbers, sermons, Republi-
can, and Independent con-
ventions, talks on the rub-
ber heel industry, and
bedtime stories have to be
gathered and disseminated
annually by the broad-
casters. The wonder is.
not that they do such a
bad job, but that they do
such a good one.

Broadcasting is still very
young. It began in Sept-
ember of K)2 1 . In January,
1922, the licensed broad-
casting stations numbered
only 28 for the whole
United States. By fall, or
October i to be exact, the number had jumped
to 539. At that point the swiftly rising curve
flattened out and ever since then the number
of licensed broadcasters has hung around the
550 mark. On July i, 1924, there were 549
stations; only ten more than on October i,
1922.

The mortality is heavy; as many as 80 sta-
tions having been deleted from the list in a
single month. Twenty deletions is about the
average. Always, however, other new anc1
hopeful advertisers have come along to throw
their waves out into the great unknown, so
that the total number of stations steadily
stays between 500 and 600.

Of the 549 stations which were licensed up
to July ist, last year, 224 were pretty definitely
advertising radio. That is, these 224 statior
included radio manufacturers, radio jobber,
radio stores, garages handling radio equip-
ment as a sideline, department stores featuring
radio sections (of which there were 20), and
music stores which were taking no chances on
having their phonograph and piano business
literally vanish into the air. To this classi-
fication could be added 1 1 stations operated by
such concerns as the American Telephone &
Telegraph Co., the General Electric Co., the
Radio Corporation of America, and public

Who Owns Our Broadcasting Stations?

709

utilities which are in radio cither Tor sales or
experimental and patent motives. In other
words, 235 or about 43 per cent, of the broad-
casting is now being done by firms who have a
direct interest in the radio industry.

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS NEXT TO RADIO

NEXT to the radio industry come the edu-
cational institutions with 92 stations.
They are delving in broadcasting slightly, very
slightly, from scientific motives; but largely,
very largely, one may confidently assume, from
the same advertising motives that impel them
to build up strong football teams. Since Octo-
ber i, 1922, the numberof "educational" broad-
casting stations has increased by 50 per cent.

Newspapers come third with 42 stations,
just a little more than half
the number operated by
newspapers two years pre-
viously, before the worried
business managers found
they had little to fear from
radio.

Fourth on the list are re-
ligious organizations with
31 stations; three times as
many as on October i,
1922. Presumably there
would be many more of
these "air churches " if more
religious organizations had
the money to build and
operate them.

Miscellanous business
establishments, ranging
from a song book printer
to a dance hall, account for
23 more. Municipal, na-
tional guard, chamber of
commerce, and other com-
munity stations number 21,
while clubs of various
kinds operate 10 stations.
Broadcasting is being in-
dulged in by 7 theatres and
5 hotels. Added to all these
is a group of 83 stations,
chiefly of low power, in the
hands of private owners
and small business houses.

From which America's programs are now com-
ing. And yet, on behalf of Mr. and Mrs.
B. C. Phann and the Phann children, this word
might be added:

This year Mr. and Mrs. Phann are spending
$350,000,000 on the mechanics of radio: that
is, for parts, sets, batteries, tubes, and the rest
of the paraphernalia. They are spending,
practically, one million dollars a day not to
count the hours and hours of time.

For this time and this money they are get-
ting nothing, fundamentally but advertising in
one form or another. They are getting the
bally-hoos of political leaders, of ball clubs, of
fighters, and football teams. They are getting
the bally-hoos of hotels which have dance
orchestras. They are getting the bally-hoos

IT IS not the purpose of
* this article to present any
of the numerous schemes for
bettering broadcasting, but
simply to show the s<~»irces

THE ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH

Has successfully operated station KSD for some time. This newspaper

is one of a number of great newspapers in the country which has entered

whole-heartedly into the "business" of broadcasting

JIO

Radio Broadcast

STATION WCBD

Zion City, Illinois, is owned and operated by the religious community there under the direction of Wilbur
Glenn Voliva. Entertainment and religious programs are regularly broadcast from this station

of actors (for the most part out of jobs) who
want to "keep their names before the public."
They are getting the bally-hoos of churches,
of health departments, of colleges, and of
popular music publishers.

The fact that a portion of these bally-hoos
are good is utterly beside the point. The
issue is that broadcasting of to-day is all bally-
hoo— the advertising of something. The
radio fans who are spending a million dollars
a day are entitled to more than that. Radio,
to grow into an art as the movies have grown
into an art and to compete with the movies,

theatres, and other arts, must find new and
better food for its head phones and loud speak-
ers. It must find inducements for directors of
genius and artists of ability: men and women
who can express themselves to the multitudes
through the sense of hearing just as the crea-
tors of the movie art have, in twenty years,
learned to translate artistic expression into
terms of sight.

When that day comes, the public which is
spending a million dollars a day on radio
mechanics will gladly spend twice or three
times as much on radio art.

' I ^HE material appearing in this magazine is fully protected by copy
*• right, and editors of periodicals are advised that unauthorized publi-
cation of circuit diagrams, technical descriptions, and parts or the whole of
articles, without due permission and credit, is an infraction of the law.
Those who wish to reprint material appearing in these pages are asfed to
communicate with the editor.

"NOW, 1 HAVE FOUND. .

A Department Where Readers Can Exchange Ideas and Sug-
gestions of Value to the Radio Constructor and Operator

PR a long time, RADIO BROADCAST has felt the need of an outlet for the many excellent ideas dealing with
various features of radio construction which reach our office. With this issue, we begin the department
cf good ideas from our readers, and invite the cooperation of all those who are interested.

If you have an idea about a valuable and useful new circuit, some new device, a construction or operating
suggestion, we should like to have it. Payment of from two to ten dollars will be made for every idea accepted.
The descriptions should be limited to three hundred words and typewritten. Accompanying sketches, draw-
ings, and circuit diagrams should be as plain as possible.

We do not want simple, obvious suggestions. Material to be acceptable for this department must offer
something of definite value to the constructor. Mere novelty is not desired. Address your manuscripts to
this department, RADIO BROADCAST, Garden City, New York.— THE EDITOR.

A FORM FOR ROBERTS COILS

THE easiest way is to make a tin tem-
plate to start with, from which any
number of forms may be made, which
will be handy when your friends hear your
Roberts set and want to make one like it,
Cut a circular piece of tin 4^" in diameter;

FIG. I

then strike a circle on this piece 2\" in dia-
meter. Set the dividers a little less than \" and
starting at a mark on the 2\" circle, "step" the
dividers around the circle counting the steps,
the object being to make 15 divisions on the
circle. This will take several trials and some
patience. When at last you have the dividers
set right, mark the 1 5 divisions and center-
punch them. Drill them out with a small

drill, No. 44 or smaller. Drill the center hole
with a No. 19 drill. See Fig. i.

Cut out 5 pieces of -^ " either red or black
fibre 4^" in diameter and drill the center hole
with a No. 19 drill. Bolt the template to one
of the fibre pieces with an ^ screw and run the
small drill through the fibre using the holes in
the template to guide the drill. Take off the

TIN

9/32*3"

#19 DRILL'
CENTER HOLE

FIG. 2

FIG. 3

712

Radio Broadcast

template and ream out the holes in the fibre
with the No. 19 drill.

•i Cut a strip of tin as shown in the sketch
Fig. 2 and bolt it to the center of one of the
fibre circles. Mark the spokes with it using
a scratch awl and not a pencil, then cut on
these lines with the tin snips and you will have
a perfectly good form. Sec Fig. 3.

The forms should be boiled in paraffin for
about ten minutes before winding or they
will absorb moisture. After they are wound,
the coils may be painted with a thin solution
of celluloid dissolved in acetone.— HARDING
Cow, East Sound, Wash.

A FILTER FOR THE
SUPER-HETERODYNE

IN PUTTING up a super-heterodyne
along the lines of Mr. McMurdo Silver's
set, using Acme 30 kc transformers, 1
found that the filter suggested, though not
recommended, caused considerable distortion
(due possibly to the cutting off of some of the

CIRCULAR PLATE

1600 TURNS IN EACH SLOT. OF FIBRE OR BAKELITE
f\ \

750 TURN H.CCOIL

FIG. 4

side bands). I then worked out a filter which
not only produced no distortion, but which
also brought about sharper tuning and more
volume.

I removed the primary of 800 turns and
placed the form bearing the two secondary
coils, as described in Silver's filter, inside a
750 turn honeycomb coil providing the neces-
sary mechanical support as shown in the
sketch Fig. 4.

Connect the small coil as an untuned prim-
ary and shunt the honeycomb coil with a .001
mfd. variable condenser or approximately .0005
mfd. fixed condenser making this the secondary
of the filter. With this substitution and using
the Acmes in the two intermediate R. F.
steps I could not ask for a smoother operating
set than McMurdo Silver's set as described in

October RADIO BROADCAST. — F. S. WHITE,
Syracuse, N. Y.

A PICKLE-BOTTLE COIL FORM

HERE is a stunt that you might pass
on to your readers so that pickle-
bottles will be not in such great de-
mand for coil-winding purposes.

In a circle, inscribe an octagon of the size
required for the
coil to be wound,
as in Fig. 5 .
Next, cut a strip
C of tin A- A' long
\ and about 2f"
wide. See Fig. 6.
I Allow \" at each
0 end for a joint.
Bend and form
the joint first,
then fold ac B-
C-D etc., to ob-
tain the shape as
shown in Fig. 8.
Bend a piece of

'INSCRIBE AN OCTAGON
WITHIN A CIRCLE'

FIG. S

tin for a clamp, or slot a thin-walled brass
tube so it will slip over the flaps as shown
in Fig. 7.

Small angles of tin may be soldered at one

A B C D E F G H A*

!
!

A K-TIN PATTERN A'

FIG. 6

end of the completed form to guide the wire
in a smooth, straight manner. Wind the
turns closely together and when the proper
width of coil has been wound give it a light
coating of "dope" consisting of celluloid dis-
solved in acetone. The demountable form
may be removed by withdrawing the slotted
tube first.— R. B. CLAPP, Cleveland, Ohio.

TABS —

COMPLETED
FORM -

FIG. 7

"Now, I Have Found.

713

JOINT

FIG. 8

ANOTHER WAY OF WINDING THE

COILS FOR THE K. O. CRYSTAL

REFLEX RECEIVER

IN WINDING the Ti and T2 coils used in
the RADIO BROADCAST Knockout crystal
reflex receiver, I am pleased to submit an
idea of my own for getting clear of the trouble
of supporting the leads for the primary, or
smaller winding.

First, wind the primary on a tube of the
proper size for the entire unit and bring out
the leads as shown at A, Fig. 9. This keeps
the primary winding tight. Next, place em-
pire cloth or any other form of insulation, on
each side of the primary to build up an even
layer as at B. Then put on a wider piece of
cloth the full width of the secondary coil as
at C. Next, wind the secondary and bring
out the leads as for the primary as shown at
D. The result is a smooth layer of wire with
no leads shown. The main point is that all
the coils are tight. This system is better
than when the primary coil is wound on top
of the secondary. — \V. A. WHST, Hopewell,
N. S.

USING STANDARD COILS IN THE
ROBERTS CIRCUIT

HERE is a suggestion that might be of
interest to your readers. Most of the
ready-made coils for the Roberts cir-
cuit are rather costlv and in some instances

. THIS COIL IS REMOVED AND

•' AFTER BEING REWOUND IS

PLACED ON THE OTHER VARIND

AS SHOWN HERE

<L-PANEL

-MOUNTING
BRACKET

appear to be somewhat weak mechanically as
regards the adjustment of the tickler.

I have used two Crosley Varinds such as is
shown in Fig. 10 and while I have not a per-

'X!WXXX!t^^

FIG. <)

manent installation, they give promising re-
sults. The tapped coil on one of the Varinds
may be used as a single circuit for the primary
or may be used as the primary and secondary
of the antenna coupler by dividing it into two
sections as shown in Fig. 1 1 .

On the second Varind, the tapped coil was
replaced with a winding of larger-sized wire
for the secondary, the sliding coil used as the
tickler .and the coil intended for the tickler
on the first unit, constituting the N-P form.
See Fig.. 12. This latter coil must be re-
wound with a pair of wires to provide the
N-P winding.

A pleasing panel appearance is produced
and the units are mechanically substantial.
— C. C. SHUDER, Sumner, 111.

THE REMAINING SECONDARY

IS CONNECTED AS FOLLOWS

BATTERY NUTS
FOR SPACERS

A B = PRIMARY
C D' SECONDARY

FIGS. I I AND 12

FIG. IO

THE CONTROL ROOM AT STATION WJAX, WHERE SOME OF THE RADIO DRAMA OCCURRED

When Two Political Conventions Were Going on at the Same
Time— Some Interesting Sidelights on the Life of a Broadcasting
Station Engineer— What Goes on Before the Curtain is Raised

BY DON S. KNOWLTON

Manager, station WJAX, Cleveland, Ohio

JULY 4, 1924, was the busiest day we ever
had at station WJAX.
The excitement really started several
days before, when we hooked in on the
American Telephone and Telegraph Com-
pany wire tie-up and began broadcasting the
National Democratic Convention from Madi-
son Square Garden in New York. After that
had been going day and night for a week the
boys in the station began to get slightly weary
and every time the words "twenty-four for
Underwood" came through, the gang set up a
cheer you could hear from one end of the
twenty story Union Trust Building to the
other.

To top that, along came the Filipino Orches-
tra from the S.S. Leviathan on a 'radio broad-
casting tour. They were due to broadcast
over our station on the evening of July 3rd.

We had the machinery all set up so that this
Leviathan orchestra could do their act down in
the lobby of the Hotel Cleveland and we had
our remote control panel and our line installed
to do the broadcasting from that location in
the evening.

And then the Democrats kept right on gum-
ming things up. Of course, we had expected
that the Democrats would get through nomi-
nating and go home by that time, but they
didn't. They kept right on going during the
day hours of July 3rd and started in on a
long evening session. Would the Democrats
get through in time for us to broadcast
the Leviathan orchestra, or wouldn't they?
The Leviathan crowd had to make a train at
twelve o'clock that night.

While we were stewing about that, in came
the word that we were to broadcast the La

Our Busiest Dav

7'5

Follette Convention from the Public Audi-
torium in Cleveland the next day, July 4th!

That certainly did set the electrical kettle
boiling.

Here we were all tied up with a Convention
coming in from New Y'ork, sitting around
waiting to work in the remote control job
from the Hotel Cleveland, and along came the
news that we would have to get our hook-up
all set down at the big Public Auditorium in
Cleveland for still another job, beginning at
ten o'clock the next morning!

Well, Thorburn, our engineer, and Johnson,
our announcer, work on the theory that noth-
ing is impossible. If it had to be done, it had
to be done, that was all.

THE DEMOCRATS CONTINUED BALLOTING

THE Democrats kept right on balloting.
They balloted so long that the Leviathan
orchestra didn't get a chance to broadcast at
all. So at eleven o'clock that night, Johnson
rushed our remote control panel from the
Hotel Cleveland down to the Public Audi-
torium and began to get all set for our instal-
lation down there. He worked until about
two in the morning and then the boys decided
that sleep was more important at that time
than any microphone or control panel in the
world.

At six o'clock the next morning they were
back again at the Public Auditorium and com-
pleted their installation. This consisted of a
tie-up with the public address amplifying sys-
tem already installed in the auditorium.

While the boys were working on that, we
had to set up our glass broadcasting booth on
the stage of the Public Auditorium just behind
one of the wings, as near as possible to the
speaker's platform. At four o'clock of the
afternoon of July }rd, this broadcasting booth
lay knocked-down in several pieces up in the
storeroom of the twentieth floor of The Union
Trust Building. Between four o'clock that
afternoon and eight o'clock the following
morning, movers took the sections of this
booth down to the Public Hall, a building
company put the thing together and set it up,
and then our remote control panel had to be
installed inside of the broadcasting booth and
the lines tested.

THE LITTLE OLD LADY IN BLACK

^ITHE Convention was due to open at ten
* o'clock. At a quarter of ten the boys
were almost desperate. It didn't seem possi-
ble to get the job done in time. Three min-
utes of ten — two minutes of ten — at last the

installation was complete and they made the
test.

The test was rotten!

Something was wrong. The tie-in with the
general amplifying system didn't work worth
a hoot.

The Chairman mounted the platform with
his gavel in his hand.

"Oh! what's the use," Johnson cried, and
slammed a pair of pliers on the floor.

But just then we had a life saver.

A little old lady in a black dress and a black
hat — I don't know who she is, but she cer-
tainly saved our lives — came bustling up on
the platform and she said to the Chairman:

"But we haven't rehearsed our songs yet.
We must rehearse our songs."

"But," the Chairman objected, "we have
got to start this Convention, it's due to start
at ten o'clock."

"Well, the Convention will just have to
wait until we rehearse our songs!"

The Chairman gave up, and the old lady
gathered about her a group of women who be-
gan to rehearse the various La Follette songs
which the convention was going to sing.

Suddenly Johnson had an inspiration.

"Well! we can try it," he said, "we will
see if we can't put in our own installation."

If you think you know what fast work is,
you ought to have seen the boys fly around
during the next few minutes. They tore out
entirely the hook-up with the amplifying
system, got their own microphone and put
in their usual remote control plan of instal-
lation, running the cord from the remote
control panel through the roof of the broad-
casting booth, down to the floor, under the
chairs of the delegates who were seated there,
and up on to the speaker's platform.

The installation was almost complete — all
that was necessary was to place the micro-
phone up on the top of the speaker's platform
— and then — a terrible catastrophe.

The cord wasn't long enough! It wouldn't
reach! It lacked two feet!

The ladies stopped rehearsing their songs
and once more the Chairman mounted that
platform with the gavel in his hand.

I wish you could have seen Johnson's face
when he saw that that cord wasn't going to
reach.

Life just wasn't worth living any more, that's
all there was to it.

And then somebody had a bright idea.
. "You doggone fool," he yelled, "if you
stretch that cord from the top of the booth
to the top of the platform instead of running it

yi6

Radio Broadcast

down underneath the chairs, it will be plenty
long enough!

So while the Chairman of the Convention
stood on the platform with his gavel up-raised,
ready to call the Convention to order, we were
frantically stretching that cord from the booth
to the platform, and one of us holding it in
place while the other nailed it down.

Bang! went the last nail into place, and at
almost the same instant, bang! went the
Chairman's gavel and the Convention was on.

At the same instant Johnson was back into
his booth, — "This is station WJAX, The Union
Trust Company, Cleveland, broadcasting. . ."

The La Follette Convention was in the air!

Well, we went back to the studio and fell
flat on the carpet for a few minutes' rest.

TWO CONVENTIONS AT ONCE

THEN the Democrats began to get busy.
First came a lot of brass band music and
then the invocation and then the reading of
the Declaration of Independence address.
The thing got under our skins somehow, and
as hardened as we were to the radio game we
sat up and took notice.

There we were with two loud speakers in
the station. Through one was coming the

THE TWO ANTENNA TOWERS
Atop the Union Trust Company building in Cleveland, owners of station WJAX

proceedings of the National Democratic
Convention in New York about to nominate
a candidate for President. Through the other
was coming the proceedings of the La Follette
party in Cleveland, preparing to nominate
La Follette for the presidency. Our radi6
audience was getting only the La Follette
Convention, but we were getting both at the
same time!

Down at the Public Hall in Cleveland a La
Follette orator was denouncing what he called
the "mad-house" at New York. At the same
instant we heard the "mad-house" at New
York going full blast.

We left the La Follette Convention in the
air until the Democrats had finished their
singing and the reading of the Declaration of
Independence, and the Chairman's gavel
sounded the call of the Convention to order.
Then the writer stepped to the microphone and
said, "Well, friends of the radio audience, we
are now going to switch you over from the
La Follette Convention at the Public Audi-
torium in Cleveland to the National Demo-
cratic Convention in Madison Square Garden
in New York City."

Click, went the switch in the operating room
and the radio audience jumped from Cleveland

to New York, from La

Follette to the Demo-
crats, and once more
were privileged to hear
the repetition of that
now world-famous
phrase, "Twenty four
for Underwood."

Then late in the after-
noon, when the Demo-
crats had finished their
daily round and ad-
journed, once more we
switched our listeners
from Madison Square
Garden back again to
the Public Auditoriunr
in Cleveland, where
young Bob La Follette
was making an impas-
sioned plea on behalf of
his father's candidacy.
It was a wonderful,
wonderful day, but I
can tell you that after
it was all over, the
most glorious thing of
all was to go home and
to bed for one good
long ten hour stretch.

LOSS STABILIZING R. F. CIRCUITS

THE greatest problem encountered in
design and construction of radio-
frequency amplifiers is the stabiliza-
tion of the system in which they are
incorporated — the dissipating or nullifying of
the very strong tendency toward oscillations.
This tendency is evident in each r. f. circuit,
but is most emphasized in (be second stage of a
two-step tuned radio-frequency amplifier — or in
the second and third stages of a three-step
intensifier. In general, this tendency may be
combatted in two .ways — by counteraction,
and by losses or absorption. Representative
of the first method is the neutrodyne and the
reversed feed-back systems, though in a nar-
row sense, these systems may also be consid-
ered as functioning through the introduction
of losses. The neutrodyne and reversed feed-
back method are fairly well known and have
been described at length in various issues of
RADIO BROADCAST. The reader is perhaps
less familiar with the loss systems, the ad-
vantages of which
have been strongly
emphasized in recent
experiments in this
laboratory.

Loss methods of
stabilization are just
what the name sug-
gests. Losses are in-
troduced in the vari-
ous circuits, in which
there is present an
oscillatory tendency,
of such a magnitude
that the surplus
energy which would
ordinarilv be utilized

In the R. B. Lab This Month

— A good mt'thod for stabilising radio fre-
quency amplifiers. A comprehensive discussion
of simple and effective means of subduing un-
desired oscillations in your tuned r. f . set.
This complete article is the outcome of a series
of experiments in our laboratory.

— A brief dtscription of a six-tube de luxe
Roberts Knockout receiver, employing four
stages of resistance-coupled audio amplification.

— Charging Edison element B batteries at
high charging rales.

— Current carrying capacities of wire si^es
in small transformers.

— Other items of helpful interest.

in starting and maintaining oscillations is
harmlessly dissipated. At first, the general
principle of the thing may appear all wrong.
The idea of deliberately introducing losses
seems contrary to the fundamental precepts
of radio. To-day, much effort is made to
reduce all losses in circuits through scientific-
ally designed coils and condensers. However,
losses can be made very useful and are quite
justified when properly used for stabilization.
In such arrangements the losses are so adjusted
that oscillations are just a little more than
stopped. This permits regeneration and a
practical maximum in signal strength, sensi-
tivity, and selectivity. (We write "practical"
because all of these qualities become still more
intensified when the circuit is oscillating — a
condition, however, in which enjoyable re-
ception is impossible).

Unfortunately, the introduction of even
losses over the entire tuning scale is an ideal
condition which, at its best, can only be ap-
proximated. The
tendency to oscillate
increases in any
tuned circuit with the
frequency. The lower
the wave (the higher
the frequency) the
greater is this ten-
dency.

STRAIGHT ABSORPTION

I OSS stabilization
*-* systems fall into
two classes that we
might describe as
"straight absorption"
and "differential ab-

718

Radio Broadcast

FIG. I
Examples of straight stabilization

sorption." Straight absorption refers to sys-
tems that, without consideration of the chang-
ing tendency to oscillate, absorb over the full
wave range. This arrangement is obviously very
inefficient, for if the system is adjusted greatly
to dampen oscillations on the higher fre-
quencies, where a comparatively large amount
of absorption is required it will dissipate much
more power than is necessary on the higher
waves, where almost any set is self stabilizing.
Examples of this type of absorption are
numerous and are found in many amateur
receivers and in a few commercial sets. The
most common procedure is to place a resis-
tance of from fifty to a thousand ohms in the
grid circuit of the radio-frequency amplifier,
(A,;in Fig. i). Another and widely advo-
cate^ arrangement is to wind from two to
eight turns of wire (L) with a diameter of
about two to three inches, placing the coil
close to the primary and secondary of the
radio-frequency transformer (Fig. i, B). As
might be expected both of these systems work
satisfactorily, on the low waves where the
losses are just sufficient to stabilize the re-
ceiver, regeneration with good signal strength
and selectivity being permitted. However,
on the upper side of the scale, the last trace
of regeneration is dampened and the signal
itself is absorbed. Variable controls, for obvi-
ous reasons, are only an impractical solution.

DIFFERENTIAL ABSORPTION

P\IFFERENTIAL absorption refers to
L-/ those systems that discriminate between
the higher and lower wavelengths, and more or
less adjust the amount of absorption in pro-
portion to the tendency to over-regenerate and

oscillate. Such a system will absorb consider-
able power on the high frequencies, and prac-
tically none at all on the low frequencies,
which approaches the ideal condition outlined
a few paragraphs above.

A most simple and illustrative example of
differential absorption is found in a slight
modification of circuit B in Fig. i. If, in-
stead of short circuiting the terminals of the
stabilizing coil L, a fixed condenser is shunted
across it, as in LC of Fig. 2 (A), an oscillatory
circuit will be formed which will absorb energy
only about the wave to which it is tuned. If
LC is given a resonance or tuned point at about
two hundred and seventy-five meters, it will
absorb sufficient power to stabilize the re-
ceiver on the short waves, having little or no i
effect on the higher waves where external
stabilization is not required. This is the
system first introduced by Austin, in 1916, for
the control of oscillations in long wave hetero-
dyne reception, later used by Mr. L. M.
Cockaday in a receiver designed by him.
This method is at present employed in the
two-stage r. f. "Starr" set.

The method just described is probably the
most efficient of all absorption methods, and
is very easily applied to any r. f. receiver in
the course of construction or quite completed.
It is only necessary to wind the absorption
coils and place them in inductive relation to
the secondary. The calculation of the cor-
rect number of turns is not difficult.

(SHOWING SECOND R.F. STAGE)
SECOND R.F. STAGE

TO DET.

60-90 V.

FIG. 2

Preferred and efficient methods of stabilization.
The series resistance system (C) reduces the B bat-
tery consumption of the r.f. tubes, adding economy
to its other desirable characteristics

In the R. B. Lab.

719

It is assumed that the resonant absorption
coil will be wound on a form approximating
the diameter of the secondary, perhaps along-
side the secondary, or on a tube that may be
slipped within the grid coil. This being the
case, the absorption coil should be wound with
one half the number of turns on the secondary,
and the condenser C should have a value of
.00025 mW. A Micadon will do nicely. This
method of mounting the coil and condenser is
illustrated in Fig. 3. The absorption coil has
been wound alongside of the secondary.

The absorption coil should be wound with
no smaller than No. 26 wire. The differential
effect is curiously curtailed by the use of very
small wire sizes, for the high-frequency resis-
tance of the wire increases with the frequency,
which appreciably cuts down the absorption
where it is most wanted. In a few cases when
the absorption coil tunes over sharply, that is
when the circuit oscillates above and below the
maximum absorption point, the difficulty can
be remedied by winding two or three turns of
the coil with resistance wire from a rheostat.
This added resistance tends to increase the
decrement of the absorption circuit making it
tune more broadly, which allows the receiver
to cover a larger wave band.

It is advisable to experiment with the
coupling between the resonant absorption coil
and the . receiving circuit. When properly
adjusted (though the adjustment is not critical
and is easily effected), the set can just be

FIG. 3

A tuned radio transformer on the primary of which
a stabilizing coil has been wound. The shunt con-
denser fits nicely within the tube

made to oscillate by filament rheostat varia-
tion, thus permitting regeneration control that
is very desirable and effective. When oscil-
lations occur on such an adjustment they are
almost invariably generated in the second
tube, seldom, if ever, in the first bulb. Ape-

FIG. 4

The circuit of the de luxe six-tube Roberts Knockout receiver

Radio Broadcast

Front view of the Roberts de luxe receiver.

FIG. 5

The meter is in the plate circuit of the audio amplifier

riodic primaries arc usually found on tuned
radio-frequency receivers, which have an
actual tuned or resonance point on the low
wa,ves which act as an additional absorption
circuit at these high frequencies, choking
the tendency to oscillate.

In a two-stage tuned r. f. amplifier, the
resonant absorption coils should be used in the
first and second stage, and in the detector cir-
cuit. In receivers already completed, it may
be most convenient to wind these coils on
separate forms, mounting them in the ends
(grid or filament) of the r. f. transformers.

Another interesting, though slightly inferior,
method of differential stabilization is the
shunting of high resistances (R) across the
r. f. tuning condenser (in Fig. 2, B). This
has the effect of increasing the "phase differ-
ence" of the circuit. The phase angle (un-
fortunately a rather technical consideration)
is a determinant of the power loss in any
circuit which increases with the frequency.
Hence, the loss will be greater on the higher
frequencies or lower wavelengths.

On two stages of tuned radio-frequency
amplification, the resistances across the first

and third (detector) condensers may be fixed
resistors, of the Daven type, having an ohmage
of fifty thousand. The resistor across the
middle condenser controlling, as we have de-
monstrated, the least stable of the three cir-
cuits, should be a Bradleyohm, having a
variable resistance of from ten to one hundred
thousand ohms. This, again, will provide the
desired regeneration control.

Another very interesting and efficient
method of stabilization, though not strictly a
loss method, should be considered by the ex-
perimenter studying these possibilities. For
several reasons, the tendency of a circuit to
oscillate, or to become unstable, increases with
the plate voltage. Hence, in any fairly stable
circuit, for instance, an average r. f. circuit, a
gradual reduction of the plate voltage to just
below the critical point provides an adequate
and efficient method of regeneration control.
This principle is employed in the Deresnadyne
receiver and in others of similar design. This
idea is illustrated in Fig. 2, C.

The resistance R, a ten to one hundred thou-
sand ohm Bradleyohm, adjusts the plate po-
tential applied to the r. f. tubes and detector.

FIG. 6

Rear view showing construction

In the R. B. Lab.

721

This resistance is bypassed by a i mfd. con-
denser C. The resistance probably also has
•A dampening effect on the radio-frequency
fluctuations in the plate current, thus reducing
feed-back through the capacity of the tube.
Because of this, it is not necessary to reduce
the plate voltage below the efficient operating
potentials of the amplifying tubes in the radio
frequency circuit.

A SIX-TUBE ROBERTS RECEIVER

FIGURES 4, 5, and 6 illustrate a special
Roberts Knockout receiver built, from
data supplied by RADIO BROADCAST,
by Schneider and Horneij of New York.

The receiver employs the standard Roberts
tuning arrangement followed by four stages of
resistance-coupled amplification. The receiver
is de luxe in every respect, only a few of the
refinements being brought out in the photo-
graphs and diagram.

Referring to the diagram, Fig. 4, the ap-
paratus to the left of the dotted line is identical
with the usual Roberts equipment. Ci
throughout the circuit, is a .012 mfd. fixed con-
denser. Ca is a i mfd. bypass condenser.
Filament control jacks were used in the actual
receiver, though for simplicity the auxiliary

SIZE WIRE
(B&S)

SAFE CURRENT WHEN WOUND ON

PRIMARY

SECONDARY

9.5

8.0

6.1

5.0

3.6

3.2

2.4

2.0

1.5

1.3

.96

.80

.60

.50

.37

.32

.23

.20

.14

.125

.095

.070

.059

.050

.037

.031

.023

.019

FIG. 7

These current carrying capacities are for trans-
former windings, and are considerably less than the
safe limit for open wiring

contacts have been omitted from Fig. 4. l\i
represents the coupling resistances, having a
value of 100,000 ohms. Grid leak. Rz is a
500,000 ohm resistor and R^ a 2 ,0.000 ohm
resistance. Grid leaks R4 are fifty thousand
ohm resistances. R$ has a resistance of five
thousand ohms. A meter, reading from zero
to fifty milliamperes has been included in the
plate lead to the resistance-coupled amplifier.
The following is a list of the exact parts used
in the receiver described. Substitution of
equally efficient apparatus will not affect
operation.

Bakelite Panel 7" x 27" x A", engraved

2 Cardwell .0005 Condensers.
6 Federal Sockets
Amertran, 5:1 ratio

3 Federal Jacks (using 2 on tubes five and six)

3 Eztoon dials, 4"
Nazeley Coil

4 G. R. Rheostats
G.R. Switch and Points,
Eby Binding Posts

4 Daven Resistor Couplers, Condenser Mountings.
Leaks, etc.

Dubilier Condensers, Pacent Balcon and Neutraliz-
ing Condenser

Weston 0-50 Milliampere meter in plate circuit
of Resistance Amplifier tubes only.

WIRE SIZES AND CURRENT-
CARRYING CAPACITY

THE publication IN THE R. B. LAB. for
September and October, 1924, of data
on the design and construction of small
transformers, aroused considerable interest
among our readers who are considering the
construction of B battery eliminators and
battery chargers. In the articles to which we
refer, mention was made that the sizes of
wires in the primary and secondaries would be
governed altogether by the amount of current
which they were to handle. For the benefit
of our readers who have been puzzled on this
point, we publish the table appearing as Fig.
7. Different sizes of wire, from No. 10 to No.
36 B & S gauge (A. W. G.) are given with their
corresponding safe current carrying capacities
in transformer windings. This data is suffici-
ently accurate and can be used without cor-
rection considerations in the construction of
small transformers.

For example, we shall assume the experi-
menter desires to build a transformer operated
from a 1 10 volt source for supplying plate
potential to an amplifier. The maximum
output will be forty milliamperes at three
hundred volts. The secondary must there-

722

Radio Broadcast

fore be wound with wire that will safely carry
this current, and referring to Fig. 7 we find
that this is No. 33.

Multiplying the volts, 300, by the amperes,
.04, will give youthe number of secondary volt-
amperes. In a perfect transformer this would
be exactly the volts-amperes inputted to the
primary. However, efficiency must be con-
sidered, and so we multiply this VA rating 12,
by 1.2 the product being close to the volts
times amperes in the primary circuit. There-
fore, primary volts multiplied by primary
amperes equals 14.4, or *&•£• is the number
of amperes flowing in the primary under full
load. The primary current then is .122.
Again referring to the table we find that the
correct primary wire is about No. 28.

In all cases, of course, a larger size wire may
be used for convenience or other reasons.

LABORATORY HINTS

EDISON element storage B batteries can be
charged at comparatively high charging
rates without harm. Most B battery chargers
using electric light bulbs as a series resistance
only charge at a rate of about 75 to 100 milli-
amperes, which is quite correct for the majority
of lead plate cells. However, on Edison cells
this rate may be considerably increased by the
substitution of a soldering iron or an electric
iron for the lamp. Fig. 8 shows a commercial
type of charger — the "Unitron" — an efficient
bulb rectifier for charging both A and B bat-
teries without the purchase of additional ap-
paratus, charging a Todd B battery through a

COIL

FLEXIBLE-''
CORD

FIG. 9
A half inch of spaghetti keeps the silk from fraying

standard 500 watt electric iron. The com-
plete battery is charged as a forty-five volt
unit at close to a one-half ampere rate. Three
hours running completely charges the battery,
and after six months of repeated charging no
ill effects of the comparatively high rate can
be observed. If anything, the battery is in
better condition than when originally ob-
tained.

CIGURE 9 shows a wiring kink that solves
r in a neat and efficient manner the ten-
dency of flexible cables to fray at the ends.
Flexible wires, generally of the ordinary lamp
cord type, are indispensable to the wiring of
most receivers employing variable coupling,
such as the Roberts. Moving coils are con-
nected to the stationary bus-bars by means of
these leads. If a small piece — a half inch or
so — of spaghetti tubing is slipped over the
ends of the flexible cables, forming a "cuff," a
permanently neat job is assured.

FIG. 8

A flat iron can be substituted for the usual carbon lamp when high charging
rates are desired. An electric toaster will pass approximately the same current

How to Build a One-Dial Reflex

Receiver

A Sensitive Non-Radiating Receiver Using Crystal Detection and
Push-Pull Amplification which is Simple to Build and Operate — The
Combination of Crystal and Push-Pull Produces Excellent Quality

BY JOHN C. DAVIDSON

THE receiver described in this article may very well be called universal. It is,
in effect a one-, two, or four-tube layout, depending on just how much the
builder cares to do at a time. One may start with the single-tube layout and add
the remainder at will. The two last tubes are used in a push-pull audio amplifier
arrangement and are entirely unnecessary for loud speaker operation on stations
up to several hundred miles — at night, of course.

In our tests of this receiver we operated a loud speaker on stations up to 300
miles distant with a single tube, up to 700 miles distant on two tubes, and on sta-
tions 1 500 miles away with all four tubes. This is not guaranteed operation, but is
not highly unusual operation. The selectivity is very good, though it does not
equal the two- and four-tube Knockout receivers employing the Roberts circuit.
There is but a single major tuning control. The receiver is very easy to build.

We suggest building the two-tube receiver first, because it produces enough
volume for most purposes. If after trying two tubes, the music is not loud enough
for dancing, the push-pull amplifier may be added. — THE EDITOR.

TWO years study of reflex circuits
have brought out a number of inter-
esting points about this popular
method of radio reception. It is
claimed that a circuit with one tube reflexed
through a crystal detector will equal on dis-
tance reception, and at the same time give
far more volume and better quality than the
ordinary one-tube regenerative receiver. This
additional energy gain is due to the fact that
one tube reflexed, gives a stage of radio-fre-
quency amplification, a certain amount of
regeneration, which seems to be inherent in
the majority of reflex circuits, and a stage of
audio-frequency amplification. At the same
time, ther~, ;s a limit to what can be expected
irom one • iibe, and this makes the reflexing of
more than one tube a questionable procedure,
when using an antenna-ground system.

The circuit described here is a logical devel-
opment obtained from a study of the above
analysis. It comprises one stage of radio-
frequency amplification with a stage of audio
frequency reflexed through it, a fixed crystal
detector, a second stage of audio-frequency
amplification and finally a stage of push-pull

audio-frequency amplification. This combina-
tion gives plenty of loud speaker volume with
local reception and good loud speaker volume
for reception up to 1000 miles, it being under-
stood that long range work is subject to sea-
sonal and atmospheric conditions. At the
same time, particular attention has been paid
to selectivity, so that at least six or more dis-
tant stations can be brought in through the
locals of the large cities. This performance
is especially noteworthy in view of the fact
that it is obtained with a single tuning dial
and one volume control dial, which makes the
operation about as simple as can be desired.
Stations heard can be logged and returned to
on their own dial setting.

THE CIRCUIT

THE circuit in principle can be best under-
stood by referring to Fig. i. Part of the
radio-frequency tuning coil secondary is con-
tained in the first grid circuit and the remainder
of this coil is used in conjunction with the
small balancing condenser "CB" to stabilize
the circuit, and control the volume. It is the
experience of the writer that the first audio

724

Radio Broadcast

.0005 OPTIONAL

HI-

FIG. I

The schematic circuit of the reflex receiver. The peculiar connection to the grid and plate circuits are
especially to be noted. The constructional details are contained in the accompanying article. The radio-
frequency transformer, shown in the diagram is completely illustrated in Fig. 3

transformer should have a ratio of the order
of 10:1 to work best with the crystal. A small
fixed condenser, "€3" should be placed
across the secondary of this transformer to
bypass the radio-frequency currents. Its ca-
pacity should be .00025 or .0005 mfd. The
condenser "€4" is fixed, and may be as large
as .005 mfd., and is placed across the two out-
side terminals of the double circuit jack, as a
further by-pass. The second audio trans-
former should be of about 4:1 ratio for good
quality.

The tuning unit used here is the result of
considerable experimental work. It has a
low distributed capacity and at the same time
the three coils have a high degree of coupling.

In designing this unit the following condi-
tions had to be met. The circuit must be
able to oscillate over the entire range of broad-
cast wavelengths, with a fixed winding radio-
frequency transformer in the plate circuit of
the tube. By means of the balancing con-
denser and part of the secondary coil, these
oscillations must be balanced out. At the
same time, a high degree of selectivity must be
maintained.

Thetuningcoilisofthefixedcouplertypewith
an untuned primary and a tuned secondary.
The primary has one tap to be used with a
long antenna. The tuned secondary has a
tap so placed that one part of the coil is in-
cluded in the grid circuit, while the other part
acts as a balancing-out or compensating coil.
When used in conjunction with the balancing
condenser "CB", all regeneration can be
controlled.

The coil winding data for the tuning unit is
outlined below:

Size of Tubing:--2" long x if" diameter.

Coil No. i consists of 21 turns tapped at the i6th.

Inside turn connects to grid i6th to LA and 21 st
to SA.

Coil No. 2, 35 turns, outside lead to C2, inside
lead to — A.

Coil No. 5, 25 turns, outside to — A, inside to Cl.

All the coils are wound with No. 26 d. s. c. wire
on a form slightly greater in diameter than the tub-
ing. The form has 19 spokes f" in diameter produc-
ing a coil about iV wide. The winding style is over
two and under two spokes.

BALANCING CONDENSER

A PHOTOGRAPH of the balancing con-
denser is shown. It will be noted that
this condenser is designed to have an extremely
small minimum capacity. Unless this mini-
mum capacity is very small, the circuit will be
sensitive only over the middle portion of the
broadcast wavelengths.

The small commercial condensers available
were found to be unsuitable for this purpose,
so that a special condenser had to be designed.
Those who desire to make their own can do so
with old parts on hand. The only conditions
to be met are a low minimum capacity and a
maximum capacity of about fifty micro-
microfarads. "C" is a variable condenser
whose capacity may be as low as .00029 mfd.
and should be of fairly good design. This ca-
pacity is equivalent to 13 to 17 plates depend-
ing upon the make of the condenser.

THE DETECTOR

A FIXED crystal is used for the detector.
Right here it may be advisable to point
out a great weakness of the variable crystal
detector.

A given setting of the detector introduces
a certain resistance into the circuit. If
the circuit is tuned and adjusted to a certain
wavelength and the variable detector is then

How to Build a One-Dial Reflex

725

INSIDE

The " works." As can be seen, the wiring for this receiver
is not difficult and the layout parts quite easy to duplicate

reset, a different resistance will be introduced
necessitating a retuning of the entire circuit.
This is particularly annoying if the station
that is being received is a distant one. This
difficulty is entirely eliminated when a fixed
type of crystal detector is used.

THE RADIO-FREQUENCY TRANSFORMER

D EFERRING to Fig. i once more it will
1^- be noted that the radio-frequency trans-
former used, is of unique design and is especi-
ally built to give maximum amplification over
the broadcasting wavelengths when used be-
tween a tube and a crystal detector. It has a
step down ratio and will not function between
two tubes as is the case with the ordinary
radio-frequency transformer.

Its construction is as follows:

On a spool if" in diameter and f" wide, having a
slot \" wide and \" deep are wound 170 turns of No.
35 wire.

First, 70 turns are wound in the slot and a tap

taken off which connects to G, then too turns are
wound over this, the end connecting to P.

The beginning of the winding connects to F and
B. See Figs, i & 3.

WIRING THE SET

FIGURE 2 is a picture drawing of the exact
layout of the interior of the set and shows
each piece of apparatus in relation to the
other parts. It also clearly indicates the
wiring. The panel size is 7 x 24" and is drilled
according to the layout in Fig. 4. There are
ten terminals at the back of the cabinet.
Reading from left to right they are LA, SA,
GND, —A, +A, — B, + B, + B, C+, C— .
These terminals should be mounted on a
bakelite strip and so supported that the
terminals do not come in contact with the
wood.

For the sake of simplicity, the wiring will be
divided into four stages, namely, the filament
wiring, the antenna-grid wiring, the reflex
wiring and the audio-frequency wiring.

REFLEX TUNER U N 11

PUSH-PULL AMPLIFIER UNIT

FIG. 2
A picture layout of the complete receiver

726

Radio Broadcast

From the binding post marked " +A" run a
wire to each socket terminal marked " + F".
From the binding post marked " — A" run a
wire to one terminal of the filament switch.
From the other switch terminal run a wire to
one terminal of each rheostat. The other
three terminals of the rheostats are connected
respectively to each socket terminal marked
" — F". The filament circuit is now com-
pleted. As each wire is put in place it is well
to mark it off on the circuit diagram with a
red or blue pencil.

The antenna-grid circuit is wired as follows:
Run a wire from the tuner terminal marked

F&B

WINDING

STYLE
WOODEN SPOOL FORM

FOR

RADIO FREQUENCY
TRANSFORMER

FIG. 3

Constructional and winding details o.
the special radio-frequency transformer

"LA" to the left hand binding post which
should also be marked "LA" (long antenna.)
Run a wire from the terminal "SA" to the
binding post to the right of the one marked
"LA." This binding post should be marked
"SA" (short antenna.) Then connect the
terminal marked "GND" to the binding post
to the right of the one marked "SA." This
binding post should be marked "GND"
(ground). This completes the antenna-ground
connections. The grid circuit is wired as
follows. Connect the tuner terminal "C2"
to the stationary plates of your thirteen or
seventeen plate condenser, and connect the
terminal "Ci " to the rotor plates. Then run
a wire from "C2" terminal to the first socket
terminal marked "G". Connect the tuner
terminal marked " — -A" to the secondary
terminal of the high ratio audio transformer
marked "G." The "F" terminal of this
transformer secondary is joined to the wire
from the " — A" binding post. A small fixed
mica condenser (.00025 or -0005 mfd.) should

be connected across the secondary terminals
of this audio transformer. There remains
only the compensating condenser, the ro-
tating plate of which is connected to the first
socket terminal marked "P" while the sta-
tionary plate is connected to the tuner ter-
minal "Ci ". This completes the grid circuit.

All these connections are clearly shown in
Fig. 2 together with the general shape of the
wires, and by following the drawing the pro-
blem becomes fairly simple.

The reflex circuit is wired as follows. Con-
nect the first socket terminal marked "P"
to the "P" terminal of the radio-frequency
transformer. The " B " terminal of this trans-
former is connected to the upper terminal of
the double circuit jack. The bottom terminal
of the double circuit jack goes to the binding
post at the extreme right and should be marked
"+B". A fixed mica condenser C^ of .005
mfd. capacity should be connected across the
two outside terminals of the double circuit
jack. From the "G" terminal of the radio-
frequency transformer, run a wire to one end
of the fixed detector. The other terminal of
the fixed detector is connected to the primary
terminal of the high ratio audio transformer
marked " P." The " B " terminal of this audio
transformer is connected to the "F" terminal
of the radio-frequency transformer. The reflex
circuit is now completed,

From the double circuit jack terminal next
to the top, run a wire to the low ratio audio
transformer terminal marked "P." The re-
maining double jack terminal is connected to
the " B" terminal of the low ratio transformer.
Join the "G" terminal of this transformer to
the second socket "G" terminal and connect
the "F" terminal of the transformer to the
wire coming from the " — A" binding post.
Connect the "P" socket terminal to the bottom
terminal of the next double circuit jack. The
top terminal of the second jack goes to the
:'+B" binding post. The wiring is com-
pleted by connecting together the binding
posts marked " — B" and " +A."

ADDING A PUSH-PULL AMPLIFIER

COONER or later, into the life of every real
^ radio fan comes the desire for more volume
and then comes the hunt for a means of am-
plification.

Though both the one-tube and the two-tube
units of this reflex circuit afford good volume
on all average reception, there are many who
want more. But how to get this additional
volume has been more of a problem than would
at first glance appear.

How to Build a One-Dial Reflex

727

FRONT VIEW OF THE PANEL

With the one-tube reflex unit, the problem
can be solved by the addition of another tube
as an audio-frequency amplifier. It has
proved highly impractical to add another
audio-frequency tube to the two-tube circuit.
One transformer and one tube alone have
been unable to handle the output of the pre-
ceding two tubes without much distortion.
So push-pull amplification has been a life
saver — or shall we call it a volume saver?

Push-pull amplification is a necessity when
additional volume is desired.

The "how and why" behind push-pull
amplification is not half as intricate as some
people seem to believe. It differs from the
usual straight audio, at first glance, in that
two transformers and two tubes are used for
each stage. The first transformer is the coup-
ling transformer which divides the output of
the prccecding tube evenly between the grids
of the two push-pull tubes. The second
transformer collects the outputs of the two
push-pull tubes and passes the total energy
on to the loud speaker.

The term "push-pull" is used because the
grids of the two tubes in each stage of push-
pull amplification are charged with opposite
polarity at any instant. While one grid is
positive, the other is negative. Any tendency
to distort in one tube is counteracted by the
other tube.

The first transformer performs the double
duty of dividing the input current between the

two tubes and of delivering it to these tubes
in such a manner that the two grids will be
oppositely charged. It does this by means of a
split winding. While the primary winding is
one continuous winding coming out to two
binding posts in the usual manner, the second-
ary is tapped at its central point and is there-
fore brought to three binding posts. The
binding post leading to the center tap is con-
nected to the negative A battery through the
C battery. The other two binding posts are
attached to the grids of the two tubes.

Conversely, the second or output trans-
former of the push-pull stage of amplification
has a tapped primary and a conventional se-
condary. In this transformer the primary
winding is brought to three binding posts and
the secondary winding to two. In this case
the central primary tap is connected to the
B battery while the other two posts are con-
nected one to each plate. The two posts of
the secondary are connected to the speaker
just as the two posts of the first transformer
were connected to the plate and B battery
of the last audio-frequency tube.

THE LAYOUT OF THE AMPLIFIER

THE layout of the push-pull unit can be
made rather flexible. If space permits,
the two tubes can be placed one in front of the
other. The two transformers should be put
one on each side of the tubes. This makes the
wiring short and direct. It also reduces the

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The panel layout. The photograph above shows the appearance of the finished panel

728

Radio Broadcast

chance of error, since the transformer and
tubes, when in this position, almost connect
themselves because of the proximity of bind-
ing posts to binding posts.

The two input or primary terminals of the
first transformer are connected to the two
central prongs of the center jack in the set.
The outside terminals of the secondary are
then connected to the grids of the two tubes,
each to the nearer grid. The central terminal
is run directly to the negative post of the C
battery, while the positive post of the C bat-
tery is run to the negative A battery binding
post.

The filament connections are made in the
usual way, the two filaments being placed in
parallel and being controlled by the one
rheostat. The plate of one tube is connected
to one of the two outside posts of the primary
of the second transformer, the plate of the
other tube to the other. The central binding
post of the secondary is attached to the plus
post of the high B battery voltage. The two
secondary leads from the second or output
transformer are wired to the push-pull jack.
A .0005 mfd. fixed condenser C<j is connected
from the upper grid side of the secondary of
the input transformer to the lower side of the
secondary of the output transformer as an
additional stabilizing capacity. Various values
of capacity may have to be substituted to
obtain quiet operation.

In some cases it may be necessary to in-
clude in the push-pull amplifier circuit the
.0005 mfd. fixed condenser shown connected
between the G terminal of the secondary of
the input transformer and the F terminal of
the secondary of the output transformer.
Usually its addition to the circuit will elimin-
ate any tendency of the tubes to overload
and the shunting of the .006 mfd. condenser
across the secondary terminals of the output
transformer will clarify the tone output of the
receiver. This latter addition largely de-
pends upon the type of loud speaker used.

PUSH-PULL AND THE LOUDSPEAKER

JVAOST loud speakers have an impedance
*•** out of all proportion to the impedance
of the tube preceding. And yet theory has
it that the best results are obtained when the
impedance of the speaker or other "load"
matches the tube impedance. The push-pull
system corrects, or rather, overcomes this be-
cause the output transformer separates the
loud speaker from the tube circuit.

The ordinary straight audio system places
the loudspeaker directly in the plate circuit

of the last tube and consequently subjects it
continually to the full plate voltage. This
means that there is a constant drag on the
diaphragm of the speaker which prevents that
diaphragm from responding freely to weak or
complicated tones.

In the push-pull system, the full plate
voltage gets no farther than the primary of the
second transformer. It cannot be trans-
ferred to the secondary or loud speaker circuit
because it is a direct current. Direct cur-
rents do not affect a transformer. Only when
there is a current fluctuation does the loud
speaker winding get an impulse, because only
then is the current transferred from primary
to secondary by means of induction. It will
be seen at a glance that this is the ideal con-
dition. Unless speech or music is coming
through the amplifier, the loud speaker has
absolutely no potential applied to it, yet when
broadcasts are being amplified, the loud
speaker winding gets a powerful impulse
exactly in accordance with the matter being
broadcast.

SELECTIVITY

' I VHE circuit described is extremely selec-
* live in spite of the fact it has but one
tuning dial. Frequently on demonstration,
seven or more out of town stations have been
brought in on the speaker through the power-
ful New York local stations.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be noted that there
are three terminals on the primary side of the
tuning unit, which are marked "SA", "LA",
and "GND". The terminals "SA" and
"GND" include the entire winding and should
be used with a short antenna of from 40 to 100
feet. The terminals "LA" and "GND" in-
clude the larger part of the coil and should
be used with a long antenna. If extreme se-
lectivity is desired the antenna may be con-
nected to "LA" and the ground to "SA."
This uses only a small part of the coil and while
the volume will be somewhat reduced, the
tuning will be extremely sharp.

OPERATION

THIS receiver performs best with 0-301 -A
ov-2 or uv-2oi-A tubes operating from a
small six volt storage battery and 90 volts of
B battery. At the same time good results
may be obtained using a 201 -A tube in the
first stage and a uv-igg type tube in the se-
cond stage, running the two tubes from six
volts of dry battery. If this latter method is
used, the 30 ohm rheostat controlling the uv-
199 type tube must be turned on only just

How to Build a One-Dial Reflex

729

enough to light the filament
or the tube will be burned
out.

A negative C battery is used
to cut down the B battery
consumption and to improve
the quality of signals through
preventing distortion.

To operate at its best effi-
ciency, the set should oscillate
or be very near the oscillating
point over the entire range of
broadcasting wavelengths,
when the balancing condenser
is at- its minimum. At this
point the dial controlling this
condenser should read 100 de-
grees. When this dial reads
near zero, oscillations should
not occur at any wavelength.

TUNING

THE method of tuning this
set is very simple and can
be mastered in a few minutes.
It will be observed that the large dial at the
left is labelled "Tuning." The next dial to
the right is labelled "Volume." To the right
of the dial controlling volume are three rheo-
stat knobs, which control the current in the
filaments of the first, second, third, and fourth
tubes. Immediately below the volume con-
trol dial is the filament current control switch.
Continuing to the right of this switch and
below the first rheostat knob is a jack for use
of phones with only one stage of amplification.
Then there is a second jack for the speaker,
using both stages of amplification and the last
jack employs all four tubes.

At first it will probably be best to try to
tune the set with powerful near-by stations.
To do this you set the volume control dial
near zero and slowly rotate the tuning dial.
Then having picked up a local station, by
increasing the reading of the volume control
dial, the signal should come in loud and clear.
The setting of the tuning dial should be re-
corded and thereafter that particular station
should always be found at that setting.

To obtain maximum volume on distant
station reception the procedure is slightly
different. In this case it is best to set the
tuning dial approximately at the desired
wavelength and for each of these settings in-
crease the volume control dial until you get
a hissing noise. If you go beyond this point
you will get an audio note and the volume
dial setting should be reduced. Generally

THE BALANCING CONDENSER

When fully opened as shown has a minimum capacity reading. The
distance between the edges of the two plates is | inch. The semi-
circular movable plate and the narrow \ inch wide plates make up
the full circular form if inch in diameter. The fixed plates are
spaced \ inch apart and one semi-circular plate rotates between
them. The plates are mounted on a bakelite base by means of bolts,
spacers, and a shaft of the required thickness. All these parts may
be secured from a radio shop with average stock

speaking, for every setting of the tuning dial
get the maximum setting of the volume dial.

The rheostats should be adjusted on a mod-
erate signal until maximum volume is obtained.
At the same time, for the sake of economy the
tubes should be run no brighter than is neces-
sary to give satisfactory performance.

The following is the list of parts for the
four-tube circuit.

It is entirely possible to use any stand-
ard type of condenser, tube socket, jack,
rheostat, etc., when building this re-
ceiver, and for that reason, no especial
make has been listed. However, for
the tuner and radio-frequency trans-
former units, it is well to use the same
parts as specified in the article and used
in the construction of the receiver des-
cribed. If the reader wants to construct
his own components, he can readily do
so if he follows the constructional data
given.

From the data given about the radio-
frequency coil, it will be observed that
this is no ordinary radio-frequency trans-
former, such as is used for the common
radio-frequency amplifier, but must be
especially constructed and connected in
the circuit as shown in Figs, i and 3. —
THE EDITOR.

730

Radio Broadcast

LIST OF PARTS

i Cabinet 7" x 24"
i Panel 7" x 24"

Rasla Radio-Frequency Tuner— May he pur-
chased, or home-made as described.
Variable Condenser .00029 m^- (minimum cap).
Rasla Radio-Frequency Transformer— May be

purchased, or home-made as described.
Fixed Crystal Detector
Modern 10-1 Audio Transformer
Modern Low Ratio Audio Transformer
Rasla Bafancing Condenser — May be purchased,

or home-made as illustrated.
i Filament Control Switch

4 Sockets

2 i6-Ohm Rheostats

2 Double Circuit Jacks

i Single Circuit Jack

i Dial — vernier type preferable

9 Binding Posts
G Battery

Modern Push-pull transformer No. 112

No. 1 13

(Other makes may be successfully employed)
Fixed Mica Condenser .6005 mfd. capacity
Fixed Mica Condenser .006 mfd. capacity.
Fixed Mica Condenser .005 mfd. capacity
Fixed Mica Condenser .0-0025 rnfd. capacity

1!:' I

J. C. GILBERT

Who is in charge of the Department of Agricul-
ture radio market news broadcasting system. The
map on the wall shows the location of the broad-
casting stations which the Department uses for
this service

THE ANTENNA AT STATION 5IT, BIRMINGHAM

What We Are Doing With
Broadcasting

The Chief Engineer of the British Broadcasting Com-
pany Compares English and American Broadcasting

BY CAPTAIN P. P. ECKERSLEY

Chief Engineer, British Broadcasting Company

I THINK we will all agree as broadcasters
that it is certainly more blessed to send
than to receive. But at this particular
moment I do not know that I can agree
with that sentiment either, because it is very
difficult in a short time to give you an adequate
picture of what we are doing on the other side.
May I say that in trying to paint this picture
I am only doing it with the idea of not vaunt-
ing it as the most wonderful thing that has
ever happened, nor decrying it as the most
miserable. But to show you how broad-
casting has been misunderstood when com-
parisons between national systems have been

undertaken, I may state that I have read in
some of your newspapers occasionally severe
criticisms of your own progress and of ours;
and I have seen foolish comparisons between
the two. There can be no comparison at all,
where the differences of areas are something
like six million square miles as compared with
a few hundred, and where there is a different
temperament of the people to be considered,
and different conditions in every sort of way.
In the first place, we were miles behind you.
You started broadcasting long before we did.
But the amateurs of England petitioned the
then Postmaster General two years ago that

732

Radio Broadcast

they should have some station which should

transmit to them regularly. More than forty

thousand people petitioned. Well, the Post-

master General graciously permitted that

such a station should be erected and operated

for a quarter of an hour once a week ! Strangely

enough, 1 was put in charge of this colossal

undertaking, and broadcasting in England

started in that way, in the year 1922. During

that year we broadcast for a quarter of an

hour a week, using _

Victrola records, and

so on ; while the trans-

missions, which were

later treated in a less

serious manner, be-

cause I was in charge

of them, might have

raised the enthusiasm

of the amateur to a

fever pitch they did

not quite fulfill the

more cultivated tastes

of the high-brows of

the radio profession,

and as far back as

that year, 1922, peo-

ple began to realize

that something must

be done in England to

put broadcasting on a

firm basis. What

they did was to have

a conference which

lasted exactly six

months; and they

finally came to a decision which was really a

rather wise one, considering the nature of the

problem.

HVtRYONE IN ENGLAND WANTED TO BROADCAST

Where the Crystal Set Rules
the Radio Waves

Britannia may rule the waves if one believe
the anthem, but in English radio, it is the
modest crystal set which marshals the radio
wavelengths. The United States led the
world in broadcasting, but England was
really the second nation to follow. It is es-
pecially interesting to see along what lines
British broadcasting has developed, because
the two nations have a common bond of cul-
ture. Their method of payment for broad-
casting is totally different from the American.
And from some of the things Captain Eckers-
ley says, in his decidedly humorous fashion,
the English listener is quite different from
our listener who uses "tubes" instead of
"valves." This story is taken from an ad-
dress made by Captain Eckersley at the De-
partment of Commerce Radio Conference in
Washington, early last October. — THE EDI-
TOR.

^PHEY said they all wanted to broadcast.
* The first idea was each one wanted to
broadcast — newspapers, etc., and twenty-
five applications came in to broadcast in
London alone; and it was felt that would not
work. So finally the scheme arrived at was
that the six big manufacturers we have over
there, who are called "the big six," all came
together and said, "We will put ten thousand
pounds into the capitalization of the company,
and this company will be responsible for noth-
ing but the broadcasting. It will not be a
profit-making concern in any sense whatsoever.
It is simply and solely to send out the best
programs possible." They put in that money
and they said, "If this thing makes a profit,
we will limit our profit to seven and one-half

per cent, on our original investment. Nobody
can take any shares in the company unless
he is a bona fide British manufacturer."
Then, of course, the question was — The
capital was sixty thousand pounds to start.
Where would the revenue come from? The
idea was that every person who made, bought,
borrowed, stole, or otherwise got a receiver,
would take out a license, because it was the
rule of the country that he had to take out a

license. And of course

everyone obeyed the
law. In this law-
abiding nation you
all know about that!
This- license would
cost ten shillings, of
which the Govern-
ment would have five
shillings, and the com-
pany five shillings.
And so we should
have our revenue.

I will not tell of our
various vicissitudes,
or the troubles that
resulted, or of the few
licenses taken out,
first of all, and the
total inadequacy of
the service, according
to the press. At any
rate, at the present
day the scheme has
worked out very well.
The first achievement

was, we got 7/6 (about $1.75) from the Gov-
ernment, and they only took 2/6 (about S.6o)
The second achievement was that the original
rather hide-bound regulations were done
away with, and one uniform license was issued,
of which we got 7/6. In 1922 there were
ten thousand licenses. When I left Eng-'
land we were getting up a special program
to commemorate the buying of the millionth
license. So the progress has been extraor-
dinary, and our income about two million
dollars a year. At any rate, we are spending
every penny on the service, and we hope that,
being able to spend all that money on the-
service, the programs can be made excel-
lent, because you can afford to buy the
very best talent, and you can afford to pay-
people just as if they were performing on
a concert platform, and you are also able
with this money to put up a tine technical
scheme, having regard for the English tem-
perament.

What We Are Doing With Broadcasting

733

THE TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT

WE ERECTED eight main stations of
the same power as your WEAF., etc.,
in New York. We had one and one-half
kilowatts. These stations were erected, and
dotted over England, to try to get uniform
distribution throughout zones, just as you
are doing.

Now the Englishman is a peculiar person,
and having once got this scheme going, he
does not keep on living seventy or eighty
miles away from the station, and getting
more and more distance. He does not care
to reach out — I think you call it, nor has he
the ambition of "the man to reach Australia
on half a valve. He is far more keen to get a
pure, undisturbed signal, and he only hears
the one single one coming from his local
station. And our ambition is that any man
in England can listen in on an apparatus made
up of a clothes-line or a piece of string, and
really hear his program uninterruptedly. And
that is the way we have worked it out. The
one ambition I have had is to give every-
body so good a signal that they can not com-
plain of the engineering side of it, but always
must complain of the programs. I am not an
engineer! Well, that ideal was not realized
by the erection of the one and one-half kilo-
watt stations, because outside, thirty miles
from that place, the service is not what we
consider perfect, because it is liable to in-
terruption. You know, in England we are
all packed together, and there is a great
deal of shipping, and they have not the wave-
length allocations you have.

A Frenchman fishing off our coast will
signal back and forth with his nearest home
station about how many fish he has caught,
and every time he tells about it, the while the
fish constantly growing longer, he requires a
longer message to narrate the thing. And
so we must create much stronger signals per-
haps than you have to use here. There were
large areas in densely populated places where
people could not receive; so we erected a royal
station, designed to serve only the town or
city in which it was located. We put these
stations down, and it would be too expensive
to provide programs every day up to the
excellence of the programs we do provide in
the large stations, so we linked these up by
ordinary wire to our London program. But
here is the difference in England: As tech-
nical men, responsible for the technique of our
own station, we are not, of course, responsible
for those trunk lines outside. I put a signal

on the wire, and the Government does the
rest, and it sometimes arrives at the other end.
As a matter of fact, the service, considering
it has grown up in the way it has, is an ex-
traordinarily good one.

Another function of the royal station is that
you are able to give a local program from that
station. Every city, of course, thinks it is
just a little bit better than the next one, and
if they can talk about it on their radio, it
pleases them. So we give these stations over
to local civic functions, etc. In Sheffield,
they give the annual talk of the master of
that city, or in Liverpool someone speaks
treating of cotton prices, etc., all the things
that appertain to the locality. They use that
station to create local interest, whereas if
there had been some impersonal, large, high-
powered station, it would have bored Liver-
pool, for instance, horribly, to have to listen
to the superlative merits of Glasgow or Man-
chester! So then we had the royal stations
and main stations, and with that establish-
ment, I estimate that, taking crystal reception
as a basis, out of the forty-three million people
we serve, exactly fifty per cent, could get a

TIME SIGNALS FROM "BIG BEN"
Are frequently broadcast from 2 to, at London.
The photograph shows engineers for the company
with a portable microphone, pulling in the sound.
At the start and conclusion of some of the inter-
national broadcasting in November, time signals
from this clock were sent out

734

Radio Broadcast

signal on an ordinary simple crystal set; and
they do. They use the crystal set to a man.
You would be amazed to see the extent to
which this simple set is used. I should think
that the crystal set represents forty-eight per
cent, of the fifty per cent, mentioned. Nearly
everybody has a crystal set. They love it.
They put it in the corner, and sit all night
listening.

DEMOCRATIC BROADCASTING

BUT still feeling that broadcasting should
be democratic so that anybody, any-
where, with anything to listen on, could get
it, we came to the conclusion there were still
large areas unservcd by main or royal stations.
We have just secured permission to erect a
super-power station, to reach all areas not
previously served by main or royal stations.
This station, which has been running experi-
mentally in England for the last three months,
is a station of twenty-five kilowatts power,
about twenty-two kilowatts in the antenna,
at least so the designers told me. This station
has a crystal range of exactly one hundred
miles. It works on a wavelength of sixteen
hundred meters, which was wrested from the
Government under great pressure. We have
found out the value of the longer wavelength
in that you suffer neither from fading, night
distortion, or jamming. The station does
not send out stuff banked up in the middle and
falling off at the ends, and at the long distances,

M. P. for Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, listening
to a British Broadcasting Company program

four and five hundred miles, the station is very
adequate. I listened myself in Scotland, and
with a single valve reaction I was able to
hear that station every night clearly. The
only trouble was static. And there's another
slight trouble, and that is with the strength
falling off slightly at night. But on the whole
that station is very successful. And down
along the coast we feel that we have solved
our problem once for all, and everybody,
everywhere is given a strong, adequate signal.
You may ask about the variety in the pro-
gram. The variety is in the program. We
block the program out to cater from the mean-
est intelligence up to the highest high-brow.
We vary our selections from the more humble
Rhapsodic Hongroise of Liszt up to the classical
Yes, We Have No Bananas'. We have tried
to keep the Yes, We Have No Bananas side of
the thing down just a bit, however, and our
great criticism is that we are sending much too
highbrow programs. Well, as a matter of
fact, it is a subtle compliment to pay to any-
body to give him something rather above him,
and we have found it immensely successful.

SEVENTY PER CENT. USE CRYSTALS

WITH the high-power station, we may
say that seventy per cent, of the popula-
tion of Great Britain is served by crystal; and
while the manufacturers may not be quite so
pleased about it, at any rate the people whom
we are serving are, and we feel that the [manu-
facturer has got a great
field, because he will be able
to concentrate on the one
thing that needs concentra-
tion, that is, the perfect
quality, the perfect trans-
mitting of sound between
the studio and the drawing
room or kitchen. That is
what we are working on,
not to listen to the distant
signal, but more to get per-
fect programs, perfectly re-
p reduced. And that is
more or less the line that
we are working on at the
present time. We have a
different problem, a differ-
ent temperament, but that
is what we are doing.

I should like to say a word
on the linking up of the two
continents. We did last
year, as you know, broad-
cast probably more than

What We Are Doing With Broadcasting

735

any other organization
has ever done in the
world. We were try-
ing to receive signals
from America! We
tried to pick up the
various hundred meter
stations, and occasion-
ally a reply did come
through, and occasion-
ally we did have a sort
of guessing competition
as to whether it was a
brass band or a piano.
We did broadcast this,
and it made a tre-
mendous sensation in
England; and on one
particular and historic

occasion signals from East Pittsburgh were re-
ceived in England rebroadcast, and sent to
South Africa, a distance of nine thousand miles!
We do feel that the future of broadcasting
must be intimately connected with the
strengthening of friendly relations between the
continents thus bound together by sound.
And what could be more ideal than that
America and England should be linked to-
gether by this mighty force, inasmuch as
they are both English-speaking people, and
they will probably, after a little practice, be
able to understand one another.

There is no doubt, however, in the minds
of engineers that there is only one thing
to do if we are to link up the two countries,
and that is purely on the engineering side.

THE CONTROL ROOM OF THE BELFAST STATION
Call letters 2 BE, one of the newest of the British Broadcasting Company chain

It's an amazingly long way across the Atlantic.
I have just crossed it. And it seems to me
that to make that journey in -rfihr Part
of a second will take a great deal of push
behind the traveler. And one thing we
must concentrate on is the question of having
high-power stations to link up the two con-
tinents. Of that there can be no possible
doubt. We are absolutely ignorant of trans-
missions at long distances at night. But it
seems to me that inasmuch as the amateurs of
both countries have spoken to each other with
about two watts, by c. w., as reported in our
press, we feel that we can deal with 150 up to
200 watts, and it might be possible to get com-
munication between the two countries; and
if we did, it would stimulate a great in-
terest on both sides
of the water. If we
could be certain on oc-
casion of hearing some
of your most interest-
ing pronouncements,
and you could listen
to us drawling away,
we would find that
radio really had tre-
mendous possibilities
for good, and it would
tend toward our un-
derstanding each other
a little better than we
sometimes do. And I
think that, with the
English-speaking
people, at any rate,
radio has a great
future. It must be

CAPTAIN ECKERSLEY

Chief Engineer of the British Broadcasting Company, at the relay apparatus in
the London headquarters. Programs are frequently given in the London
studio and relayed by wire to the other stations in the chain. The purpose of
this is to allow the owner of a crystal receiver to hear strong signals from
London. The apparatus in the photograph is necessary to "boost" the signal
strength to overcome the resistance in the wire lines connecting the stations

so.

. .

The Decision in the
Who is to Pay for Broadcasting?"

Contest

A Prize of $500 Was Awarded to H. D. Kellogg, Jr., of Haverford, Pa.

FOR three months since the close of the contest "\Yho Is to Pay for
Broadcasting?" the judges have been going over the great number
of manuscripts submitted for the prize. Suggestions there were of all
kinds, and the problem of deciding which one of all the group was the best
was not found at all easy. The judges were carefully chosen to represent
all branches of thought which could possibly be concerned with the broad-
casting problem. They were, Professor J. H. Morecroft, president of the
Institute of Radio Engineers (1923-4); Major J. Andrew White, former editor
of the Wireless Age and well-known descriptive broadcaster; Harry Chandler,
publisher of the Los Angeles Times and owner of KHJ ; Frank Reichmann, a
Chicago radio manufacturer and an old-timer in the field; Dr. Royal S. Cope-
land, United States Senator from New York, representing the public point
of view; A. S. Lindstrom, chairman of the Pacific Radio Trade Association;
Zeh Bouck, one of the best known radio authors in America; and Charles H.
Porter, Chicago, secretary of the Radio Manufacturers' Association.

In the May, 1924, RADIO BROADCAST, the purpose and rules of the contest
were announced. It was then said that "a workable plan which shall take
into account the problems in present radio broadcasting and propose a solu-
tion" was desired. A plan was wanted which should propose a prac-
ticable and workable solution of the present complex radio situation. Very
nearly one thousand manuscripts were submitted to the judges.

The complete prize-winning plan will appear in the March RADIO BROAD-
CAST. In brief, it calls for the public to shoulder the cost of broadcasting by
means of a stamp tax on each vacuum tube and crystal bought by the con-
sumer for his radio set. Radio broadcasting, avers the author of the plan,
should be placed on a sound economic basis and to be so, should pay its way,
precisely as other forms of entertainment. In order that radio secure the
best possible available entertainment, broadcasting should be put on a paid
contract basis. Tubes have a life commensurate with the service they ren-
der, the prize-winner claims, which makes them an " index of broadcast con-
sumption." The number of tubes was considered to be an excellent index of
the cost of the set and the distance over which it would receive. It was
finally proposed that a newly created Bureau of Broadcasting administer
the fund to be collected from this tax. Stamps purchased by the tube manu-
facturers from the Bureau of Broadcasting would be affixed by the manu-
facturer of the tubes, and the amount of tax to be paid would be determined
from statistics compiled by the Bureau.

Neither the American Radio Association, under whose auspices the ccntest
was conducted, nor RADIO BROADCAST which offered the $500 as a prize neces-
sarily concur in the suggestions offered by the winner, Mr. H. D. Kellogg, Jr.,
of Haverford, Pennsylvania.

Later numbers of this magazine will contain some interesting comments
on this entire question of who is to pay for broadcasting.

A Winder for Small Inductances

How to Build and Use a Device to Wind Efficient, Concentrated Inductances
Which May be Used in Various Radio Receivers— How to Wind the Coils
for the RADIO BROADCAST Six-Tube Second Harmonic Super-heterodyne

BY ALLAN T. HANSCOM

\AANY readers have been greatly interested in the second harmonic super-
* * heterodyne described in RADIO BROADCAST for November, 1924. One of
the central features of that six-tube receiver is the concentrated inductances.
These are wound by a special machine which is described here. The construc-
tion of this device is not especially easy and had best be assumed by those read-
ers who are adept at using a lathe and similar tools. In addition to the method
of assembling the winder, complete information is given on the number of turns
and dimensions for the intermediate frequency and oscillator coils for the six-
tube, second harmonic super-heterodyne. — THE EDITOR.

O MANY requests have come to the
writer for constructional data on the
"sjnall honeycomb coils which are used
in the six-tube super-heterodyne dis-
cribed in this magazine for November, 1924,
that a description of the method by which
these coils are made should prove interesting.
In the first place, some of the more impor-
tant requirements for any inductance to be
used in radio work should be considered.

LOW DISTRIBUTED CAPACITY

p\ISTRIBUTED capacity in an inductance
1—' greatly increases the resistance of the
inductance at the higher frequencies. The
direct current resistance of an inductance is
an inverse function of the wire size. By this
we mean that the resistance of a coil of coarse
wire is less than a similar coil of fine wire, but
with coarse wire the distributed capacity in-

FIG. I

A photograph of the completed coi! winder

738

Radio Broadcast

FIG. 2

The arrangement of the various parts on a base-
board. A coil gear; B nozzle feed gear; C feed
nozzle; D turn counter; E spool of wire

creases so that the net gain is not as large as
it would seem.

NUMBER OF TURNS

THIS depends entirely on the inductance
value which we wish the finished coil to
have and because the wavelength is propor-
tional to the square root of the inductance
(other things being equal). The number of
turns depends entirely on the use for which the
coil is designed.

SIZE OF COILS

NATURALLY, the factor of space has to
be considered and a small coil is better
than a big one, provided the efficiency is not
sacrificed.

As applied to the super-heterodyne, the
intermediate frequency which is created within
the set and is used to amplify the signal is of
such a value to make necessary large induc-
tances. Small coils wound " scramble fashion "
on wooden or bakelite forms are not practical
because of the difference in inductance and
distributed capacity between the coils, even
though they are wound with the same number
of turns. In endeavoring to solve this prob-
lem the writer devised the machine which is
shown in the photographs. The essential
features are illustrated in Figs, i and 2. It
is apparent upon the examination of induc-
tances like spiderwebs, lattice windings, and
commercial honeycomb coils that the biggest
gain results from the fact that the wires are
not close together where they run parallel.

This results in a very much lower distributed
capacity. Obviously, in order to wind a coil
which shall be self-supporting, it is necessary
that the feed for the wire should travel side-
ways back and forth while the coil is being
wound. The relation between the speed of
rotation of the coil and the speed of the side
travel of the feed is what governs the angle at
which the successive turns of the coil will
intersect, if the nozzle which feeds the wire
travels across the face of the coil and back to
the original starting point in exactly one turn
of the coil, then the wire will always fall in

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT
THE NOZZLE TUBE BE
ROUNDED AND SMOOTHED H" 'WIRE
AT THIS POINT SO AS -
TO PREVENT THE
INSULATION FROM
BEING SCRAPED OFF (III ^SOLDER

FIG. 3

Shows how the tubular nozzle is
mounted and soldered to the cam shaft

the same place and a
"scramble fashion" will
result. But now if the
feed is adjusted so that
for one turn of the coil it
has traveled from one side
to the other, comes back
again but a trifle short,
crossing the first turn,
then the effect shown in
Fig. 4 will be created. An-
other way of stating this is
that for one cycle of the
feed, the coil has rotated
through one full turn and a
little more in the winder.

NOZZLE

FIG. 4

The standard type

of honeycomb coil

winding produced by

the coil winder

A Winder for Small Inductances

739

As illustrated this result is obtained by the
ratio of the gears A and B. The gear A being
on the same shaft with the coil, its rotating is
the same as that of the coil, while the gear
B being larger than the gear A, turns more

BRASS BUSHING
PRESS FIT IN CAM

PITCH SPIRAL THROUGH 180°

FIG. 5

A working sketch of the cam, the most
important unit of the entire device

slowly. Fastened to the gear B is a cam
which operates the nozzle C. The shape of
this cam is very important. The rate of
travel of the nozzle should be constant with
practically no time-interval at the end of the
travel when the direction is reversed. There-
fore, the ideal shape of the cam is that of
a straight spiral through 180° and the reverse
spiral through the remaining 180°. There is
absolutely ho way that this cam can be cut
except on an end milling machine with a
double motion. Any up-to-date machine
shop has this equipment and the actual cut-
ting of the cam is a very short process after
the milling machine is set up. Fig. 5 is a work-
ing sketch of this cam. Its lateral reciprocat-
ing action is plainly illustrated in Fig. 6.

THE WINDING MACHINE

OF COURSE, it is absolutely necessary
that there is no end play in the mechan-
ism. The shaft on which the coil is wound
must run absolutely true in order to prevent

- — GEAR AND CAM BOTH
/'PRESS FIT ON BUSHING

GUIDES-
ft

ROD FREE TO TURN
,' AS COIL BUILDS UP

O rfWWWWWW J

SPRING TO KEEP ROD
AGAINST FACE OF CAM

LATERAL MOVEMENT

FIG. 6

Illustrates the function of the cam and nozzle

the wire from slipping on the edges of the coil
while it is being wound. D in Fig. 2 repre-
sents a counter which counts the number of
turns being wound. This is likewise almost
a necessitv because it is verv casv to make an

error in attempting to count and wind by
hand. The writer used a motor with a worm
drive with a gear on the main shaft, but an>
form of drive would serve the purpose.

In using the machine, the wire is first fast-
ened on the end of the shaft and allowed to
wind twenty or thirty turns on the bushing
D which is clamped on the end of the shaft
\vith a nut. At this point the machine is
stopped and a piece of adhesive tape f of
an inch wide is laid across the bushing with
the sticky side up as in Fig. 7. Then the
counter is set at zero and the desired number

FIG. 7
Preparing the coil for binding with adhesive tape

of turns are wound on. After this, the ad-
hesive tape is brought up over the outer edge
of the coil to hold the last turn and the bushing
with the coil on it is removed from the shaft.
After driving the bushing out of the coil the
first twenty or thirty turns are removed from
the inside and the finished coil is dipped in a
mixture of acetone and celluloid.

By varying the shape of the cam which con-

COIL

ROLLER

FIG. 8

A detail showing how the roller with
spring tension keeps the layers in place

740

Radio Broadcast

I BAND TO I
' COVER '

r SPEECH "n

FREQUENCIES

FIG. 9

A curve showing the range of audible fre-
quencies covered by the Hanscom coils

COIL WITHOUT
— - RESISTANCE

FIG. IO

Illustrates the difference between the Hanscom and
other coils, the latter having the tendency to dis-
tort by reason of the side bands being chopped off

trols the feed mechanism various effects can
be produced, but for average work a f of an
inch spiral has been found satisfactory. This
produces a coil which is -^ of an inch thick.
In winding certain kinds of wire it was found
advisable to use a roller with a spring tension
against the outer edge of the coil as in Fig. 8.
For the intermediate frequency circuit of
the super-heterodyne, the writer has used two
joils in series, each containing about one
thousand turns of No. 36 wire with a .00025
mfd. condenser across the two coils. Various
kinds of inductances can be wound on the
machine, providing the hole at the end of the
nozzle is large enough to permit the wire to
run freely through it.

ADVANTAGES OF THESE COILS

THE greatest advantage of these coils is
their small size. The magnetic field
caused by the coil is naturally small and they

can be mounted without much fear of coupling
effect with other parts of the apparatus.

In any form of radio inductance designed
for reception of music and speech, it is neces-
sary to cover a band of wavelength sufficient
to avoid distortion of the voice or music.
This is illustrated in Fig. 9 and in the coils
designed by the writer this is obtained by the

FIG. I I

Shows a rear view of the winder. A worm-
drive motor supplies the means for rotation

resistance in the coils which tends to broaden
the tuning sufficiently as illustrated in Fig. 10.
To those who are experimentally inclined,
the construction of a coil winder as described
will be diverting. The writer can assure
those who attempt it that they will wind many
coils and near coils before the results are
entirely satisfactory. This is not said to
discourage those who might desire to build
it, but rather as a word of warning. Stick to
it and it will work!

THE WINDING DATA FOR THE HANSCOM ' SUPER*
COILS

INTERMEDIATE-FREQUENCY trans-
1 former — Primaries: — In the first stage, the
primary coil consists of 500 turns of No. 36

FIG. 12

The nozzle and cam units are clearly shown.
An oscillator coil is on the winding bushing

A Winder for Small Inductances

74'

between 125 and 160. Double cotton covered
wire varving in size from No. 24 to No. 28
may be satisfactorily used.

Plate circuit: — Connect two coils in series,
using the same size wire as for the grid coils.
As few turns as are necessary to make the tube
oscillate uniformly over the entire range of the

FIG. 13

Another view of the cam and nozzle. Here, also,

is shown the method of obtaining tension on the

roller bearing, provision for binding and the counter

details

s. s. enamel wire. The second stage coil con-
sists of 600 turns of the same wire and the
third stage coil consists of 1000 turns of the
same size wire.

Secondaries: — Connect two coils in series,
each consisting of 1,000 turns of No. 36 s. s.
enamel wire for each stage. The first stage
coil is tuned by two .0005 mfd., micadons while
the second and third stage coils are tuned by a
.00025 mfd- rnicadon, one for each stage.

Oscillator Coils, Grid Circuit: — Two coils
are connected in series. The number of turns
for these coils depends upon the size of the
oscillator tuning condenser and usually varies

FIG. 14

A completed set of intermediate-frequency amplifier

coils mounted in position in an I. F. unit of a second

harmonic super-heterodyne receiver

oscillator condenser are used. This number
varies between 50 and 75. The inside diame-
ter of the coils is approximately f." The

overall dimensions of a single coil are -jV' x
,1"

I 2 •

It is important that the .00025 rnfd. con-
densers be matched. A small variable neut-
ralizing condenser may be shunted across one
of them and varied until the values of both
are equal. This may be considered as one
of the minor and semi-permanent adjustments
of the receiver.

l.ST STAGE OF
INT. FREQ. AMP

A CORRECTED CIRCUIT DIAGRAM OF THE SECOND HARMONIC "SUPER"
Minor corrections have been made, particularly in that the by-pass condenser on the first audio-frequency
primary is connected from the plate to the negative filament lead instead of as shown on page 44 of RADIO

BROADCAST for November, 1924

Problems of Receiver Design

How the Super-heterodyne Combines Sound Elements
of Design — Theory of Construction of the "Super"

WHAT MAKES THE WHEELS GO 'ROUND: X
BY WALTER VAN B. ROBERTS

IN THIS interesting article, part of Mr. Roberts' series of clear explanatory articles
about radio and all its works, the author has not tried to cover the entire field of
receiver design, but he has explained some technical points about the super-heterodyne
receiver so well that no reader who prides himself on his theoretical knowledge should
miss it. This is the tenth article by Mr. Roberts which explains radio theory and prac-
tise in his own clear fashion. This first appeared in our magazine for March, 1924.

— THE EDITOR.

IF ALL transmitting stations used the same
wavelength (and took turns working)
reception would be a much simpler prob-
lem. For the receiving set might have
as many tuned circuits as the designer had
any use for. The owner of the set would not
need to change any of the adjustments so there
would be no disadvantage, from the operating
point of view, in having a very complicated
circuit. The idea of the super-heterodyne is
simply this: build the very best possible re-
ceiving set to work on a fixed frequency (what
ever frequency it is easiest to work with),
then build a frequency changing device that
receives signals on a tuned loop or other an-
tenna and changes their frequency to that
for which the receiving set is designed. When
tuning-in a station with this combination only
two adjustments are necessary: the loop should
be tuned to the incoming radio waves, and the
frequency changing device should be set to
change the frequency to that at which the
receiving set is designed to work. Yet in
both sensitivity and selectivity this combi-
nation has all the advantage given by the large
number of tuned circuits and many stages of
amplification that can be used in the fixed
frequency receiving set.

It is possible that other circuits may be in-
vented in the future that are cheaper or easier
to build than a super-heterodyne, but it seems
impossible that any could be made to work
better because the super-heterodyne can be
made ideal from the operating point of view.
By taking the trouble to cut condenser plates

very accurately to special shapes, the two
condensers that have to be changed in tuning-
in different stations could be worked simul-
taneously by a single knob, which leaves noth-
ing to be imagined in the way of simplicity of
tuning.

78. BAND FILTERS

IF THE fixed frequency used is fairly low, the
fixed frequency receiver can be made to
respond equally well to a band of frequencies
sufficiently wide for high quality, and yet not
respond at all to frequencies lying only slightly
outside of this band. This is ideal selectivity
and is achieved by the use of a band filter in
the fixed frequency receiver. A band filter

FREQUENCY
CHANGING
MECHANISM

BAND
FILTER

SENSITIVE
RECEIVING SET
FOR FIXED
FREQUENCV

FIG. 65

is a complicated combination of inductances
and capacities that allows free passage of
frequencies lying inside a given band, but
stops all frequencies lying outside that band.
Band filters can not be made to select a narrow
band from among very high frequencies and
so can only be used after the frequency
changer has changed the incoming radio
signals down to the lower frequency at which
the receiver is designed to work. Fig. 65

Problems of Receiver Design

743

shows schematically the operation of the
super-heterodyne system.

79. HOW THE FREQUENCY-CHANGER WORKS

FIGURE 66 shows a typical frequency
changer. Let es sin st be the voltage of
signal frequency picked up by the tuned loop.
Let eh sin ht be the voltage of the heterodyne
oscillator's frequency picked up by the small
coil coupled loosely to the heterodyne oscilla-
tor. The grid potential of the tube is the
sum of these two and the C battery voltage,
so the plate current will be
i,, = K [B + n (C + es sin st + eh sin ht)|-
+ (small terms that we need not consider here.)
= K [(B + M C) + /* (es sin st + eh sin ht)]2
= K (B + jLtC)2 which is direct current
-f-2k/x (B + /xC) (es sinst -f- eh sin ht) which
are amplified currents of the signal and
heterodyne frequencies.
+ k/z- (es- sin'2st -f eh2 sin -ht) which reduces
to direct currents and frequencies twice the
signal frequency and twice the heterodyne
frequency.

+2kju2es sin st Ch sin ht which is the only term
we have any use for, because it splits up into
two parts, one of them — Kju2eseh cos (s + h ) t
which is the sum of the signal and heterodyne
frequencies, and of no interest to us, but the
other is k n-esQh cos (s — h) t which is the new
frequency that we are going to use. The
tuned circuit that connects to the fixed fre-
quency receiver picks up only this frequency.
It is obvious that this new frequency can be
adjusted to any desired value by simply ad-
justing the frequency of the heterodyne oscil-
lator. For instance, suppose the fixed fre-
quency receiver is built to work at 100,000
cycles and the radio waves are coming in at a
frequency of 1,000,000. If we adjust the
heterodyne to oscillate at 900,000 cycles the
new frequency will be the difference of the two,
or 100,000, which is just right to be picked up
and received by the fixed frequency set. On
the other hand if the heterodyne oscillator is
adjusted to 1,100,000 the difference will again
be 100,000 so that there are evidently always
two possible settings for the heterodyne con-
denser either of which produces the proper
frequency for the fixed or intermediate fre-
quency receiver. Sometimes there is less in-
terference experienced when using one of these
settings than the other but usually it makes no
difference. From the coefficient of the new
frequency term it is evident that its strength
depends upon the amount of voltage picked up
from the heterodyne oscillator as well as the
signal itself. Hence this should be made

large by making the coupling to the hetero-
dyne oscillator sufficiently close. The C
battery voltage should be greater than the
heterodyne voltage in order to keep the grid
at all times negative. The best C and B
battery voltages and best coupling can be
most simply found by experiment.

80. PROBLEMS OF "SUPER" DESIGN

IN THE actual construction of a super-
heterodyne, we are caught between two
fires. On the one hand, if we build the fixed,
or intermediate-frequency receiver to operate
at a fairly high frequency, say one or two
hundred kilocycles, we will have difficulty in
making it sensitive and selective enough.
On the other hand, if we use a very low inter-
mediate frequency, say 30 kilocycles, we are

TO HETERODYNE
OSCILLATOR

-L. TO FIXED FREQUENCf
RECEIVING b£T-

THESE TWO TUNED CIRCUITS TAKE THE
PLACE OF THE BAND FILTER WELL ENOUGH
FOR MOST PURPOSES

FIG. 66

likely to run into two troubles. The first is
that the quality tends to be bad on account of
the selectivity being too great, and the other is
that unpleasant complications occur in operat-
ing the set, due to the signal and heterodyne
frequencies being so nearly equal. As the
heterodyne condenser is varied there may be a
click when the heterodyne frequency passes the
value for which the signal circuit is tuned.
Also, the same setting of the heterodyne con-
denser will often bring in two different stations
at once whose frequencies are really different
by twice the intermediate frequency used, and
when the latter is very low, these two fre-
quencies are too close together for the signal
circuit or loop to select one to the exclusion of
the other.

In view of these considerations three courses
seem to be open: (i) to effect the best com-
promise between the advantages and dis-
advantages of high and low intermediate-
frequency amplification, the choice depending
upon what is desired of the set and the location
where it is to work, (2) to use the best inter-
mediate frequency for amplification and qual-
ity and use a frequency changing device em-
ploying special circuits so arranged that only

744

Radio Broadcast

one station can be received with a given
heterodyne condenser setting — and hence
conversely only one heterodyne condenser
setting will bring in a given station — and (3)
to use two intermediate frequencies, first a
very high one to avoid the complications of
tuning that accompany the low "I. F.", then
by means of another heterodyne (this one
being fixed once for all) changing down to the
best frequency for quality and selectivity and
amplification. As there are obvious objec-
tions to all three courses, it cannot be said
that the goal has yet been reached, although
the super-heterodyne method, the idea having

the bulk of the receiving set working at fixed
frequencies and requiring no tuning adjust-
ments, does not seem capable of improvement.
The chief fundamental methods of reception
have been outlined but no attempt will be
made to discuss all the circuits in use as nearly
all are merely combinations of the methods
discussed. For example, regeneration can be
combined with the neutrodyne type of ampli-
fication by putting a variometer in the plate
circuit of the detector tube. Again, the fixed
frequency receiver of a super-heterodyne set
may make use of neutrodyne amplification and
reflexing.

Captain Larkin on Radio

CAPTAIN LARKIN, one of the many
heroes in "Mr. and Mrs. Haddock
Abroad" by Donald Ogden Stewart, finds
himself locked in a watertight compartment of
his own vessel while showing some of his portly
and pompous passengers about the ship. Several
of the passengers suggest means of escape, but
the suggestion of the Captain himself is by far
the most masterly. He, like the Sheriff of
Nottingham in "Robin Hood" has brought his
"massive brain and eagle eye" to bear, and
his solution of the dilemma is radio. The
following diagram and conversation are re-

THE RADIO DIAGRAM THAT SOLVED THE PROBLEM
How to escape from a water-tight bulkhead

produced from the book which is copyrighted
by George H. Doran and Company, 1974.

"Well," said the Captain, "my plan rather
ingeniously makes use of radio. Have you
got a piece of chalk, Mrs. Gerrish?"

"I think so," said Mrs. Gerrish, feeling in
her pockets.

"Here's one," said Mrs. Haddock. "Is
yellow all right?"

"Yellow will do, I think," said the Captain,
and taking the chalk he drew a rather com-
plicated diagram on the side of the wall,
somewhat as follows:

"Now," he said, "do you
know anything about radio?"

"My son got Pittsburgh one
night," said Mr. Haddock, "but
there was a lot of static."

"What were they playing?"
asked Mrs. Gerrish.

"It was some sort of a jazz
band," said Mr. Haddock.

"I like opera best," said Mrs.
Gerrish, and she hummed a few
of the more important notes
from "Faust." "That's from
"Rigoletto".

DINING -R00!*!
TABLE

HOW TO SELECT A B BATTERY ELIMINATOR

7S THE subject of an interesting article which will appear in an

early number of RADIO BROADCAST. There are many points

to be considered in purchasing and operating a current-tap

device, and this article, written by a radio man of long experience,

will be of great value to prospective purchasers.

, HAT Our
Readers
Write Us

A Word from an Enemy — of the Single Circuit

IT IS growing more and more plain that the
enemies of the single-circuit receiver are
legion and are increasing in numbers and in
intensity of their opposition. As has often
been remarked about the unfortunate wide-
spread use of the single circuit set, abolishing it
is so largely a matter of militant public opinion
that results come a bit slowly. RADIO BROAD-
CAST has in the last two years, lost some
"friends" by its constant advocacy of the ab-
olishing of the radiating receiver, chiefly among
advertisers, be it said. It is interesting to note
that now, very very few single-circuit receivers
are marketed by manufacturers who make
even faint claims to be reputable.

Editor, RADIO BROADCAST

Doubleday, Page & Company,

Garden City, L. I.
DEAR SIR.

I wish to compliment Mr. Willis K. Wing on his
excellent summing up of "The Case Against the
Radiating Receiver," but if it is in order, I would
suggest a final point with which he might have
rounded out his remarks on the single-circuit re-
ceiver.

Even if it were not for its severe radiation, the
single-circuit set is not even selective enough
to merit its consideration as a broadcast receiver.
The recent Department of Commerce ruling calling
for a compulsory quiet hour from 7 to 10.30 p. M.
on the part of amateur stations was necessitated by
the fact that at that time the single-circuit was the
commonest type of receiver in use. This was not on
account of the fact that amateur continuous wave
stations actually created interference themselves,
but simply because the single-circuit users were not
able to tune the near-by stations out, which is, in a
sense, unfair to the amateur.

This affliction of broad tuning which also gives
the same trouble when the receiver is in a few miles
of a broadcasting station, is caused by the fact that
when resistance is included in an oscillatory (tuning)
circuit, the tuning of that circuit is made broad. In
the single-circuit tuner, the coil, condenser, and
antenna are all connected together as to form one

circuit, hence the name. Unfortunately, however,
antennas have resistance, and most of those built
for broadcast reception have comparatively high
resistance, so that the antenna being included in the
circuit through which the signals enter the detector
causes the tuning to become broad. When the
tuner is set for a broadcasting station, any other
transmitter being operated in the neighborhood on
almost any other wavelength will be heard, probably
all over the dial.

The remedy for this is to "loose couple" the set;
in other words, to bring the antenna and ground
leads to a separate coil to be coupled to the grid
tuning coil. The honeycomb coil tuner is the out-
standing representative of this method of con-
struction, and the so-called three-circuit regenerator
as well.

H. S. G., Kitchener, Ontario.

A Radio Samaritan

TT IS most interesting to notice how the
1 gospel is reaching all through the country
and how the feeling against the squealing or
radiating receiver has taken practical form.
People, wherever possible, are getting to do
something about this unfortunate situation
rather than merely holding forth at great
wordy length.

Editor, RADIO BROADCAST

Doubleday, Page & Company,

Garden City, L. I.
DEAR SIR.

Since reading your article "The Case Against the
Radiating Receiver" in the October RADIO BROAD-
CAST, I came across this notice in our local paper.
B. N., Gloucester, Massachusetts.

RADIO CONDITIONS IN G1OUCESTEB LAST NIGHT

Conditions were good last night. Most stations came through
strong. There was very little fading and static. — R. P. M.

WARNING

If the person in the vicinity of Center Street who tunes in
morning, noon and night and never gets the station clear'without
squealing, will please call at my shop, 101 Main St., with his or
her radio set. I will make the necessary adjustments and
changes in the set free of charge, so that above party will enjoy
his radio more, and others in this neighborhood may enjoy theirs
also.

R. P. MERCHANT.

QUESTIONS AND
\j>

WHEN YOU WRITE THE GRID . . .

Don't fail to enclose a stamped, self -addressed envelope with your
inquiry if you expect a personal reply.

Don't be impatient if you do not receive an immediate answer. Every
letter is answered in the order of its receipt. Do not send a second letter
asking about the first.

Look over your files of RADIO BROADCAST before asking a question
which might have been covered in a previous issue.

Don't ask for a comparison between manufactured apparatus. The
addresses of manufacturers of articles used in the construction of ap-
paratus described in RADIO BROADCAST will be given on request.

Don't include questions on subscription orders or inquiries to other
departments of Doubleday, Page & Co. Address a separate inquiry to
The Grid.

Don't send us a fee for answering your questions. The Grid Depart-
ment is maintained for the aid and convenience of readers of RADIO
BROADCAST and there is no charge for the service.

QUERIES ANSWERED

WHAT is THE TROUBLE WITH MY ROBERTS RE-
CEIVER WHEN IT IS POSSIBLE TO RECEIVE WITH THE
DETECTOR TUBE REMOVED FROM ITS SOCKET?

C. ]. S— Brooklyn, N. Y.

\VlLL YOU PRINT A SIX-TUBE CIRCUIT FOR USE
WITH A LOOP?

G. H. — Chillicothe, Ohio.

I WOULD LIKE A RADIO-FREQUENCY, REFLEX,
AUDIO-FREQUENCY, CRYSTAL DETECTOR CIRCUIT
EMPLOYING THREE TUBES.

T. L. G. — Philadelphia, Penna.

MAY I HAVE A DIAGRAM FOR A ONE-CONTROL ONI--
TUBE REFLEX CIRCUIT?

L. B. — Austin, Texas.

HOW ARE JACKS USED IN RADIO CIRCUITS?

J. P. N. — Savannah, Ga.

I WOULD LIKE A POWER AMPLIFIER CIRCUIT
EMPLOYING PUSH-PULL TRANSFORMERS.

E. T. J.— Detroit, Mich.

HOW MAY I PREPARE A CALIBRATION CURVE FOR
MY RECEIVER?

C. M. D. — Springfield, Mass.
EXPLAIN HOW I MAY MAKE A CHANGE-OVFK

SWITCH FOR TESTING RECEIVERS.

A. C. F.— Freeport, L. 1. N. Y.

A GLANCE at any of the Roberts Knockout
circuits will show us that they are composed
of two very important units, namely the
neutralized radio-frequency amplifier and the re-
generative detector. The audio-frequency ampli-
fier addition is either of the audio-transformer or the
resistance-coupled type or a combination of both."

Just now we are interested in the two-tube tuner.
Not a few questions similar to C. J. S.'s have been
received and we endeavor to clear up the situation
with the following explanation.

It is quite evident that the radio-frequency am-
plifier, in this case, is functioning as a detector unit
rectifying the incoming signal without the aid of
the regenerative detector. In Fig. I is shown a
circuit that will aid in putting the entire receiver

The Grid

747

FIG. I

into proper operating condition. Here, the radio-
frequency amplifier with reflexed audio amplifier is
eliminated from the main circuit so that the result
is a straight three-circuit regenerative receiver.
The primary of the audio-frequency transformer is
shorted and a pair of phones inserted in series in the
plate lead of the detector tube. The first tube is
removed from the socket and the antenna and
ground are connected to the plate terminal of the
first socket and the 890 post, respectively. By
bringing the tickler close to the secondary and rotat-
ing the variable condenser, a regenerative squeal
should be heard in the phones and if the detector
responds correctly, carrier waves of transmitting
stations will be tuned-in. If this is not the case
then the coils should be inspected for reversals of
connections, or reversals of windings. The grid
leak and condenser may be defective or the tube is
not making proper contact with the socket blades.
By means of a progressive trouble-elimination
system it is possible finally tomake the necessary cor-
rections so that the first tube in the radio-frequency
amplifier circuit may again be thrown in and the
operation observed. Other trouble-shooting sugges-
tions were contained in the January, 1925, GRID.

A SIX-TUBE LOOP SET

FOR those who want a multi-tube radio fre-
quency amplifier-detector-audio-frequency
amplifier circuit with preferably one tuning
control, the circuit shown in Fig. 2 is suggested. A
receiver employing such a circuit may be easily con-

structed as a portable set, having the batteries con-
tained in the cabinet as a part of the receiver. A
loop consisting of about 12 turns of No. 18 d.c.c.
wire wound on a 2 ft. square frame, shunted by a
.0005 mfd. condenser will effectively cover the
broadcast range of wavelengths. The use of an
antenna and coupler is inadvisable as the chances
for radiation are too great. The radio-frequency
transformers to be used in this circuit are of the
untuned type having an average wavelength range
of 200 to 550 meters. If it is desired, the tuned type
of transformer with a variable condenser shunting
each secondary may be employed, but the tuning be-
comes increasingly difficult for each stage used.
The potentiometer allows the circuit to be adjusted
to its most efficient point of operation and also con-
trols to a large degree the tendency of the receiver
to oscillate. As a further oscillation control it may
be necessary to connect the return lead of the grid
circuits of the second and third tubes to the poten-
tiometer arm.

A THREE-TUBE R. F.-A. F. REFLEX RECEIVER

MR. T. L. G. asks for a circuit consisting of
two stages of radio-frequency amplifica-
tion, crystal detector, one stage of reflexed
audio-frequency amplification through the second
stage of radio and a stage of straight audio. This
circuit appears in Fig. 3. One rheostat of ten ohms
is sufficient for controlling all three tubes. The
radio-frequency transformers used are standard
neutroformers, the secondaries of which are shunted
by .00037 mfd. condensers. The audio reflex trans-
former should be of a low ratio as should the stage
of straight audio. A C-battery is inserted in the
reflex stage and the last audio stage for stabilization
purposes. Two jacks situated in the circuit as
shown allow the use of two or three tubes. In this
circuit it is absolutely essential that a good crystal
be used for satisfactory results. uv-2Oi-A's are used
throughout.

A ONE-CONTROL, ONE-TUBE REFLEX RECEIVER

FIGURE 4 shows a revamped one-tube crystal re-
flex receiver having one control. The coupler
Ti may be the standard variocoupler obtain-
able on the market or it may be of the type employed
in the RADIO BROADCAST one-tube Knockout receiver

AFT

FIG. 2

748

Radio Broadcast

P RADIO FREQUENCY AMPLIFIER NEUTROFORMERS
' S UV 201 A PS UV 201 A P - S

CRYSTAL DETECTOR
P S UV201A

- A + - B

FIG. 3

as explained in the April, 1924, RADIO BROADCAST,
The radio-frequency transformer T2 is of the un-
tuned type and covers a wavelength range of 200 to
5,0 meters. Much of the instruction as outlined for
the three-tube circuit of Fig. 3 may be followed in
the construction of this receiver. Especial care
should be exercised in the selection of a suitable
audio-frequency transformer and crystal.

JACKS, AND HOW THEY ARE USED

THERE are as many types of closed circuit
jacks as there are manufacturers of them.
It should be remembered that jacks are used
for the sole purpose of providing a mechanical cut-
in on any part of a radio circuit. In the natural
progress of things, jacks came to be used in more
elaborate ways. One manufacturer produces 14
different kinds of jacks. Not all of them can be
explained here but several of the more well-known
type are illustrated in Fig. 5, A and B. In A, the
several styles are outlined and their use is depicted
in B. For the output jack in the stage of an ampli-
fier or a plain detector circuit we have that as shown
in i . This is called the single open-circuit type. I n
2 is shown a single-closed circuit type permitting
the throwing in or out, automatically, of the primary
of a transformer. Another method of performing
the same operation is shown in 3. That shown in 4
is fundamentally the same as that shown in i except
that a filament control is included which breaks the
filament circuit when the plug is withdrawn from
the jack.

In 5 we have practically the same as that shown
in 2 with the addition of the filament control as
explained. The method of controlling one or more
filament circuits by means of jacks is shown in 6.

A PUSH-PULL POWER AMPLIFIER

IN THE construction of a push-pull amplifier,
the selection of satisfactory parts plays an im-
portant role. In fact, the ultimate successful
operation of the unit depends upon this consideration
more than anything else. The input stage audio
transformer should have a low ratio, say 2 to i, so
that the voice and music is not unnecessarily dis-
torted before it reaches the push-pull transformers.
The action and theory of operation have already
been explained in past issues of RADIO BROADCAST

and will not be repeated here.
The suggested circuit is shown in
Fig. 6. Any standard type of
tubes may be used in a unit of
this kind but of course uv-2Oi-A's
or better still, power tubes such as
the 202 or the w. E. 2i6-A will be
more suitable for this type of work.
The value of C battery will vary
in proportion to the amount of B
battery used. A table of C battery
voltages was included in THE GRID
for January, 1925. For the tubes
suggested 120 to 150 volts B bat-
tery will be sufficient.

CALIBRATION CURVES

ALMOST any type of receiver may be charted
and calibrated so that a graphical curve is
produced that may be used for reference
purposes. Instead of rumaging through numerous
papers having dial settings numerically listed, it is
much easier and more efficient to refer to the s.hip-
shape wavelength curve that also helps you to locate
new station positions on your tuning dial. Neu-
trodyne and tuned radio-frequency receivers, super-
hetrodynes, and crystal reflex receivers furnish the
most accurate curves. In the regenerative type of
receiver, several combinations of inductance and
capacity will tune to the same station and the curve
system of tuning is not so dependable or reliable.
A specimen of a wavelength graph curve is shown in
Fig. 8. The several points marked on the diagonal
line indicate station positions. For instance 492
meters, WEAF, is located on the vertical border to the
left; running rcross horizontally on the 492 line we
note where it is intersected by the diagonal line.
Then, coming down vertically, it is found that this
position is equal to 81 on a 100 segment semi-circle
of the dial. This base line is comparative to and
indicates the markings on the dial. To prepare a
wavelength curve it is well to have commercial graph
paper that is obtainable in most stationery shops.
The dial markings are laid off at regular, equal in-
tervals along the base line and the wavelength
range, usually from 200 to 600 meters is hid off in a

V TI

UNTUNED

RFT

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

749

Receiving Set TRF-5 with
Reproducer M4 - $125-°°

gXPERIENCED radio users have stated that this
Magnavox equipment (illustrated below) repre-
sents the highest standard of real value and use-
fulness ever offered in the radio field.

The Magnavox 5-tube circuit is a special development of tuned
radio frequency in which a splendid balance of selectivity, range
and volume have been attained. The one dial Station Selector
eliminates all tuning adjustments; while the Magnavox Repro-
ducer insures sonorous, pleasing tone for all programs.

Magnavox Radio Receiving Sets, Tubes and Reproducers are
carried by reliable dealers. Illustrated booklet on request.

THE MAGNAVOX COMPANY

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

New York: Chicago: San Francisco:

350 West 3 1 st St. 1 62 N. State Street 2 74 Brannan St.

Canadian Distributors: Perkins Electric Limited, Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg
2R

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

750

Radio Broadcast

f B+

P S

FIG. 5A

like manner on the vertical left border line or vice
versa. Beginning at the lower wavelengths, the dial
position for the stations tuned-in on the receiver are
located by cross-reference continuing until the maxi-
mum setting has been obtained. A line is then
drawn from point to point resulting in a continuous
curve. Not all curves will be very straight as the set-
tings at the lower wavelengths are crowded closer
together than at the higher settings. The curve
shown in Fig. 8 is an exaggerated example to serve
as an illustration. A more correct form is shown in
Fig- 7-

BATTERY SWITCHES FOR TESTING SETS

IN MAKING comparison tests between radio
sets, it is advantageous to have a double throw
switch by which either of two sets may be quickly
connected to the antenna and ground and to the
batteries. The arrangement of a switch to do this
is complicated by the fact that various manu-
facturers use different methods of connection be-
tween the A, B, and C batteries.

Considering only two plate voltages and one bias
voltage, a nine-pole double throw switch would seem
to be required in order to prevent short circuit of the

FIG. 58

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

751

Graph showing how the regenerate effect

in the Model L-2 Ultradyne increase! as

the strength of the recede decreases

on the, jfoud

Gets Distance

The
ULTRADYNE Kit

consists of 1 Low Loss
Tuning Coil, 1 special Low
Loss Coupler, 1 type "A"
Ultraformer, 3 type " B*
Ultraformers, 4 matched
fixed Condensers.

To protect the public,
Mr. Lacault's personal
monogram seal (R.E.L.)
is placed on all genuine
Ultraformers.

$30.22

T TNLIKE other Super-radio receivers, the Ultra-
^ dyne, with its exclusive use of the "Modula-
tion System". and special application of regeneration,
is capable of detecting and regenerating the faintest
signal, making it audible on the loud speaker.

The regenerative effect in the Ultradyne increases
as the strength of the signal decreases, until the
signal becomes so weak that no amount of amplifi-
cation will make it audible.

A radical advance in radio engineering and the lat-
est development of R. E. Lacault, E.E., A.M.I.R.E.,
Chief Engineer of this Company and formerly
Radio Research Engineer with the French Signal
Corps Research Laboratories.

You will marvel at the unusual selectivity, sensi-
tivity and range of this new Model L-2 Ultradyne.

Write for descriptive circular

How to Build and

Operate the
ULTRADYNE

32-page illustrated book
giving the latest authen-
tic information on drill-
ing, wiring, assembling,
and tuning the Model L-2
Ultradyne Receiver.

SO*

MODEL L-2
Phenix Radio Corporation

5-7 Beekman Street
New York City

•.

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

Radio Broadcast

FIG.

batteries due to differences in inter-connection in
the sets. These nine points would be:
Antenna 90 45 -B +A -A +C -C Ground
An investigation shows that a six-pole switch
can be made to do the work, because the 90 volt,
the 45 volt, and the -C are all insulated in any re-
ceiver. These three points can therefore be omitted

,' ' <„_.!• I

_jf

DIAL SETTINGS OF CON-

DENSE l< Ca PLOTTED

«y..

««

^ ^

%--

^^ '

_ ^

;?----

f**'"

,*"t

•M m 300 KO 400 4SQ 500

550

{00

from the switch and terminals can be provided for
them to which all the sets may be permanently
connected as indicated on the instruction card.
The switch will then carry:

Antenna -B +A -A +C Ground
This arrangement has the further decided ad-
vantage that terminals can be provided for various
B and C battery voltages and the sets under test
can be connected directly to these terminals. For
example, terminals can be provided for 22, 45, 90
and 135 volts B battery and for 45 and 9 volts C
battery. Inasmuch as opening the switch dis-
connects the -B and the +C, and disconnects the A
battery entirely, from all sets, there is no possibility
of a short circuit, due to differences in inter-connec-
tions.

C 2.O .IO 4O £(

DIJ\L SETTING

FIG. 7

EXCLUSIVELY IN RADIO BROADCAST

MUCH interest has recently been aroused by the announcement that
photographs have been successfully transmitted across the Atlantic,
and from point to point in this country by radio. As everyone realizes, the
successful transmission of photographs means that one could send practically
as well complete printed pages. Signatures to valuable documents could be
exchanged, as could photographs of the documents, at great distances. The
other possible applications of this new branch of radio are pretty well known.
RADIO BROADCAST has arranged to print a series of articles describing a
method of radio transmission which has never yet been published. Experi-
ments have been in progress for more than two years, along lines totally differ-
ent from those of the Jenkins system and the Ranger system, of the Radio
Corporation. These articles will contain some very startling revelations from
the point of view of radio photograph transmission. There is no announce'
ment we have made in many months which should so interest the reader who
prides himself on following the latest developments in the field.

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

753

No. 770. 45-volt
extra large ver-
tical. For heavy
duty only. The
ideal "B" Bat-
tery for use on
multi-tube sets.
Price $4.75.

scientists constantly improve battery quality

EVEREADY "B" Batteries today contain more
electricity, more service, more satisfaction
than ever before.

Processes evolved by the scientists of the
Union Carbide and Carbon Research Labora-
tories, Inc., when put in effect in the Eveready
factories, are responsible for this great
accomplishment.

At the same time the factories have effected
a still higher standard of workmanship. A
system of inspection that is a marvel of effi-
ciency was inaugurated. The results, grati-
fying beyond measure, were accomplished
with a speed and completeness that have few

parallels in industry. The final tests showed
more electricity, more battery service, greater
Eveready satisfaction without increasing
battery sizes and with a substantial reduc-
tion in price. "B" Battery operating costs,
using the new Evereadys, in most cases show
a reduction of at least one-half.

There is an Eveready Radio Battery for
every radio use.

Insist on Eveready "B" Batteries.

Manufaclured and guaranteed by
NATIONAL CARBON COMPANY, INC.

Headquarters for Radio Battery Information
New York San Francisco

Canadian National Carbon Co.. Limited, Toronto, Ontario

EVEREADY HOUR
EVEHY TUESDAY at 9 P. M.

(Eastern Standard Time)
For real radio enjoyment, tune
in the "Eveready Group." Broad-
east through

WEAF New YorkWJAR Providence
WE El Boston WFI Phila.
WGR r.uffalo WCAE Pittsburgh

READY

dio Batteries

-they last longer

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

New Equipment

DE FOREST LOUD SPEAKER

A reproducer of good design and quality which compares
very favorably with other speakers of the same price range.
It delivers good volume on both speech and music, still
maintaining good tone quality. Made by the De Forest
Radio Company, Jersey City, New Jersey. Price $25

ANTENNAPHONE

A very neat indoor aerial. It is only necessary to place your
house telephone upon the antennaphone plate and connect
the lead to the antenna binding post of your receiver. Made
by The Antennaphone Co., 90 West Street, New York City.
Price $1.00

NATIONAL BATTERY

This is a 24-volt unit wet B battery of good construction.
The connectors between the several cells protrude above the
sealing so that it is possible to tap off at any desired voltage.
Made by the National Lead Battery Company, 1704 Roblyn
Ave., St. Paul, Minn.

L. CONDENSER

A well made instrument which has a good capacity range.
The vernier action, which shows at the back of the condenser,
is controlled by the small kncK acting through the center of
the main dial. Made by The Jnited Scientific Laboratories,
Inc., 92 East 10th Street, New York City

THE A-C DAYTON XL- 5

A five-tube set using tuned radio-frequency, detector and audio-frequency amplification. The
radio-frequency transformers are of special design. Very satisfactory performance is possible
with this receiver. Made by The A-C Electrical Mfg. Co., Dayton, Ohio. Price $115

PERFECTO SOLDERING FLUID— A convenient and satisfactory, non-acid soldering
flux that insures positive soldered joints. John Firth & Co., 25 Beaver St., New York City

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

755

d i o

FADA Neutroceivcr
No. 175-A

Mahogany cabinet. Inclined
panel and roomy battery
shelf. 5 tubes. Price (less
tubes, batteries, etc.) $160.

Indecision vanishes when you hear the FADA

RADIO shopping ends
triumphantly when you
find the FADA. People
who know radio and have
conducted comparative
tests say that the Neutro-
ceiver is the best they have
ever tried. Have the
FADA Neutroceiver dem-
onstrated in your home.
Listen to its marvelously
faithful reproduction.
Tune in a distant station
yourself loud and clear
and see how easy
it is. Observe the
beautiful cabinet
design. You will

exclaim: "At last! This
is just the radio set I
want!"

If you prefer a set with
self-contained loud speak-
er, the FADA Neutrola
Grand meets your desire
in this respect, as in all
others. Whether FADA
Neutrodyne receivers are
the first or the fifteenth
make you investigate, they
will be your final choice.
Through the FADA Neu-
trodyne your radio
wishes become
realities. See
your dealer.

E. A. D.ANDREA, INC., 1581 JEROME AVENUE, NEW YORK

FADA Neutrola Grand
No. 185/90- A

The five-tube Neutrola
185-A, mounted on FADA
Cabinet Table No. 190-A.
Price (less tubes, batteries,
etc.) $270.

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

Our ^Authors

THE cover of this month's RADIO BROAD-
CAST was done by Remington Schuyler,
who is a well-known painter of outdoor scenes.
Mr. Schuyler is regarded especially highly
for his authentic canvasses of Indians. The
February cover, with the R-B Lab as its sub-
ject, was "done from life." The masts and
radio cabin are faithfully portrayed, but the
bulk of the Doubleday, Page & Company
buildings, some five hundred yards away, have
been omitted from the painting.

MYRA MAY writes: "For the last ten
years I have been trying to understand
just what makes »n automobile run. Just
as I was reaching a point where 1 understood
the difference between a clutch and a snubber,
along comes radio, with its confusion of grids,
antennae, and heterodynes. Up to date, I
have learned that if you use your fingers for a
plug, you move your hand away quickly.
That lesson so well learned, I haven't the
heart to go further into the subject."

WILLIAM P. GREEN, whose second
article on "The Way of the Trans-
gressor" appears this month, has done some
very effective work in keeping the advertising
and sale of radio goods in. the path of the
righteous. His headquarters are in New York.

JULIAN KAY, an old-time radio worker, has
J just finished his requirements for a doctor's
degree in physics at Harvard University. We
expect soon to print more of his eminently

readable and in-
teresting radio
articles.

DUDLEY
SIDDALL
admits that he
was born in
Kalam azoo,
Michigan. It is
an interesting
fact that few
n on- Michigan
residents can
pronounce that
name with the
loving drawl pe-
culiar to the na-
tive. Mr. Sid-
dell discovered New York in 1919 and found
that Wall Street celebrates more business
holidays than any other place in the United

D. S. KNOWLTON

DUDLEY SIDDALL

States. His greatest achievement, he says,
was to spend fifteen years in newspaper work
without once being a copy-reader. He is now
in the advertising business and enjoys break-
ing the news to newspaper men that "I used
to be a news-
paper man my-
self."

WHEN the
Union
Trust Com-
pany, in Cleve-
land, decided to
establish a
broadcasting
station, Don S.
Knowlton from

the bank's advertising department was drafted
to arrange the musical programs and was later
put in charge of the station.

7 EH BOUCK had the even tenor of his
Lt way greatly broken up the other day
when he observed in the Radio Service Bulletin
of the Department of Commerce, that Senatore
Marconi had been granted an English patent
on "bean transmission." Mr. Bouck is won-
dering just why the noted Italian has for-
saken applied physics for applied cookery.

JOHN C. DAVIDSON is a commercial radio
J engineer whose experience in the field dates
back to very early days. Since broadcast-
ing came into popularity, he has been devoting
his talents to the design of radio parts, some of
which, especially a fixed crystal detector, are
widely used.

ALLAN T. HANSCOM is a resident of
Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and a gradu-
ate of the engineering school of the University
of Pennsylvania. His article in the November
RADIO BROADCAST on a second-harmonic
super-heterodyne has attracted wide attention
among that great group of radio enthusiasts
who are intensely interested in anything to do
with that highly efficient receiver.

/CAPTAIN P. P. ECKERSLEY is the man
^ responsible to the British radio public
for their radio programs, being chief engineer
of the British Broadcasting Company. Much
of the material in his article was presented to
the recent Radio Conference in Washington,
called by Secretary of Commerce Herbert
Hoover.

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

848-a

f it i ir^ *

.wo 3i

Carter & Co. at Arlington,
Texas tuned in on Leeds,
England with an Adler-Royal
Neutrodyne, holding them for
quite some time, giving a pro-
gram on the loud speaker to
numerous prospects.

YOUR first thrill with an Adler-Royal
neutrodyne will be the magic spell
of D.X. as station after station conies in
clear as a bell with the slightest change
in dial settings. No matter how much
you know about radio, the performance
of Adler-Royal will be a remarkable ra-
dio experience for you.
The selectivity you had
hoped for has really
been accomplished.

Then, as your own log
grows, you will be more
discriminating about
the quality of what you
hear. You will begin
to appreciate what

Seek a Service Dealer

'"pHE dealer from whom you buy a
•*• radio set is quite as important as
the set you buy. On his service to
you, much of your enjoyment of a
radio set will depend. It will pay you
to turn the corner into Main Street to
find the Adler-Royal dealer. He is
appointed by us on his pledge to give
purchasers the best of every service.
On Adler-Royal, you get the guarantee
of a high-class dealer to back up ours.

Adler-Royal really is and this will be
your biggest thrill. Your daily paper
will be your program. You will learn to
depend on Adler-Royal absolutely.

The Neutrodyne principle is so far
perfected in Adler-Royal that even in
the hands of a novice its selectivity and
pure tone qualities are
almost automatic. Its
operation is as simple
as setting a clock.
There are no squeaks,
squeals or howls to ruin
radio enjoyment.
Adler-Royal has con-
quered the mysteries
of the air.

ADLER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, Inc.

General Sales Office: Dept. C3, 881 Broadway, New York City
Factories: Louisville, Ky.

ABLER^ROTM,

Phonograph and Radio

Send this coupon to-day for your free copy
of Adler-Royal Book and Log

«*•••'

i*'<S

ADLER-ROYAL NEUTRODYNE

Model 199 Table Type used with dry
cells. Batteries concealed in cabinet.
5 tubes (199), Cabinets walnut or ma-
hogany. Price $165.

ADLER MANUFACTURING COMPANY
Dept. C3, 881 Broadway, New York City

Please send me my copy of the Adler-Royal Book
and Log.

Name.

Address.

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

848-6

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

"No fancy gewgaws to attract the eye
and cause trouble in the end"

CO writes Mr. Henry M. Neely, Editor of
O RADIO-IN-THE-HOME. Mr. Neely adds:

" The present-day low-loss condenser ap-
proaches more nearly to a perfect instru-
ment, the more nearly it approaches the
design and workmanship of the Cardwell."

Simplicity is a distinctive characteristic of
the Cardwell. There is no excessive bulk or
weight — no intricate parts or complicated
assembly.

Other points of merit have been praised
by many different experts. In fact, Cardwell
condensers have received the universal
approval of radio editors and engineers
everywhere.

Cardwell condensers are rugged, free

CARDWELL

(RADIO UNITS

from play, noiseless and remarkably smooth
in action. And there is nothing to work
loose or get out of adjustment.

Cardwell invented the first "low-loss"
condensers — a name originally applied only
to Cardwells to distinguish them from
ordinary varieties. Cardwell now makes
seventy-six different types — a condenser for
every requirement. Ask your dealer to show
you his assortment.

A postcard brings you an education on
condensers. Write today for the new Card-
well Condenser booklet.

The Allen D. Cardwell
Manufacturing Corporation

81 Prospect Street, Brooklyn, N. Y.

UNITRADS

OF MERIJ)

CONDENSERS — INDUCTANCES— TRANSFORMERS

Tfc- Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST +

848-c

Volume and Clarity

Radio

Frequency
Transformer

with Kellogg Trans formers

A Radio Frequency Transformer of the aperiodic
tqpe suitable for all sets with which tuned radio
frequency is desired. Also used for one stage of
radio frequency amplification ahead of regenerative
sets to prevent re-radiation.
Consider these points of superiority :

No dope to hold windings in place.

Soldered connections.

Mounting bracket holds coil at correct angle.

Minimum rubber used in form.

Lowest possible loss, with greatest transfer of energy.

Works with any .0005 condenser.

Secondary arranged with suitable taps for biasing features.

This transformer makes the construction of a radio frequency set an easy
matter, assuring best possible reception with widely vartjing types of circuits,
including reflex.

Built and guaranteed by Kellogg Switchboard
and Supply Co.

No. 602 Radio Frequency Transformer
at your dealers for $2.35 each.

Kellogg Audio Frequence Transformers are the
"stepping stones" of modern amplification.

Clear, accurate reproduction assured over the
entire range of the musical scale.

Plainly marked, accessible terminals.
It is acclaimed by test to be the best.

No. 50 1 Audio Frequency Transformer

Ratio 4^ to 1 —
No. 502 Audio Frequency Transformer

Ratio 3 to 1—

$4.50 each

Audio

Frequency

Transformer

KELLOGG SWITCHBOARD & SUPPLY CO,

1066 WEST ADAMS STREET, CHICAGO

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

848-rf

What

Reliable Radio
Means to You

A3 assurance that, when you try out a hook-
up, you can rely on your instruments to
give you a fair test. Q A knowledge that
each part has been put to such searching tests
that its proper performance, under any co?i-
ditions, is assured. (\ In short, a conviction
that each individual part will continue to do
its work year after year.

The RADIO KEY BOOK will acquaint you with

the essential facts of modern reception. Ten cents —

coin or stamps — brings the KEY BOOK

RAULAND MFG. CO.

Pioneers in the Industry
2652 Coyne St. Chicago

Guaranteed
Radio Products

Standard Audio Transformers

3 to 1 Ratio, typeR-12.. .$4.50

5 to'l Ratio. typeR-21.. . 4.7S

10 to 1 Ratio, type R- 13 ... 4.75

Power Amplifying Transformers
(Push-Pull)

Input type R-30 $6.00

Output type R-31 6.00

Raul&nd-Lvrtc
A laboratory grade audio I
transformer for music i
lovers. R-500 $9.00,3

Universal Coupler
Antenna coupler or tuned r. f.
transformer. R-140 $4.00

Self-Tuned f *JfcJ!K

R. F. Transformer J~s=— IN
Wound to suit the Ve< fr-V
tube. R-199$5.00. R-201A$5.00

Long Wave Transformer

(Intermediate Frequency)

(15-75 kc.) R-110 $6.00

10,000 MeterOOkc.)

Transformer
Tuned type (filter or
input). R-120.. $6.00

Radio Frequency Coupler
(Oscillator Coupler). R-130 $5.00

Super-Fine Parts
Consisting of three R-110's. one
R-120 and one R-130 $26.00

All- American Reflex Receivers

(Mounted but not wired)

All-Amax Junior (1-tube) $22.00

All-Amaz Senior (three -tube)

$42.00

ALL-AMERICAN

Largest Selling Transformers in the World

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

848-*

Newport Owners Know

Wkat Tonal Quality is!

The Tonal Quality of tKe Newport brings to them the
ineffable thrill of good music.

They* have experienced those delightful little runs, fine
gradations, and double stop v?ork in Kreisler's "Caprice
Viennois" -which are so clear, v?ell defined, and ungarbled in
the Newport. The thunder of the organ as it runs the
gamut of its mighty diapason is not new to them. They*
parade across the theatres of their minds ev^ery* evening all
the brilliance and charm of the virtuosi. They catch with ease
those slight inflections of the voice that often mean so much when
famous men speak. They* make their WevOports perform the acid
test of Tonal Quality*. They dial into the militant swing of Sousa's
"El Capitan" or the "Stars and Stripes Forever." That they4 can
distinguish the high trebles, the deep bass, the Various instruments
that go to make the action-stirring whole of this famous orches-
tration, is not nov*el to them.

They1 know what Tonal Quality is!

The Newport is a Good Receiver
Built in a Piece of Fine Furniture

Newport J\aaio Cor)

'ZSO West ff-f&Sfreet,
°NewYorkCity

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

846-/

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

Notice the rich finish on this panel
— built to order for radio

A SURFACE that is good-looking and useful,
too. That was one of the demands we made
of the engineers who developed Radion especially
to order for Radio purposes.

The high-polished, satin-like finish of Radion
Panels does more than add to the beauty of your
set. It keeps out dirt and moisture, thus pre-
venting the possibility of causing short circuits
from this source and reducing good reception.

Lowest losses and greater efficiency

But the worth of Radion is not
just on the surface. Authorita-
tive laboratory tests give it
the highest rating as radio-
frequency insulation. It re-
duces surface leakage and leak-
age noises. This means lowest
losses and greater efficiency,

Other Radion Products

The same qualities of low-loss insula-
tion and attractive appearance char-
acterize Radion dials (to match panel),
binding post panels, insulators, knobs,
etc. — also the new Radion Built-in horn.

especially noticeable in super-sensitive circuits-

Radion Panels resist warping. It's the easiest

material to cut, saw or drill. It comes in eight

stock sizes and two kinds, Black and Mahoganite.

Better performance will make it worth your

while to ask for Radion by name and to look for

the stamp on the panel and the name on the

envelope. Radio dealers have the exact size you

want for your set.

Send for booklet "Building
Your Own Set"

Our new booklet, "Building Your
Own Set," giving wiring diagrams,
front and rear views, showing a
new set with slanting panel, sets
with the new Radion built-in horn,
lists of parts and directions for
building the most popular circuits
— mailed for ten cents. Mail
coupon to-day.

AMERICAN HARD RUBBER COMPANY, Dept. C-3, 11 Mercer St., New York City

Chicago Office: Conway Building
Pacific Coast Agent: Goodyear Rubber Co., San Francisco — Portland

^thc Supreme Insulation

PANELS

, Sockets, HindingPost'Panels, etc.

AMERICAN HARD RUBBER COMPANY
Dept. C-3, 11 Mercer St., New York City

Please send me your new booklet, "Building
Your Own Set" for which I enclose 10 cents
(stamps or coin.)

Name.

Address.

City St a te.

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

848-5

*W"OU tour the world in a night with your MELCO
-•• Supreme — a five tube tuned radio frequency Re-
ceiver with a unique low-loss Amsco chassis.

Tuned by inductance — not capacitance — it is without
parallel for purity and precision of reception. Write for
literature.

AMSCO PRODUCTS INC. BROOME & LAFAYETTE STREETS.N.Y.

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

848-/J

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

SUre ~ that your
transf9rmers

L_ are giving you
Amplification
without Distortion

rtiorTuse ACN
brmers in the
u build. Insist on
set you buy
all the year ';
Radio

The Amplifying Trans-
former is the Magnifying
Class of Radio

oAcme Transformers give maximum
volume of sound, clearly and distinctly

"\X7HEN you put a lot of time and money into a
• * radio set you want to be sure that it will give
the best results. You want to know that your set
will bring in the stations so that you can enjoy
listening and be proud to call in your friends. You
want Amplification, but above all you want Amplifi-
cation without Distortion. Be sure to use amplify-
ing transformers that increase the sound without
spoiling the quality.

The Acme A-2 Audio Amplifying Transformer is the
result of 5 years of research and experimenting. It
gives amplification without distortion to any set.
Whether you have a neutrodyne, superheterodyne,
regenerative or reflex the addition of the Acme A-2
will make it better.

If you are not getting loud clear radio try Acme
Transformers and note the difference.

Each transformer is tested and carries a guarantee
tag. If you want Amplification without Distortion
use Acme Transformers in the set you build and
insist on them in the set you buy. (That's one of
the big reasons why the Acmeflex Kitset gives such
good results — it uses Acme Transformers.) Send for
our 40 -page booklet which explains how to get the
best results by proper amplification and also con-
tains a number of valuable wiring diagrams. It will
help you build a set. Mail the coupon with 10 cents.

ACME APPARATUS COMPANY

Transformer and Radio Engineers and Manufacturers
Dept. F2 Cambridge, Mass.

Have the fun of making your own radio set

ACME

**for amplification

| ACME APPARATUS COMPANY,

| Dept. F2, Cambridge, Mass.

| Gentlemen:

I am enclosing 10 cents (U. S. stamps or coin)

| for a copy of your book, "Amplification without

| Distortion."

• Name

! Street...

City.

State.

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

848-i

Daily Broadcasting Programs

Mu-i'ad Triplex

/*^W .X"~V

5 dube-Dn/Celllfeeeltfer

V— ^ {^/

4-TUBE EFFICIENCY

Although only 3 tubes are used, all
the efficiency of 4 tubes is attained
by reflexing one tube. The circuit
is one stage of radio frequency, two
stages of audio frequency, and de-
tector.

DISTANCE and SELECTIVITY

Real distance right through the
strongest local interference with
very simple tuning.

CAN BE LOGGED

Only two dials, the readings of
which are always the same for each
station, so that tuning is practically
automatic.

NON RADIATING
Your set cannot interfere with your
neighbors'.

CONVENIENT

All power from dry cell batteries,
contained in the handsome mahog-
any cabinet. Easily portable.

NEW — not just in price, be-
cause there are plenty of low
priced radio sets — but NEW
in the value represented by the radio
treasures it unfolds, and the sterling
character of instruments and work-
manship. A MU-RAD Receiver in
every detail that has made the name
MU-RAD trusted and respected
everywhere.

Write for Literature

MlJ-R/ID L/IBOR/nX)RIES.lNC.

803 FIFTH /IVE /IsBURyP/raK. NEW JERSEY

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

848-j

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

Supereflex Means
MORE POWER PER TUBE

Erla Supereflex makes tubes do
triple duty. One tube actually
does the work of three that
would be needed otherwise.
Three tubes do the work of five,
unquestionably! That is why
simple, compact, inexpensive
Erla Supereflex receivers equal
or surpass the performance of
costliest, temperamental multi-
stage radio sets.

More power, tube for tube, is
basic in Erla Supereflex. Noth-
ing else can "make up for it."
Greater power in Erla Supere-
flex just simply means finer
radio, which you can afford.

For you yourself can confi-
dently build these matchless
Erla circuits with Erla Supere-
flex CIR-KIT.

Electrical Research Laboratories

Department B 2500 Cottage Grove Avenue, Chicago

CIR-KIT is a complete array
of Erla Scientific Precision Ap-
paratus, especially created to
make Supereflex possible. CIR-
KIT provides clear, simple in-
structions for perfect assembly.
Blueprints are full size. The
panel is pre-drilled for you. The
baseboard is marked to locate
every unit accurately. The fa-
mous Erla Solderless Connectors
do away with soldering entirely .

With screwdriver, pliers and
CIR-KIT you are sure of a set
that will make you proud, both
for appearance and perform-
ance. The cost is very moderate.
Yet the range, volume, selec-
tivity AND TONE PURITY
are rarely equaled at any price,
because Supereflex does give
you more power, tube for tube.

CIR-KIT

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

848-fe

jhe Heart

'""><* of the.
Radio

We shall be glad to send
new circuits with com-
plete working diagrams.
Grimes 3XP Inverse
Duplex, Jefferson Baby
Grand 6 Tube Super-
heterodyne, Jefferson 8
tube Superheterodyne,
and many others. Any
of these will be sent
upon receipt of five cents
in stamps to cover pos-
tage.

FAINT, trembling impulses are caught from the
air and amplified thousands upon thousands of
times. Finally transformed into audible sounds
by your loud speaker, they are either painfully
distorted or lifelike in purity of tone. Which it
will be, depends largely upon your transformer.

For the transformer is of the utmost importance in your
radio set. Each minute sound vibration coming from
the detector is magnified and reissued with a stronger
pulse — lending volume and clarity to your radio reception.

Jefferson Super Sensitive Transformers are designed to
receive over the entire musical range without howling
or distortion. Radio authorities the world over recog-
nize the excellent performance of these wonderful trans-
formers and specify their use in new circuits.

Handled by the better dealers and jobbers. A
superior transformer at a price attractively low.

Jefferson Electric Manufacturing Co.

501 South Green Street CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Manufacturers of

Radio Transformers
Bell Ringing Transformers
Sign Lighting Transformers
Automobile Ignition Coils
Jump Spark — Make and
Break Coils

Auto Transformers
Testing Instruments
Toy Transformers
Furnace and Oil Burner

Transformers^
Oil Burner Ignition Coils

Special high and low voltage transformers

efferson

Transformers

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

DISTRIBUTORS FOR
Radio Corporation of America

Here it

Hommel Broadcasting: IS /

' 'Business static hurts your cash register
as much as weather static hurts recep-

tion."

Now, listen in carefully.

The HOMMEL Dealer Service Depart-
ment was developed for the one partic-
ular purpose to help alleviate business
"static." That Department is vitally
concerned in furthering your interests—
as a Hommel Dealer.

We work shoulder to shoulder with our
dealers — not in competition with them.
We wholesale only and carry only the
most reputable radio equipment. All
user inquiries and orders resulting from
our national advertising are forwarded
promptly to our local dealer.

In our new six-story building we carry
larger stock, and have better facilities
for serving you than ever before.

WestinghouJtS«feraI Electric

Baldwin Brandes Burgess

Cardwell Crcsley

Cutler-Hammer
Dubilier Fada Freed-Eisemann

Freshman Frost

General Radio Grebe

Haynes-GrifEn Magnavox

Remler Rhamstine
U.S. Tool Western Electric

And other'
leading manulactureri

We can't help you unless you
ask us to. Write to-day for
Hommel's Encyclopedia of
Radio Apparatus 266-B. It's
free and will help you.

WHOLESALE

EXCLUSIVELY

929 PENN AVENUE

PITTSBURGH, PA.

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

848-m

The Trans "Atlantic

CUP WINNER

Mrs. Edna M. Smith, of Springfield Gardens, Long
Island, is the winner of the handsome silver cup,
awarded for being the first to report reception of
European broadcasts on a FREED-EISEMANN RE-
CEIVER during the recent trans- Atlantic tests.

The winner was selected by "Radio Broadcast"
Magazine, which was in charge of the arrangements,
and verified the reports of reception.

Scores of other participants in the tests heard the following
European stations on FREED-EISEMANN RECEIVERS: —

Paris, Petit Parisienne
Madrid . . PTT
London . . 2LO
Bournemouth 6BM
Newcastle . 5 NO

Glasgow
Aberdeen
Brussels .
Liverpool

Birmingham

5SC
2BD
SBR
6LV

SIT

For full sworn statement and
fac' simile letters, write —

<Jiad^^

MANHATTAN BRIDGE PLAZA, BROOKLYN, N. Y.

FREED-EISEMANN

RADIO RECEIVERS

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

848-n

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

It HasThe Full Sweet ^Resonance
Of Our Upright Horn

The new cabinet model has a seasoned
wood horn which is "full floating" — the
outer end, or bell, does not touch the
cabinet. This, together with a long ex-
pansion chamber, gives it that same free-
dom of vibration which goes to make the
Bristol horn type Loud Speaker such a
resonant, sweet-toned instrument. It
also has the same high-grade electromag-
netic sound mechanism. It is not only a
handsome piece of furniture, but a
speaker worthy of the best radio set that
money can buy.

Cabinet Model $30.00

Beautifully finished mahogany. Full floating wooden horn and cast

metal throat. Musically, a companion to the finest

set ever built; size 17 x 10 x 10 J".

Both Horns are
Free to Vibrate
Like the Open
Diapason of
the Organ.

ModelS

Audiophone

$25.00

Rubber horn
14J" in diameter.
Cast metal
throat. Velvet
mat finish of mot-
tled bronze and
gold.

There are five Bristol Loud
Speakers, priced from $12.50
to $30.00. If not at your
dealer's, write for Bulletin
No. AH-3020.

Bristol
*

Loud Speake:

f&aterbury, Connecticut

INSTRUMENTS

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

848-o

Two Towers

As the Eiffel Tower stands as a monument
to skilled engineering construction so
TOWER'S Scientific phones stand as a
monument to supreme radio achievement.
5 Each phone is carefully tested and ap*
proved before it leaves the factory by a
Government Licensed RadioOperator thus
guaranteeing perfection in tone quality
with a positive uniformity of volume.

TOWER'S Scientific Headsets are guaranteed to
be made of the best materials money can buy-
highest test enamel, insulated magnet wire, best
grade five-foot tinsel cord, unbreakable caps, pol-
ished aluminum cases — using the famous scientific
headband constructed for maximum comfort.

If your dealer cannot supply you, order direct,
we will ship immediately Parcel Post C. O. D.

THE TOWER MFG. CORPORATION

98 BROOKLINE AVE. Def*. T BOSTON. MASS.

»^wtfTr^ii=BPw

«fSWf S (J^^W/fi;™

* - • — ^l?^15 $ £ ^

" *' ' te^SX^sS!^1 .. g. jj
One of the seven wonders of the «J $
world.— The Eiffel Tower built £?&*-
in 1887-89 on the Champ-de-Mars fr* /jf
contains 3 stories. Reached by a **""
series of elevators, the platform xjy
at the top being 985 feet above '
the ground. In the top story is
located the powerful Broadcast-
Ing Station F L.

The Worlds Greatest Headset Value

Tested anrl nnnrovpfl hv R \nin RRmnr AST

Radio Broadcast

ARTHUR H. LYNCH, EDITOR

MARCH, 1925

COVER ---------____ Prom a Painting by Henry J. Peck

THE PRINCIPALS IN A BIT OF HISTORIC BROADCASTING - - - - Frontispiece

NEW FIELDS FOR RADIO ----------- D. C. Wilkerson 851

SELECTING A B-BATTERY ELIMINATOR --------- Phil Fay 857

WHO Is TO PAY FOR BROADCASTING — AND How - H. D. Kellogg, Jr. 863

"As THE BROADCASTER SEES IT" ......... Carl Dreher 867

RADIO HEAVEN VIA THE ROBERTS CIRCUIT - - - - W. R. Bradford 875

THE LISTENERS' POINT OF VIEW ....... - Jennie Irene Mix 880

How TO WIRE YOUR HOME FOR RADIO ..... - - James Mitten 887

THE MARCH OF RADIO ...... _____ J. H. Morecroft 890

A GOOD FOUR-TUBE RECEIVER --- ...... McMurdo Silver 900

IN THE R. B. LAB --------- ..... ___-_ 907

Applying the Regenerative Loop to any Super-Heterodyne
Low Loss Coils and the Roberts Set
A Short Wave Low Loss Set
How to Connect Your Tickler Coil
Laboratory Hints

SHALL WE SPECIFY PARTS? ........ - Arthur H. Lynch 913

How WIRELESS CAME TO CUBA -------- Frank E. Butler 916

THE FACTORS GOVERNING RADIO RECEIVING - - Walter Van B. Roberts 926

"Now, I HAVE FOUND . . ." _--- .......... Q28

IMPROVING THE STORAGE BATTERY FOR RADIO - - James M. Skinner 933

WHAT OUR READERS WRITE Us ----- ......... 937

THE GRID --------_._______.___ y^g

Body-Capacity Effects

Antennas

A Stage of Radio Frequency for the Roberts Receiver

Tuning to the Lower Wavelengths

A By-Pass Condenser for the Loud Speaker

Resistance and Capacity Formulas

Charging Storage Batteries with 1 10 Volts D. C.

NEW EQUIPMENT _-__-----__ ........ 946

AMONG OUR AUTHORS ...... - ....... ____ 948

F. N. DOUBLEDAY, President NELSON DOUBLEDAY, Vice-President S. A. EVEKITT, Treasurer

ARTHUR W. PAGE, Vice-President RUSSELL DOUBLEDAY, Secretary JOHN J. HESSIAN, Ass't. Treasurer

DoubledaVj Page & Co.
MAGAZINES

WORLD'S WORK

COUNTRY LIFE

GARDEN MAGAZINE & HOME BUILDER

RADIO BROADCAST

SHOBT STORIES

EDUCATIONAL REVIEW

La PETIT JOURNAL

EL Eco

THB FRONTIER

Doubledav, Page & Co.
BOOK 8HOP8

NEW YORK: LORD & TAYLOB BOOK SHOP

PENNSYLVANIA TERMINAL ARCADE
LONG ISLAND TERMINAL ARCADE
38 WALL ST. AND 55 LIBERTY ST.

ST. Louis: 223 NORTH STH STREET
4914 MARYLAND AVENCB

KANSAS CITY: 920 GRAND AVENUE

TOLEDO : LASALLH & KOCH

CLEVELAND: HIOBEE Co.

NEWARK: 34 PARK PLACE

Doubledav, Page & Co.
OFFICES

GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK
NEW YORK: 120 WEST 3 2ND STREET
BOSTON : PARK SQUARE BUILDING
CHICAGO: PEOPLES GAS BUILDING
SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA
LONDON: WM. HEINEMANN, LTD.
TORONTO: OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

849

ladiotron WD-11.
The ideal dry-cell
tube.

Radiotron WD-12.
The standard base
dry-cell tube.

the tube is important

Radiotrons WD-11 and
WD-12 are the same ex-
cep t lor the base.

Radiotron WD-12 has
a standard navy type
base. Use it to change
your set to dry battery
operation. Ask your
dealer today.

Radio reception is not only a question of power,
but of sensitivity to weak signals — and clear amplifi-
cation. Radiotrons WD-11 and WD-12 are sensi-
tive to the extremely feeble signals from distant
stations — are silent in operation — and economical.
They are famous for radio frequency amplification
as for audio frequency — and detection. Get genuine
WD- 1 1's or WD- 1 2's. Look for the name Radio-
tron and the RCA mark.

This symbol of

quality is your

protection

233 Broadway, New York

Radio Corporation of America

Sales Offices:

28 Geary St., San Francisco, Cat.

10 So. La Salle St., Chicago, HI.

Radiotron

REG. U. S. PAT. O.FF.

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

THE PRINCIPALS IN A BIT OF HISTORIC BROADCASTING

The top photograph was taken in the studio O/WEAF, New York, on the evening of January 1
when two recording artists of the Victor Talking Machine Company, broadcast through a
chain of eight stations. The Victor Company, through its New Year's night broadcasting,
is the latest of the large phonograph companies to allow its stars to broadcast. Several
weeks tcfore, the Brunswick Company allowed a number of its own recording artists,
members of the Metropolitan Opera Company, to broadcast. Calvin Childs of the Victor
Company, Lucretfa Bori of the Metropolitan Opera Company, Gwendolyn McCormack,
(daughter of John McCormack), and John McCormack are in the upper photograph. The
insert shows Graham McNamee who capably announced the event

•III!1»1III1B«

RADIO
BROADCAST

Vol. 6, No.

New Fields for Radio

The Next Will Be a "War in the Air"— A Consideration
of the Possibilities that Radio Has Brought About

BY D. C. WILKERSON

IT WAS almost inevitable that such an art
as radio — for so is the science of radio now
classified — with so many new and un-
developed channels for expression, would
carve a way into the rank of indispensable
resources for national protection and aggres-
sion.

In the late World War, the pressure of corn-

unstable, and was regarded more as a labora-
tory toy than a practicable work-a-day de-
vice.

The French, Italian, German, and English
electrical engineers, under the incessant de-
mands for better and more reliable means for
establishing and maintaining radio communi-
cation in the surges and stress of the battle

bat was so tremendous and immediate that a -.front, started developing the vacuum tube
leisurely investigation of the possibilities of with, a vengeance, and by the time that the

radio was impossible, and it was only during
the latter days of the war that the full measure
of its advantages were practically realized.
At the beginning, there were few vacuum
tubes in use by either
of the Allied or Cen-
tral Power field or
naval forces. This
De Forest invention
had not received the
attention nor had it
been developed
enough through ex-
periment to make it
a worth-while adjunct
to military intelli-
gence. The two-
electrode Fleming
valve up to 1914 had
enjoyed considerable

vogue, but it was

— Photograph Courtesy U. S. Air Service
CLUMSY AERIAL ELEPHANTS
Such as this "blimp" will be easy prey for the radio-
controlled airplane, equipped with incendiary bombs
or bullets

United States entered the war in 1917, had
covered considerable ground in the develop-
ment of the vacuum tube. Parallel with
foreign efforts in this direction, the Western
Electric, General
Electric, Westing-
house, De Forest, and
Bell Telephone engi-
neers were beginning
to produce real re-
sults with the three-
element tube and they
had made for the
United States Govern-
ment a fairly stable
and reliable product.
The vigorous
plunge of our forces

into the frotft line
trenches rekindled
the enthusiasm of

852

Radio Broadcast

the Allies, and the liaison established be-
tween the practical engineers of the above
mentioned companies and those of the nations
aligned against the Central Powers, brought
about quick changes and some real advances.

At the close of the War, the reputation of the
vacuum tube had advanced to a high plane.
As a means for radio reception it had proved
its excellence, and its
use as an oscillator and
a transmitting agent
had begun in earnest.
Its use as a generator
enabled many of the
front line engineers to
"get the jump" on
many a zero-hour at-
tack by the Germans,
and it also served as an
excellent "scrambler"
for the German at-
tempts to maintain
radio communication
at the front.

Following the rapid
development of the
vacuum tube itself
came the circuits de-
signed to use it. Some
of these were the reflex,
the super-heterodyne,
the super-regenerator,
and the neutrodyne.
All of these helped at-
tain greater selectivity,
hence a greater degree
of secrecy in communi-
cation. Later, have
come the circuits of
Meissner, the junior
Hammond, and Sena-
tor Marconi.

PEACE-TIME ADVANCES
AID WAR

TN EVERY case
1 where peace-time
advances are being
made in the radio art,
that development has
a place among the re-
sources for war. For
ten or twelve years a
tremendous amount
of laboratory and ex-
perimental work has
been done toward
achieving a practical

MASON M. PATRICK

Major General, United States Army,-
Chief of Air Service

Since the War, the great advance in the develop-
ment of radio has been followed with interest by
the Army Air Service. It affords a rapid and
accurate means of communication between forces
behind the guns, on the land, sea, and in the air.
Experiments have proved that airplanes can
be operated by radio without pilots on board
them. // J5 believed to be possible that a number
of airplanes may thus be directed and controlled
from a single plane or from a control station,
guided on their course and that from them bombs
may be dropped when the attacking plane is over
its target. Aerial torpedoes may likewise be
made to find their mark. While great progress
has been and continues to be made in this method
of distant control of war machines, there seems to
be likewise a further large field for experiment in
hampering or preventing the radio operation of
these engines of destruction and it is possible that
this may tend to a still further radio development.

I am interested and glad to note the stimulative
effect of the publication of articles and data of this
character by such magazines of the excellent
quality of RADIO BROADCAST.

control of distant mechanisms by means of
radio waves. In the United States Patent
Office are anywhere from two to three hundred
patents all bearing on this branch of the art,
and probably three or four times as many
applications not yet passed upon by the
government staff of experts, as patentable.
The proposition of distant control has many
peace time uses. Rail-
road train cab-signal
and control mechan-
isms can be operated
by means of radio
Great unit power plants
located at distant
points from the zone
of power delivery are
going to require some
means of radio com-
munication and con-
trol. Our coast-line
lighthouses and bea-
cons are going to figure
in a radio control de-
velopment. In the near
future, the transconti-
nental air mail will
require radio tell-tales,
showing positions of
mail carrying units at
some central point, as
the volume of business
by air mail requires a
more complex control
and intelligence system
than its present in-
complete development
allows. In the event
of aerial passenger and
freight movement of
any consequence there
will be an immediate
need for practical in-
telligence and control
mediums.

Certainly in time of
war, the nation which
is able to keep in the
air, and control the
flight of mechanical
engines of death will
be able to sway the
tides of combat in its
favor.

A recent dispatch
from England told that
the Royal Aircraft
Forces there are making

New Fields for Radio

853

great progress in the control of pilotless planes
controlled by wireless waves. In the same dis-
patch it was stated that the launching of aerial
torpedoes or "winged bombs" was being
attempted and that some measure of success
in control of their flight over a limited distance
was accomplished.

These military developments are naturally
shrouded in mystery, protected with every
artifice of secrecy available. Without doubt,
every modern nation is participating in
experimental work of this class, for the over-
whelming tactical advantage of success in this
field would weigh heavy should another inter-
national war break out once more.

ARMY OFFICERS ARE SANGUINE

MAJOR-GENERAL MASON
RICK, Chief of the U.
Air Service, in
an address be-
fore the Frank-
lin Institute at
the occasion of
the recent cele-
bration of the
centenary of
that organiza-
tion stated to
that distin-
guished assem-
bly that the
Army already
had an "auto-
matic pilot"
device which
flies airplanes
without anyone
aboard. He
added that the
step toward ra-

PAT-

Army

- Photograph Courtesy U. S. Air Service

WILL PLANE SUCH AS THIS, RADIO-CONTROLLED,
MAKE FRONT LINE TRENCHES UNTENABLE?

dio control was

but a short one. He also said that he ex-
pected within a short time to see our military
forces flying whole fleets of these planes,
operated by a few men in a central control
station. These fleets could be maneuvered
to carry on attack against enemy cities and
military units.

At the same meeting, Major-General George
O. Squier, late Chief Signal Officer of the Army
expressed his belief that within a short time,
"manless planes" carrying sleep-producing
gases sufficient to put to sleep a whole nation
for forty-eight hours, could be sent into action
as a means for stalemating war.

Such startling predictions by conservative
military men are most worthy of consideration,

but thus far none have touched upon the
further developments which must follow the
practical achievement of radio control of
mechanical flight. The success of the radio-
controlled aerial torpedo guarantees the
parallel success of the radio-controlled bomb-
ing plane, the gas spreader, the reconnaisance
camera plane, and the combat plane. The
operating technique of the one lends itself
readily to the control of the other.

With the development of lighter-than-air
gases of poisonous nature, for repelling aerial
reconnaisance and attack, and with the proper
development of anti-aircraft barrage fire, the
predicted mortality of flyers and pilots will
be higher than in any previous war.

In addition to the estimated government in-
vestment loss of $25,000 for every pilot killed
while flying, the lost benefits of his services

amount to even
larger figures.
A live, trained
pilot is worth
considerably
more than the
cost of his train-
ing. The perfec-
tion of radio-
controlled
mechanical
flight means a
saving of sea-
soned flyers for
more important
uses, which can-
not be furnished
by automatic
pilots.

Entirely aside
from the Army
developments,
the Navy is

working with radio-control. The Navy needs
the automatic pilot and the controlled-flight
airpkne for a hundred different purposes.

WHAT THE NAVY NEEDS

WILL have to protect its battleship
and battle cruiser fleet without which
there are no bases from which to conduct
flights. It will have to produce aerial smoke-
screens, to conduct raids against attacking
lighter-than-air and heavier-than-air bomb-
ing fleets, and to serve as the extended
"eyes" of the fleet, to guarantee against
inefficient position maneuvering. The latter
can prove very disastrous, as the battle of
Jutland so clearly demonstrated.

Radio Broadcast

— Photographs Courtesy U. S. Air Service
CLOUD BANKS CAN HOLD NO TERRORS FOR THE RADIO-CONTROLLED PLANE

The radio-controlled camera plane could be utilized to take aerial photographs such as these and return

them safely to headquarters with valuable data on enemy forces. These shown here were all taken in the

regular manner by the Army Air Service photographers in France during the War

New Fields for Radio

Radio-controlled mechanism can be called
on to conduct underwater attack, to ma-
neuver torpedoes to their destination, and
to make whole mine fields "live", when, for
instance, a fleet retreat is required to be
"covered," by newly sown mines.

Another new use of the radio control
mechanism will be its application in penetrat-
ing enemy mine fields. During the late war
there was devised and used by the British
Navy an invention known as the "paravane,"
or "otter gear." A ship thus equipped was
able to steam right through an enemy mine
field, and provided it did not strike a mine
bow-on, the otter gear, swinging out from its
side, armed
with huge steel
jaws, snipped
the anchor ca-
ble of any mine
encountered.
The mine, then
released from
its anchoring
weight, bobbed
harmlessly to
the surface,
where it was
detonated
by watchful
guards placed
along the decks
with rifles.

— Photograph Courtesy U. S. Air Service
THE PROMISE OF A THREAT

Is dimly concealed in the armament of this airplane. It is theo-
retically possible to control the firing, of the guns and releasing of
bombs as well as to guide the flight of an airplane equipped for radio

control .

Steel under-
water sharks,
entirely radio-
controlled,
could easily be
equipped with
"otter gear,"

and can cut swaths through a mine field so
that attacking ships can steam to enemy
ports. An enemy zone can be placed in
such condition that no enemy ships can
maneuver there beca'use of the danger from
their own mines to" their own ships.

IMPORTANT APPLICATIONS OF RADIO CONTROL

NOT the least important among the de-
velopments hinging upon the successful
completion of the distant* control of mechan-
isms by radio, is the handling of decoy aerial
fleets, and decoy battleships. It is a known
fact that the British Admiralty completely
fooled the German scout submarine com-
manders when they built facsimile copies of
the superstructures of the Grand Fleet on the
discarded hulls of pre-dreadnaught ships,

and operating these decoy ships in waters far
removed from the location of the Grand Fleet
in Scapa Flow. There will always be a need
for decoy vessels of the sea as well as of the
air, and their operation will adapt itself quite
well to radio control mechanisms. The
U. S. S. Iowa was maneuvered by rudimentary
radio control apparatus in battle evolutions
three years ago.

With radio-control, it will be quite feasible
to deploy great squadrons of tanks in con-
centrated battle front, to batter a hole in a
dangerous sector.

Mechanical land mines, underground gas
bombs, incendiary flares, and short-distance

catapulted
detonating de-
vices contain-
ing all three of
these elements
lend themselves
to control by
radio. An
occupied area
about to be
abandoned, can
be rendered ab-
solutely unten-
able for long
periods of time
by intermittent
explosions con-
trolled by radio
from a distant
point.

At recent fre-
quent intervals,
some, very in-
teresting stories
of ammunition

magazine explosions and disastrous fires
caused by radio waves have appeared in
the press. Many of the soundest scientists
refuse to credit theories of that sort. People
in 'general have ceased to wonder ; at :; the
miracles of radio, and expect much greater
marvels 'than the aft to-day is capable of
attaining. This blase attitude has restrained
radio progress to some degree. It may be
that powerful transmitting stations, broad-
casting radio waves of high frequency, can
cause currents to flow in external circuits in
such a way that sparks are produced of suf-
ficient strength to do damage. However, when
one considers the thousands of circuits, tele-
phones, telegraph wires, and house-lighting,
immediately adjacent to these powerful trans-
mitting stations it is not hard to assume that

856

Radio Broadcast

radio energy, picked up from some powerful
transmitting station, would burn out such cir-
cuits, or else seriously disturb their normal
operation. This does not seem to be the case,
and it can be inferred, if no better proof is
available, that these stories of ammunition ex-
plosions are purely imaginary.

More to the point, and far closer to real-
ization, is the imminent completion of success-
ful aerial flight controlled by radio and
mechanical means as outlined and as noted by
the authorities quoted here. Whether or
not these means now being developed will
find their first practical use in the arts of

peace or in the arts of war remains a question
that only the future can answer. We only
know that the means are available, that the
energies of governments and of many private
individuals are being directed toward the
rapid solution of the problems presented,
and that so far a fair measure of success
has rewarded these efforts.

The wonders and mysteries wrapped in the
radio art are gradually, but nevertheless
surely, being unfolded, and the hand and
mind of man are making use of their solution
in ever widening circles of industrial, eco-
nomical, social, and military activity.

ARE TttOSE
CENT DOUG H M lATS>
:BHTTER-' N * THOSE
2.O CEMT

OBSERVATIONS OF THE RADIO LIFE! NO. I

Selecting a B-Battery Eliminator

What to Consider in Buying a B-Battery Subsitute — A Helpful
Discussion of Moot Points of Economy, Operation, and Value

BY PHIL FAY

SO MANY different kinds of current
tap devices, widely varying in price
and operating characteristics, have
been offered the public, that a prospec-
tive purchaser, uninitiated in the technical
phases of radio and electrical engineering,
finds it difficult to
make a choice. The
usual recourse — that
of consulting a friend
who has one — is rarely
available in the case
of the current tap de-
vices because few or
none of the manufac-
turers have yet
reached a volume of
production which is
very great.

To secure satisfac-
tion, it is absolutely
necessary to select a
B-battery eliminator
which is adapted, to
your particular set
and power circuit. A
current tap device
suited for use with a
three - tube set fre-
quently gives about
as good service with
a five-tube receiver
as a bicycle tire with
a Ford car.

A further complica-
tion is added to the
situation by reason

of the fact that radio salesmen are not yet
sufficiently experienced with these devices to
make sound recommendations. If the bind-
ing post on a current tap device reads 100
volts, they unhesitatingly state that its out-
put is loo volts, while as a matter of fact,
with some current tap devices it may vary be-
tween 40 and 275 volts, according to the set
with which it is used. Hence the prospec-
tive purchaser will do well to make a little
study of the subject before making an invest-

Batteries and Battery
Eliminators

The storage battery has been in use for a
long time in lighting the filaments of radio
receiver tubes. This secondary source of
energy in fact has been used for that purpose
ever since the vacuum tube was invented.
More recently, however, the storage battery
has been used as a source of plate potential
with considerable success. The storage bat-
teries which were used with tubes were for a
long time simply those designed and used for
lighting and automobile ignition purposes,
but such batteries have their shortcomings.
New storage cells have been designed especi-
ally for radio circuits and are to be had on
the open market.

The public has heard much and so far seen
little of the devices designed and sold to re-
place batteries. Most prospective users are
timid about purchasing these devices because
they are not sure that they will perform as
well as batteries. Mr. Fay's article is of
genuine interest and contains facts which
have been found after actual test of the
various methods of voltage supply for tubes.
— THE EDITOR.

ment as large as one for the average receiving
set, lest he find his purchase a liability rather
than an asset.

In general, there are four qualities to con-
sider, which determine the value of a current
tap device to its user. They are:

i . The degree of silence

with which it ope-
rates

2. The life of rectifier

tubes and their
upkeep cost

3. Its adaptability to

different types of
receiving sets, and

4. Its safety with re-

spect to shock and
fire.

SILENCE IS GOLDEN
AND DESIRABLE

first quality
of a current tap
device which you
must verify is the
silence with which it
operates. At first
sight, this may appear
to be a simple matter
— a few moments of
listening at a radio
store. A purchaser
may conclude that a
certain device is silent
because it was demon-
strated to his satisfac-
tion, but upon connecting it up at his home, he
may find it extremely noisy. Often the dealer
or manufacturer is then accused in the mind of
the purchaser of having a demonstrator super-
ior to the product sold to purchasers. But this
is quite unfair to dealer and manufacturer. A
current tap device which may work perfectly
in one electric circuit may be entirely unsatis-
factory in another because of difference in its
electrical qualities. The general impression
that all 1 10 volt 60 cycle alternating current is

858

Radio Broadcast

electrically identical, no matter where secured,
is unfortunately erroneous.

There are many differences between one
power circuit and another. First, there are
wide variations in voltage at different hours
of the day and night ranging between 100 and
1 20 volts. These are not noticeable in the
brilliancy of electric lights or in the operation
of ordinary household equipment, largely be-
cause this apparatus unlike radio equipment,
is not especially sensitive to voltage varia-
tions of this amount. In a current tap sup-
plying a radio set line voltage differences are
of the utmost importance.

Another factor, which enters into the matter
of successful current tap operation in one's
particular location, is the voltage wave form
delivered by the generating system supplying
the alternating current. The theoretical sine
wave, with its smooth variations, is a labora-
tory product only; alternators supplying
power lines have individual characteristics
which cause humps of differing intensity, to
occur in the voltage at harmonics of the 60
cycle frequency. Engineers state that no two
generators have ever been built that have
precisely the same voltage curve and that an
expert can recognize the wave form of a partic-
ular generator with the same degree of accur-
acy that a detective identifies the criminal by
his finger print.

Such variations in wave form have no effect
upon the ordinary loads, such as motors and
electric lights, but a vacuum tube rectifier is so
highly responsive to these digressions from the
sine wave, which often assume proportions
larger than the voltages induced in the antenna
system by strong incoming signals, that satis-
factory reception with the current tap may be
impossible. Consequently, one current tap
device, silent when supplied from one light
socket, may be objectionably noisy in another.

THE OUTPUT OF A COMMERCIAL ALTERNATOR

Installed in the average power house which furnishes the
alternating current used for house lighting and power purposes

POWER TRANSFORMERS AFFECT CURRENT

A NOTHER important cause of changes
•*»• in wave form are those due to saturation
of the iron core of transformers placed along
the line to step down the line voltage to the
value required by consumers. At certain
loads, this effect may accentuate harmonics
to a surprising degree, while at other hours and
loads, they may fall to a point where they are
not annoying. Hence a discriminating pur-
chaser will not only test a current tap in his
own home but will continue it over a suffi-
ciently extended period to make certain that it
will give satisfaction at all loads and condi-
tions of his power circuit. Because of the
newness of current tap devices, many dealers
are willing to permit such a test and to refund
the purchase price if satisfaction is not secured
in your home.

These considerations with respect to varia-
tions in power supply should not lead the
reader to conclude hastily that a current tap
device cannot be made to work. If it is pro-
vided with suitable adjustable inductances,
capacities and resistances, its characteristics
may be adapted to these constantly changing
conditions.

In judging the effectiveness of a current tap
device in your particular location, it is also
necessary to remember that power lines are
excellent conductors of currents of radio fre-
quency, as evidenced by the successful
development of antenna plugs for use in place
of aerials, and the transmission of radio pro-
grams over power lines, by the "wired wire-
less" method.

Those who live in or adjacent to buildings
having elevators or electric motors have fre-
quently heard the annoying hum which is
radiated from the power lines and picked up
by the antenna system. In some cases, it is
necessary to wait for the offending
elevator to complete its trip before
satisfactory reception, even from
local stations, can be secured. When
using a current tap device you make
a direct connection with the power
conductors supplying such elevator
motors, amplifying the resulting
noises through vacuum tubes and
feeding them to the most sensitive
circuits of your receiving set. The
interfering noises from such sources
are therefore tremendously increased.
Every time a light is switched on
and off in the building, a decided
click is heard, although noise from

Selecting a B-Battery Eliminator

859

this source is not nearly as annoying as that
from high speed motors.

DISTORTION ON HARMONICS OF POWER SUPPLY

WHEN loud speaker reception is at-
tempted, the faint residual hum heard
with the current tap device is not annoying.
Usually the signals from local stations are
considerably stronger than the residual hum.
Quality of reception is affected only upon
harmonics — that is, in the case of 60 cycle
current, 120,180,240,300 cycles, and so on. At
these frequencies, the volume is somewhat
louder than normal because the signal is rein-
forced by the pulsations in the power line.
Thus if a scale is played at the same intensity
at the broadcasting station, your receiver will
respond at the same intensity, excepting at
these harmonic frequencies, which will be in-
creased in proportion to the residual hum and
the amplification applied. The difference be-
tween this distortion and that produced by a
poorly designed amplifying transformer is
that the resonant points in the former case
are very sharp, while with the latter they
are quite gradual and cover wider frequency
bands.

Even the best of current tap devices, en-
tirely satisfactory for local reception, cause
considerable noise where the amplification
level is raised. Since local reception is the
principal use to which receiving sets are put, a
slight residual hum is not serious. But as
soon as the amplification level is raised for the
reception of distant stations, the hum in-
creases. When a device is demonstrated con-
nected to a receiver, it is advisable
to increase tickler coupling or fila-
ment brilliancy so that maximum
amplification is obtained. This will
protect you against a device which
is only suitable for reception from
near by high power stations.

UPKEEP EXPENSE WITH THE
CURRENT TAP

INASMUCH as the current tap
1 device is purchased in order to
eliminate B battery expense, the
purchaser must be certain that the
current tap device will prove an
economy. If a current tap is suited
to the load for which it is used, there
is no reason why it should not be
economical. On the other hand,
tube renewals, with a poorly de-
signed current tap device, may be
several times the cost of B bat-

teries of good quality and of the current
capacity for your receiver.

Overloading a vacuum tube is fatal to its
life. Life tests have shown that a 5 per cent,
overload in filament voltage may cut in half
the life of a tube, which practically doubles
the cost of maintenance. This condition can
be overcome in a current tap, if means be
provided to control the filament voltage of
the rectifier tubes. By all means select a
current tap device which is equipped with
means of controlling the filament voltage, for
without it economy is quite impossible. It
may appear that a properly designed current
tap supplies the tubes with the correct fila-
ment voltage without requiring adjustment,
but this, unfortunately, is not the case.

Assume that you have a current tap de-
signed to furnish exactly five volts to the recti-
fier at 1 10 volts of current supply. In the
early evening hours when there is the heaviest
drain on power supply, it is usual that the
supply drops to 105 volts and consequently,
the rectifier filaments are being furnished with
only 4.56 volts — a considerable underload.
This permits of maximum filament life. But
by 10.30 P. M., the voltage of the power line
is likely to increase to 120 volts, because the
load upon it has decreased. It is characteris-
tic of power systems that as the load falls the
voltage increases. Consequently there are
constant fluctuations in line voltage at all
hours of the day and night.

At 1 20 volts, the filament supply is 5.45
volts, or approximately 10 per cent, over-
load, sufficient with most tubes to cut their

THE EFFECT

Of inductive tmd capacity loads on the regulation curve of a
typical commercial power house alternator. These loads are
such demands as are ordinarily made by normal power-
consuming devices. The variation in voltage is clearly in-
dicated. These varying demands result in an uneven voltage
being delivered to the power-consuming device. This effect
is not serious with the incandescent lamp and the usual house-
hold device, but the accompanying article shows its effect on
a radio receiver using battery eliminators

86o

Radio Broadcast

life to one fourth. Hence, no matter how con-
scientious the manufacturer, he cannot make
'a current tap suitable to all conditions, unless
it is equipped with a filament voltmeter and
means of regulating the voltage supplied to
the rectifier tube filaments. A device which
works perfectly under laboratory conditions
may in your service completely belie all life
and silence tests. In order to increase output,
many current taps are so designed that even
with normal voltage the filaments are con-
siderably overloaded and operation on in-
creased voltages, which obtain late at night,
make tube life a matter of hours instead of
hundreds or thousands of hours.

OVERLOADING FILAMENTS IS EXPENSIVE

THERE is a basis which permits the elimina-
tion of certain current taps without further
investigation by reason of the fact that their
tube equipment is such that it is under no
circumstances economical. A current tap
equipped with uv-2Oi-A tubes has a definite
limit to economical output. To quote John
F. Rider, a radio writer in "The Laboratory
Scrap Book," New York Sun Radio Section,
Oct. 1 8, 1924:

The 20I-A tube has often been recommended for
the rectifying medium in B battery eliminators.
Unfortunately, however, while it does function as a
rectifier and may be utilized as such, its current
output is so limited that its application to this type
of work is very poor — that is, if one is desirous of
utilizing the unit in conjunction with a multi-tube
receiver.

In order that the B battery eliminator may be a
success, it is necessary that its current output be at
least twice the total possible current drain of the
tubes used in the receiver with the maximum plate
voltage applied. Having both equal is impractical,
as a strong signal will increase the drain beyond the
normal value, and the moment the drain is in excess
of the supply the voltage of the latter will undergo
a considerable drop.

The current output of the average aoi-A tube
when used as a rectifier and arranged so as to supply
about 1 20 volts is about 20 to 22 milliamperes.
With several tubes which were tested the maximum
rectified current was only 18 milliamperes. In
addition, it was necessary to maintain the filament
brilliancy above the value specified by the manu-
facturer, thus greatly decreasing the life of the
tube. To attempt to use a rectifying arrangement
of this type with a receiver that draws 30 or more
milliamperes is out of the question, hence it is neces-
sary somehow to increase the current output of the
B battery eliminator.

It may appear at first sight that the use of
two tubes (as is done on practicaHy all devices)

may double the output. But indeed this is
not the case, for one tube functions during
one half of the cycle and the other tube during
the other half. A five-tube set, for instance,
may draw as high as 25 milliamperes, and con-
sequently a supply of 18 milliamperes, which
is the maximum output, even with considera-
ble overloading, that uv-2oi-A tubes can be
expected to deliver, it is quite out of the ques-
tion that satisfactory results may be had.
The total output must be at least 30 milli-
amperes, or else there will be distortion in the
received signal.

Another type of tube which is sometimes
used by experimenters, is the Tungar rectifier,
familiar through its use in battery charging
devices. This device is designed to supply a
heavy current at low voltages. It is not a high
vacuum tube but filled with a gas that is easily
ionized so that it can become a qonductor of
considerable current. Consequently when it
is used with excessive voltages it has the un-
stable characteristics of gas tubes and the
effect on the life of the filament is disastrous.

"S" tubes do not have any of these disad-
vantages. However, they are designed for
use with radio transmitters to deliver high
voltages and small currents. A current tap
made with s tubes is likely to overload the
receiving set unless extraordinary precautions
are used. A very high voltage is necessary
to make these tubes work and it is not wise
for the novice to wear headphones so intim-
ately associated with an s tube requiring 750
volts as plate potential. Damage to the set
may be repaired but ear drums are irreplace-
able.

ADAPTABILITY OF THE CURRENT TAP DEVICE

SO FAR, we have seen that a current tap
device must be suited to power line
conditions and that the tubes must be able to
supply the necessary output. These condi-
tions can be met through the selection of a
current tap device of the proper characteris-
tics. The third condition — adaptability to
your particular set — can be met in the same
way. But the user must keep in mind the
fact that the same device will not work with
the same satisfaction with all other receivers.
Inasmuch as there is a comparatively large
investment involved in the purchase of a cur-
rent tap, it is essential it give service over a
period of years. For instance, an economical
five-tube receiver used 500 hours a year can be
supplied with B batteries for five years for
$75.00 if heavy duty batteries be used. A
current tap costing $50.00 suited to the load so

Selecting a B-Battery Eliminator

that the tubes last fully a year, would require 4
renewals at $8.00 each, or $32.00, making a total
cost for equipment and tubes for five years of
$82.00. Hence, assuming economical upkeep
for the current tap, five years must pass before
the expenditure for the eliminator becomes
less than that necessary for B batteries. You
must be sure that your present receiving set
with the present type of tubes will satisfy your
requirements for a period of at least five years.
Otherwise B batteries will serve you better
than a current tap device.

The reason that a B battery eliminator is not
adapted to different kinds of sets is that its
voltage output varies with the load which is
drawn from it. For instance, a certain current
tap device was measured under varying con-
ditions of load, without change of the voltage
in the current supply from the power mains.
At I milliampere it furnished 180 volts of plate
current; as the load increased to 15.5 milli-
amperes, the voltage fell to 90; at 25 milli-
amperes, the average drain of a five-tube set,
the voltage furnished was but 40 and at 32
milliamperes, the voltage was zero. On the
second stage of amplification, the voltage was
too low to give the best results and the load so
near the peak output that the distortion was
noticeable.

This particular device gave 100 volts plate
supply at 13 milliamperes which is a good out-
put for an economical four-
tube set using uv-2Oi -A
tubes.

In selecting a current
tap device, therefore, meas-
ure its voltage when sup-
plying the plate current
needed for your set. If this
falls somewhat below the
rated voltage of the device,
select another make of cur-
rent tap which is better
suited to your require-
ments.

u_
O

cr:

ing posts and concealed wiring, exposes its
user almost to no danger, except when one
turns the lighting current on and off. If you
turn off the filaments of your receiving set
with the current tap device still in opera-
tion, all load is of course removed from it.
The output of the rectifier tubes is merely
supplied to the condensers and inductances
which form the filter of the current tap de-
vice and high voltages are quickly built up,
unless the output terminals of the tap are
short circuited by a resistance through which
these voltages may leak off. Some devices
are so equipped; others are not. If, after
having turned off the tubes of the receiving
set, your next act is to turn off the electric
light switch supplying the current tap, this
charge remains in the filter condenser, seeking
a place to discharge. Then, if you proceed to
change the wiring of your receiving set or
touch the B battery binding posts, you will
have an excellent opportunity to test the effect
of a high voltage upon your system.

A simple precaution, however, will practic-
ally eliminate this danger. First, always turn
off the current tap from the power mains with
the receiving set in operation. Be certain that
you and all the members of your family un-
derstand this. Second, short circuit the out-
put mains, after turning off the supply mains,
before you touch the wiring of your set. In

VOLTAGE OUTPUT Of
. VARIOUS CURRENT SUPPLY
DEVICES AT VARYING LOADS

FACTOR OF SAFETY

NATURALLY, there is
a little hesitancy on
the part of those not ac-
customed to dealing with
high power electric mains
to connect a pair of head-
phones, directly or indi-
rectly, with a source of kilo-
watts of energy. A well
designed current tap de-
vice having insulated bind-

CURRENT DRAIN IN MILLIAMPERES

A CURVE

Which shows the voltage output of various current supply devices (B
battery eliminators) plotted against the current drain caused by a receiver
in milliamperes

862

Radio Broadcast

this way, you will avoid the danger of shock.

Another source of danger in the current tap
is fire due to overheating. Never operate a
current tap device without someone in the
room. When current taps were first placed
on the market, life tests were made at a
laboratory and one of these devices was left
on all night. A fire which did several thou-
sand dollars damage resulted. Had someone
been there, warning through fusing wires
would have been given in time to turn off the
device.

A well designed current tap device presents
none of these dangers. You can determine
this for yourself by looking for the stamp
"Approved by the Board of Fire Under-
writers" on the device which you select. This
mark appears on every piece of apparatus
which has been inspected and approved by
the board as safe for household use. There
are scores of well-known manufacturers of
household apparatus. Select a current tap

made by one of these, for they have learned
the results of placing unsafe apparatus on the
market by painful experience.

The convenience of having plate potential
always available is certainly worth a little
care in the selection of a current tap device.

Satisfy yourself on these points and you will
find your investment justified:

1. Is the current tap device silent when con-

nected with my receiving set in my own
home?

2. Does it use tubes capable of furnishing the

current which my set requires with economy
in tube renewal?

3. Is there means of regulating the voltage input

of the device so as to compensate for the
variations in power supply?

4. What voltage does the current tap device

supply to my set and is it sufficient to give
good results and not too high to be a source
of danger when connected with headphones?

5. Is the current tap device approved by the

Board of Fire Underwriters?

RADIO PERFORMERS
IN PERSON

At a children's hospital.
The Radio Franks, who
are well known to radio
listeners went to perform
in person for these crippled
children, who before had
only known them as voices
over the air

Who Is to Pay for Broad-
casting— and How

The Plan Which Won RADIO BROADCAST'S Prize of $500 Offered for
the Most Practicable and Workable Solution of a Difficult Problem

BY H. D. KELLOGG, JR.

RADIO broadcasting, to be placed on
a sound economic basis, must pay
its Avay as do other forms of enter-
tainment. It should be paid because
of, and in proportion to, the value of the enter-
tainment provided. And the payment should
be made by the consumer, that is, the owner
of the receiving set.

Under present conditions, what is entertain-
ment for the radio fan is a subtle source of
advertising, in the great majority of cases, for
the broadcasting station. And advertising
foots the bill. This
inconsistency between
the purpose of the
broadcaster and the
radio listener, and the
differential between
the source of payment
and the actual con-
sumer, has led to rec-
ognition of the fact
that the economic
foundation for broad-
casting must be rear-
ranged.

While it is apparent
that a certain propor-
tion of the expense of
present-day broadcast-
ing can continue to be
borne by appropria-
tions for the advertis-
ing received, and that
artists who wish to
receive the advertising
that their performances
bring them will per-
form free, still the
highest type of broad-
casting cannot be fi-
nanced indefinitely on
this basis. To secure
the utmost excellence
in talent, talent which

needs no advertising, the performers or artists
must be paid. And further to insure that
program directors shall secure the best enter-
tainment possible, untrammeled by any com-
mercialism or advertising for the broadcasting
station, the operating expense of the station
should be paid directly by the radio audience.

A YEARLY CHARGE — TO THE RECEIVER

A CHARGE, then, must be collected from
** each owner of a radio set, on a yearly
basis, sufficient to pay the annual expense of
the broadcasting re-
ceived. The fair and
equitable way to ap-
portion the sum each
owner shall pay is on
the basis of the value
and range of his set
and the amount it is
used. We would not
expect the owner of a
crystal set with its
limited range and sen-
sitivity to pay as much
to the broadcasting
fund as the owner of
a many tube super-
heterodyne.

The amount paid by
the radio owner should
be compulsory — in
other words, it should
be the equivalent of a
box office charge. No
theatre could support
the cost of regular per-
formances open to the
public in a sound and

H. D. KELLOGG, JR.

Of Haverford, Pennsylvania, winner of RADIO
BROADCAST'S $500 Prize Contest. A tax of
$2 on each tube and $.50 on each crystal
used in a receiver is proposed by this plan,
and the funds so raised to be administered
by a Federal Bureau of Broadcasting

business-like way
through voluntary con-
tributions. A fixed and
definite amount must
be collected from each
individual in the audi-

864

Radio Broadcast

enee before entering the theatre. And like-
wise the owner of a radio receiving set, with
his power to -tap in on many sources of enter-
tainment, should be made to pay his share of
the entertainment received, commensurate
with the range of his set and the amount it is
used.

Probably the best index of the range and
cost of a set lies in the kind and number of its'
tubes. In a crystal set it is difficult to pick
out any one satisfactory index of its value or
use. The crystal should no doubt be taken
as the index here. A charge, then, on the
tubes or crystals purchased, and included in
the purchase price paid by the owner of the
receiving set, is the method here suggested for
meeting the cost of broadcasting. Why these
articles rather than any other should be taken
as the criterion in laying the charge will appear
from what follows.

THE TUBE IS THE INDEX OF THE SET

T F EXCEPTIONAL cases be excluded, it may
* be said that the tubes used in receiving sets
to-day have a life closely commensurate with
the service they render. Two similar tubes
giving identically the same service may not
last each as long as the other. But in the long
run, tubes of reputable manufacture in ordin-
ary service will last a time closely enough con-
current with their usage to serve as a basis for

the owner's share of the broadcasting he re-
ceives.

With crystals the relation between use and
useful life is not so satisfactory. Crystals do
in time lose their sensitivity as detectors and
have to be discarded. But statistics will be
needed to determine accurately how long the
different crystals now in use for radio reception
may be expected to give satisfactory service
before requiring replacement. No doubt con-
siderable data on this subject is already avail-
able. Although this mode of guaging "broad-
casting consumption" for this type of set,
which it is believed involves the majority of
receiving sets of to-day, is not wholly satis-
factory, still no better criterion is apparently
available.

In a tube set, the number of tubes is an
excellent index of the cost of the set and
of the range over which it can receive. Thus
a broadcasting tax on tubes will affect more
the owner of the expensive set who should
be required to pay more, because he is able
to command a broader choice of program
than the owner of the less expensive set,
who is correspondingly less able to pay the
larger tax. Crystal sets do not as a rule
involve very expensive equipment and in any
event their range is usually limited, and
hence a sliding tax scale here is not particu-
larly to be desired.

A Summary of the Plan

I . Radio broadcasting must pay its way. VI .

1 1 . Person who must pay is the consumer — the

radio listener. VII.

III. Most satisfactory mode of payment is a

definite charge applied to every owner of
a receiving set in proportion to range,
value and amount of use of set.

IV. This charge must be compulsory — a "box

office" charge.

V. The best index of the range and value of a
set lies in the kind and number of its
tubes. In a crystal set, the crystal is the
best apparent index.

A. Life of tubes and crystals represents

with reasonable accuracy the amount VI II .
of use set has.

B. Number of tubes is index of diversity

of broadcasting programs at con- IX.
sumer's disposal.

C. Levy can be readily applied to tubes or

crystals in form of stamp tax col-
lected from manufacturer and paid
by final purchaser. X .

D. Apportionment of tax greatly simpli-

fied and evasion minimized.

Yearly tax not excessive and should not
harm the industry.

Only possible administrator of the super-
broadcasting fund is the Federal Govern-
ment.

A. Problem national in scope.

B. Private interests would require monop-

olistic powers.

C. Administration of broadcasting fund

not particularly liable to political
corruption.

D. Importance to Government of con-

trolling broadcasting stations as
means of directing public opinion.

Concrete illustration shows how $18,000,000
a year may be raised by stamp tax for
super-broadcasting purposes.

Government will take over some existing
stations and build others by bond issues
amortized from broadcasting fund. Im-
mediate fund obtained by collecting tax
from sets now in use.

Conclusion that super-broadcasting for,
and paid by, the consumer places broad-
casting on its rightful basis.

Who Is to Pay for Broadcasting — and How

865

A TUBE TAX IS READILY APPLIED

THE most important feature of a broad-
casting levy applied to tubes and crystals
is the readiness with which it can be applied.
A stamp affixed to the article, or applied as a
seal to the package by the manufacturer lends
itself to the require-
ments of a strict en-
forcement measure.
A concurrent feature
is that the work of
supervision and ap-
portionment of the
tax is greatly simpli-
fied. It is difficult to
apply a tax to a radio
set, which may con-
sist of antenna,
ground, batteries, am-
plifier, loud speaker,
and innumerable
other components or
accessories. To levy
a tax on all of these
articles would be a
clerical task of un-
necessary magnitude
that would make the
expense of collection
excessively high.

Since the manufac-
turers of tubes is so
nearly a monopoly,
under the existing
patents on these im-
portant products of
the radio industry
"bootleg" manufac-
turing or evasion of
the tax would be diffi-
cult. Conversely, the
tax on tubes would be
simple and easy of ap-
plication and enforce-
ment. With crystals,
however, the situation
is not so simple. The

production of these articles might be made into
a monopoly, thus facilitating the application of
the stamp tax at the point of manufacture.
Or a few large wholesaling houses might be
given control of the entire supply and the
stamp tax applied there. It is not inconceiv-
able that the requirement be laid down for the
affixing of a stamp representing the tax at the
time of sale to the ultimate consumer. But
a tax collected from the manufacturer, pro-

Is This the Solution?

This plan of Mr. Kellogg's, which received
the prize of $500 offered by RADIO BROADCAST,
won over some thousand others which were
submitted. The judges were, Professor J. H.
Morecroft, president of the Institute of
Radio Engineers (1923-4); Major }. Andrew
White, formerly editor of the Wireless Age and
well-known descriptive broadcaster; Harry
Chandler, publisher of the Los Angeles
Times and owner of KHJ; Frank Reichmann,
a Chicago radio manufacturer and an old-
timer in the field; Dr. Royal S. Copeland,
United States Senator from New York, re-
presenting the public point of view; A. S.
Lindstrom, chairman of the Pacific Radio
Trade Association; Zeh Bouck, one of the
best known radio authors in America; and
Charles H. Porter, Chicago, secretary of the
Radio Manufacturers' Association.

The officials of the American Radio As-
sociation, under whose auspices the contest
was conducted, do not feel that this plan is
the final word in the matter of "who is to
pay?" and neither do the editors of this
magazine. The broadcasting problem can-
not be settled as easily as this plan pro-
poses, although without doubt there is much
to be said for Mr. Kellogg's plan. One of the
chief stumbling blocks is the setting up of
a federal bureau of broadcasting which seems
to be contrary to the entire trend of radio de-
velopment. We believe that anything which
smacks of too centralized federal control or
censorship would be resisted as much by the
public as by all those administering radio
to-day. Next month we shall print an in-
teresting discussion on the entire subject.
— THE EDITOR.

vided there are not too many manufacturers,
could be more readily enforced and is therefore
most desirable.

The effect of a tax as outlined upon the radio
industry is problematical. It would depend
largely upon the additional cost of tubes and
crystals to radio fans. In a later paragraph,
the yearly budget
needed for broadcast-
ing purposes is briefly
discussed, and the
amount required from
each owner of a re-
ceiving set does nol
seem excessive. Tru
economic stability
accorded to broad-
casting by the plan
outlined should soon
carry the industry
farther forward than
ever before.

THE GOVERNMENT

SHOULD ADMINISTER

THE FUND

'HE most practi-
cable administra-
tor of the broadcast-
ing levy outlined is
obviously the Federal
G overnment. It is
inconceivable to re-
quire manufacturers
and producers of tubes
and crystals to collect
a stamp tax and turn
it into a pool or fund
held as a monopoly
for and by private
interests. The prob-
lem is clearly national
in scope. It is out-
side the control of
individual states and
if run by private
interests would re-
quire the granting of

dangerous monopolistic power. The work of
administering a national broadcasting service
is not particularly susceptible to political cor-
ruption. With full publicity of all accounts,
mishandling of the funds in trust would cer-
tainly be difficult. And the public would be a
daily judge of the quality of entertainment
provided. The tremendous value to the Gov-
ernment of having broadcasting stations con-
tinuously under its control in times of

866

Radio Broadcast

emergency, or even in ordinary times, to
crystallize and direct public opinion and
thought, cannot be overemphasized.

Broadcasting under this plan would then be
conducted from twenty-five or fifty high power
stations throughout the country. How these
may be financed can be indicated by a brief
illustration. Tubes and crystals should be rated
according to their quality, durability and ser-
vice. A stamp purchased from the Govern-
ment Division of Broadcasting should be affixed
by the manufacturer to the article or its con-
tainer. The amount of the stamp should be
set, in accordance with statistics compiled, such
that each tube will bear $2 of the broadcasting
budget for the year. Similarly, the tax on
each crystal sold may be apportioned so that
each crystal will bear 50 cents of the broad-
casting budget for the year. If we assume
4,000,000 tube sets with an average of two
tubes each and 6,000,000 crystal sets in opera-
tion, the returns from taxes set at this rate
would be $ 1 9,000,000. Taking $1,000,000.
as the cost of collection, $18,000,000. would
remain to be distributed among some twenty-
five or fifty stations, allowing each $720,000
or $450,000 respectively, per year.

It will no doubt be found desirable, in in-
stalling super-broadcasting, to take over many
existing stations, though no attempt should be
made to prevent present stations from broad-
casting on the same basis as heretofore. New
stations which may later be installed can be

financed by bond issue amortized from the
general broadcasting fund. A sizeable amount
of the initial expense of taking over existing
stations can conceivably be collected from the
present owners of receiving sets as a retro-
active inclusion under the collection of the
stamp tax on later sales, though the payment
could not be enforced without popular sup-
port. This would greatly hasten the advent
of super-broadcasting, however, which other-
wise would have to wait for sufficient accumu-
lation of returns for the normal sales of tubes
and crystals before it could be instituted.

It should be understood that while super-
broadcasting will place before the public daily,
the best talent, entertainment, lectures and
concerts available, in a way that is now largely
impossible, still the payments to artists for
broadcasting service should not be as high as
for public performances. There is not the
expense involved for the performers in the
broadcasting of a concert, either at the time
of a public performance or at other times,
that accrues for the public performance alone.
In the case of many lectures or addresses, the
only expense should be that of transmission.
The important feature of super-broadcasting
paid by the radio listener-in is that it places
broadcasting on the firm foundation of direct,
paid service to the consumer and insures every
day the best possible programs from well-
equipped stations, unencumbered by adver-
tising or other irrelevant considerations.

THE LARGEST GERMAN RADIO STUDIO
At Nauen, near Berlin

i 6

As the Broadcaster Sees It"

BY CARL DREHER

Drawings by Franklyn Stratford

The Rising Tide of Microphones

WE ARE proud to present the first article in Mr. Dreher's series, "As the
Broadcaster Sees It." For some time the great number of engineers
and others interested and responsible for broadcasting have needed a place
where their problems could be presented and discussed — perhaps even solved.
The broadcasting field is getting so large and varied that intelligent comment,
help, and suggestion should be of great interest to those in the field, those
who are thinking of entering it, and those who are simply watching from the
outside. The listening public will discover that Mr. Dreher has gathered
together information which is highly interesting and essentially worth reading
and also presents criticism of great value. The series will not be too technical
nor too popular. We hope this series sets up some sympathetic oscillations
among our readers. — THE EDITOR.

IN BROADCASTING a speaker from a
public auditorium, how high should the
microphones be placed? It is a grave
question, my masters.

The accompanying photograph, showing
President Coolidge delivering an address in
Baltimore, is an extreme case. The two mi-
crophones were placed almost head-high, and
must have obstructed the view of many persons
in the space below
the speakers'
stand. From the
broadcaster's an-
gle the situation is
an ideal one. It is
possible to obtain
decidedly better
quality and natu-
ralness of speech,
in the case of a
quiet and restrain-
ed orator like the
President, with,
the microphones at
head - level and
fairly close to the
speaker's lips. In
this way the higher
tones of the voice,
the harmonics
which are so im-
portant in the pro-

Few broadcasters are able to arrange as favorable a
placing of the microphone as was arranged for this
speech of President Coolidge. Where the microphone
is so favorably placed, excellent speech quality results

duction of consonant sounds and delicate in-
flections, but whose energy is comparatively
small, are retained and passed on to the am-
plifiers. These higher frequencies are easily
lost. Generally speaking, with the micro-
phones waist -high, quality of transmission will
be slightly inferior. A fair compromise would
seem to be at about the level of the speakers'
chests. The pick-up is good enough for all

practical purposes,
and there is no in-
terference with a
clear view of the
face of the man
on the platform.
Both the physi-
cally present part
of the audience and
the radio listening
portion will be sat-
isfied.

The opposite ex-
treme to the case
discussed above is
in theatrical broad-
casting. Usually
the only pick-up
permissible is in
the footlights,
ankle - high. The
speakers are dis-
tant from the mi-

IDEAL PLACING FOR THE MICROPHONE

868

Radio Broadcast

the rising tide of microphones

crophones, and they move around as they
talk. To obtain perfect quality under these
conditions is out of the question; to do a
reasonably good job is an achievement. In
spite of the transmission difficulties, broadcast-
ing from the stage is one of the most popular
program features that a station can handle.
The prerequisite, however, is careful selection
of the shows to be broadcast. Generally
speaking, the more music the play contains,
and the less dialogue, the better it will broad-
cast. But the engineers will never be really
happy, in broadcasting from the stage, until
microphones the size of a dime, suspended on
No. 30 steel wires, can be placed all over
the proscenium. And we are a long way from
that, with high quality microphones 3! inches
in diameter, and weighing -2.\ pounds apiece,
without the housings. We may admire, with-
out attempting to emulate, the bold Baltimore
broadcasters who set their transmitters before
Mr. Coolidge's nose, and we may pray to be
delivered from pick-ups where nothing is
seen — and little heard.

Radio Transmitters for All

A FAVORITE subject of newspaper writ-
ers and cartoonists and prophets in
general is the coming day when radio
telephone transmitters will be carried about,
as umbrellas are now. Portable sets like these
will make possible continuous communication
between individuals, and release them from de-
pendence on restricted means of contact at a
distance like the present-day wire telephone
and telegraph. An example of this type of
prophecy is the following excerpt from a re-
cent editorial in the New York Journal:

". . . This writer has received . . .
an excellent little receiving set contained in a
matchbox. Using that set as a receiver,

President Coolidge's speech was heard dis-
tinctly. Soon each man's hat will contain an
apparatus enabling him to talk to his wife at
home — an excellent thing if it helps his wife
to keep track of him."

Leaving out of consideration the moot point
brought up by the last clause in this quotation,
we may point out that the whole contingency
is very remote. The popularization of radio
reception, and the development of highly sensi-
tive portable receivers, have led many people to
forget (if they ever knew) that there is a fun-
damental difference between transmitters and
receivers. The receiver is a low-power ap-
paratus, in the same class as a microscope or
the human ear. Dealing only with small
amounts of energy, it may in special forms be
made small and inconspicuous. But a trans-
mitter, in all known systems of radio, is power
equipment, in the same class as a subway train
or a rock crusher. In general, power means
size.

Take the present 5oo-watt broadcasting
equipment used by Class B broadcasting sta-
tions. The power of these sets is none too
great for effective program distribution in a
large city. Witness the considerable "dead"
and weak areas which every urban station has
in its own vicinity. Yet the motor required
to drive such a set is a six horse power prop-
osition, and the total weight of the transmit-
ting equipment would tax the strength of an
elephant. Carry it in your hat, indeed!

Then there is the limited traffic-carrying
capacity of the luminiferous ether — bless it! —
or whatever agency does carry radio messages
from one place to another. The advent of

radio transmitters for all

'As the Broadcaster Sees It"

869

broadcasting, as engineers know, has increased
the already severe congestion in the ethereal
highways. Marine radio is being forced down,
amateur radio up, in the frequency scale.
The art is not free from station interference
in any of its branches; the problem is one
which is taken up at every radio conference.
What, then, would happen if every citizen
got him a transmitter, when, even now, with
one transmitter to about every sixty thousand
persons in the United States, interference prob-
lems arise? We leave the answer to the
feature writers, who are less troubled by such
details than we are.

Of course, there is the development of short-
wave transmission to be taken into account.
Here a great supply of new wavelengths and
traffic channels is opening up. And it may
also be pointed out that, while power normally
involves size, in the case of firearms, for ex-
ample, great power is secured in very compact
form by extreme concentration of force.
Furthermore, radiation varies as the fourth
power of the frequency, and thus one may view
short wave, high frequency radio as a vaguely
analogous concentration process, with the
added factor that these short waves may be
directed in a beam instead of being diffused in
all directions. Admitting these arguments as
interesting and pertinent, nevertheless, to the
engineering sense, the transmitter-in-the-hat
development is a thing almost as remote as
the Milky Way. Universal radio communi-
cation between individuals, without the agency
of corporate, public service facilities, may
arrive some day, but that the communication
companies, wire and wireless, will rake in
dividends for a few centuries first, is a safe
forecast. The development of a practical

serious speeches ore broadcast

one station specializes in jazz

system of telepathy is just as probable, and
telepathy is talked of glibly in much the same
way, yet, to the writer's knowledge, no con-
crete demonstrations of the phenomenon have
ever been given. It may exist, it may develop
and supersede the laborious and costly forms
of electrical communication which have been
worked out in the last hundred years — but
the vice-presidents and general managers of
communication systems are not losing any
sleep over that possibility. The possession
by every individual of a radio receiver — that,
of course, is another matter. That is already
at hand.

The Differentiation of Broadcasting
Stations

Af PRESENT all the broadcasting sta-
tions are trying to please everybody.
This is not to say that all the programs
are alike in point of quality, for as a matter of
fact the large metropolitan stations are able
to attract a better class of performers and to
supplement these with out-of-the-studio broad-
casting of a superior order. As yet, however,
no station seems to have made a serious effort
at specialization.

In the field of printed periodicals we find a
great range of contents and policies, with each
magazine creating its peculiar atmosphere and
catering to a particular class of readers. There
are the vendors of fluffy stones, the "quality
magazines," critical periodicals, humorous
papers, political reviews, and so on. Each
is supported by a certain clientele with its
special interests. Each has a reputation for
presenting such and such material so and so,
readers buy accordingly, writers market their

870

Radio Broadcast

output accordingly. You can tell a man by
the magazines he reads. As yet there is no
corresponding development among the broad-
casters. There is some tendency in that di-
rection, but it is only a tendency as yet. One
station in New York City, owned by vaudeville
and moving picture interests, caters mainly to
vaudeville tastes; it specializes in jazz, popu-
lar songs, dance orchestras, and the like.
Two other stations, run by large public service
corporations, go after dignified banquets, in-
formative talks, symphonic concerts, and the
like. Still, the latter two stations broadcast
many hours a week, and when summed up it is
seen that they do distribute a large amount of
popular material. The similarities of the
various broadcasting stations, in the matter of
program material, are more marked than are
their differences.

We cannot say positively that broadcasting
will take the same course as magazine publish-
ing. There are obviously economic factors
involved, and the economics of the radio busi-
ness are not the economics of the publishing
business nor of any other business. At pres-
ent, in fact, the economics of radio might be
termed sui generis — in a class by themselves.
But there is in both fields the necessity of at-
tracting a sufficiently large audience. One
cannot print a magazine for a dozen readers
(except perhaps in Greenwich Village), nor
can one broadcast for two hundred listeners,
generally speaking. And here the question of
national (super-power or chain-station) as
against local broadcasting is of interest. The
cost of a national or section wide broadcast
distribution, whether from a single high power
station or a chain of smaller stations radiating
the output of a single microphone, must be so
high that a very large audience is essential.
The program will have to appeal to a vast army
of listeners, and a proportionately wide range
of tastes. The general structure may be ex-
pected to resemble that of the magazines of
large circulation, and undue specialization will
hardly be feasible, owing to its effect in re-
stricting the "circulation" of the station.
The smaller local stations, on the other hand,
especially those in metropolitan locations, may
find it advantageous to narrow and concen-
trate their appeal. There are probably
enough radio listeners in and around cities like
New York and Chicago to support a station
devoted to dramatic broadcasting, say, or
chamber music, or some other particular field.
Such a station might broadcast only once a
week, or it might be used by special interests
on certain recurring days, the plant being thus

fully utilized by a number of different broad-
casting agencies, each with an individual cul-
tural, political, or economic motive. It is
probable that some such tendency will become
more and more apparent as the art advances,
and the importance of broadcasting as a me-
dium of conveying entertainment and infor-
mation is brought home to people as yet un-
touched by it.

Broadcasting and the sos

SHORTLY after 5 p. M. on December 17,
1924, a steamship, sight unseen, name
unknown, poked her nose into the
waters of New York Harbor and called a land
station with her radio transmitter. The call
letters she signed were sws, a combination
which, with the changing of a single dot to a
single dash, becomes sos, the international
radio distress call which takes precedence over
all other human agitations of the ether on land
or sea.

Whether it was a slight stuttering of the
key on the part of the operator of the good
ship, or a trifling inaccuracy in reading on the
part of the vigilant radio electrician at NAH of
the Brooklyn Navy Yard, that sws was
changed to an sos. NAH blared out a general
QRT which, in the radio lingo, is a peremptory
summons for everybody to shut up immedi-
ately or sooner. At 5.15 all the broad-
casting stations went off the air in the middle
of jazz selections, market reports, interviews
with celebrated bootleggers, and advice to the
lovelorn. A pall of silence hung over the har-
bor, and telephones were pressed to thousands
of pairs of cauliflower ears while thousands
of auditory nerves strained to hear who was
sinking and where. The suspense was broken
when the sws piped up to report that all was
well and that her call was not a distress signal.
NAH retired from the scene. Traffic was re-
sumed at 5.21.

sws is the call, according to the books, of
the Greek steamer Chelatros. Boy, page the
King of Greece and ask him whether he can't
find a less delicate combination of letters for
his merchant fleet. SGS, SMS, and a few others
also would not be missed. Better still, why
not introduce a little logic into the prevailing
distress call routine, as regards taking the
broadcasters off the air?

In some cases, that is a blessing. If a pain-
less method could be found of keeping some
broadcasters off the air until say, 2024, when
we shall all be dead and beyond the reach of
terrestrial loud speakers, that would be fine.

As the Broadcaster Sees It"

87 1

But there is no discrimination under the pres-
ent system. Let an sos go out, or the alarm
be raised that some one thinks he heard one,
and all broadcasters, good and bad, are sup-
posed to take their carriers off the air instanter.
It does not matter what their wavelength is,
nor where they are situated.

Actually, nothing of the kind happens.
The inland broadcasters don't go off the air.
I have listened during a number of Atlantic
sos shutdowns, and heard about all the
broadcasting stations west of the Alleghenies
going full blast and modulating 120 per cent.
In fact, as Professor Jansky pointed out at the
Third Annual Radio Conference, most of the
hinterland telephone stations don't even keep
a 6oo-meter watch. They don't know when
a ship sends out an sos, much less go off the air
for it.

This may be most reprehensible, but it is
none the less sensible. What chance has a 20
watt, 230 meter, peanut-roaster broadcaster in
Cabbage Corners, Iowa, of interfering with the
disposition of a distress call on the high seas,
with all traffic relative thereto being handled
on 600 meters? About as much chance as
the whistle of the traffic cop on the corner of
Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, New York
City.

The fact is that the present system is merely
a hangover from the old marine days of radio.
It has no more rationality than any other at-
tempt to solve the radio problems of to-day
with the Berne Convention of 1912. The idea
was that sometime, somewhere, a broadcast-
ing station might interfere with an sos. But
the fact is that most of the broadcasters, owing
to their wavelength and position, cannot con-
ceivably interfere.

The officers of the Federal radio inspection
service, have done their best under difficult
conditions with insufficient appropriations.
Furthermore, while the letter of the regulations
covering sos calls remains unchanged at this
writing, it is said that some modification of
the existing system is being considered If so,
this article is in line with a widespread feel-
ing that the rules should be better adapted to
present-day radio.

Of course, compared to the safeguarding of
life at sea, a task which is enormously facili-
tated by ship-to-shore radio, broadcasting is a
luxury. Better that all broadcasting should
cease for an hour or two, than that the life of a
single seafarer or passenger should be jeop-
ardized. But, if the two things have no con-
nection, or if a formula can be worked out
whereby all risk of interference with sos traffic

by broadcasters can be obviated, then it is
nonsensical to interrupt a concert by a Cham-
lee or a Philharmonic Orchestra because a
tramp steamer 2000 miles away has lost her
rudder.

The most comprehensive scheme would be to
separate the lower end of the frequency band
devoted to broadcasting from the upper end
of the frequency band assigned to marine
traffic to such an extent that, assuming the
use of decent tuning equipment, neither could
interfere with the other. That will ultimately
be accomplished. It will be a good thing for
both services. The process is already well
under way in the United States, where marine
traffic has been removed from the 300 and 450
meter waves during the evening hours by regu-
lation of the Department of Commerce.

Now, all sos calls are sent out on 600 meters.
The Berne Convention provided for a 300-
meter distress wave for small vessels, but in
recent years no one ever heard of an sos signal
on this wave, and no one listens for one. One
has to look out for 600 meters only. That
is one thing we know. We also know a
few things about interference. We know
what band of frequencies various types of tu-
ners, from excellent to very poor, will admit.
We know the effect of power on the strength
of a signal. We also know the effect of dis-
tance— that the strength of the field, under the
most favorable transmission conditions, ap-
parently falls off inversely as the distance.
What, then, is to stop us from developing an
empirical formula which will separate the
sheep from the goats, which will discriminate
between stations which may conceivably in-
terfere with sos traffic, and those which
cannot possibly do so?

I have gone into the calculus and, after vast
travail and figuration, brought back such a
formula with me. Here it is —

1 =

(F— 500)* (loo+D)

Where I is the sos index of the broadcasting
station. When I is less than 700, the
station is required to keep a 600 meter
log and to go off the air on hearing an sos.

F is the frequency of the station in kilo-
cycles.

D is the distance in kilometers from the
nearest coast station handling marine
traffic. This includes the Great Lakes.

P is the power in watts delivered to the
antenna.

As the wavelength of the broadcasting
transmitter approaches that of marine traffic

872

Radio Broadcast

(600 meters; 500 kilocycles), I becomes
very small. If F is actually 500, I will be
zero, even with a power of one watt in an
antenna 2000 miles from seaboard. But in
general, as D increases, and as the power de-
creases, I becomes larger. The formula dis-
criminates against broadcasting stations using
high wavelength and high power, and which
happen to be close to the oceans or the Great
Lakes, since these are the ones which are apt to
interfere with distress signal traffic.

The table below gives the results of the
application of this formula to a number of
New York City broadcasters. As D, when
small, has little effect on the result, it was
taken uniformly as 10 kilometers (6.2 miles)
in these calculations.

SOS INDEX OF SEVEN NEW YORK CITY BROADCASTERS

STATION

WNYC

WEAF

WJZ

WJY

WOR

WHN

WGBS

FREQUENCY

ESTIMATED
POWER
WATTS

SOS

INDEX

526
492

455
405
405
360
316

570

1OOO

54*

610

1500

89*

660

750

375*

740

750

845

740

500

1267

833

500

2440

949

500

4455

The dividing line in New York City, it will
be seen, lies between wjz and WJY, WOR, the
former requiring an sos watch, while the latter
two broadcasters are absolved. The figures
show the working of the formula quite clearly.
With the same order of power in the antenna,
and lower wavelengths, the likelihood of in-
terference with marine traffic becomes even
less and the value of the index increases
sharply.

The effect of distance from deep water is
illustrated in the second table:

SOS INDEX OF SEVEN INLAND BROADCASTERS

WAVE-
STATION LENGTH
METERS

FRE- ESTI-
QUENCY MATED
KILOCY- POWER

CLES WATTS

DIST-
ANCE
KM.

SOS
INDEX

KDKA 326 92O 5OQO

WCAE 462 649 5OO

KYW

KSD

WIP

WWJ

KOA

536 561 1000

546 549 500

509 589 500

516 581 500

323 928 i 500

480 Atlantic 2050

190 Lakes 1025

480 Atlantic 2575

190 Lakes 1287

10 Lakes 41*

820 Lakes 442*

60 Atlantic 253*

10 Lakes 144*

1360 Pacific 10000

A few remarks about the above table: KDKA
and WCAE are both in Pittsburgh, Pennsyl-
vania. KDKA'S power is assumed on the basis of

*These indices being below 700, the stations in
question would be required to observe an sos watch.

a Class D development license. It will be seen
that in spite of KDKA'S higher power, WCAE has
somewhat the higher index, owing to the
longer wavelength. The index was computed
in the case of Pittsburgh for both the Atlantic
coast and the Great Lakes.

In the case of WIP, Philadelphia, there is a
question whether D should not be reckoned
with reference to NAI, the Naval station in that
city, rather than Tuckerton, New Jersey (wsc),
the nearest marine station actually on the
Atlantic. The U. S. Supervisor of Radio of
the district would decide such questions.

KOA, Denver, Colorado, has the highest in-
dex of any of the stations figured. KOA could
use 21.5 kw in the antenna, on 323 meters,
and still keep his sos index below the dividing
line; but if he put 22.0 kw into the antenna
he would have to stand a watch. No matter
how low the wavelength, any one who goes up
in power indefinitely will come to a point
where the formula requires him to watch out
for sos calls.

The advantages of injecting order and in-
telligence into the sos-shutdown situation
would be twofold. First, the broadcast lis-
teners would always be sure of entertainment
from at least some of the locals, even when an
sos was abroad. That is of comparatively
slight moment. What is of great moment is
that with a reasonable system the law could
be stringently enforced. Those broadcasters
whose index numbers were below the required
figure could be compelled to keep a continuous
6oo-meter watch; if, when an sos went out,
they did not go off the air, the operators
should have their licenses summarily revoked.
The fellows in the Middle West, or on low
waves and low power anywhere, would be let
alone. The present regulation, requiring two
minutes listening in every fifteen, and every-
body in the whole United States to shut down
when an sos is transmitted off the coast of
Portugal, is ineffective, unenforced, and unen-
forceable; it's a joke.

This is not to say that the mathematical
formula given above is worth anything. Per-
haps the mystic line of demarcation should be,
not at 700, but at 500 or 900. A committee of
competent radio engineers could decide that
soon enough. The formula may be shot full of
holes; the fact will remain that the problems of
radio should be settled, not by oratory, tra-
dition, and fiat, but by the application of
engineering intelligence. A formula with an
adequate security margin can be devised,
just as safe values are calculated for the iron
girders of a bridge. If a committee of a few

"As the Broadcaster Sees It"

873

men like Dr. Alfred N. Goldsmith, Mr. John
V. L. Hogan, Dr. Louis W. Austin, Prof. J.
H. Morecroft, and Mr. W. D. Terrell, should
devise such a formula, or any equivalent system
of classification, and, being put into practice,
the same should cause interference with an sos
message, the writer will gladly allow his friends
in the marine service to conduct him to
Seagate, immerse him in the Atlantic, and
hold his head under water while he recites the
last four books of Paradise Lost.

Zoological Note in Report of a Field
Event at wjz

Everything O. K. except a dog barked during the
announcements.

monthly prize for bro«xdcosters

Our Announcers' Bulls Prize Contest

EACH month RADIO BROADCAST will
offer a handsome prize to the announcer
who makes the most original and start-
ling bull on the air during the preceding thirty
days. Many prizes have been awarded to the
most virtuous, most handsome, and most
popular announcers in various localities, but
this is the first time in the history of broadcast-
ing that a prize is offered for the great, glowing
bulls which are constantly brought forth by
members of the fraternity.

Our readers are invited to make a note of
such horrible errors as come to their ears, and
to send them to this department, giving station
of origin and time of perpetration. All con-
tributors whose reports are published will re-
ceive honorable mention. In case of a dispute
between the announcer and the listener as to
the wording of the alleged bull, or other facts,
the parties in the controversy will be privileged
to fight with broadswords on the Mall in
Central Park, New York City, or on the tennis
courts in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco,

according as to which terrain is most conven-
ient. The conductor of As THE BROADCASTER
SEES IT will referee the duel and in every case
take out the survivor to dinner.

In order to guard against an overwhelming
avalanche of contributions, the contest is
limited, until further notice, to announcers of
broadcasting stations of 500 watts power or
over. We regret that the bulls of midge or
mosquito broadcasters cannot receive notice
at this time.

The prize for the coming month will consist
of a handsome leberwurst bologna, i. e., sau-
sage, six inches long, two inches in diameter.
We look forward to spirited competition be-
tween our most popular Lotharios of the air for
this desirable possession. The prize will be
changed every month. For the guidance of
contributors the following sample bulls, all
plucked from prominent New York stations,
are placed on exhibition :

One talented young man called the Philip-
pines a principality.

The same gentleman declared that a certain
soprano, who was then holding forth in his
studio, had "received many commendable
criticisms." Read it again if you don't get
it the first time.

Another announcer released this one — "In
just a moment you will have the pleasure of
listening to the last number played by the
Flathead Orchestra."

Open the gates, let the toreadors descend
into the arena. On with the bulls!

radio amateurs adi tLe poor house ?

Those Talented Amateurs

OUR worthy contemporary, Popular
Radio, in giving the record of a young
man who is going on a trip around the
world as a wireless operator, informs us that
he "has been actively identified with the

874

Radio Broadcast

American Radio Relay League, the Radio
Club of America, the Institute of Radio
Engineers, and other groups of dyed-in-the-wool
radio amateurs [Italics ours].

This is terrible. We are shocked to discover
that Messrs. De Forest, Elwell, Hazeltine,
Marconi, and Sarnoff, to mention only a few
of the Fellows of the Institute of Radio En-
gineers, have been working all these years for
nothing, as dyed-in-the-wool amateurs. How
shall they provide evening gowns for their
wives, and gasoline for their Packards? Will
no one take up a collection for these gentlemen,
and for us, and for all the members of the Insti-
tute? Will no one organize a relief expedition
to take us over the hills to the poorhouse?

Progress

IN 1824, the introduction of steam railroads
being proposed, many good citizens cried
out in alarm, declaring that all vegetation
would be destroyed along the right of way,
that the passengers, whirled along at the dizzy
speed of twenty miles an hour, would be unable
to breathe, while persons and objects near the
tracks would be swept under the wheels by
the tremendous suction. Wasn't the stage
coach, which had been good enough for their
fathers, good enough for them? If steam car-
riages were introduced, they didn't know what
would become of the country.

In 1924, the construction of higher powered
broadcasting stations being proposed, many
good citizens cried out in alarm, declaring that
their receiving sets would become useless, that
the local stations would be drowned out, that
the ether would be monopolized, and that the
radio industry, if not the Republic, would go
down to ruin.

However, the viewers-with-alarm of 1924
ride behind steam locomotives, and the six
remaining stage coaches are in the museums.

Item for Radio Critics

A' THE Metropolitan Opera performance
of Carmen on the evening of Nov. 27,
1924, Mr. Martinelli, the Don Jose,
tripped over his sword and fell full length;
Miss Easton, singing Carmen, dropped her
dagger while threatening one of the other ciga-
rette girls; and in the third act a canvas moun-
tain fell over and hit the gypsies.
Yet people expect radio to be perfect.

Text for Opponents of Broadcasting

3nt) tuljcn lie liab openeb tfje sfebenrtj deal, tfjere
toag silence in Ijeaben about tljr space of tialf an
tour.

JUbelation, 8:1.

Blame It On Radio!

VIENNA, Nov. 15 (Associated Press)—
The establishment of a regular service of radio
concerts and entertainments by the post
office department has resulted in what is
called the first case of radio, insanity on record
here.

A 46-year-old lithographer complained to
the police that the whole world was talking
about him. He said that he was connected
with a radio receiver and could distinctly hear
people in every part of the globe gossiping
about him. He asked, pitifully, to be discon-
nected from the radio.

Radio had gone to his head, and he was
placed in an insane asylum for observation.
— New York Times.

new short waves are beiirf handed out

5)0 'You Khow

/=)S <=vMR»DETS LftDY"

irs UOVE WITH TWO

ICE'

UOOKS
THE
OF P> PO5.T-
KORTEMED

CASH REGISTER.
/iftW

•— ^

nito

Radio Heaven Via the Roberts

Circuit

The Cartoonist of the Philadelphia North American Finds Solace and Comfort
in the Roberts Knockout Set— Confessions of an Artist Turned Radio Fan

BY W. R. BRADFORD

THE Roberts circuit?" asked my desk
buddy: "You already have the Smith
circuit, the Jones circuit, the Mack-
adoo circuit, and you'll find that any
old circuit by any name will squawk the same.
How many circuits do you want, you octo-
pus?"

"Only one" I replied: "But that circuit
must be the one I am looking for. My con-
stant looking for that circuit has necessitated
many trips to the occulist. Listen; they say
that regeneration is the equal of two stages of

radio frequency. Now if one stage of r. f. can
be added to regeneration, this ought nearly to
equal three stages of r. f. If the howls of the
lost souls that usually result from such an Old
Home Week of these "Up-peppers" of radio,
if these howls can be neutralized into giving
the effect of a lion and lamb lying down-to-
gether why, that ought to be a ring-dingier
arrangement, what?"

Desk buddy admitted it was so, but said:
"Yes, but "

"1 don't care" I said: "I'll keep on running

8y6

Radio Broadcast

radio hostel, and the first thing you know,
I'll be entertaining an angel as a boarder, un-
awares."

This silenced him. It likewise silenced the
other sour-grapers in the art department.

A look around in my "laboratory" — an un-
used corner for which no other use could be
found, disclosed most of the parts necessary for
the trial. Any one who has wasted as much
time in radio as I have, has enough truck ly-
ing around to flotsam anything that will
jetsam up in radio for many moons to come.

Back of my desk stood a five-tube tuned

r. f. set which was

always resorted to
when the many "won-
der" circuits became
"duds, "which was al-
most always. The
main wonder of these
wonder circuits is
that we keep on fall-
ing for them, with
such loud and re-
sounding thuds.
Chumps, every one
of us. (Little did that
r. f. set know that it
was to be ousted by
the Roberts circuit!)

It seemed that
everybody in the
building had heard
of the Roberts set.
At the request of all

hands, I turned my

desk into" a radio

foundry where all could get an eyeful of the

proceedings:

You can hear the snip of pliers
As their jaws bite into wire,
Hark! The charcoal pot is cracking —
Solder irons are in the fire;
But— a new condenser's needed —
Lack of funds a stumbling block?
No!" By old Grandfather Gridleak,
We will hock the kitchen clock!

Everybody offered suggestions, from, the
Big Boss, down to the window cleaners. It
was clear to see that this was considered a.
family affair.

THE ROBERTS ON A DRAWING BOARD

ONCE stung, the wise man looks out for
wasps. In consequence I first hooked
up the Roberts on the back of an old drawing
board. Ten minutes later I was tearing it

Where the Cynics Gather

Is usually in a newspaper office, and since a
lot of the fourth estate have become radio
enthusiasts, much of their cynicism has been
directed toward radio and some of its works.
From the time that the Roberts Knockout
receiver was first described in this magazine
for April, 1924, we have received great num-
bers of letters telling of the experiences of
many builders of this set — some serious,
some humorous, but all decidedly interesting.
As Mr. Bradford confesses in his article, he
has lately managed to take some of his spare
time and devote it to the compelling art of
radio. His experiences with the Roberts
Knockout receiver are so typical of others
and his relating of them so interesting that
probably more than one constructor whose
hands often curl lovingly around pliers and
soldering iron will chuckle an appreciative
chuckle when he reads this. — THE EDITOR.

down in feverish hSste, and had started build-
ing it carefully.

I used the manufactured coils. Few of us
can make such neat windings, and a sloppy
looking coil is the nux vomica of radio land.
However, I made a few changes in the taps of
the primary coil, as follows: 17 turns of No. 22
enameled wire, with taps at turns 5, 7, 10, 13,
and 17. This covered all the wavelengths I
was interested in, and eliminated quite some
dead end effect. I also increased the coupling
between primary and secondary. It was f"
I made it f '-. This made a razor-like sharp-

ness' in tuning that

was as cheering as
getting money from
home. When you
understand this set
was to be used four
miles from ol' woo,
which has a roar like
a dinosaurus, you will
understand my quest
for the last squeak in
selectivity.

A new form of base
came out at this time
in which the circuit
leads were imbedded
in the panel, in
grooves. At con-
venient intervals are
holes, to which con-
nections are made
with a machine
screw and washer.
This makes an orderly
manner of distributing wires, allowing short
leads, so desirable in cutting down resis-
tance. Well tightened, these connections
make sure contact, something not always true
in a soldered joint. The push-pull transfor-
mers were mounted underneath the base, thus
making more breathing space up aloft. Some
of our radio troubles are caused by crowding.
Too. many dogs in one manger— and nobody
gets any rest. You know it.

I found in a small variable neutralizing con-
denser just the little touch that makes a radio
fan glad he is alive. With this condenser, dis-
tant stations can be lifted up to the point of
loudest audibility. As a matter of fact, one
can go pretty far toward controling regenera-
tion with it. It is far more shipshape than the
"Granddaddy Longlegs" arrangement of
spaghetti and bus bar, and I am most em-
phatically for it.
The mounting that comes with the ready

R.adio Heaven Via the Roberts Circuit

877

THE RECEIVER

Constructed by Mr. Bradford who has incorporated some interesting changes in
the four-tube circuit originally described in RADIO BROADCAST for September, 1924

made coils is a bit amateurish, so I constructed
a more manageable mounting, wherein space
was saved, and better control effected. These
are little details one will work out for oneself.
The answer in radio seems to be — the desire
for a certain thing is generally the father of
the deed that gets it.

You will notice generous width of panel,
nine and a half inches. This made the easiest
hooked up set I ever worked on. As a matter
of fact, 1 think I whistled "Buffalo Gals" most

of the time when assembling it. Thus, I am
sure of a rebate from The Gods What Am,
having made a record for profanity on all the
other sets I ever constructed. (How many?
— I'm ashamed to tell you!)

THE ROBERTS ON A LOOP

MY FIVE-tube r. f. set worked fine on a
loop. I had an idea the Roberts would
have something to say along this line, so I ar-
ranged a double jack that cut out the antenna

UNDERNEATH THE PANEL

Of Mr. Bradford's Roberts receiver. Push-pull transformers
have been mounted underneath to save space on top

8y8

Radio Broadcast

coils when the loop was plugged in. Our
building is a twenty-one story affair, of steel
girders, yet the Roberts has pulled in on the
loop, WGY, WEAF, and KDKA. WGY and WEAF,
could only be heard when the locals were not
on, for our two local stations are not more than
five blocks away from my window!

"Now" said everybody: "You have SOME-
THING! For heaven's sake, leave it alone!"

Did I leave it alone? It was but natural
that I should try to paint the lily. Ha! I
would put one over, even on old man Roberts
himself! Another stage of audio was added
before the push-pull. Did you ever see a pup
that bit into a hornets' nest? I was him. The
result was a devils' chorus that would have
warmed the heart of old Pluto himself.
Squeals. Howls. Demoniacal chuckles. All
the red-faced hyenas of the infernal regions
were using my Roberts for a speaking tube.
(Fortunately, this attempt was made at my
own home, otherwise, my stock in trade as a
"radio expert" would have suffered in the
estimation of my office mates.)

Still, in the opinion of cartoonists I am a
"radio expert." In the ^opinion of radio ex-
perts I am — well, some kind of a cartoonist,
probably. There you are.

I have tried the Roberts on all the tubes a
fan would use. Works fine on all, with the
biggest rumpus, on the 6-volters, of course.
Clarity of tone is one of its biggest selling
points.

Using a loop, at my home, in West Philadel-

THE HORRIBLE MIXTURE
Of cartoonist and one too many audio

A RARE PHOTOGRAPH

Of a demon discovered and photographed by Mr.
Bradford. This imp is seen in a particularly quiet
pose, observing the personified device used by the
author of this article guaranteed to destroy this

phia, WDAF, Kansas City, and WCAL, North-
field, Minnesota, have arrived on the Roberts,
using phones. Nice, hm?

So far, it has not been tried on an 'outside
antenna. When I get around to it, I shall
chloroform the landlord and erect an outside
antenna, whereupon, I expect to tune-in
London, and get an earful of "How to Make
Chow Chow by Radio:" from Cross and Black-
well, in Soho Square.

In the accompanying photograph of my re-
ceiver, you will notice an ordinary electric
light socket at the left on the base panel.
When a 25-watt bulb is inserted in this socket,
which is wired in series with the B minus lead,
"Inkus Buhjinkus," the Eskimo imp, can jes'
hang around all he wants to. Tubes simply
can't blow with this life saver in. This has
saved the humble writer much spondulix,
for tubular kohinors are worth in the neighbor-
hood of $4 per groan. (Note the photograph
of Mr. 25 watt-er giving Inkus Buhjinkus the
merry ha-ha.)

WHAT HAPPENENED IN PHILADELPHIA

1 PUBLISHED a short account of my experi-
ence with the Roberts in the Philadelphia
North American, the paper I am tolerated on.
I had to bribe one of the office stenographers
to help answer the raft of correspondence that
followed. To my knowledge, there has never

Radio Heaven Via the Roberts Circuit

879

been a set that has caught on like the Roberts
has done. Given good material, and care
used in assembling and wiring, "success
waits on radio appetite," so to speak.

One of my neighbors, aged 71, built a
Roberts, and swears he is 10 years younger,
through pure joy. (And 1 know a lady fan,
who "rolls her own" who swears she will kiss
Walter Van B. Roberts on sight — and were I
Roberts, I shouldn't disguise myself on that
threat).

And me? Oh, I have no time for anything
but my Roberts. The battery charger is
buzzing all the time, and the stockholders of
the electric company have all bought fur over-
coats.

Oh, faithful and willing set, you have
warmed the cockles of my heart.

But — alas. There is always a ghost at the
banquet. The cat and the canary mope in
jealousy, and Betterhalf has gone in for the
movies. It's a habit now.

Where is mother? At the movies.
Where is Dadah? At his set.
He is tuning-in for England
Which he hasn't gotten — yet;
Mother's lonesome — mother's frantic
And she threatens — a divorce!
But that's futile, for like nature —
Radio will run its course.

An obliging enthusiast bought my five-tube
r. f. set. Good bye, ol' top, you were a good
old wagon, but the Roberts — the Roberts is a
Rolls Royce. Pax vobiscum!

Well, that's the end of that; Now for the
fireworks.

Roberts, Roberts, you're a blessing,
For your set, in any dressing
Makes of radio, a heaven,
With your neutralizing "leaven."
Gone — is rumpus in the feedback —
(Due to demon's teeth, on hardtack?)

Amen. Do it with a Roberts.

IN THE CAR-
TOONIST'S LAB

The assembly is lis-
tening to the Roberts
Knockout "telling

.jf#iit#rit>u

At Last — Great Artists Over trie Radio

THE expected happened when the
phonograph companies began to fea-
ture their artists over the radio. Many
who are equally familiar with the music
and the radio game knew that in time the
phonograph manufacturers would relax from
their autocratic attitude in forbidding any of
their artists to broadcast and would realize
that in refusing to use the microphone as a
means of advertising they were neglecting a
rich opportunity.

Still, the change came rather suddenly. To
the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company goes
the credit of taking the initiative in what is
the most significant development in radio
programs since broadcasting was started.

To be sure, the Brunswick firm had some-
what prepared the way by making records
of the chief hits of some of the popular radio
singers and players, and advertising them as
radio favorites, thereby selling many of the
records. But that was quite different when
that company suddenly sprung on the public
the news that Florence Easton, one of the lead-
ing sopranos at the Metropolitan, Mario
Chamlee, who holds a position as tenor of equal
prominence at the same house, Elly Ney, pian-
ist, and the Cleveland orchestra, would be
heard in the first of three programs to be given
by Brunswick recording artists during De-
cember.

TJhen came the Victor Talking Machine
Company with the announcement that on
New Year's night they would present Miss
Lucrezia Bori and John McCormack in the
first of a series of radio programs to be given
by their artists. One would have thought,
in reading many of the papers after this per-
formance that never before in the history of

radio had the great stars in the musical world
broadcast. This was a deep injustice to the
Brunswick Company and the artists they had
up to that time presented before the micro-
phone. The first program of the Brunswick
artists in all respects equalled and in some
ways excelled the first Victor program. But
then, no intelligent person was beguiled by the
newspaper reports into the belief that the
Victor program was the first one of its kind
broadcast. We have no issue to raise with
the Victor people regarding this matter. Our
complaint is against the press, which did not
state the case completely. We believe in fair
play.

There has been no end of discussion in the
papers regarding whether these artists who
have so far been heard on the Brunswick and
Victor programs, are or are not paid. The
Victor Company has announced that all of
their artists are giving their services for these
initial experiments. But this is a matter with
which the public has no concern. It is a
business question to be decided between the
recording companies and their artists. For
this entire scheme of the Brunswick and Victor
companies in putting their singers and instru-
mentalists on the radio is a business proposi-
tion, and it is quite right that it should be.
They are out to sell records, and let us hope
that they will sell so many more of them than
ever before that they will feel they can never
desert the microphone as a means of advertis-
ing. If, on the other hand, they do not find
that the returns justify the expense involved,
a large public will have had the opportunity
to hear artists they could never have heard in
any other way.

True, with radio in its present uncertain

The Listeners' Point of View

88 1

882

Radio Broadcast

state so far as good production is concerned,
some may have failed in trying to hear the
artists so far featured on these programs.
But to one such person there are no doubt
hundreds to whom the voice, the instrument,
the interpretation, came through with a clear-
ness that brought keen satisfaction.

But let us not lose our heads. It was amus-
ing to read in the New York Times the day
after this Victor program was broadcast, a
wail from William A. Brady over the vacant
seats in the theaters New Year's night. Ac-
cording to him, every one had stayed at home
to hear this concert. The theater faced ruin.
Even when great stars were not broadcasting,
the theater crowd stayed at home to listen to
the music
broadcast !

If Mr. Brady
thinks that any
one who knows
a good play
when he sees it
is going to stay
away from the
theater when a
good play is on
because he pre-
fers to hear ra-
dio music, then
Mr. Brady's
knowledge of
radio music is
exactly equal
to a cipher.

No, let us not
lose our heads.
These programs
put on by the
phonograph
companies are going to help radio music tre-
mendously. But they are not going to dominate.
Just as every city in the country of any musical
ambition has a few concerts of superlative
importance each season, with the remainder
of the musical attractions of far more than
average merit, so it will be with radio, even if
all the phonograph companies go into the
business of broadcasting. We need these
great artists to sing and play for us, and
equally, if not more, we need the near great,
those who are also artists, but not of world
fame. It is such as these who are going to
raise radio music to a standard where it can
command the respect of those with artistic
ideals.

It must be borne in mind that not all the
programs put on by the phonograph companies

will be given by famous concert and opera
stars. Artists who make "popular" records
will be heard as well — but then, when you
are out to advertise your wares, if you are
wise, you are going to advertise all of them
and not just the de luxe variety.

When Talented Music
Broadcast

Students

Underwood & Underwood, New York
MARCEL DUPRE

The great French organist who has been broadcasting from WJY

and several connecting stations. He is here seen at the Wanamaker

concert organ in New York where he played all his programs

NE feature that is becoming conspicuous
oil the programs of some of the best
conducted broadcasting stations, is the
presentation, by a music teacher in the city
where the station is located, of a program
given by members of his or her master class.

Some excellent
programs of
this nature
havebeen heard
from wcx, De-
troit, since that
station moved
to the Book-
Cadillac Hotel
while still keep-
ing relationship
with the De-
troit Free Press.
If a teacher's
master pupils
do him credit
when heard
over the radio
he thereby has
had at his dis-
posal an adver-
tising means
more far-reach-
ing than he

could attain in volumes of the written word.
We are glad to record that wcx is not alone in
having successfully featured such programs.

A Protest Against Bad Taste and Bad
Judgment

ANY requests have been received by
the conductor of this department to
enter a protest in these columns
against the campaign conducted by station
wos, Jefferson City, Missouri, to raise money
for Harry Snodgrass, "King of the Ivories,"
so that he might have a fund with which to
start life anew after leaving the Missouri
State Penitentiary.

Among these letters, all from strangers, was
one that so completely covers the subject that

The Listeners' Point of View

Apeda, New York

MME. ELLY NEY AND FLORENCE EASTON

Mme. Ney, pianist, who in private life is the wife of Willem Van Hoogstraten, conductor of the New York
Philharmonic Orchestra, was one of the star attractions of the radio program broadcast by the Brunswick
Phonograph Company recently. Mme. Easton is a leading soprano at the Metropolitan Opera House and
also appeared on the Brunswick program which was the first ambitious large scale broadcasting ever to be

arranged by a phonograph company

it is here quoted in full as the best means to
show the consensus of opinion of a large public.
If wos knew just how large that public is,
those in charge of that station might do some
worrying.

The letter, which is from A. O. Weiss, of
Copperhill, Tennessee, reads:

I have followed with interest your articles in
RADIO BROADCAST. You represent, probably, the
first effort in radio to keep it clean and on a high
plane. God knows, your work is necessary and
should be amplified.

I — or rather, we were listening to a program from
wos, Jefferson City, to-night. It was a solo program,
by Harry M. Snodgrass, a convict in the Missouri
State Prison. It would seem that they are running
a benefit for him, and his musical numbers were
interspersed with announcements of letters and tele-
grams contributing money for his benefit. He is to
be released shortly.

He collected, by this means, several hundred dol-
lars. 1 have no fault to find with this. He is an
entertaining chap on the piano, the Coney Island
kind of an entertainer. There are plenty of him
over the country. I will confess that I sometimes
enjoy him myself. However, what I do find fault
with is the exalting of a criminal over the radio, and
the detrimental effect it must have on children. I
have seven. They know that this man is a criminal,
and they hear him called "The King," and hear of
the money being sent in to him. This is absolutely

bad! I know nothing of his crime. I am no Puri-
tan. I would gladly help him to regain his mental
health. But I seriously object to such propaganda
as wos has put forth in his behalf being broadcast
into the homes of decent Americans. We need our
moral foundations a sight more than we need Harry
M. Snodgrass's music.

Such a letter .needs no comment. It will
inspire the respect and admiration of all those
who give the matter intelligent thought.

How Much Jazz Is Enough?

BUT if this degradation of broadcasting
brought protests to the present writer,
they were exceeded in number and vir-
ulence by those that came soon after Christ-
mas denouncing the jazzing by an orchestra at
station WTAM, of "Silent Night, Holy Night."
Some beneficent fairy kept us from tuning-in
on that sacrilege, and for a time we hotly
denied that such a thing could have occurred.
But the evidence that poured in was irrefuta-
ble.

Jazzing "Silent Night, Holy Night"-
to what base depths the mind of man can
sink!

From all over the country come endorse-
ments of the policy of this department in

884

Radio Broadcast

fighting for good radio music. Note, these
excerpts from a letter received from Captain
W. C. Mahoney, Fort Benning, Georgia.

I believe I can speak for the average broadcast
listener, for 1 am neither a highly educated musician,
nor am I entirely ignorant of the effects of good
music. Neither have I an objection to a reasonable
amount of modern music in its place. I do however
believe that if the broadcasting stations at large
would adopt a plan of putting on programs that
contained more high class music and eliminate so
much jazz, that they and the entire public would
benefit thereby.

There follows a warning that every radio
manufacturer and dealer should take to heart:

The public ft not only getting tired of so much
jazz, but is getting disgusted, and the radio business
at large is certainly going to see a marked reaction
unless the broadcasters wake up to the fact that the
general public is demanding programs of higher
grade music.

Captain Mahoney then goes on to call at-
tention to the fact that the Crosley Station
at Cincinnati is making a feature of what, for
a better term, we must call classical music.
He also speaks of Zion City, that never puts
on any jazz at all, every program being har-
monious— whether classical, semi-classical, or

Bain, New York

LUCREZIA BORI AND JOHN MCCORMACK

Recording artists of the Victor Talking Machine Company, who broad-
cast through a chain of eight stations on New Year's night. Miss Bori
is a member of the Metropolitan Opera Company and Mr. McCormack
is the famous concert singer. The phonograph company announced that
its entry into the broadcasting field was purely an experiment and if suc-
cessful would be continued for its advertising value

religious. With this we heartily agree. This
station is always above the average in every-
thing it does. Many of the religious programs
are beautifully chosen and presented, while
the secular programs might be taken as models
by a dozen stations not far distant from Zion
City.

Then, from Edgar Felix, who has been as
close to broadcasting behind the scenes, as
any man in this country, comes congratula-
tions on our attitude toward radio programs.
He was until lately publicity director for sta-
tion WEAF, the American Telegraph and Tele-
phone Company, and is now with N. W. Ayer
and Son. He writes:

During the last few weeks, in the course of some
experimental work in receiving set design, I have
had occasion to listen to the programs of scores of
broadcasting stations all over the country. It is
obvious that the average manager conceives the
radio audience to be a most preposterous group of
frivolous jazz enthusiasts. As station after station
is tuned-in, we are treated to the painful strains of
the weeping saxophone, or the tearful ballad enter-
tainer. The preponderence of this type of program
is well nigh overwhelming.

On the other hand, when I was with WEAF, I
remember that we felt the mail response to the pro-
grams of the Philharmonic Orchestra broadcast was
a decisive indication that there
is a large element preferring
classical music. And the re-
sponse to the ballad programs
. . . given during the
Eveready Hour, brought num-
berless letters showing that the
people prefer good ballads to
the sentimental trash so often
broadcast under the name of
ballads.

You are no doubt by this
time familiar with the new
announcement form used
by WBZ: "This is WBZ,
New England." Regarding
which the Springfield Re-
publican, in an editorial,
has this to say:

"The Springfield devo-
tees of the radio are bound
to consider it rather small
business for the manage-
ment of WBZ deliberately
to omit from its announce-
ments the fact that the
broadcasting is actually
done from this city. To
say, 'This is WBZ of New
England/ is not fair to

The Listeners' Point of View

885

proud Springfield, and it is not giving
the listener-in elsewhere a bit of the es-
sential information that seems to be given
in the case of about every other broad-
casting station in the country."

After agreeing that the Westinghouse
Company may, from its point of view,
have good reasons for thus slighting
Springfield, the editorial concludes with
the pointed comment:

"The broadcaster does not have to
name the city in every other breath, as
he has been accustomed to name the
Westinghouse Company, but, in all fair-
ness, it ought to be plainly stated, as is
done in the case of other stations, that
the broadcasting is done from Spring-
field."

To which we wish to add that, as it
comes over the radio, "WBZ of New
England," sounds plainly silly. One
would think that WBZ was trying to
claim that it had a broadcasting station
in every city, town, village, and hamlet in
New England, or else was the only sta-
tion in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont,
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Con-
necticut. (Are the states all there? It's
a long, long trail back to school days.)

In the radio column on the editorial
page of this same edition of the Republican,
the writer forecasts one of the phases of a
radio Utopia when he says that at the time any
really notable musical performance is being
given over the radio all interfering stations
should remain quiet. Whether a play, an
opera, a symphony, or a string quartet is
being given, it ought to be possible to hear
it as a whole and with the minimum of mechan-
ical interference and extraneous noise. "Such
an experience," concludes the article, "once
a month would be of more solid value than a
surfeit of scraps from many tables."

Wait, five or six or seven years, and not only
may such good things as this come to pass in
broadcasting, but even greater things.

G. B. S. at the Microphone

ONE man reading a play to a radio au-
dience is not a success even when that
man is Bernard Shaw and the play is
his own, according to the reports published in
the London papers after Shaw had read his
Flaherty, V. C., from the London station of
the British Broadcasting Company. Yet
all acknowledged that he carried off his task
with superb ability. The trouble was that

CLARENCE W. ALLEN

Director of the Church Community Chorus which

broadcasts every Sunday from wjz. Mr. Allen often gets

his listeners-in to sing with him, but how he does it is a

mystery to many of us

the audience could not visualize all the people
he tried to impersonate simply by a change of
voice. Radio has its limits and it is not going
to eat up the theaters and the concert halls
and the opera houses as some alarmists would
have us think.

Lopez at the Metropolitan

R. Hurok, concert manager, and man-
ager of the Lopez Orchestra, uttered a
loud complaint against radio after a
concert recently given at the Metropolitan
Opera House by Vincent Lopez and his or-
chestra of forty pieces. The attendance was
small. Mr. Hurok blamed it on the fact that
the Lopez Pennsylvania Hotel supper-d'nce
programs are broadcast.

It seems not to have occurred to Mr. Hurok,
first that very few people would go to the
Metropolitan Opera House, a place of vast
expanse, to hear any orchestra of forty pieces.
And second, that the public upon which he
would draw for this concert could hear Lopez
in his natural environment at the Pennsyl-
vania any night. Perhaps they would go to
the Metropolitan to hear Paul Whiteman —
once. But from this Mr. Hurok should not

886

Radio Broadcast

rush to the conclusion that they are going
there to hear any other jazz orchestra of small
numbers, and when they failed to patronize
his concert he should not lay the blame on
radio. It is more than likely that the major-
ity of Lopez's radio admirers, and he has many,
live far away from Manhattan Island. They
would go to a public concert given by him
because they would be eager to see him and
his orchestra. But New Yorkers have no such
incentive to patronize any paid public concert
he may give.

They Talk Fast in Cuba

THE Cuban stations are asking that the
stations in this country give their call
letters in both Spanish and English.
That would be a simple matter, and there
seems no reason why the request should not
be granted. But among the reasons that
prompt this request, explain the Cuban sta-
tions, is that the American announcers talk
so fast no one, not even a Spaniard who speaks

English can understand anything that is

said.

But have you ever tuned-in on a Cuban
station when some Spaniard was making a
speech? His speed would put the most
fluent announcer in this country to shame,
even if the American announcer were trying
to make a record for speed.

French Efforts to Pay for
Broadcasting

THE United States is not the only coun-
try that is struggling with the question,
"Who is to Pay for Broadcasting?"
The Compagnie Franfaise de Radiophonie of
Paris recently sent out an appeal for financial
support to those who previously had expressed
interest in their programs. Prefacing a
coupon which the contributor could fill out
with his name and address and the amount
to be contributed for the year 1924, was the
following statement:

In England, the Broadcasting Company is re-
munerated indirectly by the listeners by means of
rents, or dues, payable to the General Post Office.

In France the administration of P. T. T. asks for
itself only one franc from the listeners for dues, so
that the Compagnie Franfaise de Radiophonie,
which neither constructs nor sells any apparatus,
must assume considerable expense in order to main-

tain five hours of broadcasting daily, to which tens
of thousands in France and foreign countries listen.
What you wrote us some time ago, and for which
we thank you, makes us know that you appreciate
our programs. If you wish to have a share in our
expenses, and also cooperate in the improvements
we have in view, we shall be greatly obliged to you.

Such a plan could be made to work more
readily in France than in this country because
over there the number of broadcasting stations
is small as compared with the number on this
side of the water. How this plan is progress-
ing we have not yet heard. It is not new.
It has more than once been brought up as a
possible solution to the financial problems of
broadcasters in this country, and has wisely
been abandoned as impracticable, for the
reason that the contributions would be but a
temporary means of support with complete
uncertainty as to what might be forthcoming
in the future.

Credit and Appreciation for Radio
Accompanists

A:COMPANISTS for radio singers and
instrumentalists get almost no credit
for their work. The truth is that
quite often the accompanist is better than
the one he accompanies. It is a thankless
job, even on the concert stage. It must
be a discouraging job behind the scenes of
radio, except in those cases where the accom-
panist is the official pianist of the studio, when
this task comes as simply part of the day's
work.

Dorothy Doane Haynes, of Win-
field, Kansas, comes a cheerful letter
stating that, in her opinion, broadcasting is
taking on a much more satisfactory aspect.
One of the cases in point she cites to prove
this is: "Why! KFKX doesn't even say
'radiocasting' any more!"

IT IS so long now since Christmas that
probably few people can remember what
gifts they received. But every one who
listened-in to the Christmas carols must have
rejoiced to have a radio set in his home. The
highest praise is due all the leading broadcast-
ing stations in the country for the carols and
other forms of Christmas music they gave the
public an opportunity to hear.

How to Wire Your Home for

Radio

A Central Location for the Receiving Set and Proper
Connecting Mains to the Various Rooms Is the Plan

BY JAMES MILLEN

THE ideal location for the radio set in
the modern home is difficult to find.
Of course, there are "tea-wagon loop
sets" which may be wheeled from
room to room with only slight inconvenience,
Some multi-tube ones are fairly portable,
since a handle is attached to the cabinet.
It is often inconvenient in the average home
to attempt to take such an outfit to an upper
floor at different times throughout the day as
might be most desirable should some unfor-
tunate member of the family be confined to
the sickroom.

We don't generally put a handle or wheels
on the furnace, coal bin, and ash cans and then
take them from room to room in order to have
heat where we most want it at any particular
time. Why not, then, permanently locate
the radio set in some convenient spot (not
necessarily the cellar, of course) and "pipe"
the output to the several places where its
presence may at times be most desirable, such
as the living room,
front porch, dining
room, den, or kitchen.
As the cost of a half
dozen or even fewer
high grade loud
speakers is in most
cases prohibitive, neat
and inconspicuous
outlet boxes may be
provided in their
stead. Then it will
merely be necessary
to move one loud
speaker about the
house, plugging it in
in much the same
manner as an electric
heater or other such
appliance.

The location of the
set itself could then
be in some secluded

The Radio Mohammed

Is brought easily to the radio mountain if
he wire his house according to the suggestions
of Mr. Millen in the accompanying article.
Very frequently it is inconvenient for a radio
receiver to be taken from room to room in
one's home and from one floor to another.
If outlet wires be strung as this article out-
lines, only the loud speaker need be trans-
ported. Of course, the receiver has to be
tuned and the variable voltage adjustments
made before the outlets are used, but that, in
general, is no especial hardship. If the ex-
perimenter is especially interested, it will not
put him to much trouble to arrange a system
so that when the loud speaker plug is removed
from the outlet base the filament circuit of
the receiver is opened. Some experimenters
may even wish to arrange a distant control
system so that the set may be tuned from a
distant point. — THE EDITOR.

spot, which good engineering practice would
proclaim as best suited for long distance
reception or, if the owner prefer, the set
might well be kept in his workshop where
one set of batteries could supply any receiver
or receivers he might have there.

How can it be done? Will the reception be
just as loud and clear with the loud speaker
so far removed from the set? How can the
volume be changed without going to another
room and re-adjusting the set? In the next
few paragraphs an attempt will be made to
answer these questions as well as some of the
others which may have already come to the
reader's mind.

HOW TO MAKE THE INSTALLATION,

THERE are, no doubt, a few ambitious
persons who will prefer to "snake" the
wires between the walls and above the ceilings,
but most of us will be satisfied to run the wires
along the cellar ceiling and up through small
auger holes to the
desired outlets. The
wire may also be
concealed behind the
picture moldings or
neatly tacked along
the top of the base
boards. Many good
ideas about making
this wiring may be
obtained by examin-
ing your telephone
installation. The
main thing is not to
run parallel too
closely to exposed
electric light wires or
nn-grounded BX
cables, in which elec-
tric light wires are
run. The best wire
to use is a double
No. 1 8 bell wire.

Radio Broadcast

FIG. I

One type of baseboard outlet box which can be used

for connecting the loud speaker to the radio set

which is located in a central spot in the home.

Front and back views are shown in the sketch

complish this it will be necessary to re-arrange
the contacts on the standard jack, or to use a
series instead of parallel circuit. (Fig. 3).
If no provision is made for automatically tak-

PARALLEL

10,000 TO
100,000--

PLUG TO SET"'.

This wire comes with a fairly heavy in-
sulation. It is not twisted and is contained
in one cover so it is very easily pulled through
small holes without excessive jamming.

PLACING THE OUTLETS

THE outlets may be rigged up in any num-
ber of ways, depending upon the individual
tastes of the builder. Where a box is to be
"sunk" into a wall, then a standard brass

/BRADLEYOHM, MUST
1 BE INSULATED FROM
\ ESCUTCHEON PLATE
•-{ WITH WASHERS

/RANGE -10,000 CD TO
100,00000

FIG. 2

An outlet which can be built up, containing a vari-
able resistance to regulate the volume delivered to
the loud speaker. Where a resistance is mounted
in each outlet box, it is unnecessary to regulate the
receiving set directly, once it is tuned to a given
station

escutcheon plate with a jack as obtainable on
the radio market (Fig. i) may be employed.
Otherwise a plain brush-brass escutcheon plate
such as used with the ordinary two-button
push switches may be fitted up with a jack
and variable resistance for controlling the
volume. (Fig. 2). The resistance is shunted
across the line and should preferably be con-
nected so as only to be active when the loud-
speaker plug is in the jack. In order to ac-

SERIES

FIG. 3

Two ways of connecting the outlet feed wires to the
radio set. A controlling resistance is necessary to
regulate volume. The series connection in "B" is
recommended because the extra blade on the jack
automatically short-circuits the variable resistance
in the circuit when the plug is out of the jack

ing care of the resistance connection, it may be
necessary now and then to examine the con-
nections in the radio-house-wiring to find
what resistance is connected and which is
causing the lack of volume. It is, however,
always easily found.

A much more easily installed outlet con-
sists of a small box with a flexible cord connec-
tion. This may be placed on a table, window
sill, or even the floor. Should no volume con-
trol device be desired, then an enclosed jack
of the type shown in Fig. 5 may be used.

TROUBLE ELIMINATION

SHOULD trouble due to whistling occur
when the loud speaker extension line is
being used, it may be rectified either by shift-
ing the lines or using a low impedance speaker
and installing the transformer at the receiving
set end of the line.

REMOTE CONTROL

A CONSIDERABLE field for some interest-
** ing experimental work is available to the
fan who cares to arrange a remote control so

How to Wire Your Home for Radio

that the set may be turned on or off, or, for
that matter, tuned-in on any of the stations
which come in with loud speaker volume. As
remote control will interest but few, no effort
has been made here to discuss that problem.
In general, the difficulties of such an arrange-
ment, when used by the average broadcast
listener, far outweigh its advantages.

FIG. 4

A compact outlet box containing the variable re-
sistance and jack, with a long flexible lead going to
the output of the receiver. This arrangement can

FIG. 5
A long cord with plugs, such as these sketched can

be used where the experimenter does not desire to be used by listeners who do not care to use any of

install the baseboard feed circuit

the other methods suggested in the article

IN THE RADIO
BROADCAST LAB

The Radio Corporation
twenty-watt tube trans-
mitter whose plate supply
is furnished by a three hun-
dred and fifty volt bank of
Presto-lite storage B bat-
teries

MR. WINSTON CHURCHILL

Making a political address in England in which a public address system and radio broadcasting are being used
to spread his voice over great distances. Political addresses are much the same the world over, and the mi-
crophone and loud speaker are now accepted as a necessary adjunct. Mr. Churchill is Chancellor of the

Exchequer in the present English cabinet

THE MARCH OF RADIO

Past President, Institute of Radio Engineers

Hoover's Suggestions for New Radio Regulations

A'ARENTLY feeling that the power
at present vested in him is not as well
defined or as inclusive as he would
like to have it, Herbert Hoover,
Secretary of Commerce, has suggested to
Representative White that he prepare a short

bill (the wording of which Mr. Hoover gives)
instead of attempting any broad regulation of
radio at this time. The bill Mr. Hoover
suggests asserts that the people of the United
States are entitled to the inalienable possession
of the ether within the confines of their coun-

The March of Radio

891

try, and then amends the
Radio Act of 1912 to read:

The wavelength of every
radio transmitting station for
which a license is now required
by law, its power, emitted
wave, the character of it's ap-
paratus, and the time of
transmission, shall be fixed
by the Secretary of Com-
merce as in his judgment and
discretion he shall deem ex-
pedient, and may be changed
or modified from time to time
in his discretion.

Such wording certainly
relegates plenty of power
to the Secretary of Com-
merce— far too much, in
the opinion E. F. Mc-
Donald, Jr., President of
the National Association
of Broadcasters. Says Mr.
McDonald: "I have un-
bounded confidence in
him (Mr. Hoover) and
would be in favor of
putting this tremendous
power into the hands of
the Secretary of Com-
merce on one condition,
and that is, that Mr.
Hoover give to the radio
broadcasting industry a
guarantee that he will live
for 100 years and that he
will serve as Secretary of
Commerce for that hun-
dred years. In other words,
Mr. Hoover, we don't
know who your successor
is going to be!"

Mr. McDonald's point
is well taken. The actions
and policies of Mr. Hoover
during the last few years
have given the radio
broadcasters every confi-
dence in his judgment,
and all of them would
cheerfully abide by his de-
cision in any matter he
deemed it wise to regulate,
but to confer on any Secre-
tary of Commerce such
Napoleonic power as this
brief paragraph would do,
seems 'certainly unwise.

His word would
be final. There
would be no re-
course or appeal
from any deci-
sion he might
make, as the bill
is now worded.

Such powers
are too sweeping
and should not
be granted.

DISPATCHING HARBOR TUGS BY RADIO

Is being tried by the New York Central Railroad in New York harbor.
The Company anticipates saving much time by being in constant touch
with the captain of each tug. The inset shows the radio cabin and tube
transmitter which operates on 660 meters. Because of the small space
available, the radio apparatus is installed in the pilot house

892

Radio Broadcast

THE FIRST TELEPHONE RECEIVER WITH A
PERMANENT MAGNET

The case is of wood. The diaphragm is made of an
old tin-type with an iron magnetic core around
which the wire coil was wound. This receiver was
made by Professor A. E. Dolbear while he was a
student in Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware,
Ohio. It was recently brought to light again in the
University's physics laboratory

Mr. Hoover's letter covering the trans-
mittal of his suggested bill to Mr. White
shows how well he has grasped the essentials
of the radio industry as it exists to-day. After
reviewing the advances and changes during
the past year, all of which indicate the inad-
visability of governmental regulation at this
time, he says: "I hope that another year's
experience will show what direction of legis-
lative course must be pursued. Meanwhile I
feel that we would gain by allowing the in-
dustry to progress naturally and unhampered
except by the maintenance of a firm principle
of governmental control of the ether and the
elimination of interference so far as possible."

An Epoch in Broadcasting

SETTING a rapid pace for 1925 broad-
casting to follow, WEAF announced that
through cooperation of the American
Telephone and Telegraph Company, The Victor
Talking Machine Company, and the various
artists involved, January ist and succeeding
nights saw the inauguration of a great broadcast
experiment. On that evening John McCormack
and Lucrezia Bori, two of America's best-
known operatic stars, gave a program of arias
and favorite old songs which all radio listeners
hailed with delight. These were exactly the
type of programs which we have always visual-
ized for broadcasting. To be sure, lots of folks
can enjoy jazz and second-rate humor, but
many of us prefer other than vaudeville pro-
grams. To suit a million people who are lis-
tening, a program of variegated character is

required, but in this program lovers of real
music had their turn. It was suggested that
if this experiment was successful, more pro-
grams of like quality would follow.

The artists who have agreed to assist in this
new phase of broadcasting, all of them Victor
artists, are Alda, Bauer, Bori, DeGogorza,
DeLuca, Fleta, the Flonzaley Quartet, Gordon,
Jeritza, McCormack, Martinelli, Matzenauer,
Ponselle, Schumann-Heinck, Scotti, Whitehill,
Paul Whiteman, Crooks, and the Shannon
Quartet. There are still a number of well-
known Victor artists who have not yet agreed
to broadcast, but it is quite likely that if the
quality of WEAF'S transmission keeps up to its
present high standard and the public show a
real appreciation of the programs rendered
by the artists who have already agreed to
broadcast, the others may join in to give us,
the "dead-beat" audience, broadcast enter-
tainment to which we are not at all entitled by
any right of payment, but which we shall
welcome nevertheless.

Radio Dispatch for Harbor Tugs

WHERE other means of communica-
tion fail, let radio be used — seems to
be a logical dictum by which to allot
different communication tasks to the different
possible mediums. Certainly contact with
moving vessels can most conveniently be had
by radio and we believe that the attempt of
the New York Central Railroad Company to
handle its harbor traffic by radio is justifiable.
The company operates forty-three tug boats in
New York harbor and undoubtedly this har-
bor traffic could be speeded up if the chief tug
dispatcher could talk to his captains whenever
he wanted to. Although the experiment is
being started on a 660 meter wave, it seems as
though a much shorter wave would have been
preferable, much below the normal broadcast
range. As the distances to be covered are
small, probably a 5-watt set operating at, per-
haps, 20 meters might do the work very well,
certainly much better than the channel at
present being used.

How to Calibrate Your Receiver

THE latest list of "standard frequency"
broadcasting stations put out by the
Bureau of Standards is well selected to
help the radio enthusiast who wants to con-
struct an accurate calibration curve for his re-
ceiving set. Of the following stations, whose
frequencies reach right through the broad-

The March of Radio

893

cast range, none has an average deviation
from its specified frequency by more than
two tenths per cent. This means an accu-
racy much better than that to which the dial
of the ordinary receiver can be set. Here are
the stations:

wwj Detroit

WCAP Washington

WSB Atlanta

WGY Schenectady

WBZ Springfield

KDKA Pittsburgh

580 kilocycles

640

700

790

890

920 "

Of course for any one within hearing dis-
tance of the Bureau of Standards Station,
wwv in Washington, or station 6xBM at Stan-
ford University, their standard wavelength
signals periodically sent out on a definite
schedule, are even more useful for calibrating
purposes.

A New Toll Broadcaster

IO ANY ONE having an interest in
economics it is a puzzle to discover the
raison d'etre for some of our broad-
casting stations. We are told by some news-

paper men that the use of their broadcasting
station for the dissemination of news seems to
have actually decreased their circulation, be-
sides costing them at least $25,000 a year for
maintenance. There has been some talk that
soon there will be no more broadcasting lic-
enses issued and they don't want to be on the
outside when such a situation arises: It may
turn out that broadcasting will prove profit-
able at some time in the future. Why does a
street railways system, for example, want to
operate a broadcasting station? It is difficult
to see how it will make people ride in the
street cars any more, as a result of the opera-
tion of the company's station.

To the ordinary business man there is one
type of station that might give a real reason for
existing, that is, the station which attempts to
pay its way by renting its facilities to clients
who wish to have their name and products
gently called to the attention of a shy public.
It is very interesting nowadays to observe the
advertising salaams and bows made to the
broadcast listener before the brand of coffee or
batteries is mentioned. It makes the listener
quite appreciate himself to notice the deference

SWEDEN S NEW RADIO TRANSMITTER

At Grimeton, near Gothenburg. The four hundred foot towers extend in a line for a mile and a half. This

station is one of those in constant communication with Radio Central at Rocky Point, Long Island. All

these stations use high power and a wavelength of approximately 17,500 meters (about ten miles long)

894

Radio Broadcast

with which his attention is called to the antics
of soapy twins or happiness vendors. It seems
likely that a new brand of psychology will
soon be offered in college curricula — that of
the unseen audience.

New York has a station which thus endeav-
ors to increase the sales of candy, cigarettes,
soap and what not; Los Angeles has one, and
now Chicago has started out on the great
adventure. The Southtown Economist station,
WBCM, is to make the attempt to become
self-supporting by commercial advertising of
the gentle sort referred to above. This new
5OO-watt station will be on the air every eve-
ning (and possibly daytime too) and will con-
tinue its progress until midnight and later.
Their program staff will include skilled writers
who wilf get up programs to attract the pub-
lic's attention to the products they will be"
asked to buy.

These advertising stations are really not as
bad as many listeners anticipated they would
be. The quality of this advertising ma-

terial must continually improve because
otherwise people will not listen. So we
wish to WBCN success — which will be directly
proportionate to the quality of the entertain-
ment it associates with its advertising.

And Now Courtship by Radio

IF YOU can't get married by the regulation
courtship methods, try radio. It may be
that your voice has such a mellow and
appealing quality that if not accompanied by
the negative effect of an unattractive physi-
ognomy, girls might fall in love with you.
Then, after they've fallen, perhaps meeting
you even in person might not be able to shake
them free from their love-spell and the battle
is thereby won. Then again, whereas one's
voice might not be appreciated by the home-
folks, in an audience of several hundred thou-
sand there may be a susceptible Miss who
falls for it. This seems to have been the case
recently when the dulcet tones of Mr. Thomas

A NEW CHICAGO BROADCASTER

Station WBCN, operated by the Souibtawn Economist. The owners of this station
plan to attempt toll broadcasting, such as is done by WEAF and other stations

The March of Radio

895

Malies (of Pitts-
burgh) penetrated
the New York
apartment of Miss
Dorothy Hess (of
Chicago). A short
time afterward
they met and were
married, and lived
happily ever after,
we suppose.

Canadian Sta-
tions Joined by
Wire

WE KNOW
with what
success
the broadcasting
network in the
United States is
gradually being
extended. At first
it was only a Presi-
dential address, or
event of similar
national impor-
tance that seemed
to warrant the use
of a large wire net-
work to tie in sev-
eral broadcasting

stations, but continually increasing interest in
broadcasting and continually increasing excel-
lence and utility of programs makes it a fore-
gone conclusion that the association of wire
networks and radio stations will be of ever
increasing occurrence.

Canada has now entered into this field and
for the first time three of her stations were re-
cently tied together to radiate the same
program. In Canada, it appears that the
railways have been most influential in for-
warding radio broadcasting. The Canadian
National Railways has offered much of the
best material which has been broadcast in
Canada including musical, educational, and
utilitarian subjects. The railways have also
installed receiving equipment in their best
trains, so that travelers are kept reasonably
well in touch with national events as they
speed across the continent.

This first tie-in experiment involved sta-
tions in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto, and
the program was sent out from CNRM in Mon-
treal, when an able address was made by Sir
Henry Thornton, president of the company.

HOW RADIO RESISTANCES ARE WOUND

This precision machine which was in operation at the recent Chicago radio show
made strips of resistance varying from three to seven hundred ohms. Like other
components in radio receivers, most resistances are wound by machinery, very ac-
curately and quickly

Radio and the Church

ANEW YORK newspaper recently
printed an interview with three of the
best known ministers there who had
been preaching over radio channels for the"
last year or two. The interviewer sought
their views as to the effect of radio on church
attendance. The final answer to that ques-
tion has not yet been given. The best known
radio preacher in America, Dr. S. Parkes
Cadman, made the interesting comment that
his father, who preached continuously for sixty
years, did not reach during his whole lifetime
as many listeners as the son reaches by radio
in a single Sunday afternoon. All three of the
preachers interviewed spoke of the vast in-
crease in their congregations, as certified by
the thou:ands of letters received from every
part of the country. Wherever these three
speak the church is filled to overflowing and
many cannot get in to hear them. And be-
cause of their eloquence, religious conviction,
and sincerity of appeal, radio can never de-
crease church attendance as far as they are

896

Radio Broadcast

C. H. MURCHLAND

Telegraph operator for the United Press at the Day-
ton, Ohio, Herald receiving press dispatches by radio
broadcasting during a recent storm which struck
down press wires. Broadcasting has frequently
come to the aid of newspapers in an emergency
caused by a storm since it was first used in this con-
nection by the Detroit News in 1921

concerned. People come to their churches
not so much to get religion as to get the speak-
er's view on religious questions— they want
their religious convictions to be deeply rooted
in their inner consciousness and appreciate
consciously or unconsciously that these mag-
netic and powerful speakers can bring this
about much more thoroughly than would re-
sult from any analysis and study of their own.
So that if the evidence of such men is to form
the basis of our judgment, we must admit that
radio is a great assistant to the church —
thousands and thousands who cannot get
into the church do nevertheless hear these
scholars discourse on Christ's philosophy and
examine critically the question as to what
things are really worth while in our modern
complex life.

Many meetings are held outside of the
church doors, says one of the ministers inter-
viewed, to listen to his sermon over the radio
at points far distant. Do these radio listeners
also attend their own church services? or
have they forsaken their own comparatively
mediocre leader to listen to one of much
greater power? Before we can really tell what
effect radio has on church attendance we must
interview many of these less gifted preachers
whose congregations may have fallen off as
rapidly as the metropolitan preachers' have
increased. So let's interview the country
pastor whose flock can listen every Sunday to
S. Parkes Cadman or Harry Emerson Fosdick
over the radio channels, what the effect of

radio on church attendance has been, and
see if his views agree with theirs.

Another Antiquated Transmitter
Scrapped

THERE is no doubt that broadcasting
is making progress; only last month
we spoke of the spark signals from the
United States Mail tug President in the port
of New York carrying on its sometimes heavy
traffic by means of a spark set which spilled
its energy promiscuously throughout the
broadcast range. During the past month. the
Government has decided, after pressure brought
by the American Radio Association, to scrap
this outfit and install a vacuum tube trans-
mitter in its place. A aoo-watt tube set,
which will send out practically all of its energy
on one wavelength, will be used to replace the;
one kilowatt spark set at present used.
Orders for the purchase and installation of the
tube transmitter have already been placed by
the Post Office Department.

Wavelengths Will Not Be Changed

THE recent National Radio Conference
recommended to the Secretary of Com-
merce certain changes in the assign-
ment of wavelengths to the various broad-
casting stations. It was the opinion of the
conference members that interference could
thereby be lessened. Soon after the confer-
ence disbanded, it became evident to officials
of the Commerce Department that the sug-
gested plan had already become obsolete, be-
cause of the rapidly increasing number of
broadcasting stations, and the consequent
demands for wavelength assignments. The
present "rush to broadcasting" will not con-
tinue very long according to the ideas of some
of these officials, and any change in wave-
length assignments had better wait until that
time.

The complete upset of the re-allocation
plan has apparently convinced those respons-
ible for radio regulation that the art is chang-
ing so rapidly that a general re-assignment at
this time would be useless and should not be
attemped until the conditions in the broad-
casting world have become more stable. We
are inclined to agree with one official who
expressed the opinion that many people are
getting broadcast licenses who don't want
them, and that as the art progresses the num-
ber of stations will decrease rather than in-
crease, thereby automatically eliminating

The March of Radio

897

much of the interference which caused the
recent radio conferees to suggest the wave-
length changes.

The High- Power Arc Loses Favor

ATER the General Electric Company
secured the contract for the installation
of a high-powered tube telegraph
transmitter at Mare Island, California, it
seems sure that the day of the high-powered
arc station has gone. There have been avail-
able two methods of getting large powers (in
hundreds of kilowatts) for continuous wave
telegraphy: the high frequency alternator
developed by Fessenden and Alexanderson,
and the oscillating arc developed by Poulson
and Pedersen and built in America by the
Federal Telegraph Company. The Navy
Department has installed large arcs for its
principal transmitter, and they have proven
very effective and reliable in their opera-
tion.

The arc is not, however, a "very efficient
generator of high frequency power, feeding
into the antenna, as it does, less than half as

much power (in the form of alternating cur-
rent) as is delivered to the arc itself in the
form of continuous current power. Because
of its low efficiency, great quantities of water
must be circulated around the arc and through
the electrodes to keep it sufficiently cool.
This defect, of course, doesn't worry the
broadcast listener at all, but another char-
acteristic of the high-powered radio arc is
very obnoxious to those radio listeners who
happen to live within a few miles of such a
station. Besides sending out its own wave-
length (and another one quite close to it
called the compensating wave) the arc sends
out an appreciable amount of power at all
kinds of wavelengths some of them right in
the broadcast channels. These stray wave-
lengths do not come in the broadcast receiver
as pure notes but as noise or "mush". So
exasperating is this interference that the
great Navy arc at Annapolis shuts down two
hours each evening so that radio listeners in
that part of the country can avail themselves
of the entertainment sent over the broadcast
channels.

It has been known for two or three years

BROADCASTING THE MAKING OF A MOTION PICTURE

In a New York studio. Vincent Lopez is at the left with the baton and Ann Pennington is dancing atop the
piano. The dance music, is used in the scenario and it was broadcast by wjz. The announcer made ap-
propriate explanations while the action for the camera was going on

898

Radio Broadcast

DR. S. PARKES CADMAN

Pastor, Central Congregational Church, —

Brooklyn

" The scope of my Sunday broadcasting has
been greatly extended. . . . Thousands of let-
ters of appreciation come to me from the Eastern
States. And when I visit the cities, towns, or
villages throughout this vast region I not only
meet people who listen regularly to my sermons
but who are familiar with my voice.

" We are coming to understand more fully the
possibilities and limitation of broadcasting. It
is a fascinating problem which well repays study
and analysis. If one uses the radio merely to
preach special doctrinal views he will fail. On
the other hand, if he uses radio to broadcast the
great basic principles of religion and of the welfare
of the world, he finds in it an agency of unprece-
dented value."

now that large water-cooled triodes could
effectively replace the arcs, and nowthis change
is actually going to take place. Four 20-
kilowatt triodes operating in conjunction with
each other to feed power into the antenna will
replace a 3OO-kilowatt arc and will permit more
satisfactory and reliable communication, ac-
cording to the engineers responsible for the
new installation. But from our standpoint,
the beauty of this new triode outfit to replace
the arc is due to the absence of "mush".
The oscillating vacuum tube is practically
free of those spurious oscillations which are
responsible for the great interference which
the arc causes, and for this alone the radio
listeners are truly grateful that the Govern-
ment is to scrap its antiquated arc trans-
mitters and to keep in line with the march of
radio.

Hoover Not For a Radio SalesTax

RECENTLY a Washington dispatch,
which at once received wide publicity,
stated that in an interview Secretary
Hoover had proposed a two per cent, sales tax
to support radio broadcasting. Such a pro-
posal at once brings up all sorts of difficult
questions, such as, how to enforce the collec-
tion of the tax, and still more difficult, how
equitably to distribute it. So it seemed that
the eminent engineer-Secretary was becoming
more of a theorist than an engineer. The
truth was, however, that the Secretary did
not make the suggestion attributed to him,
neither was he in favor of agitation in behali
of such legislation. We believe that a sales
tax or a licensing scheme is not the way that
the cost of broadcasting is to be met in Amer-
ica. We have yet to find it.

Interesting Things Interestingly
Said

\A7ILLIAM A. BRADY (New York City;
* » theatrical producer, speaking about the re-
cent broadcasting by stars of the Metropolitan
Opera Company, and others): "Radio constitutes
the greatest menace the theatre has ever faced, and
so far as I know, the theatre is doing nothing what-
ever about it. I am seated now in a room with a
group of people and we are listening free of charge
to a concert which I can only describe as gorgeous.
Why should any one be foolish enough to go to a
theatre under such circumstances? The trouble is
not with those who sit at home and hear McCormack
and Bori; the fault is entirely with men who con-
trol the theatre.

"We engage these various artists and pay them
to work for us. Why should they be permitted to
ruin our business by giving free radio entertain-
ments on the side?"

P\AVID SARNOFF (New York City; vice-
*-^ president and general manager, Radio Cor-
poration of America, speaking about coming events
in radio): "Within a reasonably short period of
time it will be possible for people in New York or
London, or people in the United States and England
to converse with each other by radio telephony
across the ocean. . . . We know how to build
sending machines that will send messages and carry
the human voice. We also know how to build
receiving apparatus which will receive these waves
on the other side. We know how to perform stunts
in radio photography and the like, but we don't
know much about what happens between the send-

The March of Radio

859

'ng and receiving machines in the great outdoors
that separates them. There's where we must look
for additional information."

JOHN McCORMACK (New York; phono-
I graph recording artist and concert star, speaking
of his impressions after broadcasting for the
first time): "I like it. You know I have had
plenty of experience in making records, but this
beats it. Somehow you seem able to visualize an
audience better in broadcasting and you can sing to
them directly. After you get the hang of it, it's
easy."

I UCREZIA BORI (New York; Metropolitan
*-' Opera Company, speaking of her first broad-
casting experience): "Oh, I just thought of those
6,000,000 people out there somewhere listening and
I was scared to death. I generally sing to four
or five thousand and it's very different. It's odd
what a feeling you get when you see that little in-
strument in front of you. I had to fight to keep
myself from tightening all up, but after I got well
started 1 forgot all about it."

JUDGE S. B. DAVIS (Washington; Department
I of Commerce): "The short wave has found its
place in commercial and amateur transoceanic
communication and in transmission both at home
and to places across the seas. In domestic use it is
a rival of wire interconnection. I consider inter-
connection, in whichever mode effected, almost
essential to the future of broadcasting if we are to
look at radio as a means of service to all our people
all the time. It ultimately means national pro-
grams, nation-wide utterances, more valuable sub-
ject matter and that great happenings in which our
people have so vital an interest will be available to
everybody. . . . It is transforming broadcast-
ing from a local to a national service."

C. O. MARTIN (New York; president, Sonora
^ Phonograph Company, Inc.): "There has re-
cently come an increasing demand for phonographs
and radio-phonographs. We believe that phono-
graph companies must make a proper connection
with the radio industry, since the situation in regard
to radio is not at all a question of whether or not the
phonograph business will be extinguished by radio,
but on the contrary how far the phonograph
business can safely ally itself with radio. . . .
Now that radio is being dressed up in appropriate
cabinets, it is becoming a drawing room feature
instead of an attic experiment."

A . H. SCOVILLE (Cleveland; vice president of.the
** Union Trust Company, cooperators with the
Goodrich Rubber Company, owners of station
WEAR): ". . . In establishing our broadcasting
station, we have attempted to demonstrate that
radio broadcasting to-day is an important cog in the

GEORGE C. FURNESS

New York: Chairman Batter

Committee, Associated Manu-
facturers of Electrical Supplies

" The responsible manufacturers of dry B
batteries have made such marked improvement
that to-day's dry B battery operating costs are at
least fifty per cent, lower on the average than those
of a year ago. The reduction is greatest on those
sets with a heavy B battery drain. Here the costs
are often only one third of the former figures.
A year ago it was sometimes necessary to renew B
batteries after two or three months' use. To-day,
under the same conditions, they will last f/om
four to six months. These developments result-
ing in lower operating costs for the radio public
have come about in several ways. There has been
a real improvement in the design of the regular
si^e B batteries which has brought about greater
uniformity and longer life. In the second place,
extra large batteries, that is, those constructed
with extra large cells, have been developed for use
with the increasingly popular multi-tube sets and
power amplifiers. Finally, the price of batteries
has been reduced."

industrial machinery of our country. I really feel
that broadcasting, in its importance, is second only
to the introduction of rural free delivery for the
farmer, and I make that statement advisedly because
withour own broadcasting station we have placed the
farmer in the position of a man with a private bond
ticker in his office. . . . We look on our sta-
tion as a means of knitting together the Fourth
Federal Reserve District with all its banks and all
its people together into a compact whole. We try
to keep them thoroughly informed at all times of the
major news of the financial world."

FIG.

A panel view of one of the first test models. The final form is practically the
same with the exception that one rheostat instead of two controls all the tubes

A Good Four-Tube Receiver

Employing Neutralized Radio Frequency-Amplification, a Controlled Regen-
erative Detector, and Two Stages of Audio Amplification — An Efficient and
Simple Receiver Using Cylindrical Inductances Which Can Easily Be Built

BY McMURDO SILVER

""THIS receiver is no great innovation in the point of circuit design, for it
* employs the tried and true principles of radio-frequency amplifica-
tion and controlled regeneration. As Mr. Silver brings out, his receiver is quite
like the one known as the Knockout Roberts receiver, but this set uses cylindrical
coils which, for some constructors, may be somewhat easier to build. The receiver
produces results, for those in our laboratory on test, quite came up to the promises
made by the author. The set has also something in common with that described
by G. H. Browning in RADIO BROADCAST for December. Every part of the
Silver receiver can be purchased in the open market and built and assembled
by the constructor. — THE EDITOR.

DURING the last year and a half,
there is no question but what the
super-heterodyne receiver has been
at the top of the list, from the point
of view of the more experienced set-builders,
but for those experimenters who desire "super"
results on a small antenna, there have been
only two other really satisfactory receivers
to turn to, until the advent of the Roberts
Knockout Reflex. These receivers were the
neutrodyne, or those using some form of tuned
radio-frequency amplification, and that good
old stand-by, the now almost prehistoric re-
generative receiver. The neutrodyne, after the
"super", was the next most sensitive receiver,
and with these two at the head of the list, the

regenerative circuit has suffered a gradual
decline in popularity. Now, however, there
is a tendency to combine regeneration and
r. f. amplification, and receivers built along
these lines may in time, supplant both the
straight regenerative receiver and the neutro-
dyne.

The reasons for this are very excellent ones.
Tuned r. f. amplification offers many ad-
vantages, but the sensitivity of a receiver
employing this type of amplification is not as
great as it might be if the set itself is to be
kept in a stable operating condition. This is
because regeneration, unless it be controlled to
some extent cannot be used. The sensitivity of
such a circuit depends in a very large measure

A Good Four-Tube Receiver

901

upon the amount of regeneration used. The
obvious thing to do is to combine some form
of variable regeneration with stable radio-
frequency amplification. If the r. f. amplifier
is neutralized and the regeneration take place
in the detector circuit, the result is an ex-
tremely sensitive, non-radiating receiver. In
the more congested centers, the effect of the
"bloopers" or radiating receivers is not be-
coming a menace, but is one, and most seri-
ously interferes with satisfactory reception of
broadcast programs.

The set to be described herein presents
nothing radical nor does it incorporate any
wild or so-called new ideas. It is, on the con-
trary, merely an application of sound design
principles in an endeavor to produce a re-
ceiver which would embody all the advantages
of the neutrodyne plus those of the regenera-
tive receiver and with none of the draw backs
of either type. Certain definite requirements
were laid out before development was started:

1. The receiver must, when using a 75-foot out-
door antenna give results equivalent to a good
seven-tube super-heterodyne when operating
on a loop, with respect to sensitivity, selectiv-
ity, quality of reproduction, ease of control
and simplicity of assembly.

2. The set must employ a minimum number of
tubes operating at maximum efficiency.

3. It must be non-radiating.

4. The equipment used must be as efficient as it
is practically possible to make it.

5. The construction and assembly must be simple
enough for any one to build.

6. The parts cost must be kept within reasonable
limits.

7. An extensive course of "trouble-shooting"
must be absolutely unnecessary. In other
words, the set must work, if it is assembled
properly, without trouble and experimenting
on the part of the builder.

The general design is shown in Figs. I and 2.
U will be noticed that the mechanical require-

ments come up entirely to what was planned
for it. As for results, with the set located in
Chicago operated with a 75-foot out-door an-
tenna, stations on either coast may be brought
in with loud speaker volume on the four tubes
while all the locals are operating. Practically
all tests of the receiver were conducted in a
location midway between WEBH and WQJ,
located approximately one-half mile apart. It
was entirely possible to bring WGY operating
on 380 meters through WEBH operating on 360,
with no interference and it was possible to
bring several 440 meter stations through WQJ
operating on 448 with only a slight amount of.
back-ground interference. On the lower waves
the selectivity was sufficient to separate KFNX,
KFKX, WJJD, WTAY, and WTAS, all operating
within a very narrow wave band. The se-
lectivity was almost up to that of a seven-tube
super-heterodyne and the volume with the out-
door antenna was equivalent to that obtained
with the "super" on a loop.

WHAT THE SET DOES

ADDITIONAL tests were then made to
•*» determine what the set would do on a
2o-foot indoor antenna, and most satisfactory
results were obtained — stations throughout
the country being brought in with ease
and in the case of all the more powerful
ones, with loud speaker volume. The set
was also tested for radiation and it was
found that with the detector oscillating and
beating on a given station that the same
station could be picked up on a super-hetero-
dyne about 25 feet away with no evidence
that the four-tube set was oscillating.

The circuit employed consists of one stage
of tuned r. f. amplification followed by a re-
generative detector and two stages of audio
amplification. The r. f. amplifier is neutra-
lized to prevent oscillation and radiation, al-
though where 199 tubes are used it is often

FIG. 2

The "works" of the four-tube set built by Mr. Silver. Note the connection of the neutralizer to the tap
off of the vario-coupler secondary coil. All the parts are mounted on the panel and no baseboard is used

902

Radio Broadcast

unnecessary to neutralize the set. The qual-
ity of reproduction was all that could be
desired, either with storage battery or dry
cell tubes and the difference in volume be
tween 199'$ and 2Oi-A's was only about 10
per cent., the sensitivity remaining substanti-
ally the same. See Fig. 3.

The tuning inductances used in the set are
very efficient. I believe they have about the
lowest losses of any coils at present used for
broadcast reception. They are supported en-
tirely on air with the exception of the two
bakelite strips which are approximately |
.inch wide. The turns are held in place by
means of five strips of adhesive tape which
introduce practically no additional losses.
Some tests were run off using the coils with
and without a bakelite supporting tube and
it was found that the sensitivity to weak sig-
nals using the air core coils was decidedly
superior to that obtained when coils wound
upon a bakelite tube were used. The coils
are so located that a minimum of loss from
surrounding material is introduced. Some
question might arise in the mind of the reader
when it is seen that one of the audio trans-
formers is very close to the second detector
grid circuit coil, but the losses introduced
here are negligible, however. This would not
be the case if the transformer were located
at one of the open ends of the coil.

The entire assembly of the set is on a 7 x 24
bakelite panel. No sub-base is used. All
parts are screwed directly to the panel itself
which is extremely substantial and simple.
At the left end of the panel is the r. f. tuning
condenser which tunes the grid circuit of the
r. f. amplifier. Next is the detector tuning

condenser controlling the grid circuit of the
detector tube. These two controls function
in exactly the same manner as the first two
controls on a neutrodyne receiver and may be
logged in exactly the same fashion. The third
control, or tickler, is what accounts for the
extreme sensitivity of the set as it provides
a means of varying the amount of regenera-
tion used in the detector circuit.

THE PARTS REQUIRED

HPHE material used by the author to con-
1 struct the set is as follows:

2 .0005 low loss condensers (Silver, Cardwell, or

Duplex)

i Low Loss coupler
i Low Loss Antenna coil
4 Hoosick Falls panel mounting sockets.

1 Howard 6§ Ohm rheostat

2 Thordarson 35:1 Transformers
i Carter IO2-A Jack

i Carter 101 Jack

i On-Off Switch

i .00025 Mica condenser with leak clips

i .002 Mica condenser

i .0075 Mica condenser

i 2-Megohm grid leak

6 Insulated top binding posts

3 4" moulded dials

i 7 x 24 x iV' bakelite panel

I 5" length J" brass tubing, spaghetti, lugs, bus

bar, solder, etc.

Tools: Screw driver, pliers, soldering iron and
hand drill with drills and counter-sink.

I f the builder wishes, he may substitute other parts
than those specified in the construction of the re-
ceiver, bearing in mind that they must be of as good
quality as those specified and of approximately the
same size and values.

FIG. 3

The schematic circuit diagram. The various coil terminals are numbered for ease in indentifica-
tion of wiring. Direct reference may be made to the numbers in this plan and those in Fig. 4

A Good Four-Tube Receiver

903

FIG. 4

A picture layout of the wiring. The parts are in relatively the same postion as shown in Fig. 2

Before starting with the assembly and
immediately after the purchase of parts, they
should be carefully checked and inspected to
see that they are in first class condition. All
bolts, screws, and springs should be tightened
up so that no trouble will be encountered fur-
ther on in assembling the set.

The panel should be laid out with a scriber
and square following the diagram given in
Fig. 5 if material as specified in the parts
list is used.

After all holes have been located they
should be drilled and counter-sunk where
necessary. If desired, the panel may then
be given a sanded finish by rubbing in one
direction only with fine sand paper and oil
until all traces of the original polish have
disappeared.

DETAILS OF CONSTRUCTION

IF THE builder decides to wind the coils used
in the set, the simplest method of doing it
is to wind them upon a bottle approximately
3 to 3!" in diameter and then break the bottle
away from the coil. The method of doing so
is to place five strips of adhesive tape length-
wise along the bottle, these strips being held
down by two rubber bands at either, end,
the sticky sides up. Sixty turns of No. 20
double cotton-covered wire should be wound
in place for the antenna coil with a tap taken
at the fifteenth turn, the rubber bands may
be removed and the ends of the adhesive tape,
each strip of which should be approximately
6 inches long, may now be bound back over
the coils to hold the turns in place. This will
leave five bands of tape, each one running
around both inside and outside of the coil

and touching each turn on the inside and on
the outside of the winding.

The stator coil of the vario-coupler is wound
in exactly the same manner except that at
one end of the tube fifteen turns of No. 30
d. c. c. wire are first wound on the bottle and
then sixty turns of No. 20 wire put on over
this. These fifteen turns are wound single
layer, as close together as possible, and the
60 turn winding of No. 20 d. c. c. is put on
starting directly over the first turn of the No.
30. When fifteen turns of the stator-second-
ary winding have been put in place, a tap is
taken as on the antenna coil and 45 more turns
then put in place. The tickler consists of a
small bakelite tube approximately 2 inches
in diameter and i inch long arranged so that
it may be rotated at the end of the last coil
made which is the farthest from the tap.
The tickler should consist of between fifteen
and twenty turns of No. 30 d. c. c. wire.

A more satisfactory way of supporting the
coils would be to paint them with a good grade
of insulating dope. I n order to keep the losses
low, however, an extra good grade of dope
should be used. If the coils are made in this
manner, 55 turns in the grid windings will be
sufficient, instead of 60 turns, as the insulating
compound increases the distributed capacity
slightly.

For the vario-coupler two strips of bake-
lite may be used to clamp the stator coil to-
gether and they may project somewhat at one
end. These two projecting ends may have a
hole drilled through them which will accommo-
date a shaft to which the tickler coil is at-
tached. Terminals may be machine screws
run through one of the pieces of bakelite .strip

904

Radio Broadcast

which should be wide enough to project to
about the edge of the coil whereas the strip
inside the coil will be only f inch wide.

ASSEMBLY

THE assembling may then be started by
placing lugs on all instrument binding
posts and mounting the parts themselves upon
the panel following the scheme of Fig. 4. No
wiring should be attempted before the b uilder
has first studied the lay-out carefully and has
turned the lugs in the directions which will
permit of the shortest possible connecting
wires. After this has been done, the variable
condenser, coupler, and rheostats should be
removed from the panel and the filament
wires put in. These wires should be run
along the panel at a point about two inches
above a line passing through the socket bases.
Small lengths of bus bar should be soldered to
the main lines and carried down to the lugs
on the sockets. It is advisable to cover this
wiring with spaghetti. The antenna coil
which has been previously wound should now
be placed between two thin strips of bakelite
about % inch wide and 3! inches long. In
the end of each of these bakelite strips a
No. 1 8 hole should be drilled, placed 3-^-
inches between centers and arranged so that
when one strip is placed over the other the
holes at either end will coincide. If i £ inch
round head -£% machine screws are put through
these mounting strips at each end with a nut
on the far side of the second strip, it will be
possible to clamp the coil between the strips
which rest on the winding at a point directly
above one of the lengths of adhesive tape.

It will be noticed on the condenser that
there are two holes used for small mounting
screws on the back plate which are approxi-
mately on a line which would run through the
rear shaft bearing. These screws should be
removed, and after a second nut is placed on
each of the ij inch screws running through
the coil mounting strips, these two new screws
should be inserted in the holes in the con-
denser from which the original ones were re-
moved. They may then be tightened up,
care being taken to keep the nuts loose upon
them until they have been entered at least
5 inch into the condenser end supports. One
nut on each screw may then be tightened up
against the condenser end plate, and the
second nut on each screw tightened up in the
opposite direction against the bakelite strip.
This will leave the coil clamped firmly be-
tween the two bakelite strips and mounted
on the back of the condenser. In connecting

this coil to the condenser, the end near the tap
should go to the frame of the condenser if it
is of the grounded rotor type and the end
farthest from the tap should go to the statoi
plates, which will in turn go to the grid of the
r. f. tube. The tap itself leads to the antenna
binding post.

It is very much simpler to purchase the
coupler completely built up than to endeavor
to build it, since its construction will involve
the turning out of a special shaft, bearings
and lock washers. For this reason it will not
be taken up, although the winding data has
previously been given, and if the constructor
feels confident of his ability to build it, he will
have sufficient knowledge to supply the me-
chanical coupling arrangement details suit-
able for his needs.

The r. f. condenser with its coil is then
mounted at the left end of the panel and the
detector condenser placed in the next position
to the right, followed by the coupling unit
which is located between the detector and
first audio tube. The rheostat is also put in
position and wired with one of its terminals
to the positive A battery binding post and
the other to the line connecting the positive
filament terminals of all sockets. The bal-
ance of the set wiring presents no particularly
difficult features and if care is used, a very
neat job can be made of it. The stator plates
of both condensers should be connected to the
grid sides of their respective circuits.

TESTING THE SET

AFTER the wiring and assembly has been
completed, the set is ready for test. If
20 1 -A tubes are used, a 6- volt storage battery
will be required and a go-volt B battery tapped
at either 22 or 45 volts for the detector. A
4^-volt C battery will also be required for the
audio amplifier. If vv-igg tubes are used,
the B battery will remain the same, but the
A battery should consist of three dry cells
connected in series or if extra life is desired,
six dry cells connected in series parallel.

The batteries should be connected to the set,
and as they are connected no sparking should
be noticed. If sparking is noticed it indicates
that there is a short circuit in the wiring,
which should then be very carefully checked.
After the batteries are connected, a single
tube should be inserted in the right hand
socket and the rheostat just barely turned on.
If the phone plug is inserted in the right hand
jack a click should be heard and if a finger is
placed on the grid terminal of this last tube
either a click or squeal should result. If this

A Good Four-Tube Receiver

905

FIG. 5

The panel layout. Where other parts are to be used, it will be necessary to
provide other mounting holes. The center holes then may remain as shown

is the case, it indicates that the wiring in this
circuit is correct and the second tube should
be inserted in the next socket. A click will
be heard as it goes in and if its grid terminal
is touched, a click or squeal will also be heard.
The 2-megohm grid leak should be placed
in the clips of the grid condenser and the
detector tube inserted in its socket. Then
with the detector condenser set at about 50,
the tickler should be rotated and as it goes
from o to 100, at some point along its scale
a "plunk" should be heard. If, after this
plunk has been heard the grid condenser
is touched with the finger, a thud or squeal
should result if the detector is oscillating.
If the tickler is then set at zero, nothing but
a click or squeal should be heard as the grid
condenser is touched. If the thud is not
heard at all, it is due to failure of the de-
tector tube to oscillate. This may be cor-
rected by reversing the leads to the- rotor or
tickler coil of the vario-coupler.

Now connect a ground to the ground bind-
ing post and an antenna to the small tap
located on the stator winding of the coupler
which also goes to one side of the neutralizing
condenser, which will be connected later.
This leaves out entirely the r. f. amplifier tube
and gives a straight regenerative detector
and two stages of audio amplification. For
test purposes, the tickler may now be moved
up beyond the point where a plunk is heard
and the detector tuning condenser rotated
until a "tweet" or squeal is noticed. This
indicates a station and if the tickler is then
set just below the oscillating point the signal
will be heard with its true modulation.

ADJUSTING THE NEUTRALIZER

AFTER these tests have been made, the
•'*• neutralizing condenser should be con-
nected to the grid terminal of the first tube

socket and to the tap on the stator winding
of the vario-coupler. The neutralizing con-
denser consists of nothing more than two
pieces of bus bar of equal length and so ar-
ranged that when soldered to the tap and grid
terminal referred to and running in the same
direction their ends will fail to meet by
approximately j inch. Both ends are in-
serted in a length of spaghetti which will,
when run from the tap up to the grid terminal,
serve to hold these two pieces of bus bar
firmly in position. Before they are finally
soldered in place, a small 5-inch length of
brass tubing should be placed over the spagh-
etti and left entirely unconnected so far as
the balance of the wiring goes. This com-
pletes the neutralizing condenser.

An antenna should now be connected to the
antenna binding post of the set and the first
or r. f. tube inserted in its socket. The
rheostat should be approximately three-
quarters on. The tickler should be set at
zero and the tuning condenser at a position
where a station was previously heard. The
5-inch brass tube should be pushed up toward
one end of the spaghetti tube on which it
slides and the r. f. tuning condenser varied
around approximately the same setting as
that of the detector condenser, when the sta-
tion should be heard again. Stations should
now be tuned-in over the entire range of the
receiver, with the tickler at zero.

If the r. f. amplifier oscillates, the small
piece of brass tubing should be slid down the
spaghetti J inch at a time until all tendency
toward oscillation is eliminated. If it cannot
be eliminated by moving this tubing along,
this indicates that the primary of the r. f.
transformer is improperly connected and the
leads to it should be reversed. This primary
is the small 1 5-turn coil located inside one end
of the vario-coupler stator coil.

906

Radio Broadcast

Another method of neutralizing the set
would be to tune-in a fairly strong signal and
then remove the first r. f. tube from its socket.
A piece of paper should be placed over one
of the filament pins and the tube replaced in
its socket. Then, with the tube unlit, the
signal will come through weakly and the brass
tube should be slid along until the signal does
not come through at all or at best with very
poor intensity.

The receiver having been neutralized, there
is nothing more to do, and in tuning it may
either be operated with the tickler set at zero
and the first two dials handled in the same
manner as when tuning a neutrodyne, or the
tickler coupling may be increased until the
detector oscillates and a signal located by ro-
tating the detector condenser until a whistle
is heard. The detector condenser should be
left set on the whistle and the r. f. condenser
moved to a point where the whistle is strong-
est. If the tickler coupling is then reduced to
just below the oscillating point and the two
condensers readjusted very slightly, the signal
will be heard with maximum intensity.

De Forest ov-3 tubes, which have the same
characteristics of 199'$ may be used and will
work in very nicely as they have standard
bases and do not require adapters. wo-i2's
will also work in very well as they also have
standard bases. It is probable that the
neutralizing adjustment will not be at all
critical if 199*5 or wo-i2's are used.

TROUBLE SHOOTING

THERE is very little that can go wrong
with the receiver or that might cause
failure to function, and if it is assembled
properly, there is no reason why it should not
work. However, it is possible gradually to
improve it slightly by following some of the
suggestions outlined below:

Selectivity: If the detector tuning con-
denser is broad, it indicates the use of an in-
sufficient amount of tickler coupling. It
should be possible to make this control very
selective indeed by bringing the tickler up to
just below the oscillating point. If the r. f.
tuning condenser is broad, this may be over-
come by inserting a small fixed condenser,
say .00025 or .0005 mfd. in series with the
antenna which will, in effect, reduce the re-
sistance of this circuit and sharpen its tuning
very much. This will not be necessary except
with a very long antenna, say over 125 feet.

Volume: If the detector can be made to
oscillate and the receiver to tune sharply,
poor volume may be attributed to trouble in

the audio frequency amplifier and should be
looked for in this section. Improper con-
nections or misplaced C battery, would ac-
count for this. Individual location condi-
tions will more probably be to blame, however.

Hand Capacity Effect: This will not be
experienced if the stator plates of the con-
densers are connected to the grid sides of the
circuit and if all by-pass condensers are wired
in. The by-pass condensers are very impor-
tant. The .002 mfd. by-pass condenser is
quite important and should be connected
from the plate terminal of the first audio
transformer to either minus or plus side of
the filament line.

Squealing: This would be due either to too
high a value of tickler coupling, failure to
neutralize the r. f. amplifier, or more probably
to the audio amplifier. If in the audio ampli-
fier, it may be overcome by reversing the leads
to the primary of the audio transformers or
shunting the secondary of the audio trans-
formers with a .00025 mfd. condenser or \ meg-
ohm grid leak, or both.

Noise: Noise in the set should be traced
by first disconnecting the antenna. If it
disappears it is picked up on the antenna and
probably cannot be eliminated. If it persists,
the first r. f. tube should be removed and so
on down the line until it stops. If it stops
upon the removal of some tube other than the
last one, the noise is probably in its circuit.
If it persists throughout the entire set it is
due to some faulty common wiring, such as
B battery, or A battery, rheostat, or socket
contact.

Grid Leaks: A 2-megohm grid leak will
be satisfactory for practically all tubes used,
although it may be found that a 3- or 5-
megohm grid leak will give a little better re-
sult on weak signals.

Tickler: The detector circuit should not
oscillate until the tickler has been advanced
to about 50 to 70 degrees on its dial. If it
oscillates at some point below this, turns
should be removed from the tickler coil until
the oscillation point is brought within this
range, if the builder wishes to do so, although
this is not very important. If the detector
fails to oscillate, reversing the tickler con-
nections will correct matters.

Neutralizing: If the r. f. stage cannot be
neutralized so that it does not oscillate, the
leads to the primary of the r. f. transformer
should be reversed. If this fails to correct
matters, one or two turns should be removed
from the primary, although this would be an
extreme case.

APPLYING THE REGENERATIVE LOOP TO ANY
SUPER-HETERODYNE

THE principle of the regenerative loop
can be applied to practically any type
of super-heterodyne receiver without
altering the interior connections of the
set. The "regenerative loop" is, as the name
implies, a method of introducing regeneration
into the first detector tube. This results in
all the desirable characteristics of the regener-
ative circuit — i. e., increased sensitivity and
response to distant stations, and greater
selectivity. (Under certain conditions, such
as operating in closed quarters as imposed by
steel apartment houses in a large broadcasting
center, the selectivity of the super-heterodyne
operated in the usual manner falls short of its
possibilities. This is due to distortion of the
wave front by the surrounding walls and semi-
conducting or refracting mediums. As a re-
sult, the loop is extremely unreliable as an
indication of direction, the plane of the
loop often being approximately 90 degrees
to the expected angle, and most stations,
regardless of direction, are received best
at this one position.)
Regeneration in
the loop can be ef-
fected in .several
ways. A somewhat
common system,
though not altogether
satisfactory, employs
a tickler coil situated
within the loop. The
adjustment of the
tickler, however, af-
fects the tuning of
both the plate circuit

In the R. B. Lab This Month—

— How to apply tbe regenerative loop princi-
ple to any super-heterodyne.

— Using standard low-loss coils in ibe Roberts
Knockout circuit.

— A receiver operating from 45 to 200 meters
using tbe Roberts circuit and low-loss coils.

— A method for pre-delermining bow to
connect tbe tickler coil in a regenerative circuit.

— Short laboratory notes of value and interest
to tbe constructor and the experimenter.

(which inputs to the intermediate-frequency
amplifier) and the grid circuit, when coupling
is sufficiently close to secure satisfactory re-
generation. A more common and satisfactory
method is to alter the loop circuit into a re-
generative system. This is a simple matter
and quickly accomplished.

It is first necessary to add more turns of
wire to the loop, say from one third to twice
the number of turns used for normal tuning.
A tap is brought out where the new turns con-
nect to the old. The additional turns are
wound in the same direction as the loop pro-
per.

In many cases it will be found that the loop
the experimenter is utilizing for straight re-
ception has more turns than are necessary to
cover the desired wave band and that the tun-
ing condenser is only active up to about two
thirds maximum capacity. Where this is true,
it will probably be possible to tap the loop so
that sufficient turns of wire are left on one side
for regeneration. As before mentioned, from
one third to one half
the number of turns
used in the tuning
section are required
in the additional or

regenerative sec-
tion.

The completed loop
will have outlets for
three connections, the
upper terminal, the
near-center tap, and
the lower terminal.
For simplicity in the

9o8

Radio Broadcast

following explanation, designate these re-
spectively, as A, B, and C. "A" connects
to the posts or jack prong on the super
which leads through to the grid of the first de-
tector tube, either directly or through the
pick-up coil. A short inspection of the re-
ceiver will identify this lead. In the case of
loop binding-posts, it is generally the upper
one. "B" runs to the remaining loop post or
prong. The connection leads through to the
filament of the first detector tube. The upper
part of the loop is now connected in the usual
manner, exactly as the whole loop was before
the change was considered.

"C" is now connected to one side of a varia-
ble condenser having a capacity not less than
.00035 mfd. This will be sufficient, though if
more convenient a larger condenser may be
used. The condenser shown in the photograph
(Fig. i) is a Freshman mercury condenser,
capacity .0005 mfd. The other and remaining
side of the condenser is connected to the plate
of the first detector tube. These connections
are shown diagramatically in Fig. 2, where A
indicates the usual loop connections in the
Haynes and other super-heterodynes, and B
the regenerative system.

The experienced reader will immediately
identify the resulting circuit as the Hartley
system, which becomes an oscillator as the
condenser, C2 is turned above the spilling
over point. This system of producing oscil-
lation is used in many transmitting stations.
However, the receiving operator, utilizing re-
generative loop reception should not permit
the detector tube to oscillate. In this con-
dition it is a radiator of interfering waves,
which, though they are effective only over
short distances, may still bother reception on
another receiver located in the same building.
Fortunately there is absolutely nothing to be
gained by maintaining these oscillations, re-
ception being impossible until condenser C2 is
turned down.

Tuning the "super" is only slightly more
complicated with the regenerative loop. As
regeneration is built up, a slight retuning of
the loop or oscillator dial will be required.
Regeneration will be most effective on distant
stations.

Fig. i shows this system adapted to the
Haynes simplified super-heterodyne, de-
scribed in the March, 1924, RADIO BROAD-
CAST.

FIG. I

The regenerative loop in operation. Note the three leads from the loop. The control condenser is above
the oscillator dial. Three stages of resistance coupling are plugged in on the detector tube of this super-
heterodyne. See January, February, and March, 1924, RADIO BROADCAST

In the R. B. Lab.

909

LOOP

FILTER 0

PRI

A i

T-

PICKUP COIL

- ^ .00035 MF
LOOP fT)

' f

/ 1 ST I
& DET. \

j5^
1 m FILTER §

^y PRI. 2

o 7

TUBE

*•§••

EXTRA

TURNS

_ r\r\(\ -

PICKUP COIL

FIG. 2

"A" shows the usual loop connection in most super-
heterodynes. "B" indicates the additional turns
and condenser which cause regeneration in the first
detector tube. This arrangement is particularly
advantageous on ox reception

LOW LOSS COILS AND THE ROBERTS
SET

FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 illustrate the man-
ner in which standard three-circuit low
loss coils can be adapted to the Roberts
Knockout circuit. In principle, the adapta-
tion consists merely in supplying a neutraliz-
ing winding to the radio frequency output cir-
cuit. Either one or two low loss tuning units
can be employed. If one set of coils is ob-
tained, the substitution is effected only in
the r. f. and tickler circuit, the usual spider-
web or similar antenna coupler being un-
changed. With two units the complete sys-
tem is made low-loss, from the antenna
through to the audio output.

The units employed in experiments in The
R. B. Lab were the " Lopez Low Loss Tuners."
The same directions and manner of procedure
hold good for other types.

USING ONE UNIT

N SUBSTITUTING a single set of coils for
the usual "N, P, S, and tickler" induct-
ances, the primary of the low loss tuner ar-
rangement is used as the transformer primary
(P) and is placed in the plate circuit of the
first tube. However, it is first necessary to
wind either alongside or on top of the primary
coil, the neutralizing winding. This consists
of one more turn than the primary, wound
in the same direction, with any convenient
wire, such as No. 24. The beginning of the
neutralizing winding is connected to the end
of the primary, thus giving a common tap
to the two coils, which is connected to the
plus side of the B battery. The remaining
terminal of the primary is wired to the plate
of the r.f. tube and the end of the auxiliary
winding to the neutralizing condenser. The
secondary and tickler coils are connected in
the usual manner.

USING TWO UNITS

WHEN a duplicate set of coils is employed,
the procedure is slightly different. The
antenna coupler is formed by removing the
tickler coil from one of the units, thus leaving
primary and secondary. These two remaining
coils may be remounted in numerous ways that
will suggest themselves to the experimenter.
The tickler that has been eliminated from the
first unit, is now substituted for the primary
of the second unit, and a neutralizing winding
wound upon it as already described. The
number of turns on the tickler are generally
more suited to the transformer primary re-
quirements, than the primary designed for the
antenna circuit.

Using these coils, the primary taps are elimi-
nated, as the antenna primaries are generally
of the semi-aperiodic type. The ground, in
addition to running to the lower end of the
primary, should be connected to the minus
side of the A battery.

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 show how the coils used in
this laboratory were mounted. Low loss coils
are generally more bulky than the less efficient
inductances, for which reason their disposal on
the panel presents more of a problem. The
shaft to the transformer primary (the upper
coil in Fig. 4) has been removed, as there is
no occasion for varying the coupling between
the primary and secondary, and it is secured
permanently by means of a metal strip. Other
forms of winding, such as the diamond weave
and spiderweb may be satisfactorily substi-
tuted tor the basket weave coil illustrated.

9 io

Radio Broadcast

A SHORT WAVE LOW LOSS SET

BY SIMILARLY utilizing short wave
low loss coils, a highly efficient short
wave receiver, similar to that described in
the August number of RADIO BROADCAST
can be had. A receiver of this type is operat-
ing successfully in the R. B. Lab on wave-
lengths between 45 and 200 meters. It was
used in intercommunication work with ama-
teur stations for checking up on European re-
ception during the International Radio
Broadcast Tests.

On the short wave set, the tickler should be
so arranged that 180 degree variation is pos-
sible. It is, of course, impossible to secure
satisfactory reception of short wave telephone
broadcasts with the detector oscillating, and
on the extremely high frequencies reversed
feedback is generally necessary to stabilize
the receiver. The tickler coupling must not
merely be loosened but the coil must be turned
around over ninety degrees.

It is somewhat contrary to expectations,
and therefore interesting to note, that the
Roberts circuit employing low loss coils, re-
sponds more readily to adjustments of the
neutralizing condenser, and little or no experi-
menting is required to stabilize the system.
Operating and other instructions remain the
same as those suggested for the standard re-
ceiver.

For detailed information concerning the
Roberts circuit and parts other than those
just described, the reader is referred to any of
the articles dealing with the set, or the
"Knock-Out Book" published by RADIO
BROADCAST.

FIG. 4

The r. f. transformer and tickler coil. The primary

shaft has been removed, and the coil mounted on

the frame by a metal strip

FIG. 3

Primary and secondary low-loss coils for the antenna
coupler. These have been remounted from a
standard three-coil unit

ARTICLES on the wiring and operation
of tickler-feedback regenerative re-
ceivers are almost invariably accom-
panied by rather indefinite instructions as to
the proper connections to the feedback coil.
The reader has doubtless run across a phrase
(which the writer has often written) explaining
that if the set failed to regenerate the con-
nections to the tickler were to be reversed.
Thus the wiring of the regenerative apparatus
was a fifty-fifty chance which, in consideration
of a permanent job, was decidedly incon-
venient.

There is really no reason why the exact man-
ner of connecting the tickler coil should not
be stated, for all doubt can be eliminated by
a simple rule.

Regeneration is secured by tickler feedback
when energy is fed back from a coil in the plate
circuit of a vacuum tube to a coil, generally
the secondary of a vario-coupler, in the grid
circuit, in such a manner that the returned
impulse is in the same or assisting direction
of the existing grid impulse. When the di-
rections are reversed, that is, when the feed-
back impulse is in a direction opposing the grid
impulse, the effect is naturally reversed, and
instead of regeneration we have a^very notice-
able weakening of the signal.

To one familiar with the laws of induction,
these considerations will throw light on the
situation. Let us assume that the incoming
signal places a momentary positive charge on
the grid. This will, of course, cause an in-
crease in the plate current, with an expansion
of the magnetic field about the tickler. This

In the R. B. Lab.

911

motion of the flux will induce an appreciable
e.m.f. in the secondary coil if the coupling is
sufficiently close. If regeneration is desired,
this e.m.f. must be such as to place an -d.-A\-
tional positive charge on the grid which ass'scs
the original charge. However, we know that
an induced current is always in a direction op-
posite to that of the original or inducing cur-
rent at moment of induction. This brings us
to the very simply rule which may be relied up-
on to guide tickler connections rightly.

Take any regenerative circuit, and consider
two distinct currents as flowing from the tube,
one from the grid, through the grid coil or
secondary to the filament, and the other from
the plate, through the plate coil and battery
to the filament. (These conditions, in an
electronic analysis, often exist during recep-
tion). The drawings in Fig. 6 illustrate this
conception of the two individual currents
flowing from the grid and plate of the tube,
the arrows indicating the direction of flow as
we have suggested. The rule is (bringing the
coils close together) that these two currents
must flow in opposing directions — i.e., one
set of arrows must point up and the other set
point down.

The rule is further qualified as follows:
When the coils are wound in the sane direc-
tion (A) either clockwise or counter clockwise,
the grid must connect to the beginning of the
grid coil and the plate to the end of the
tickler or, of course, vice versa. When the
coils are wound in opposite directions, the grid
and plate should connect both to either the
beginnings or ends of their respective coils.

B, in Fig. 6, shows two coils wound in the

same direction in which the requirement for
regeneration has not been filled. The effect
of this coupling, as explained, will be the
opposite of regeneration.

LABORATORY HINTS

THE capacities of condensers used in radio
circuits are generally given in microfarads,
which means one millionth of the unit of capac-
ity, the farad. The abbreviation for micro-
farad is "mfd." Thus, we often run across
condenser specifications such as .001 or .0005
mfd. There has been a recent tendency to
eliminate the decimal, and to consider these
small capacities in micro-microfarads, or
millionths of a microfarad. The abbreviation
for this term is mmfd. Condensers having
capacities of .00025 mfd., .00035 mfd. .0005
mfd. and .001 mfd. can be respectively des-
cribed as 250 micro-microfarads, 350 micro-
microfarads, 500 micro-microfarads, and 1000
micro-microfarads condensers.

AN EXCELLENT reamer for working
panel material is a round file, f inch in
diameter at the large end. Enough of the
tang is broken off so that the file can be
grasped in a brace. Any hole in which the
point of the file can be inserted can be
reamed up to f inch by turning the brace

FIG. 5
Rear view of the low-loss Roberts, using adapted Lopez Tuners.

This set is particularly easy to neutralize

912

Radio Broadcast

counter-clockwise. If turned clockwise it will
jam.

Holes reamed in this manner are very
smooth and have little taper.

IN THE article on charging storage B bat-
teries in the June RADIO BROADCAST, men-
tion was made of the discrepancy between a
hot wire meter and a d.c. meter in a common
charging circuit. The a.c. meter will always
give the higher reading, and a statement was
advanced that this reading was to be preferred
as being the more nearly correct value of the
current flowing. This is erronious. The hot
wire meter registers the root mean square or
heating value of the current, and the d.c. meter
the average value of the current. An elec-
trolytic process, such as that functioning in a
storage battery during charge, varies with the
average current. That is, a two ampere
charge applied for one hour, off for one hour, on
for one hour, etc., is equivalent in electrolytic
effect to that obtained by applying a one
ampere charge continuously for the total
length of time of the intermittent charge. It
can be shown that in a pulsating current, the
r.m.s. value is always higher than the average
value.

In almost every other case where measure-
ments are desired of a pulsating current, it is
the r.m.s. value that should be observed.

.BEGiNING ENCyx\ BEGINING

x . . r ^

GRID COIL
SECONDARY

PLATE COIL
(TICKLER)

COILS WOUND IN SAME DIRECTION

FIG. 6

How to connect your tickler coil for regeneration,
in accordance with simple rules set forth in this
article. "A" will regenerate. "B" will rot.

r I ^HE material appearing in this magazine is fully protected by copy-
•* right, and editors of periodicals are advised that unauthorized publi-
cation of circuit diagrams, technical descriptions, and parts or the whole of
articles, without due permission and credit, is an infraction of the law.
Those who wish to reprint material appearing in these pages are asfed to
communicate with the editor.

Shall We Specify Parts?

The Policy of This Magazine in Publishing Con-
struction Articles — A Note on Radiating Receivers

BY ARTHUR H. LYNCH

FOR some little while we have given a
great deal of thought and considera-
tion to the interesting subjects dis-
cussed in the letter we publish below.
Similar questions to Mr. Musladin's have been
asked us time and again. The answer is not
easy, nor can it be made without reservations.
We try to have the articles appearing in our
magazine as near correct technically, practi-
cally, and ethically as human effort permits.
You will find Mr. Musladin's letter of interest,
and we will consider it below.

Editor, RADIO BROADCAST,

Doubleday, Page & Co.,

Garden City, L. I.
DEAR SIR:

The writer has been observing construction arti-
cles in radio publications and feels that there should
be a general movement toward broader specifications
of parts.

It is no secret, to be sure, that exact specifications
are causing both dealers and jobbers considerable
trouble. The layman in reading the articles justly
'believes that good results can only be obtained by
following exact specifications, if exact specifications
are published; and while it may or may not be the
writer's intent to press that idea, nevertheless the
ultimate result is that both dealers and jobbers
receive hundreds of requests for materials not stocked
in jobbing centers away from manufacturing centers,
because of the fact that the particular item is not
a nationally recognized standard.

From a personal standpoint 1 might say that we
are very proud of the fact that we carry practically
all nationally recognized standards. There is hardly
a need of publishing a list of them, but it will suf-
fice to say that such a listing would prove that it is
our desire to serve the public in this particular ter-
ritory with parts to which they should be entitled.

By way of detailed explanation, one might take
the variable condenser situation. Is it not a gen-
erally accepted fact that the substitution of any of
the wonderful examples of condenser construction
now on the market will produce like results?

The audio transformer presents another case.
Jacks, rheostats, binding posts, and similar items
are certainly not subject to exact specifications. In
cases where a company has succeeded in producing
a very good patented item, and which will prove
popular when presented to the public, the right of
that company to subsidise, or themselves publish,

an article is not questioned. In cases of this kind
winding data or construction data should be given.

To come down to the real point of my letter,
would it not be possible for editors to adopt some
standard expression for use in terminating all such
articles? My suggestion is as follows:

The above items were used in the author's de-
scribed set, but substitutes of equally good ma-
terials will produce like results.

You are, of course, in better position to promote
such an idea, and I believe you would have the
thanks of those engaged in the radio business, and
those who desire to see the business as a whole put
on a strictly ethical basis.

Very truly yours,
ALEXANDER AND LAVENSON ELECTRICAL SUPPLY

COMPANY, San Francisco, Cal.
BY C. P. Musladin, Sales Manager

We try to give the reader every possible
assistance in building receivers from the
articles we publish. Wherever possible we
name the parts used in building the receivers,
and where similar units of other makes can
be employed with equal satisfaction we say
so. We try, as far as possible to describe only
such receiving circuits as include parts of
reputable manufacture, which may be pur-
chased in all parts of the country. Where
special parts, such as the coils for the Roberts
circuit and the intermediate-frequency trans-
formers of certain super-heterodynes are
recommended, we insist upon authors supply-
ing us with data concerning their construc-
tion as well as the names of units which may
be substituted wherever possible. We can-
not insult the intelligence of our readers by
mentioning all the condensers which could
be used in a given circuit, for instance. There
are a great many good variable condensers on
the market any of which — if of proper capac-
ity— would work well in a circuit where a
particular brand is mentioned. This is true
of audio-frequency transformers, tube sockets,
jacks, rheostats, panels, and similar products.
As a general rule, any good parts designed for
the same purpose may be interchanged in a
well designed circuit.

We quite agree with Mr. Musladin. This
magazine will continue to print construction

914

Radio Broadcast

articles, specifying particular parts when nec-
essary, and wherever possible indicating the
use of standard products. But, for the time
being, we must remember that the market is
pretty well flooded with useless and poorly-
designed parts which we hope to save our
readers from buying.

It is true that certain manufacturers sub-
sidize writers to specify their units. Some-
times, perhaps, they are justified in doing so.
Such articles are usually taken with a grain of
salt by the reader and though they may make
some temporary friends for the publication
among those whose parts are specified, the
usual result is unfavorable reaction on the
part of other advertisers. In many instances
the periodicals in question do not acquaint
themselves with the performance of the re-
ceivers described and, as a result, many
utterly useless purchases, and general dis-
satisfaction will result. As an instance of
this: an experimenter sent us a very well
written and very well 'illustrated article,
describing a five-tube, single-control receiver
some few months ago. The work was excel-
lent. We asked for a demonstration. When
the receiver came to our laboratory we were
delighted with its appearance. Then we tried
to make it work. Then we called for assis-
tance from the designer. He tried to make
it work. Then he began to make apolo-
gies. Imagine our surprise on seeing the
description of this wonder appear on the front
page of a certain newspaper radio section for
which we had come to have a feeling of
friendship because of the technical accuracy
of the articles it published.

There are occasions, when the subsidized
writer — usually signing his articles with a
self-imposed "Radio Engineer" — really does
describe something worth while and, even if
he does load his literary efforts describing it
with publicity which is supplemented by price
lists and space in the advertising section, the
intelligent reader will take it for what it is
worth. We are quite certain that advertising
contracts, secured by the offer of a certain
amount of editorial comment per dollar are
hard to renew. We want none of them. On
the other hand it is equally unfair to the
reader, who, in the final analysis pays the
piper, for any periodical to withhold a descrip-
tion of a valuable addition to the radio field
because it is not to be accompanied by ad-
vertising.

Our policy is governed by the value we
believe the article under consideration will
be to our readers. If it happens to stimulate

the sale of reliable products, we believe it does
the reader and the manufacturer a service,
by bringing to the former a good product and
the latter a customer. In doing this work,
however, we try to maintain a perfectly fair
stand in connection with products of a com-
peting nature. It is only by such procedure
we believe the industry will prosper.

THE BLOOPERS ARE AT IT AGAIN

IT IS rather significant that all of the letters
considered here were received in the same
mail. If we get many more, requiring such
lengthy comment we may have to abandon
the magazine and devote all our time to cor-
respondence.

Mr. Guy M. Chase of Elizabeth, N. J., is
responsible for the letter which follows,
which, with our reply, seems to require no
further comment.

Editor, RADIO BROADCAST,

Doubleday, Page & Co.,

Garden City, L. I.
DEAR SIR:

On page 280 of the December issue of RADIO
BROADCAST in an article by A. H. Lynch, there
appear statements which are, to me, interesting.

Speaking of the absence of "squealing receivers"
at the Radio Fair, the article lists, "all manner of
tuned radio frequency receivers, reflexes, and
super-heterodynes," with the intimation that they
do not squeal.

I know of a certain factory-built five-tube tuned
radio frequency receiver in this city, operated on
a loo-foot outside antenna which is always tuned
by the squeals, even on locals. With 90 volts on the
plate, is not that a squealer?

Super-heterodynes operated on outside antennas,
with a constantly oscillating tube as a part of the
working of the set, seem to me to fall in the squealer
class, with a vengeance. I know of improperly
tuned neutrodynes likewise tuned by the squeals.

I read most of the radio magazines published and
I set up and try out a great many circuits. There
are few which will not squeal when improperly
operated or improperly adjusted, at least, that is
my experience.

My point is this. I have been impressed with the
fact that most radio magazines are obsessed with
the idea that only regenerative circuits can squeal.
I have often heard a salesman tell a buyer that a
neutrodyne set or a tuned r.f. set could not squeal.
1 think that is sheer fraud.

True, regenerative circuits can be so operated
as to be a pest to all for miles around. Those who
have recently listened for Europe can swear to that.
But not all the squeals come from regenerative sets.
(I except the single-circuit from any consideration,
as it is, by all odds, the champion squealer.)

Using two coupled regenerative sets, of the so-

Shall We Specify Parts?

915

called Ambassador type, another person and I have
used two antennas which are parallel and two feet
apart for 40 feet, one being 40 feet long and the other
100. We tuned all over the scale and neither one
of us heard a squeal from the other set. The other
operator used a loud speaker and I phones and one
a.f. stage. Coupled regenerative sets, like any other,
can be operated without squeals.

I ask consideration of this point:

Any set, regardless of name, type, or price, which
will produce a squeal in its own speaker or phones,
also produces a squeal in near-by speakers and
phones. Very truly yours,

GUY M. CHASE, Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Mr. Guy M. Chase,

Elizabeth, N. J.
DEAR SIR:

Thank you very much for your interesting letter.
We have not overlooked the very important matters
that you discuss, but Rome was not made in a day
and it is impossible for us to do much at one time.
One of the principal reasons for our International
Tests was to demonstrate conclusively to the radio
listeners that squealing receivers should be abol-
ished. It makes no difference to us whether they
be single-circuit or improperly balanced neutrodynes
or super-heterodynes hooked up to an antenna.
Thank you for your cooperation.

Very truly yours,

ARTHUR H. LYNCH
EDITOR, RADIO BROADCAST

Then, along with Mr. Chase's letter and
several thousand of a similar nature we have
one from an old-timer — a man who was for
some time a radio inspector for the Marconi
Wireless Telegraph Company of America.
We felt that editorial expression concerning
this letter is a waste of time. No doubt
ninety per cent, of you folks listened for
Europe during our international tests and it
is quite likely that most of you heard the
racket to which Mr. Collison refers and no
additional reference to the subject is necessary
at this time.

Editor, RADIO BROADCAST
Doubleday, Page & Co.,

Garden City, L. I.
DEAR SIR:

On Monday, Wednesday and Thursday nights of
the International Test week, friend wife and I
aided by a nine-tube super-heterodyne that has
just been calibrated by Tyler, Rossiter, and Mac-
Donald of New York City, deprived (and that's
just what I mean to say), ourselves of sleep and
almost ruined our sense of hearing not to mention
our dispositions, in an attempt to pick up some of
the European Stations.

And what did we hear?

Promptly at eleven o'clock, four million assorted
squeals, whistles, whines, yowls, grunts, rattles,
buzzes, ships working with spark sets with a decre-
ment of something more than ten times what is
allowed, chirping and twittering amateurs with
little five-watt bottles (I dare any member of the
A. R. R. L. to deny that his fellow members kept
within bounds), and enough static to fill in the weak
spots.

It's an outrage — I don't mean the static, — that's
sent to us either from Heaven as punishment for
our sins, or from Hades to plague us and must be
accepted along with Income Tax Publicity, Near
Beer, and Subway Rush Hour Riots.

But this oscillating receiver business is something
that does not have to be endured. Newspaper
publicity has not helped, because the average B.C. L.
does not care a tinker's damn about the other fellow.
Of what use is it for any person to invest several
hundred dollars in a laboratory model super-hetero-
dyne if some hi-jacking neighbor with a "one-
tube-marvel" is going to smear the ether with
noise.

Although the range of my super-heterodyne with
a loop is considerably less than when used on an
out-door antenna I would not think of putting it
on an antenna because I know it would ruin re-
ception for my immediate neighbors. I live in an
apartment with several other B. C. L.'s and none
of us annoy each other. That is because we have
used our brains in a manner courteous to each
other.

There is no way of getting under the skin of
those who persistently sell parts which when as-
sembled will cause radiation. They are of the
same moral fibre as a bootlegger.

Every receiving set manufactured in the United
States should be of a design approved by the U. S.
Department of Commerce. All commercial radio ap-
paratus must be so approved, so why not every other
kind? This w.ould remedy one source of trouble.
Every installation connected to an outdoor antenna
should be licensed by the Radio Inspector of that
District and subject to his restrictions and orders.
A one dollar license fee would not be a hardship
and would more than pay for the cost of the extra
inspectors needed. Periodic inspections might be
arranged to check up the installations.

No doubt there will be many objections to this
plan because it will curtail some "personal liber-
ties." On the other hand I defy any person to
defend the radiating receiver or the rights of any
individual to use it.

The other remedy would be "super-powered"
transmitters that would make the construction of
such delicate and highly efficient receiving sets un-
necessary.
No, 1 did not hear any European Stations.

Cordially,
PERCE B. COLLISON, Brooklyn, N. Y.

ON CUBAN SANDS

The party which installed the station had to live in tents for
some time before other buildings could be put up to house them

How Wireless Came to Cuba

The Drama and Struggle of Strenuous Radio Times in the Jungle—
Hitherto Unpublished Memoirs of High Technical and Human Interest
—What Really Happened in the Early Days of Wireless Telegraphy

BY FRANK E. BUTLER

Former Chief Assistant to Dr. Lee De Forest

THE way we went about building a
wireless telegraph station in 1905 was
an entirely different procedure from
that followed to-day when the modern
radio engineer starts out to construct a broad-
casting or any other type of radio station.

Instead of blue prints to guide us in those
pioneer days we used only past "experience,"
and our stock of that was mighty limited.
If past "experience" failed as a means of
attaining further satisfactory results, then
we relied upon patience and determination.
These unscientific assets were all we had to help
us in the working out of each new problem.

Up to this time, three high powered stations
had been erected by Dr. Lee De Forest, one
at the St. Louis World's Fair, one at Pensa-
cola, and the third at Key West, Florida.
These stations, while practically of the same

design and construction, had presented in
their building individual problems which had
to be worked out These experiences had
somewhat tempered our conceit as to what
we thought we knew about installation.
We began to realize the uncertainty of any
set radio laws, and to expect anything to hap-
pen, or fail to happen.

This was the situation when I went to Guan-
tanamo, Cuba, to erect the next in the series
of five powerful stations to be built by Dr.
De Forest for the United States Navy De-
partment.

I sailed from Key West early in the spring
of 1905 for Havana from whence I was to take
a train overland to Santiago and from there
embark once more by boat to within a few
miles of my destination.

A brief stay in the delightful city of Havana

How Wireless Came to Cuba

917

enabled me to form an idea of the difficulties
I would have in a country whose language
I didn't know and where buying facilities
were very inadequate. My stay there was
during the celebration of the first Cuban In-
dependence Day, which resembled our own
Fourth of July. The city was full of natives
from all over the island, and when the train
left Havana that evening I was mixed in
with the most motley lot of passengers I ever
met. I was the only white man.

A great quantity of wire, instruments, etc.
had been shipped to me at Havana from New
York. Having been forewarned of the ad-
visability of not checking this material as
baggage or shipping it via express on account
of the unreliability and slowness of these
methods, I decided to take it all in the car
with me. As a result, my seat in the so-
called, "sleeper," resembled a baggage car.

EN ROUTE TO GUANTANAMO

THE train dragged along slowly all night
and seemed to stop at every sugar plan-
tation. In the morning we stopped thirty

minutes at a town for breakfast which was
served in a large room adjoining the depot.
The passengers swarmed in there like a lot of
cattle. There were no chairs, just long benches
to sit on. Everybody grabbed, and so did I.
They all talked Spanish, and they all talked
at once. I was the only American in the
crowd. The only Spanish I knew was "agua"
but as they did not have any water, this one-
word proficiency in the language was useless.
Everybody was drinking wine, so I drank it,
too, the while I sat in amaze as I watched the
others empty glass after glass until they were
stopped only by the call that the train was
ready to move on.

At each station I hoped that some one would
come aboard who could speak English. But
all that I heard from the new passengers as
well as the old, was Spanish. During the
stop for lunch I was sitting rather disconsolate
by myself when I noticed a dapper young
Cuban army officer, who had, apparently, been
to Havana for the recent celebration. He ap-
peared very popular with the entire crowd.
Just before leaving the station to board the

AYfirele&s

DOC DE FOREST TO MR. BUTLER-

The postal card was mailed in St. Louis on June 14, 1905. He writes: "To the brave boys who run naked
and fight pulgas and other obstructions in the place called Guantanamo (Spanish for h-1) Better pull in a
few msgs. [messages] from Key West and you will receive a pair of gold garters — no blanks — cheer up—
Doc." And along the side: '"Ahoy there on board the Ampbitrite — Doc sends his compliments'" The
pulgas are small insects, almost invisible. They swarmed about the station in clouds, and their bite, while
not poisonous, was very annoying. Since these insects chose to hover under clothing, the radio pioneers at
Guantanamo often took the easiest way and removed most of theirs, hence Dr. De Forest's remark about

the "boys who run naked"

918

Radio Broadcast

train he came over to me and said, in perfect
English, "Hello, John. Are you going to
Santiago?" Every stranger in Cuba in those
days was called, "John."

When I replied in the affirmative, the dash-
ing young officer told me that he, also, was
going there. From that moment the aspect
of the trip was changed. I had found a
companion, and a delightful one he proved to
be!

About three o'clock the train stopped at
what appeared to be a railway terminal. 1
stepped out to the platform for a little exer-
cise while engines were being changed. After
about ten minutes everything was in readiness,
yet the train did not move. Fifteen, twenty,
thirty minutes passed, and still we stood there.
I noticed a little crowd by the baggage car
so I strolled up to investigate the trouble.
Imagine my surprise to find the entire crew
circled around a large coil of wire which had
been taken from my seat while 1 was away.
All were talking excitedly and casting sus-
picious glances at me. I couldn't understand
the situation. I hurried back to the "sleeper"
to seek the assistance of my English-speaking
Cuban friend. He came forward with me and
asked what the trouble was. They explained
that it was against the rules of the company
to carry such kind of "baggage" in the sleep-
ing car unless the express charges on it were
paid. I had visions of a hold-up which would
either mean most of my money for carrying
charges or the confiscation of my tools and
material. So I asked my interpreter to in-
quire the amount of the charges. The ex-
cited gestures and the combined talking of the
crew increased my fears and 1 expected the
worst. Imagine my surprise, however, when
I was told I would have to pay the railroad
company thirteen cents in American money
to release the wire so that the train could
proceed with my baggage in the sleeper.
Upon payment of this sum I had to wait for
several receipts and then the train again
started on its journey.

We arrived at Santiago about nine o'clock
that evening after a twenty six hour drag.
It was dark and the town was lighted with old
fashioned kerosene street lamps. Through
the officer I engaged several Cuban boys to
assist me to the dock with my luggage as
there were no conveyances about. From here
I boarded a small steamer enroute to Bo-
queron, located on the interior shores of the
Bay of Guantanamo.

The boat steamed out of the bay and past
old Morro Castle over the spot where, a few

years before, Hobson had sunk the Merri-
mac. We skirted the southern shore of the
island and could see, as we passed by, the dim
outlines of some of the hulls of the Spanish
fleet which Admiral Sampson beached dur-
ing the Spanish war.

THE SCENE OF ACTION

EARLY the next morning we arrived at the
little group of huts which was called Bo-
queron. This hamlet port was the nearest
point to the site of the contemplated gov-
ernment wireless station, which in Spanish
was called telegrafo sin hilo.

It will be remembered that it was only a
few years previous to this time that the
Spanish-American war occurred which re-
sulted in the freedom of the Cuban people.
The United States Government had only
very recently completed the arrangements of
the formal turning over of the island to its
natives, and it was the jollification at Havana
which I saw only a few days before which had
been held in honor of the event. I n this trans-
action it was agreed that the United States
should retain a small spot in Cuba as a naval
base and coaling station. The site selected
was the Bay of Guantanamo and its surround-
ing land consisting approximately of thirty-
six square miles. About half of this was land
and half water. The entrance from the sea
was through a narrow inlet with high hills
on either side extending along the coast.
It was an ideal land-locked harbor, and big
enough to accommodate all the navies of the
world at once.

The sight of the harbor was inspiring, and
the sight of Boqueron was depressing in pro-
portion. The principal building was at the
dock. A few native huts, a store and a saloon,
housed the entire population of, perhaps,
twenty-five people. The loungers around the
dock were a tough looking lot, mostly negroes
or half-breed Spaniards, just the kind you see
in blood and thunder plays. I learned later
that a few of them were fugitives from justice,
and two were wanted in the United States
for murder.

As I needed assistance to get overland to
my destination I engaged a Jamaican negro,
George Morehead, who spoke English, to go
as my guide. We strapped the luggage across
the backs of two horses and started afoot on
the hike through the jungle to the government
"lines" beyond which was the continuance of
the jungle to the point where the wireless
station was to be built. Government sur-
veyors were the only white men who had pre-

How Wireless Came to Cuba

919

ceded me through this wilderness, and the
marks of their hatchets as they hewed the
trail through the underbrush, were the only
signs that any one had ever been there before.
The land on this entire reservation, and for
miles beyond, was in its virgin state. All was
a dense undergrowth and jungle, interspersed
with low, arid, sand flats: a paradise for
mosquitoes, snakes, horned toads, scorpions,
tarantulas, wild cats, and all other kinds of
tropical creatures, flying and crawling.

I found George an intelligent fellow, enter-
taining and thoroughly trustworthy. This in
itself was a godsend, as one would hardly
expect to find anything like honor in sur-
roundings such as these. As we journeyed he
asked me if I had a pistol and 1 told him I had.
He advised me to carry it always in my belt
whether or not I ever had occasion to use it,
as the many bad Negroes down there behaved
only when they knew that the white man had
a gun. I later found this advice valuable.

ONE THRILL OF MANY

ONE of my first thrills happened on this
pathfinder trip. As we emerged from
the jungle trail onto a wide level stretch of
sand flats, I noticed that far ahead of us the
earth looked bluish white, while beneath us
it was hard packed salty sand. Nearing the
blue patch I noticed this "land" moving.
Slowly the bluish white part was separating
in the middle with a wide swath and making
a path showing the earth underneath. The
negro, noticing my amazement, smiled and
told me that this was a large army of land
crabs scampering away to avoid us. They
were there by the millions — ugly, worthless,
destructive creatures with glaring, protruding
eyes and wicked claws, some of them as big
as human hands. In their cowardly nature
they scurried and scampered away from us.
But had we fallen helpless by the wayside
they would immediately have returned to
devour us.

A short time previous to my arrival the
U. S. monitor, Amplitriie, had anchored in
the harbor with officers and men to break
ground for the construction of the new Naval
Station. This ship was the Naval head-
quarters of the entire reservation and its
commanding officer was the acting Command-
ant of the Navy Yard. Three Navy elec-
tricians from the ship were assigned ashore
with me. They were: John Watts, Chief
Electrician, of New York, Roscoe Kent of
St. Paul, and V. Ford Greaves of Minneapolis.

First we lived in a tent and got our food

A TYPICAL NATIVE HUT

supplies from the ship. The initial general
work to be done was the clearing of the dense
growth of mango bushes which grew profusely
along the shores around the station site.
This made sport for the mosquitoes. Next a
small dock was made so as to land supplies
for the engine house and other necessary ma-
terial. Finally, the engine house was comple-
ted to the extent that we could move in there
until our regular living quarters were finished.
Mosquitoes by the millions abounded and
they made life miserable for us both day and
night until we were able to obtain the neces-
sary fine mesh netting to protect our tent and
house.

It was not uncommon to be awakened in
the night by the sound of a wildcat outside,
for the animal was attracted there by the
smell of food. Once we failed to close the
flap of our tent and were awakened in the
middle of the night by a suspicious but
familiar sound inside. We switched a flash-
light in the direction of the sound. Instantly
a huge cat sprang completely across three of
our cots to the tent opening and escaped with
our next day's quota of meat.

Any one who has ever witnessed a southern
sky can understand our enjoyment in watch-
ing the southern constellations which are so
different from those at home. Huge fireflies
as big as bumblebees emitting a bright green
light filled the air at night. Small deer were
plentiful and once we shot a fine specimen from
our door. In the nearby inlets were the
beautiful pink plumed flamingo birds so free
from the haunts of man as not to fear our
approach. In the waters all about us were
gold fish, star fish, sea urchins, cow fish, and
scores of other tropical wonder fish, besides
many of the edible variety.

But enjoyment of the scenery had to take

920

Radio Broadcast

second place to work. Heavy concrete abut-
ments were constructed for the huge towers.
These were in triangle formation three hun-
dred feet apart. The towers were made of
eight inch timbers, about three feet square
at the base and tapering to one foot square
at the top. They were two hundred and eight
feet high. Suspended from the cross cables
at the top was a big fan antenna from each
of the three sides of the triangle. Heavy,
seven-strand phosphor bronze wire was used
and each triangle consisted of about 15,000
feet of wire or a total of 45,000 feet for the
entire cage. This immense amount of wire
weighed over a third of a ton, or the equivalent
to the amount used to-day by radio fans in
building five hundred sets of antennas. The
huge cage resembled a giant gold fish globe
two hundred feet high, and months after-
wards, when the station was in operation, the
mesh of wires would emit a bluish brush dis-
charge at night which was beautiful beyond
description and always proved of unending
awe to the natives who would stand off from
afar and gaze in open mouthed wonder.

QUARTERS

THE main building consisted of six rooms,
which included living quarters. About
100 feet distant was the engine house which
contained a 5O-horsepower gasoline driven
dynamo that furnished the electrical power.
The station was rated at 20 kilowatts. One
room contained the operating instruments,
another the huge condenser trays, the spark
gap and helix. So many wires from the
antenna came into the one point of the
bottom apex that it was necessary to build
a gibbet to hold them on account of their
weight before running them into the station.

It so happened that the site of the station
was selected by Navy officials who instead of
first considering its location from the point of
its adaptability for perfect wireless work,
selected it because that particular space was
down on the blue print as the place, just as
every other building planned for the reserva-
tion. As a result, a worse location could not
have been chosen, The little peninsula upon
which the station stood was wholly of coral
formation, entirely dead as far as moisture or
good ground facilities were concerned. This
condition gave us no end of trouble in getting
the station to function properly.

The days were hot and dry and the insects
bothered us so much that work progressed
slowly in the erection of the buildings and the
installation of the apparatus. Many times

it was necessary to tie a towel around one's
face, neck, and head, leaving only opening
enough to see and breathe, wearing overalls
and shirts saturated in kerosene was another
method used to ward off the pestering insects.

Hard luck seemed to follow every move.
High winds often blew down our antenna, and
the station was struck by lightning three times.
Once we experienced a slight earthquake
shock, but aside from frightening us it did
no damage.

An outcast Frenchman by name of Emile
was our cook. He spoke broken English, poor
Spanish, and never ceased telling us of his
acquaintance with Sarah Bernhardt. He was
a chef by courtesy only, but was the best
we could procure in that godforsaken land.
Another interesting member of our family
was Marianna Binega, a Cuban Negro, black
as the ace of spades, but loyal to the last
degree. He was a general roustabout; but
did everything in his power for us. He
watched over our health and comfort always,
once saving me from the bite of a scorpion
by quickly cautioning me not to put my arm
in the sleeve of a coat which had been hanging
for some time in the closet without being
worn. Excitedly he told me in Spanish (which
by this time I had begun to grasp) to shake the
garment. Sure enough, out from the sleeve
dropped the wicked insect which Marianna
quickly surrounded with an oiled wick, then
lighted it so that the scorpion would commit
suicide — which it did — thus giving me, as
Marianna had designed — another souvenir,
which 1 still possess. To Marianna, 1 was,
"Mistah Fraang." Kent was "Mistah Kee."
Watts was "Mistah Gwaa" and Greaves was
"Mistah Greavo." He was as faithful as
Friday to us.

GOVERNMENT INSPECTION

FOR some reason, unknown to me, a so-
called government inspector was sent
there for the purpose of watching me and my
work. I will not mention his name here, but
Marianna called him "Mistah Sinka- Walla"
and that name stuck with him till he left
after I did. He stayed on the job religiously
for eleven long months, every day, Sunday
included, from 8 A. M. till 5 p. M. He watched
me constantly and said nothing. Never a
word of encouragement or suggestion, but
whenever anything went wrong he was always
there with his familiar, " I thought so."

As we had no fresh water supply on account
of the dead ground formation, we made a
cement cistern to hold our drinking water.

How Wireless Came to Cuba

921

To obtain this water it was necessary for the
Government tug to steam up the Guantanamo
River to where the supply was fresh, there
fill its tanks, and then run down to our dock

and fill the cistern. Usually it required half
a day to do this and of course was of some
expense to the Government, so naturally we
tried to be as saving v/ith the water as possible.
One day after this filling
was done, we forgot to
place the cover over the
cistern hole and that night
a big wildcat, smelling the
fresh water, went to the
opening, fell overboard, and
was drowned. The next
morning Mr. Watts notified
the officer on the ship of
what had occurred, and
requested that the water

,IN AND AROUND THE WIRELESS STATION

Which was installed by Mr. Butler, working for Dr. De Forest's American Wireless Telegraph Company
at Guantanamo, Cuba, for the United States Navy. The lower photograph shows the station house and the
masts. The oval next above it shows the view of the Cuban landscape, on which the operators could
feast their eyes. The top oval is taken outside the operating shack and shows a part of the staff then

attached to the station

922

Radio Broadcast

be pumped out and the cistern refilled with
fresh water. A prompt, curt refusal was the
result. Such an order coming from their
superior officer had to be obeyed, of course.
I then sent a similar request and received the
answer that the matter had been taken care
of through Mr. Watts. Here, then, was the
first time it was necessary for me to use the
special letter I had from the Secretary of the
Navy which requested all officials where 1
operated to assist me in every possible way.
Without further argument I cabled Washing-
ton. Within a few
hours an answer
came and we got
what we asked for.
A short time after-
wards a case of
yellow fever broke
out in the laboring
camps near by and
my three Nav'y
companions were
ordered to vacate
the station and
come aboard ship
until the disease
subsided. This
inhuman action
left me helpless
and alone at the
station with an im-
minent danger
near. I again
sought recourse
from the Navy de-
partment with in-
stant and satisfac-
tory results.

In reviewing
my old diary I find under date of Tuesday,
November I4th, 1905, that I employed a
Negro by name of Joe Francis to repair a
parted main antenna cable which spanned
the space of 300 feet between two masts.
To repair this was not only a difficult task
but an extremely dangerous one because
most of the splicing work had to be done 200
feet above the ground. No one but Francis
could be found who was daredevil enough to
risk it. He was a notorious bad man and
had a price on his head for a murder al-
leged to have been committed in the United
States. I dickered with him to do the job
for $40.00 and he accepted.

However, after he had nearly finished
the work, and while sitting up there sway-
ing between heaven and earth, he called

THE OPERATING ROOM AT GUANTANAMO

The huge contrivance on the right is the antenna switch;
next is the power-control panel. An electrolytic detector
and slide tuning coil receiver completed the installation

down and declined to proceed unless I doubled
the amount of pay. This I flatly refused to
do and he still maintained his strike until I
drew my pistol and threatened to shoot him
down from his perch unless he completed the
job as he had contracted to do. To this
threat he promptly replied: "I guess you'd
do that all right, Mistah Frank. I'll finish the
job." I kept him covered while he continued
the work because he continually looked down
at me to see if I still meant business. He
afterwards told others he was going to get

me for that trick.
One night about
nine o'clock, a few
days later, one of
the station boys
and myself were
returning with
fruit from "the
halfway house," a
tent shack, not far
away where native
fruits and vege-
tables could be
bought.

The night was
starlit and the
journey was three
miles over a zig-
zag path through
the jungle. We
had to walk single
file. Some of the
spots on the way
were so dense with
overhanging moss
and tropical foli-
age as to entirely
cut out the view of
the sky. There were comparatively few snakes
here, but there were plenty of horned toads, tar-
antulas, land crabs, mosquitoes, and wildcats,
so we always carried a pistol. At a spot, such
as this, one third of the way home we met Joe
Francis, the Negro. He spoke coolly and slunk
by us like a panther, looking over his shoulder
as he passed. Fortunately I was ahead of
my partner and I think this was what saved
me. We were suspicious of his designs, so
the instant he left our view we turned off the
trail and penetrated the jungle, deciding to
attempt to feel our way home through the
unchartered underbrush. This, in itself was
dangerous, but we thought it the lesser of the
two evils. Scarcely had we left the path and
fallen to the ground than we heard Francis
retracing his steps stealthily. Not having

How Wireless Came to Cuba

923

a compass with us we selected, before moving,
a group of stars which we figured was above
the wireless station. Then, instead of starting
directly for the station we doubled back fur-
ther toward the way we had come and planned
on a wide circle around so as to enter the sta-
tion from the other side, thus avoiding that
trail entirely. We encountered bogs, marshes
and everything imaginable, but after several
hours of maneuvering we reached home safely
and without further adventure.

About a week later, Castro Frerrar, a
Spanish surveyor with whom I was well ac-
quainted, was stabbed and killed on this
lonely trail a short distance from the wireless
station. No one ever knew who did the deed
or for what purpose. He was about the same
size as I and might easily have been mis-
taken for me. The singular coincidence was
that Joe Francis left a few days later and
was never seen or heard of afterward.

TESTING THE STATION

FINALLY after many months the station
was completed and the long series of
tests began. Static was terrific. It was a
continual rumble. Our principal tuning de-
vice was a two-coil slider which to-day would
not be considered worth anything by a nine-
year-old school boy with a crystal set. Real-
izing the immense importance of developing
the receiving end of wireless, Dr. De Forest
left Key West and went back to New York
to study out this problem.

/ firmly believe it was our gruelling experience
with these southern stations that turned the
doctor's attention so strongly toward this subject
that he never gave it up until he later perfected
the heart of radio — his three-element audion
bulb, without which present day broadcasting
and receiving would be impossible.

His immediate work, however, after going
north was to perfect a tuning device which
would handle static better. This led to his
invention of the pancake tuner which consisted
of fine insulated wire wound spirally on glass
with variable adjustments. This we found
more efficient than anything used previously
and it became one of the principal elements in
the success of these installations.

In reviewing the many letters which passed
between Dr. De Forest and me during these
trying days it is gratifying and interesting to
note his keen appreciation of our difficult
work — his determination to succeed, and his
constant belief in ultimate success. Too
much credit cannot be given to Dr. De Forest
for what he has contributed toward the de-

A LAND CRAB

Which was caught in the act of carrying away a pair
of overalls belonging to one of the workmen at the
station. His claws are about the size of a man's
hand. These bluish white molluscs crawling across
the bare wooden floor of the porch at night sounded
like people walking across the creaking spaces

velopment of wireless and radio. His domi-
nant persistence, patience and ability were
as prominent two score years ago as they are
to-day. Had this developement been left
in the hands of a less determined or less
capable man than he, it would probably not
be in the advanced stage it is to-day. I
firmly believe this, because during the twenty
years I have watched the progress of radio
I have seen many experimenters who started
with great expectations but soon fell by the
wayside, not strong enough at heart or in
ability to stand the test of constant disap-
pointments.

Here are a few excerpts from some of the
De Forest letters:

July 28th, 1905: Your very interesting letter con-
cerning the lightning storm received. It was a
very graphic account of a frightful experience. I
appreciate your devotion to the cause in taking the
risk you did and am glad so little damage to our
apparatus occurred.

August gth, 1905: You certainly are the star
martyr to the wireless cause at present and have our
fullest sympathies — if those will do you any ap-
preciable good. None of us are too happy or en-
joying flowery beds of ease. It is a tough problem
and I can't tell what "ist los," but will keep on
trying new stunts until it is solved. "Never say
die," and "You can't stop a Yank," are the two
cardinal mottoes of the wireless bunch, you know.

October 4th, 1905: "I am enclosing plan for

924

Radio Broadcast

THE SPARK-GAP AT GUANTANAMO

The electrodes were encased in an asbestos-lined

muffler box. The spark jumped a one-inch gap,

shunted by four large condensers

connecting up the six condensers. The tinfoil
has been shipped from the lab. You can put this
on with paraffin, as we generally do now, building
up the whole thing under oil. (Imagine working for
days with arms immersed in kerosene.)

November 8th, 1905: Glad to get your long
letter of 3oth, and regret it is so full of hard luck
tales. Sincerely hope your big transformer (weigh-
ing a ton) won't blow up again and believe that the
new ground plate will remedy your troubles. You
show splendid grit as you always do in facing these
difficulties.

November 2Oth, 1905: Your yellow feverish,
earth quakish letter came to hand this morning. I
am sorry your troubles are holding up so well, but
do not get discouraged as we have ours here, and
you have not succeeded in cornering the trouble
market by any means.

December 26, 1905. I want to thank you most
heartily for the very kind letter of Christmas
greetings you wrote me. There is no one in our
employ who has shown himself more loyal and
determined in his efforts to hasten success of the
system than yourself, and you may be sure that
I appreciate it fully.

Then, in reviewing my diary of that year,
the following few terse sentences graphically
portray the unbroken schedule of daily mis-
haps we encountered:

June 5th, 1905: Big 50 H. P. motor generator
blew up, damaging armature.

June 7th. Commenced taking off tin roof on
building and substituting it with asbestos.

June i2th. Commenced repairing damaged trays
in condensers.

June 1 4th. Lined condenser trays with portland
cement.

June 26th. Killed an 8-foot Moha snake in
back yard. This was the cause of so many of our
chickens disappearing.

July loth. Constructed plate glass condensers
for motor and circuit breakers.

July 1 3th. Terrific storm 2:30 A. M. Lightning
struck station bursting an entire room full of con-
densers— just finished after two weeks of hard work
— throwing oil and plate glass all over the room and
into the walls.

July i4th. Repaired damaged antenna wires.

July 26th. Changed all d. c. wiring throughout
station 36 inches away from a. c. from engine
house to station.

August i4th. Rained this evening during ex-
ceedingly bright moon which caused unusual phe-
nomena of two bright rainbows at night.

August 2 1 st. Small cyclone struck us.

August 3 1 st. Lightning struck the station at
4:15 P. M. blowing up one set of condensers.

September 5th. No fresh water. Had to drink
salt water all day.

Sept. 24th. Another entire span of 15,000 feet
antenna wire blew down.

Sept. 2yth. Touched off station again and
blower motor blew up.

October 8th. Herd of horses from workmen's
camp broke corral in night and demolished the guy
wires on the entire aerial spans twisting wires
badly.

Earthquake at 4:43 p. M. while

Finished new ground to-day.
Rewound blower armature.
Secretary of Navy Taft visited

October i5th.
eating supper.

October i7th.

October igth.

November 7th.
us to-day.

November I7th. Heard Key West and Pensacola
first time.

December loth. Key West heard us first time.
Blew up blower motor.

December i5th. Big two-ton transformer blew
up.

I had almost begun to think I was waging
a hopeless battle against nature as week after
week a fresh burst of some new and unforeseen
trouble presented itself.

MORE TROUBLE

A BOVE the door of our station we tacked
**• a motto: "Abandon hope, all ye who
enter here, for verily this is hell." It was
there for months and was a grim way we had
of joking with ourselves.

It was not until the following March that
we finally overcame all our troubles and suc-
ceeded in establishing communication with

How Wireless Came to Cuba

925

our distant stations to the entire satisfaction
of the Navy Department.

When the end finally came, when my work
was finished, I was more than overjoyed to
get away from that place of trials, but I
was sorrowful to leave my three faithful navy
companions, Watts, Kent, and Greaves, like-
wise faithful Marianna, who so loyally stood
by me through, perhaps, the most crucial
period that any group of early wireless work-
ers ever experienced.

In the meantime, Dr. De Forest had sailed
for Europe and shortly after my arrival in
New York I received the following letter from
him, which I highly prize, because of the won-
derful sentiment and appreciation it discloses.

London, E. C.
April 20th, 1906
Mr. Frank E. Butler,

New York City.
MY DEAR FRANK:

Upon the occasion of the final acceptance by
the U. S. Navy of the five large stations, of which
you have been in charge, I wish to extend to you
on behalf of myself and of the American De Forest
Wireless Telegraph Co., congratulations, hearty
and sincere, and to felicitate you upon your safe
return to God's country.

Too often it is the case that while the faults and
blunders of men receive prompt and severe criti-
cism, the merits of their work, the fidelity of their
services pass unacknowledged, even if fully ap-
preciated by their employers. I trust that this
may never be the policy of our company.

All of the officials of this corporation have watched
with intense pride the heroic efforts you have made,
the great patience through long months of dis-
couragement and difficulties which have neces-
sarily preceded this success. I can deeply appre-
ciate the nature of your labors, your trials, the
hardships you have undergone, for it has been my
good fortune to have been with you at your post
and shared in, while directing, your work.

This work, these experiments, these long-drawn-
out tests, carried on in the face of unforeseen and
manifold difficulties have, I believe, not only
achieved the wireless success intended, but have been
the means of developing character, a determination
to bearand achieve like good soldiers; have ripened
a friendship and a loyalty to one another and to a
worthy cause, which constitutes in life elements
of even greater value than commercial success.

We do not, we cannot forget the obstacles you
have had to face and which you have bravely over-
come.

For tedious months away from home and friends,
in climates scorching and unhealthy, deprived of
all usual comforts of life, tormented night and day
by insect pests, distressed but not baffled by static

unkown to any other wireless workers, delayed
month after month by breakdowns of Navy appara-
tus, continually called upon to make repairs, often
without proper tools, facing skeptical criticism, sur-
rounded by hostility, open or concealed on the part
of officials from whom we had every reason to expect
cooperation and interest, — yet, you have stuck to
your posts, have triumphed over one difficulty after
another, have forced new secrets from Nature, and
having by your tenacity, patience and skill ac-
complished your ends, you have won at last an
acknowledgment of the success of the system from
the entire Navy Department, and set a new stand-
ard in the art of Wireless Telegraphy.

In view of your services in this unexampled
undertaking we wish to express, although in inade-
quate words, some' portion of praise you so well de-
serve, and to express our confidence that this navy
work is but the beginning of greater things we are
yet to accomplish together in wireless.
Very sincerely yours,

LEE De FOREST.
Vice Pres. and Scientific Director.

All the desperate trials of the Cuban ex-
perience seemed wiped out by this letter.
For were they not worth it, those trials, when
one was working for Dr. Lee De Forest?

COMPAGMIE FRANCAISE DBS CABt^TELEGRAPHIQtJES

^t^xmS

S*jL<JLi-~ SVVVi^^ — CrJw^i

~lL- i^fn

ONE OF DR. DE FOREST S CABLEGRAMS

To Mr. Butler and his associates in Cuba. It was
filed in Pensacola, Florida on August 3, 1905 and
reads: " Butler Naval Wireless Station Guantanamo
listen five thirty to eleven thirty A. M. no night work
check coming Lee De Forest". Many messages of
this sort had to be exchanged before the new Naval
station in Cuba could be put in order

The Factors Governing Radio

Receiving

Why Daytime Reception Is Less Than That at Night —
Why Signals Fade — How Selective Should a Receiver Be?

WHAT MAKES THE WHEELS GO 'ROUND: XI
BY WALTER VAN B. ROBERTS

THIS installment of Mr. Roberts's series of explanatory technical articles
answers some of the questions most often asked by the broadcast listener.
Many attempts have been made to explain the phenomenon of fading in radio,
and still, although radio is more than twenty-five years old, we know but little
definitely about it. Here the best-known facts have been gathered together,
and every reader whose set has come to mean more to him than a box containing
tubes and wires will be interested to read what an authority has written on the
subject of radio reception. The next and last article in this series will appear
soon. It deals with the operation and use of the various accessories of the radio
receiver. — THE EDITOR.

THERE are three main factors govern-
ing the distance that can be satis-
factorily covered between a given
transmitting station and a given re-
ceiving set.

(1) The amount of interference.

(2) The inverse distance effect. As the
radio waves spread out in all directions from
the transmittng station their strength natur-
ally decreases. At twice the distance their
amplitude is halved, at four times the distance
it is only one quarter, etc.

(3) The attenuation, which is quite a differ-
ent thing. It acts simultaneously with the
inverse distance effect to reduce the amplitude
of the waves. Attenuation of the waves is due
to their being dissipated in the form of heat.
Whenever the waves strike any object in which
they can produce electric currents, the cur-
rents are produced at the expense of the energy
of the waves and heat up, to a minute degree,
the material in which they flow. The result
of this is that, independently of the inverse
distance effect, every so many miles the
strength is reduced by a certain fraction of
what it was at the beginning of those miles.

Thus if the amplitude is cut down by attenu-
ation to one half of its original value at the
end of the first hundred miles, it would be only
one fourth after two hundred miles, one eighth

after three hundred miles, one sixteenth after
four hundred, etc. This is the same sort of
thing as the compound interest law, and mounts
up very rapidly. In the case of ordinary
telephony over land wires, the attenuation
is such that the current is about one third,
at the end of every ten miles, of what it
was at the beginning of those ten miles, and
a little calculation shows that to talk across the
continent without any amplifiers inserted
along the line would require more power than
is available in the whole world — in fact more
power than the sun gives out. Yet by the
insertion of a dozen or so amplifiers or relay
stations along the line, the attenuation law is
prevented from "getting well under way"
and a ridiculously small power is enough for
transcontinental telephony.

In daytime, the attenuation of radio waves
(which is possibly due to the air being rendered
slightly conducting by sunlight) seems to be
fairly constant and reliable. At night, how-
ever, it may be anything between the daytime
value and nothing at all. On especially good
nights in winter when there is practically no
attenuation, stations can be heard at great
distances because the spreading out effect is
all that is at work to weaken the signals.
Thus, for example, a station that can be heard
fifty miles in daytime could be equally well

The Factors Governing Radio Receiving

927

heard, on one of these good nights, a thousand
miles away by simply adding a stage of radio-
frequency amplification which would amplify
the received signal twenty times before sup-
plying it to the detector.

The mere absence of attenuation is probably
enough to account for the numerous cases of
the simplest sort of receiving equipment some-
times hearing stations thousands of miles
away, while the presence of the daytime at-
tenuation accounts for these same sets failing
to get equally powerful stations only a hundred
miles or so away in daytime.

82. FADING

IN THE close vicinity of a transmitting sta-
tion the inverse distance effect is the main
factor in weakening the signals. Hence
near-by stations come in about as well by day
as by night. Above a few hundred miles the
attenuation is the chief factor, but there is
also another type of variation of signal
strength called "fading." Every broadcast
listener has noticed this, but many of them
think it is due to improper tuning of their
receivers. The phenomenon is as follows:
suppose a distant station has been tuned-in
and we are sitting listening to a speech. Sud-
denly we realize that the voice is rapidly be-
coming fainter and in the course of a few
seconds it may drop out of hearing entirely.
If now we do not touch the receiving set but
wait a few seconds or perhaps half a minute,
the voice will probably reappear and rapidly
regain its original volume. If this happens
often, it makes the reception very unsatis-
factory. There is no proved explanation of
it. Variations in the attenuation constant
due to ionization of the air by "storms" of
electrons shot out from the sun or interference
effects due to some of the waves going from
transmitter to receiver via a different path
are two of a number of possible causes. The
phenomena are so irregular that no law has
been discovered governing them.

83. IDEAL SELECTIVITY AND SENSITIVITY OF A
RECEIVING SET

THE ideal radio receiver will be as selective
as is possible; that is, it will receive a
channel of frequencies about 10,000 cycles wide
(or only 5000 cycles in the case of single side
band transmission) equally well, but will not

receive other frequencies at all. In this
manner, the door is shut to all interfering
wavelengths except those lying in the channel
that we must receive. This is all that selec-
tivity can do to reduce interference. (It is
assumed that a loop or the most "directional"
possible antenna is used to further reduce in-
terference by responding less to interference
coming, on the average, from all directions
than to the signal which comes from the most
favorable direction). The ideal receiver will
not need to be any more sensitive than enough
to bring in interfering noises with more than
tolerable loudness under conditions of least
interference. When interference is worse, the
sensitivity should be cut down to keep these
noises from becoming objectionably loud. In
summer time the interfering radio waves
manufactured by nature are the worst, and
rarely stop.

84. MORE POWER NEEDED AT THE TRANS-
MITTER

AS TH IS ideal in radio receivers is not attain-
able at the present time, there is only one
way left to reduce interference with the present
wavelengths and improve the distance over
which satisfactory broadcasting is possible.
That is to have the transmitting stations put
out more power and still more power. If
every broadcasting station put ten kilowatts
into the ether for every one that they are
radiating now, interference between stations
would not increase and the "static" and other
noises would be drowned out and the signal
would be so powerful that receiving sets could
be less sensitive and thus save much more
money than would be required to increase the
power of the transmitting station. However,
just as in the case of land wire telephony we
will probably never be able to put enough
power into the ether to give good transmission
across the continent in spite of bad interfer-
ence with the daytime attenuation at work.
We will more likely send the voice across
country by land line to be shot out by radio
from numerous broadcast stations so located
that everybody will be somewhere near one of
them. This system has the advantage that if
something that is to be transmitted is of
interest to only certain sections of the country,
it can be broadcast only from stations in those
sections, and thus not cause unnecessary in-
terference in other sections.

NOW, 1 HAVE FOUND. .

A Department Where Readers Can Exchange Ideas and Sug-
gestions of Value to the Radio Constructor and Operator

9 5

PR a long time, RADIO BROADCAST has felt the need of an outlet for the many excellent ideas dealing with
/arious features of radio construction which reach our office. With this issue, we begin the department
of good ideas from our readers, and invite the cooperation of all those who are interested.

AN ECONOMICAL B.C.L. ANTENNA
MAST

MANY and varied have been the articles
concerning the kind of apparatus to be
used by the radio experimenter, while
the descriptions of good auxiliary apparatus
have been few. The writer believes that there
is a definite need for the description of a mast
especially suitable for the broadcast listener.

In designing this mast, the location and
needs of the listener have been kept in mind.
Simplicity of construction, neat appearance,
stability, and ease of erection have been the
prime considerations. Due to the number of
good well distributed broadcast plants and the
increase in sensitivity of the present-day re-
ceivers, great height is not required in a mast.
Besides, many listeners live in the cities, near
the big stations, and where apartments are the
dwellings of the majority, so that there is a
corresponding lack of room and facilities for
the erection of any very high mast.

The mast described below is easy to make,
easy to erect, mechanically strong, neat ap-
pearing (thus eliminating the objection of
many property owners), and best of all it is
inexpensive.

CROSS SECTION

TO SHOW GUY

DIRECTIONS

MATERIALS AND ESTIMATED

COST:

* u

FIG. 2

Two pcs. 2" x i"
clear surface pine,
1 6 to 24 ft. long .

One pc i" x i" clear
surface pine, 5 ft.
long ....

Eight iV' diam. or-
dinary stove bolts,
aj" long . . .

$i .00

.20

Twelve large screw eyes .
Pint can outside white paint.
Guy wire (length to be calculated)

TOTAL . . . . . .

I n addition, several screws
or nails, usually found in the B

home work box, and a pair
of blocks or stakes will be
required.

.20

•75
.50

FIG. 3

for

This total is only
approximate and will probably vary
different localities.

ASSEMBLY

/CONSTRUCTIONAL work is much easier
>-* and very much facilitated if two old
boxes are set up to hold the mast pieces while
working.

Place the two mast pieces side by side, flat
side (the 2" face) up. Then, starting a few
inches from the end, mark drilling points every
two feet, stopping at point C, which is five
feet from the proposed lower end of the mast.
The number of these drilling points will vary
as some can get 24-ft. pieces, while others cai
only get i6-ft. pieces. Drill these holes so
they will just take the -fa" bolts snugly.
Bolt the two mast pieces together, tighten
nuts, and place the mast so the two one-inch
faces are now up (bolts parallel to ground).
See Fig. 7.

Now cut a one-foot length from the i " x i "
and slip it in at a point a few inches from end
of the unbolted portion of the mast (H in
diagram). Fasten this in permanently with
screws. Cut three more sections (J, K, L) and
insert in the same way. Be sure to cut the

"Now, I Have Found

929

M o

ends of these at a slight
angle so they will fit
snugly into the slight
curve in the wood. A
mitre box is very useful if
available. Ends E, E are
to be sawed off at the
proper angle to rest on
roof or ground, Insert
eyes at top (T) and at
midpoint (M), so that
two guys will pull back-
ward and one forward
(see sketch). Note that
the forward eye is not to
be put in the crack, but
screwed in at an angle.
The mast is now ready for
painting, which is easily
done on the double box
rest mentioned previously.
Apply two coats (one is in-
sufficient and will wear off
quickly), giving each a full
twenty-four hours to dry,
and applying the first
thinly. See Figs. 2-5 and 6.

GUYS

IN THE small diagram,
P represents perpen-
dicular pole height, and B
the distance from base to
point at which you will
anchor the guy, of length
L. Square P, square B,
add these together and
take the square root. The
result is the guy length L.
Three are needed at the
top and three more that
are attached at M. Be

sure that P for the latter is measured from

base up. Add at least a foot to each of the

guy lengths to allow for

twist when securing to

pole and at the base. See

Fig. 7.

FIG.

GROUND
STEPPING BASE

STEPPING THE MAST

IF THE mast is to be on
the roof, a stepping
base should be built. This
consists of two blocks of
wood nailed to roof as an

t, MAST
LP ENDS IF

FIG. 4

inverted V at point of rest (see sketch.) The
mast is stepped against this in raising so that
one man can raise it alone, as he would a

INSERT AN
INSULATOR

FIG. 5

long ladder. IFTHEGUYSARE
Tying in a couple
of guys in ad- IT IS WELL TO
vance assists ma-
terially. Block
and tackle at- 1NSULATOR-
tached to a
near-by tree or
building may be
used if available.
This is shown in

Fig- 3-

If the mast is

to be raised from the ground, two stakes may
be driven in and ends of mast bolted to these
as swivel points in raising. See Fig. 4.

ANTENNA

THIS mast will easily support an antenna
of several wires with their spreaders. How-
ever, for most reception, one wire is sufficient.
Furthermore, attaching a single wire to the
mast permanently is highly recommended, as
trouble due to
broken pulley ropes
is thus entirely
avoid ed. — CARLOS
S. MUNDT, San
"%

-MAST

Francisco, Calif.

FIG. 6

A HANDY RA-
DIO B BATTERY
WHICH USES
FLASHLIGHT
CELLS

THE block type B battery is not always
the best investment according to the
opinion of some radio users because when
one or two cells go dead the entire block has to
be thrown away and its usefulness is gone. If
separate cells are utilized however, only the
"dead" ones need be dis-
carded. New ones may
be inserted in their places
and the battery will be as
good as ever for consider-
able continued use. As-
sembling these, in the or-
dinary case, is more or
less troublesome however
when the various connec-
tions have to be soldered
together. Consequently,
the idea described here
will be found of great
advantage and by its , FIG. 7

930

Radio Broadcast

use dead cells may be instantly removed and
fresh ones inserted.

This article describes a 22^-volt outfit using
flat flashlight cells of standard size with an
e.m.f. of 3.8 volts each. Batteries of higher
voltages may be computed from these meas-
urements.

The constructional details are shown in Fig. 8.

Make a box of thin wood whose inside meas-
urements are 4! inches long, 3 inches high and
2^ inches wide. Shellac the inside to keep
out moisture. Remove any projecting nails or
metal that might cause a short circuit between
two or more neighboring cells.

Next make five contact strips of sheet brass
as shown in the little detail sketch. These must
be at least f inches wide and long enough to
bend over and clinch on each side of the wood.
Place the six cells in the box and note where
their tabs come along the edge. Mark the
spots and then remove the cells and fit three
contact strips along one side in proper relation
and two on the other side of box. Replace the
cells, being careful to alternate the relation of
the various tabs. The short or positive tab
of one cell must be on the same side as the
negative or long tab of its neighbor and so on.
Thus the strips will connect, electrically nega-
tive to positive all through the six cells and
build up the resultant voltage to about 22^.
As will be noted, the tabs originally bend in-
ward but should be sprung out sufficiently to
bear well against the contact strips when the
cells are in position in the box.

To prevent the cells from rising from the box
due to the springiness of the tabs, it will be
necessary to make a top strip of thin wood
which must be fastened across the box length-
ways. This holds the cells down and makes
contacts sure.

A spring clip on each B battery wire enables

one to tap in anywhere and secure any plate
voltage desired. Such a battery will be found
very handy and a considerable money saver.
To insure a positive contact at all times it
is well to brighten the contact strips by rub-
bing with fine sandpaper. — L. B. ROBBINS,
Harwich, Mass.

UN-B LOOP ING BLOOPERS

3K77WAL VIEW

FIG. 8

C/ES there a man with soul so dead that
he wishes to annoy the neighbors by
running a blooper?

If so, the neighbors would be justified in
making his body match his soul, and the whole
town would rejoice, and the minister should
refuse to bury him.

If you own a blooper and wish to avoid such
a well deserved fate, and also wish to avoid the
expense of a new panel and cabinet you can
change it to a Roberts set, (which does not
radiate), by mounting three of the spider web
coils on the outside of the old cabinet. These
are the coils NP, 82, and T, and unless you
have a very good set with as many as three
tubes it will also give you better reception.

This is not a fashionable arrangement as
radio fashions go, but it works quite as well
as with the knob-controlled coils, the only re-
quirement being that there must be room in
the old cabinet for two .coo5-mfd. variable
condensers with about four inches clearance
between them.

The coil mounting consists of three cartridge
fuses two inches long and six fuse clips to hold
them. The clips are fastened to the bakelite
shown in sketch by -/-% brass machine screws
ij inches long which project into the cabinet
for the connections.

The fuse cartridges are drilled out for a j\t
inch hole at the ends and the fuses and filling
shaken out. Three pieces of
f inch fibre are cut out as
shown in Fig. 9 for the coil con-
trols. These pieces and also
the fuse cartridges should be
boiled in paraffin for ten min-
utes to prevent them from ab-
sorbing moisture.

The brass rod should be soft-
ened by heating to a dull red
and cooling in water, cut into
pieces if inches long, bent in a
vise with a hammer, \ inch from
one end to shape a right angle.
The other end should be flat-
tened slightly to fit against the
fibre and to drill easier. No. 14

"Now, I Have Found

931

HOME MADE

A simple and very efficient mounting for the Roberts circuit

brass escutcheon pins are used for rivets in
the No. 44 holes to fasten the bent rods to
the fibre, with heads on the fibre side.

The construction of the coil forms has
already been described in RADIO BROADCAST.

The leads of the coils are soldered to the
rivet heads or rods. The tickler coil is on the
right, coil 82 in the middle clips and coil NP
at the left. The third terminal from the coil
NP is soldered to a ^ screw in the No. 27
hole in the fibre. Two inches of pig tail wire
are soldered to the other end of this screw, a
piece of shoestring is slipped over the pig tail
for insulation and the free end connects to
a small binding post in the hole X.

The coils A and Si should be mounted on
top of the left hand condenser in a horizontal
position, using a bracket made of a strip of
stiff brass bent at right angles. The three-
coil mounting is located on the right hand end
of the cabinet with the centers of the coils at
the same height from the base board as the
average height of A and Si. This may neces-
sitate lowering the left hand condenser, but
it is very important to prevent magnetic feed-
back. Only the right hand condenser which
tunes 82 need have a vernier.

The small neutralizing condenser shown in
the photograph is very easy to make, the
plates being insulated from each other by a
piece of thin celluloid or mica. The screw head
is soldered to the movable plate and is turned
by a piece of hacksaw blade tied in the split
end of a stick which allows adjustment from a

distance, as this condenser is
easily effected by body capacity.
For this reason it should be placed
at the back of the cabinet, high
enough to adjust easily. A screw
driver with a wooden handle will
also serve to vary the capacity
by inserting the blade in the
screw head. Once this adjust-
ment is made, for the tube used,
it does not have to be altered.
— HARDING Gow, East Sound,
Wash.

NOTES ON THE ROBERTS
CIRCUIT

IN BUILDING a receiver em-
ploying the Roberts circuit I
have come across the following
points which may be of help and
interest to others who build a
receiver of this type.

>- NO. 19 DRILL-,

_ r SOLDERED

BRASS

>•_ V*" ROD

FIG. 9

932

Radio Broadcast

If the components of the circuit are so ar-
ranged that the capacity of the first tube is
more than neutralized due to capacity between
parts of the circuit, it is impossible to balance

THE ANTENNA COUPLER

By means of a bolt and nuts the coupling be-
tween primary and secondary may be varied

the first tube capacity in the usual way. In
order to avoid this condition, it is necessary to
minimize any capacity between the grid cir-
cuits of the two tubes by the following pre-
cautions:

1. Mount the two variable condensers so that
there is at least a 2-inch clearance between them.

2. Do not mount the audio transformer near the
grid circuit of the detector tube.

If it seems impossible to neutralize the tube
capacity in the usual way, the neutralizing
condenser may be connected as shown in
Fig. 10, and a balance obtained by adjustment
in the usual manner. To arrange the neu-
tralizing condenser for this connection, solder a

A GOOD NEUTRALIZING CONDENSER

For the Roberts circuit which can
be made in the home laboratory

piece of wire, preferably braided, to the neutral-
izing condenser sleeve and connect this to the
grid. Connect the two electrodes of the con-
denser as in Fig. 10. One to the end of the
balancing winding and one to the plate of the
tube.

Moving the sleeve towards A balances out
the tube capacity as
usual. Moving the
sleeve towards B in-
creases the capacity
between grid and
plate of the tube so

SLEEVE

FIG.

that if, due to stray
capacity as ex-
plained above, the
tube capacity is neu-
tralized, a balance
can be obtained.

I have found that a vernier is unnecessary
for tuning the circuit of the first tube, but the
tuning of the detector tube circuit requires
that a vernier be used.

Some means should be
employed to prevent the
neutralizing condenser
sleeve from coming in con-
tact with the condenser
'electrodes. A piece of
string tied tightly around
the glass tube at each end as in Fig. 1 1 will
prevent the sleeve from touching the elec-
trodes while adjustments are being made. —
JOHN B. CLOTHIER, JR., Landsowne, Pa.

STRING SLEEVE, STRING

FIG. I I

Improving the Storage Battery

for Radio

BY JAMES M. SKINNER

\ A/E HAVE heard and read much concerning the recent developments in various sys-
* ^ terns of current production from the regular lamp socket as a means of doing away
with batteries of all kinds for radio work. This work, as editorials and articles we have
published heretofore certainly indicate, is in our minds both valuable and interesting —
work which we have gone a long way off the beaten path to encourage. In the light of
present-day enterprise an advance in any branch of industrial activity usually results in a
necessity for rearrangement of existing methods which the more recent development is de-
signed to improve or replace, rather thaa total abolition of older methods. The most
efficient method of radio receiver operation, obviously, is the method which will produce
the best results at the lowest cost. The estimate of cost should include purchase price
and upkeep and in these days of luxury it would seem reasonable to include convenience
as part of the service the device must render.

All of these much mooted questions have, to a certain degree at any rate, been glossed over
by most radio editors while the manufacturers of storage batteries and current tap devices
have to a marked degree been gnawing at each other's throats.

We are convinced that there is room in the field for all three systems of plate and fila-
ment supply and feel that the publication of articles like this one will let our readers know
that the makers of our old friends, the dry and storage batteries, have not been entirely
asleep. They have made radical improvements in their products which have made the
storage battery a clean enough device to grace our living rooms and have developed a sys-
tem of charging which is almost automatic. Batteries are still very important elements in
radio, and it is very likely that they always will be. — THE EDITOR

THERE was a time when the radio
enthusiast went to his favorite radio
shop and bought merely a storage
battery for his set. Now he is more
critical, for he knows that the storage battery
has been carefully and excellently adapted to
the uses of radio by progressive manufacturers.
When the vacuum tube first came into use and
storage batteries were required to light their
filaments, the only battery which could be had
was the heavy and unwieldy and certainly un-
beautiful battery then used for ignition pur-
poses. The acid leaked through the vents in
the sticky top of the cell and the wood case
was itself often acid soaked. Then, the stor-
age battery had to be carefully disposed in-
deed, for few carpets and rugs were proof
against its acid invasions.

Now the storage battery has been modified
and altered so that it is really suited for radio.
It is essentially the same old storage battery
and it works on the same tried and true chemi-
cal principles as before the battery got all
dressed up for its radio uses.

With the new models of storage batteries
recently brought out by several manufac-
turers, it is unnecessary to have any tech-
nical knowledge about the workings of
storage batteries. It is entirely unnecessary
to worry about such deep technical mysteries
as current rates, overcharging, and reverse
charging.

Many of these batteries are now manufac-
tured with glass cases so that the complete
condition of the cell can be seen at all times.
Some contain a charge and discharge indica-
tor, in the form of two colored indicator balls.
These are so designed that they indicate the
condition of the cells at all times. When both
of these indicators are floating, the battery is
charged. When one sinks and the other floats,
the battery is partially discharged and when
both sink, the battery is nearly discharged.
During the charging process, this action is re-
versed. First one ball floats when the bat-
tery is more than half charged. Later, the
other floats, which indicates that the recharg-
ing of the battery has been completed.

934

Radio Broadcast

THE OLD TYPE

Of battery to which the name "radio" was applied
by makers of auto lighting batteries when the
demand for radio batteries came upon them.
Though a perfectly good battery for other purposes,
it does not fill the bill for radio as a comparison with
the other illustrations will disclose

KEEPING THE ACID IN ITS PLACF.

MODERN radio storage batteries are
designed so that almost no spray es-
capes from the battery. Everybody knows
that a mere trace of acid turns blue litmus
paper red. One manufacturer claims that
his storage battery for radio use stays so dry
and free from acid on top that a piece of blue
litmus paper placed over the vent cap will not
turn red.

Of course, this all implies that the unit
shall be properly charged, but here again, the
radio user, no matter how inexperienced, has
nothing to worry about. Chargers can now
be purchased with a current rate so low that
even if the battery remain on charge long after
it is fully charged, no harm can result. The
battery therefore cannot overheat.

CHARGING THE BATTERY

FOR small A batteries of about 15 to 18
ampere-hour capacity, such as would be
used to supply the filaments of peanut tubes,
a ^-ampere charger is sufficient. For a 30 to
50 ampere-hour A battery supplying stand-
ard 6-volt tubes, a one-ampere charger is satis-
factory. A batteries whose capacity is from
80 to 100 ampere-hours, use a one- or two-
ampere charger. For storage A batteries of
size larger than this, a two- or five-ampere

8 RECTIFIER

ALL IN ONE

Storage A, storage B batteries with plugs for varying the voltage at will. The A charger and B charger and
switching device make it possible to use batteries with this unit and operate it directly from an alternating

current light socket

Improving the Storage Battery for Radio

935

charger will charge gently enough to insure
against acid spray or overheating.

Since radio storage batteries have been so
refined there is no reason why they cannot be
charged as well as discharged in the same
room in which the radio receiver is located.
It is almost a waste of energy to carry one of
the newer batteries to a service station for re-

charging when it is possible to perform that
operation in the home at a minimum of ex-
pense. Separate chargers can be purchased

ANOTHER COMPLETE UNIT

Comprising storage A and B batteries with chemical low-rate charger and convenient switching arrangement
for charging and operating. Here the manufacturer has made an effort to keep pace with the demands made
upon him by discriminating purchasers. A radio supply system of this type is clean, easy to operate, and

quite satisfactory

936

Radio Broadcast

and wired so that when the battery is run
down from continued use, a switch may be
thrown and the battery charged. If the pur-
chaser wishes, he may buy a complete storage
battery and charging unit combined.

The glass case of most of the present radio
storage batteries allows the user to see at all
times the proper height of the electrolyte and
a constant check can be kept on its condition.
Because of the avoidance of overheating dur-
ing the charging process and proper design of
the vent caps in the top, the water in the
solution evaporates quite slowly and refilling
is necessary only at very infrequent inter-
vals.

When a low-rate charger is used, the battery
must obviously be charged at more frequent
intervals than if the charging rate is high, say
five amperes. With the charging unit con-
nected so that charging and discharging is
merely a matter of throwing a switch from one
side to the other, frequent charging at a low
rate is no especial hardship. Also, it actually
costs less for current to charge slowly and
easily at a low rate than fast and furiously at a
high rate. When one overheats a battery by
leaving it too long with a charger too big for it,
one has to pay for the current which generates
this utterly useless and harmful heat.

PLACING AND USE OF THE BATTERY

GLASS cased storage cells can very easily
and neatly be placed inside radio
cabinets, and some of the late models of com-
plete cabinet receivers contain glass cased
storage cells which are used for continuous
service with no annoyance from spilled acid.

Storage batteries have the advantage of
maintaining a quite constant, even voltage.
This variation is not more than ten per cent,
from the start to finish of a discharge, and less
than five per cent, if the battery is kept pretty
well charged at all times with frequent boost-

A SMALL STORAGE BATTERY

Made with a rubber case and a view to portability.

Such a battery may well be used with the smaller

tubes, requiring 3 volts for filament operation, h

is rugged, clean, and not too expensive

ing with a low rate charger. In the A battery
circuit of a receiver, uniform voltage minimizes
the danger of shortening the life of tubes at
first by overheating filaments, and against
weak signals through underheating of the tube
filaments later on. Uniform filament voltage
also makes the filament rheostat settings on a
receiver the same for any one station from one
day to the next.

Steady voltage of the B battery circuit is
even more desirable than in the A circuit.

B Charging Panel

SWITCHING CONNECTIONS

For charging storage batteries used with radio receivers. The diagram on the left shows a convenient
method for charging a radio A battery and the complete one on the right shows a method very generally used

for B battery charging

Improving the Storage Battery for Radio

937

Storage B batteries give steady, uniform
voltage which is desirable.

Storage batteries are not overly expensive.
A high grade A battery and charger (the fila-
ment supply for peanut tubes) including plugs
and sockets for permanent switching connec-
tion costs about $18. A larger size for stand-
ard 6-volt tubes can be bought for a little more
than $30, which also includes a charger and
switches. A 96-volt B battery costs about

$27.50 to $40.00, according to its size and
finish. Most A battery chargers are designed
to charge B batteries as well, or they can be
so adapted.

To charge a 96-volt B battery of 3000
milliampere-hours capacity costs about ten
cents. The expense of keeping an A battery
charged is very slight. And a properly built
storage battery will last for years with practi-
cally no outlay for repairs.

RECEIVING TRANSATLANTIC COMMERCIAL RADIO TRAFFIC

In the station at Nauen, near Berlin, Germany. Nauen, POZ, is the

single most powerful station in that country and transmits commercial

traffic directly to many countries. The handle of a large receiving loop

is in the upper left corner

QUESTIONS AND
^

WHEN YOU WRITE THE GRID . . .

Don't fail to enclose a stamped, self -addressed envelope with your
inquiry if you expect a personal reply.

Don't be impatient if you do not receive an immediate answer. Every
letter is answered in the order of its receipt. Do not send a second letter
asking about the first.

Look over your files of RADIO BROADCAST before asking a question
which might have been covered in a previous issue.

Don't ask for a comparison between manufactured apparatus. The
addresses of manufacturers of articles used in the construction of ap-
paratus described in RADIO BROADCAST will be given on request.

Don't include questions on subscription orders or inquiries to other
departments of Doubleday, Page fif» Co. Address a separate inquiry to
The Grid.

Don't send us a fee for answering your questions. The Grid Depart-
ment is maintained for the aid and convenience of readers of RADIO
BROADCAST and there is no charge for the service.

QUERIES ANSWERED

WHAT is BODY-CAPACITY AND HOW MAY IT BE

ELIMINATED?

L. C. M.— Berkeley, Calif.

WHAT KIND OF AN ANTENNA DO YOU SUGGEST FOR
ORDINARY RECEIVING PURPOSES?

F. E. C.— Kansas City, Mo.

MAY I HAVE A CIRCUIT DIAGRAM FOR ADDING A
STAGE OF RADIO-FREQUENCY AMPLIFICATION TO THE
ROBERTS CIRCUIT?

J. H. M.— Washington, D. C.

MY RECEIVER WILL NOT TUNE TO THE LOWER
WAVELENGTHS. How MAY I REMEDY THIS CON-
DITION?

I. N. — Madison, Wise.

WHERE MAY A BY-PASS CONDENSER BE ADDED TO
ADVANTAGE IN AN AUDIO-FREQUENCY AMPLIFIER

CIRCUIT?

S. P. — Nashville, Tenn.

WlLL YOU EXPLAIN, IN DETAIL, THE APPLICATION
OF FORMULAS GOVERNING THE CALCULATION OF
RESISTANCE AND CAPACITY?

W. K.— Portland, Oregon.

MY HOME IS EQUIPPED WITH I IO VOLTS DIRECT
CURRENT. HOW MAY 1 CHARGE MY STORAGE BATTERY
WITH IT?

R. R. T — New York City.

BODY-CAPACITY EFFECTS

HOW many people there are who have to be
told that when there is trouble in a receiver
it may usually be traced to some definite
source!

The effects of body-capacity are no exception to
the rule.

Generally speaking, body-capacity may be termed
that effect which when the hand of the operator is
brought near the tuning dial or other parts of the
tuning circuit, causes the receiver to become de-
tuned from the signal being received. It may be
further placed as an electrostatic effect altering the
inductance-capacity value of the tuning circuit.

Some receivers employ metal shielding fastened

The Grid

939

FIG. I

on the panels behind the tuning dials as a remedy
for this condition. That is only a remedy.

To put the receiver into proper operating condi-
tion it would be well to follow a logical trouble-
shooting plan. One should look to see if the
stationary plates of the condenser are not tightly
connected to the grid of the tube, and to see that
the negative side of the filament is properly con-
nected to ground. Grid and plate leads should be
so arranged that they do not run parallel and close
together.

The placement of the parts constituting the tuner
circuit also adds to the possibilities of body-capacity
effects and may be forestalled by a painstaking pre-
liminary set-up and test of the circuit.

In all circuits it is advantageous to bunch the
filament and B battery supply wires so that the
grid and plate terminal leads may be as short and
direct as possible.

In Fig i are incorporated the ideas as outlined
iu>re.

ANTENNAS

MANY times this department is asked about
the advisability of erecting antennas of
questionable design and makeup. The
uni- and vari-directional types, multi-strand, and
the new braid-ribbon arrangements all come in for
their amount of querying.
The ordinary receiving conditions, which, in the

General Direction of Stations
to be Received

FIG. 2

end, interest the majority of broadcast listeners, re-
quire simply a single strand of antenna wire erected
in as straight a line as possible.

It has been argued pro and con as to the special
merits of the placement of the lead-in tap-off but
we advise bringing the lead-in from the end of the
antenna which generally points in the direction of
the stations to be received. See Fig. 2.

ADDITIONAL STAGE OF R.F.
(NEUTRALIZED) AMPLIFICATION

TWO TUBE ROBERTS KNOCKOUT CIRCUIT

FIG. 3

940

Radio Broadcast

A STAGE OF RADIO FREQUENCY FOR THE ROBERTS
RECEIVER

FOR those who wish to add a stage of neutral-
ized radio-frequency amplification to the
Roberts circuit we show the circuit in Fig. 3.
From this circuit it will be seen that the antenna
coupler which was previously connected before the
tube No. 2 is now placed before tube No. i. It then
becomes necessary for us to provide the radio-fre-
quency coupler between the first and second tubes.
Like the other radio-frequency coupler it has a
double wound primary constituting the plate coil
and the neutralizing coil which is connected back
through the condenser to the grid of the tube. The
necessary parts for this addition are, the r. f. coupler
(as explained), the neutralizing condenser, a socket,
a rheostat, and a .005 mfd. fixed condenser.

TUNING TO THE LOWER WAVELENGTHS

WHERE, the condition exists in a receiver,
that makes tuning at the lowerwavelengths
difficult or even impossible it is well to in-
corporate the improvement as outlined in Fig. 4.
By making a tap-off on the tuner coil and bringing

*ww

11 o

o
o
o

o Tap-off |

,o — O 1 '
o

;§ ^~T_

— C2 ^

FIG. 4

the lead to a switch point it is possible to cut in
or out, by means of the switch arm, a section of the
entire inductance.

Naturally enough, when the switch arm is placed
on tap No. i the lower section of the coil is cut out

To Filament
Supply

To B

Battery

FIG. 5

of the circuit and the condenser C2 shunt only that
part of the inductance between switch point No. i
and the grid of the tube. The wavelength range of
the receiver at this setting will be shifted down.
That is to say at minimum capacity the wavelength

will be lower than if the whole coil were in the circuit.
Similarly when the condenser is at a maximum capac-
ity value the wavelength setting is lower than when
the switch is on point No. 2.

It will also be noted that with the switch on point
No. i, the positions of stations transmitting on the
comparatively low wavelengths will be spread out
over the tuning dial which facilitates their recep-
tion.

The insertion of the variable capacity Ci offers a
means for sharply tuning the antenna circuit to the
incoming signal. However, its use is not absolutely
necessary and may be required only where the
antenna is exceptionally long.

A BY-PASS CONDENSER FOR THE LOUD SPEAKER

TO OBTAIN that fullness of tone so much
desired of all loud speakers, it has been ob-
served that a fixed condenser shunted across
the output terminals of an audio-frequency amplifier
will often do the trick.
The circuit showing the position of the condenser

is depicted in Fig. 5. The value of the condenser
(better determined by test) usually varies between
.001 and .006 mfd. In some instances that side of
the by-pass condenser connected to the B battery
is better situated on the negative than on the pos-
itive terminal of this battery.

RESISTANCE AND CAPACITY FORMULAS

NOW to digress and to go from the practical to
the theoretical.
The computation of resistance, capacit-
ance, and inductance values is of interest and im-
portance to the experimenter who proceeds not along
on hunches but on carefully laid plans.

( R = r*r+r

O— \VVWW VvAA\W VWWW-0

•"i r2 r3

20o)

10 to

— wwvw-1

fT"1"^"

i- —

FIG. 7

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

941

The name to look for

when buying radio

equipment.

Magnavox
Receiving Sets

TRF-5 (as illustrated)
encased in carved ma-
hogany cabinet; price
includes M4 Repro-
ducer . . $125.00

TRF-50 in'carved
mahogany period cabi-
net with dust-proof
doors and built-in
MagnavoxReproducer
$150.00

Semi-dynamic
Reproducer

M4 — the most efficient
unit ever designed to
operate without ex-
ternal battery, $25.00

Electro - dynamic
Reproducer

The original radio re-
producer, famous
throughout the world.
With Volume Control.
R3, $35.00
R2, $50.00

ONE hand on ONE dial
for Tuning in!

VEN though the Magnavox single dial Station
Selector has displaced the "old style" com-
plicated tuning arrangements, this remarkable

feature alone would not have merited the

praise which every owner gives his Magnavox Set.

It is by its sheer musical quality, in addition to its unusual
simplicity, that the Magnavox 5-tube tuned radio frequency
circuit retains the user's lasting admiration.

As pioneers in the design and manufacture of radio repro-
ducers, Magnavox engineers were thoroughly equipped to master
the problem of beautiful tone.

If you already own a receiving set, a Magnavox Reproducer
will wonderfully enhance its daily usefulness for family and

mends. ^sk ^ nearest Registered Magnavox Dealer

to demonstrate Magnavox Radio equipment

THE JfAGNASm COMPANY, Oakland, Calif.

New York: 350 W. 3 1st St. Chicago: 162 N. State St.

Canadian Distributors: Perkins Electric Limited* Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

942

Radio Broadcast

At a later time we will discuss the computation of
inductance. Just now, let us consider the factors of
resistance and capacity.

In computing the resistance of a coil of wire such
as a rheostat it is necessary to make use of Ohm's
Law which is expressed symbolically R = y or, as
written, the resistance in a circuit equals volts
divided by amperes.

By transposing, it is possible to obtain a formula

20 co
(WWWM

Ammeter

IAVWW!
20 oo

6 Volts
Ih

FIG. 8

for finding the other two values, namely E and I, as
follows:
E=I xR

i E
' = R

Now in Fig. 6 we have a circuit containing the re-
sistance R and the battery supplying the voltage,
E. The ammeter will register the amperage of the
circuit. Assuming that the battery delivers 6 volts
and the resistance has a value of 30 ohms, then, sub-
stituting these values in Ohm's Law the formula
would read l=& or .2 amperes.

To determine the resistance of the filament of a
tube the same law may be employed. For instance,
in the uv-2oi-A the filament voltage as stated by
the manufacturers is 5 volts and the amperage at
which its best operation is obtained is .25 amperes,
i Then substituting values in the formula R=y»
R = .^ or R=20. Therefore the resistance of a

uv-2Oi-A filament is 20 ohms.

Where several resistances are used in a circuit,
their total resistance may be obtained by the ap-
plication of other formulas depending upon the par-
ticular type of hook-up.

When resistances are connected in series (i, Fig.
7) the total resistance value equals the sum of all.
The formula is expressed R = ri+r2+r3-

For resistances in parallel another calculation is

necessary. Here is the formula: R=- — \ r

L+L+-
n ' ra ' TS

Substituting the values as shown in 2 Fig. 7,

R = 3V^+ro = 71 or 5 -4 ohms.

When the current in a circuit must pass through
several resistances in series the amperage is less
than if only one of the units were used.

However, from the formulas it may be seen that
this is not true when the resistances are connected in

parallel. The reason here is evident. Due to the
units being in parallel three paths are afforded to
the flow of current. The same effect would be ob-
tained by the use of a larger wire, the resistance of
which is lower than smaller sizes.

In Fig. 8 we have the combination of resistances
in series-parallel. The two 2O-ohm resistances are in
parallel while the resistance R of 30 ohms is is series
in the entire circuit. To find the amperage of the
entire circuit first compute the total resistance of the
two parallel resistances (mohms), Then 10+30 = 40

ohms total resistance of the circuit. Therefore i =

or .1 5 amperes.

This will indicate that when all the resistance (if
it be variable in the form of a rheostat) is included
in the circuit .15 amperes of current will flow
through. By reducing the value of resistance the
amperage will vary to a maximum of .6 amperes.

To calculate the resistance of a rheostat neces-
sary to control a tube circuit the following formula
will prove helpful: R = (y) — rf
where R — resistance of rheostat
E — voltage of battery
I — current rating of tube
rf — resistance of the filament

Interpreted, this formula would be expressed
thus: to obtain the value of resistance of the re-
quired rheostat divide the voltage of the battery by
the current rating of the tube. From this quotient
substract the resistance of the filament.

By an inspection of the formulas and circuits
as outlined in Fig. 9 it will be seen that they
are similar to those for resistance computations
with the exception that they apply to the opposite
condition. That is to say, the total capacity of con-

H^l

yc^c2<c3

HC2

o- II

^/' cl + ci*cl

i
II

~~ir~ ~ir~ -^

GI C2 GS
FIG. 9

densers in parallel as in i, Fig. 9 is equal to the
sum of all, while the total value of resistances in
parallel is equal to the sum of the reciprocals.

As an example: 3 condensers, each of .002 mfd, in
parallel would equal .006 mfd. Three condensers of
.006 mfd. in series would equal .002 mfd.

CHARGING STORAGE BATTERIES WITH I IO VOLTS D. C.

HERE again the knowledge of Ohm's Law plus
another formula, that of power equation,
will prove of aid.
The power expended in a circuit performing a

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

943

The bloodhound, remarkable
for the acuteness of its smell,
can pick UP ° scent. ar>d fol-
low a trail when all else fails.

-if ever Ae/ore thought possible!

THE ULTRADYNE KIT

Consists of I Low Loss Tuning
Coil, I Special Low Loss Coup-
ler, I Type "A" Ultraformer, 3
Type "B" • Ultraformers, 4
Matched Fixed Condensers.
To protect the public, Mr. La-
cault's personal monogram seal
(R.E.L.; is placed on all gen-
uine Ultraformers. All Ul-
traformers are guaranteed
as long as this *_ - ~ft
seal remains <p < 1 1 Mil
unbroken «/V»«^

With the extreme acuteness of the bloodhound's scent,
the Model L-2 Ultradyne detects the faintest broadcast
signals — signals that are "dead" to other receivers —
regenerates and makes them audible on the loud speaker.

It's here, where the development of other super-radio re-
ceivers has halted, the Ultradyne forges ahead.

The unusual sensitivity of the Model L-2 Ultradyne is
due to the successful application of regeneration, to the
famous Modulation System of radio reception, recently per-
fected by R. E. Lacault, E.E., A.M.I.R.E., Chief Engineer
of this Company and formerly Radio Research Engin-
eer with the French Signal Corps Research Laboratories.

It's this development, an exclusive feature of the Model
L-2 Ultradyne, that makes it possible to receive greater
distance on the loud speaker.

Everything that the Model L-2 Ultradyne means in actual
results and genuine satisfaction you will appreciate the
first evening you operate it.

Write for free descriptive folder

How to Build and Operate the
ULTRADYNE

32-page illustrated book giving
the latest authentic information
on drilling, wiring, assembling
and tuning the Model
L-2 Ultradyne Re-
ceiver . . .

MODEL L-2

PHENIX RADIO CORPORATION
5-7 Beekman Street New York

Tested and approved hy RADIO BROADCAST

944

Radio Broadcast

Each additional 50 Watt Lamp
, increases the charging rate
' I/, Ampere

D.P.D.T. Switch

50 Watt Lamp 1

To 110 V
D.C.

6V-80A.H. Battery

FIG. IO

certain work is equal to the voltage supplied multi-
plied by the amperage flowing through. This is
expressed: power equals voltage times amperage.
The designation of power in electrical and radio
terms is watts. Symbolically the formula is ex-
pressed W = E x I .

Now for the battery charging.

A storage battery must be recharged at a definite
amperage rate. Usually the manufacturers of bat-
teries designate this charging rate on the name-plate
fastened on the battery.

Generally it does not exceed 8 amperes. Theoret-
ically it is necessary to put back into the battery
just as many "amperes of current "as were taken out
by the discharge.

The capacity of a battery is rated in ampere
hours. Explained, this means that an 8o-ampere
hour battery may be discharged at 4 amperes for 20
hours, 2 amperes for 40 hours or 8 amperes for 10
hours.

Therefore in recharging it is necessary to charge
the battery for a certain period of time the length of
which depends upon the amperage rate of charge.
For instance, a fully discharged 80 ampere-hour bat-
tery must be recharged for 80 hours at i ampere; 40
hours at 2 amperes; 20 hours at 4 amperes and so on.

Ordinarily a battery is not completely discharged
and only requires a short time charge or as is cor-
rectly termed, a trickle charge.

Fig. 10 shows a circuit for charging a storage bat-
tery at a trickle-charge rate.

To increase the rate of charge it is necessary to
parallel additional 50 watt lamps to that shown.
The addition of each lamp increases the charging
rate one half an ampere.

Other charging rates with various sized lamps may
be computed from the power formula as previously
explained.

This power formula is given as an aid in determin-
ing the resistance values of various sized lamps.
It may be transposed as follows: ' = £. and E = -j-

Given the wattage of the lamp and the voltage of
the line it is a simple matter by substituting values,
to calculate the value of amperage.

Then, knowing the amperage and voltage, the re-
sistance of the lamp filament may be computed.
Therefore knowing the resistance and the voltage in
the charging circuit it is a matte* of calculation to
determine the value of the current in amperes flow-
ing through the charging circuit.

As an example, using a 75 watt lamp in a 1 10 volt
charging circuit: 1=^ or 1=^ or .68 amperes.

Then R = T or R = ^g or '^2 onms (approx-
imately)

Therefore 1 = ^ or I =7^ or .68 amperes. The
amperage of the charging circuit is equal to the
computed amperage value of the lamp derived from
the power formula.

This computation was carried through to its
logical conclusion as a proof and also as an indication
that the last calculation is unnecessary, the charg-
ing rate being determined by the current rating of
the tube where only one is used.

HOW TO FIND TROUBLE

A 5 AN aid in determining and locating defects
and trouble in any type of receiver the fol-
lowing list of trouble-shooting pointers will
be found helpful.

Many of the tests to determine the causes of
trouble require only a pair of phones and a battery,
C, B, or A.

Continuity of circuits, short circuits, open circuits
and leakages may be located by arranging a test
circuit merely consisting of a pair of phones to which
has been added a battery inserted in series with one
side of the phone lead. The other lead and the re-
maining terminal of the battery are connected to
pointer leads so that they may be touched to the
terminals of units to be tested.

Trouble-shooting may be divided into several
classes

i — Battery circuits

A — If the tubes light to full brilliancy the fila-
ment battery is O. K. This may further be
determined by the use of a hydrometer.
B — B batteries may be tested for full life by not-
ing the volume of the click when a pair of
phones are momentarily touched to each of
the output terminals of each block. This test
is not recommended, but is merely suggested if
a voltmeter is not available to register the
voltage of the battery.
2 — Tuning circuits

A — The antenna circuit of the coupler coil may
be tested with the phone battery tester for
continuity of the circuit.
B — Inspect antenna and ground connections.
C — Have antenna and ground leads insulated

from other objects.
D — Secondary of coupler may be given circuit

continuity test.

E— Condenser shunting the secondary should
have the rotor connected to the filament and
the-stator should connect to the grid of the tube.
3 — Audio-Frequency units

A — Try reversing the primary leads. Also the

secondary leads.
B — Give each winding continuity test. Here the

primary will click louder than the secondary.
C — Try grounding the metal cores to eliminate

squealing.

D — Make use of by-pass condensers to round out
the tone quality. They should be placed
across the primaries or across the phone output.

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

945

EVEREADY HOUR
EVERY TUESDAY AT 9 P. M., E. S. T.

For real radio enjoyment, tune in the

"Eveready Group." Broadcast through

stations

WEAF New York WFI Philadelphia

WJAR Providence WCAE Pittsburgh

WEEI Boston WGR Buffalo

\ No. 7111.

iy2-voit

Dry Cell
"A"

Battery
for all
Jlry cell
tubes

No. 772.

45-volt
Large

Vertical
Price
$3.75

There's more life in
Eveready Batteries

BUY Eveready "B" Batteries and you get
electricity in its surest, safest and most com-
pact form. They reduce your operating ex-
pense. New developments in the Union
Carbide and Carbon Research Laboratories,
Inc., have been converted into new manu-
facturing processes in the Eveready factories.
Good as they always have been, Eveready
"B" Batteries are much better today.

The Eveready achievement of giving you
more hours of "B" Battery service for less
money has cut the cost of running receivers
in half, and in some cases to a third.

There is an Eveready Radio Battery for
every radio use.

Manufactured and guaranteed ly

NATIONAL CARBON COMPANY, INC.

Headquarters for Radio Battery Information

New York San Francisco

Canadian National Carbon Co., Limited, Toronto, Ontario

EVEREADY

Radio Batteries

-they last longer

No. 770.

45-volt
Extra
Large

Vertical

for heavy

duty

Price

$4.75

•C"

Battery
improves

quality,
saves "B"
Batteries
Price 60c

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

New Equipment

N. Y. COIL CO. CONDENSER

A condenser with cone type bearings insuring smooth action
and long service. The grounded rotor eliminates hand
capacity. "Straight line" capacity is obtained by cutting
away a portion of the rotary plates. Made by the New York
Coil Co., 338 Pearl St., New York City

A CABINET

Of neat design and sturdy construction is presented in this
Jewett Parkay cabinet. It is a well finished article which
should please even the most particular. Made by The Jew-
ett Radio & Phonograph Co., 5672 Twelfth St., Detroit, Mich.

JONES MULTI-PLUG AND CABLE

A neat and efficient means of connecting batteries to the
receiver. All leads are contained in a cable furnished with a
keyed bracket which facilitates making connection or discon-
nection to the receiver by one operation. The design of the
bracket makes it impossible to connect the leads wrong after
once having the wires connected to the set. Made by
Howard B. Jones, 614 South Canal St., Chicago, 111.

THE BRADLEYLEAK

This instrument combines a smooth action variable grid leak
with a grid condenser in a compact and efficient manner.
It is possible to mount this unit on a base board, sub-
base, or panel without difficulty. Made by the Allen-Bradley
Co., 278 Greenfield Ave., Milwaukee, Wis.

TITAN B BATTERY

Here we have a 48-volt storage B battery designed to give
long and satisfactory service. It is possible to tap off for
any desired voltage. The cells are contained in heavy glass
jars and as a unit have a capacity of about 6000 milliampere
hours. Made by the General Lead Battery Co., Chapel St.
and Lister Ave., Newark, N. J.

BESTONE RECEIVER

A five-tube receiver of interesting design which is encased in
a cabinet with built-in loud speaker and battery compart-
ment. This compactness should be an attractive feature.
Made by Henry Hyman & Co., Inc., 476 Broadway, New
York City

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

947

A Special Offer!

An opportunity for radio fans to save money in buying
Celoron Panels and Vulcawood Cabinets

WE are making this special introductory
offer to make new friends for our prod-
ucts and for the dealers who sell them.

Celoron is the standard insulating material
among leading radio manufacturers and it is
the choice of nearly a million radio fans. But
there are many fans who never have had an
oppertunity to see and use this popular insula-
ting material and others have never heard of
the new Vulcawood Cabinet.

For a limited time, we offer you the privilege
of buying these standard, well-known parts
direct from our factory — at special introduc-
tory prices. Orders will be accepted subject
to the conditions outlined below.

This offer expires on April 30, 1925.

Youf money back if not satisfied

If your dealer does not stock and carry these parts,
you may select a cabinet, and the panel to fit it, at
the special introductory prices quoted.

In return for this privilege we ask you to send us your
dealer's name and the names of three of your friends who
are radio fans.

We shall refund your money without a whimper if
you are not entirely satisfied with the goods when
received.

This illustration shows
the cabinet — with the
panel in place.

NEW VULCAWOOD CABINET

the only bakelite cabinet made

This new bakelite cabinet insulates your entire set and it is
grained and colored to match beautiful hand rubbed manogany.

Sizes

(« 7 x 7 :
(2} 7 x 7

c 10
12

(3)7x7
(4) 7 x 7

14
18

(5) 7 x 7

(fi) 7x7
(7)7x7

24
26

(8) 7 x 7 x 30

Vulcawood Cabinet Prices

List Prices

$ 7.95

8.10

9.40

10.40

1040

10.55

11.15

Special Prices
$4.50
4.50
4.50
4.50
6.50
6.50
6.50
6.50

DIAMOND STATE FIBRE COMPANY

Bridgeport, Pa., and Chicago, 111.
Branches in Principal Cities Toronto, Canada — London, England

CELORON RADIO PANELS

universally endorsed by radio experts

Celoron will help you get better results from
your radio hook-up. It will give your instru-
ments thorough, leak-proof insulation.

A Celoron Panel will not soften with heat
or deteriorate with age as do rubber and com-
position panels. It retains its beauty and its
insulating properties indefinitely.

Sires

(1)7x10x1

(2) 7xl2xi

(3) 7 x 14 x J

(5)7
(6)7

21
24

Celoron Panel Prices

List Prices

$1.09

1.31

1.53

2.95

3.45

3.94

4.25

4.92

Special Price»
$1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00

If your dealer does not carry Celoron,
order by mail

In ordering please follow these simple direc-
tions:

1. Indicate on the coupon the size of the panel
and the size of the cabinet you want.

2. Print in your name and address carefully.

3. Clip out the coupon and attach it to a plain
sheet of white paper.

4. Mark on the white sheet the name and ad-
dress of your dealer and the names and ad-
dresses of three friends who are radio fans.

5. Attach your check or money order to the
white sheet.

6. Mail all papers to the Diamond State Fibre
Co., Bridgeport, Penn.

DIAMOND STATE FIBRE COMPANY,

Dept. 103

Bridgeport, Pennsylvania

PJease send me prepaid the following items:
Celoron Panel Size No. . . . Price $ .
Vulcawood Cabinet (without panel)

Size No Price $ .

Check attached $ Total?.

Name

Street. ..

City.

State

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

Our Authors

FOR a number of years
Dan C. Wilkerson
has been closely associ-
ated with the Army
Air Service in Washing-
ton and has done con-
siderable technical work
with radio and air-
planes. He is a resident
of Washington and a
quite frequent writer of radio articles.

D. C. WILKERSON

PHIL FAY

PHIL FAY built his first radio set in 1911
and has never since, like a lot of us,

recovered from the first infusion of the radio

virus. He
writes con-
siderably for
the- news-
papers on
various radio
subjects, but
RADIOBROAD-
CAST is the
first magazine
to have an
article under
his name. Mr.
Fay is re-
sponsible for
the design of
many of the
essential little

accessories for radio receivers which are

familiar to every fan.

H. D. KELLOGG is a native Philadelphian
and a graduate of Yale in the class of
1923. Although he won the prize of $500
offered by this magazine for what the judges
decided was the best answer to the problem of
who is to pay for broadcasting, he is not
actively occupied in radio. Mr. Kellogg says,
however, " I have followed with great interest
the development of radio communication,
particularly the outstanding developments of
the last few years which have come with the
advent of broadcasting." He feels that there
is a growing difficulty which broadcast station
directors are facing in securing good talent
to appear at stations without payment for
their services.

CARL DREHER, in addition to being the
excellent radio man that he is, writes
articles which insinuate themselves into such

august covers as are found on Henry Goddard
Leach's Forum and the expressive Mr. Henry
L. Mencken's American Mercury. Mr. Dreher
was a visitor at the offices the other day and
outlined some of the plans he has for "As the
Broadcaster Sees It." If he manages to put
in print the ideas he has, life will certainly be
more interesting for both the broadcaster
and those who like to know what broadcasters
are doing.

W. R. BRADFORD contributes one of his
excellent radio cartoons and an article
about his attack
on the Roberts
Knock-out re-
ceiver to the
magazine this
month. His meth-
od of attack is
strangely more
like an electrician's
than a cartoon-
ist's, but perhaps
this is just another
anomaly. The
accom p a nying
photograph is one
of himself taken
by himself — which
certainly makes it
a one-man affair.

W. R. BRADFORD

Self - photographed
as his grandmother

T. E. MILLEN

J is a senior at
Stevens Institute
of Technology at
Hoboken but he
finds some spare
time occasionally
to write about
radio and experi-
ment with it.

A LTHOUGHat
•*»• present an
enthusiastic Chi-
cagoan, McMurdo
Silver was born in
Geneva,NewYork.

Now Geneva is otherwise famous for two
things: it contains Hobart College and is not
far from Cornell University at Ithaca. They
also make cutlery there, if we remember the
geographies correctly. Mr. Silver is designing,
manufacturing, and selling radio equipment.

Montiero, Forest Hills
J. E. MILLEN

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

EVEREADY HOUR
EVERY TUESDAY AT 9 P. M.

(Eastern Standard Time)
For real radio enjoyment, tune in the
"Evereidy Group." Broadcast through
stations

W E A F N>w Yo
W J A R Provide
W E E I Boston

W F I Philadelphia
W C A E Pittsburgh
W G R HufTalo

"-pun

^Kcarp"'

Satisfaction

Reliability

Economy

You need three things in radio "B" Batteries —
satisfaction, reliability and economy. You get
them all in Eveready "B" Batteries. Satisfac-
tion, because they produce all the current needed
by your tubes, giving you the maximum results
of which your set is capable. Reliability, because
you can depend on them to work at full power.
Economy, because they long maintain their
strength, and because they are low in price.

Advances in the art of battery manufacture
make Evereadys last longer than ever. You
actually get much longer service for your money.

There is an Eveready Radio Battery for every
radio use.

Buy Eveready Batteries.

ManufaelureJ and guaranteed \>y

NATIONAL CARBON COMPANY, INC.
New York San Francisco

Canadian National Car'xm Co.. Limited, Toronto, Ontario

Radio Batteries

-they last longer

la.

Larff

H~.
izonttl

JV». 77.'

Ljrft

Vfrtitat
Prici
JJ7S

Tested and approved hy RADIO BROADCAST

<§tandard Color "Designations for Cords Used for Outside
Connections in T{adio T^ecefoers

As Adopted by

The Associated Manufacturers of Electrical Supplies

SIMPLE CORD COLOR COMBINATIONS

BLUE

Antenna, or high side loop

BLACK, RED TRACER

B battery negative ( — )

BLACK. BLUE TRACER
Ground (or low side of loop)

YELLOW
A battery positive (+)

BLACK, YELLOW TRACER

A battery negative ( — )

RED

B battery, high, positive (+)

DARK RED

B battery intermediate positive (+)

MAROON
B battery, detector positive (+)

GREEN
C battery positive (+)

BLACK, GREEN TRACER
C battery, negative ( — )

BROWN
Loud Speaker or phone positive (+)

BLACK, BROWN TRACER
Loud speaker or phone negative ( — )

BROWN, WHITE TRACER
Double headset, interconnection

BLACK

Battery Jumpers

COLOR DESIGNATIONS OF CONDUCTORS COMMON TO MORE THAN ONE CIRCUIT

(Solid color is chosen to represent most positive lead)

RED. BROWN TRACER

B battery, high side (4-)
Loud speaker, low side

YELLOW, RED TRACER
B battery negative ( — )
A battery positive (+)

GREEN. YELLOW TRACER

A battery negative ( — )
C battery positive (+)

RADIO BROADCAST presents for the first time in any magazine the colors to fete used in dyeing the
braid used in the cord. Solid colors are to be used to designate the high or positive side of a circuit.
Tracer colors are to be used to designate the low or negative side. The shade designations, in paren-
theses, are the same as those specified in the Standard Color Card of America, 6th edition, published
by the Textile Color Card Association of the United States, Inc , 50 West 42nd Street, New York.
BLUE FOR THE ANTENNA CIRCUIT (Bluebird 8-6065)
RED FOR B BATTERY (Geranium 8-2035)
MAROON FOR B BATTERY (Magenta 8-7285)
YELLOW FOR FILAMENT CIRCUIT (Orange 8-3005)
GREEN FOR C BATTERY (Emerald 8-5005)
BROWN FOR TELEPHONE CIRCUIT (Gold Brown $-3285)
In using these designations, always be guided by the point to which the flexible cord is attached,
not where it leads to. For instance, a cord connecting the positive side of the B battery to the high
side of the loudspeaker jack should be marked red.

The general scheme is:

RADIO
BROADCAST

Vol. 6, No. 6

April, 1925

Order for the Radio Chaos — Facts About a Progressive Step
Taken by the Associated Manufacturers of Electrical Supplies
Involving Batteries, Connecting Cords, Plugs, and Jackc

BY G. Y. ALLEN

STANDARDIZATION in nature is uni-
versal. I: is essential to the existence
of the universe and to the existence
of life in all forms. If the law of
mutual attraction of worlds should change one

ticipate all phases of
the other hand, lack
likewise a drawback.

The development of
roads illustrates how

iota, their present
orderly movement
would degenerate in-
to hopeless chaos.
With the laws of na-
ture so firmly stand-
ardized, it is not
strange that man in
applying these laws
should find that stan-
dardization is es-
sential.

Standardization of
a new art must go
hand in hand with
its development. If
standardization is
projected too far
ahead of develop-
ment it tends to
hinder and choke
such development be-
cause it is impossible
to look far enough
into the future to an-

"I desire heartily to endorse the plan that
you have outlined to me for having printed
a chart in colors showing the standard color
markings for radio receiver cords, as adopted
by the Standards Committee of the Asso-
ciated Manufacturers of Electrical Supplies.
The widespread adoption of such a color code
will be a great step forward in radio manufac-
ture and will also be of substantial benefit to
the broadcast listener in connecting up a
receiver as well as to the repair man who is
servicing the set.

"I feel that the Committee is indebted to
Doubleday, Page & Company for their kind
offer to cooperate in preparing this chart, and
I am sure that the publicity obtained through
their magazine, RADIO BROADCAST, will be a
very valuable factor in making the adopted
standards widely used, thus resulting in sim-
plifying the manufacture, installation, and
maintenance of radio receivers."
— ALFRED N. GOLDSMITH, Chief Broadcast
Engineer, Radio Corporation of America.

the development. On
of standardization is

the air brake for rail-
standardization may
seriously handicap
the development of
an industry through
the impossibility of
looking far enough
into the future. The
diameter of the train
pipe for the operation
of the air brake was
decided upon long be-
fore the advent of the
long freight train of
to-day. For the short
and comparatively
light train, the size
determined upon was
adequate. When long,
heavy trains came to
be the rule, however,
a larger size pipe was
found to be desirable,
but owing to the
standard that had
been set and due to
the investment in rol-

1036

Radio Broadcast

ling stock using the smaller size pipe, a larger
diameter pipe could not be adopted. The in-
dustry was delayed several years and vast sums
of money were expended to compensate for the
handicap imposed by the short-sighted stand-
ardization. Standardization thus must be
farsighted and must progress with the develop-
ment of the art if it is to assist instead of
hinder normal development.

Standardization of radio receiving sets may
be subdivided into
the following classes:

Terminology.
Physical dimensions.
Constructional details.
Features involving
operation.

Terminology is the
language of an art
and it is essential that
new terms be accur-
ately defined so that
no one can misunder-
stand them. Fre-
quently names are
given to devices at
the time they are in-
vented which are un-
fortunate and which
are either totally in-
adequate or totally
misleading. The
word "tickler," for

instance, was given to
the plate coil of a re-
generative receiver by
some Navy engineers
shortly after the regenerative circuit was in-
vented. No serious thought was expended in
picking out a suitable name, but early investi-
gators simply used the word colloquially, and,
as is almost always the case, the name stuck
in spite of frequent efforts to substitute some
more suitable word.

WHAT TERMS SHALL WE USE?

IT IS thus evident that new terms incident
to development in a new art should be suit-
able for the purpose and must mean one thing
only. This does not mean that only one word
must be used to name any part. It is well
known that every flower has in addition to its
common name a botanical name, and so de-
vices in the radio art may have two names, if
that seems desirable. For instance, the term
"feed back control" may be changed to "am-
plification control," when the receiver is de-

Another Sign of Progress

Radio has changed in definite cycles since
the time that the last word in wireless com-
munication was a curious appearing device
in a glass tube called a coherer. Although
the industry has not nearly so much in com-
mon with the automobile industry as many
Wise Ones would have us believe, a similar
period of standardization in radio is coming
and Mr. Allen's article analyzes the situation
very sanely and helpfully, we think. The
Associated Manufacturers of Electrical Sup-
plies, Radio Section, in their meeting at
Atlantic City in June, 1924, canvassed the
entire situation and decided that radio
was sufficiently developed so that certain
necessary elements could be safely standard-
ized, with vast benefits to all concerned.
The Radio Corporation of America group has
already adopted the color cord standards, as
have many of the neutrodyne manufacturers.
Standard batteries, plugs, and jacks are al-
ready available according to the specifica-
tions of the Standards Committee, of which
Mr. Allen is a member. — THE EDITOR.

signed to be handled by the novice, providing
that this term is consistently used in this way
and is not used to describe any other part of
the device.

The standardization of physical dimensions
in a new art may be of two kinds; namely,
specific and general.

Specific dimensions for radio apparatus must
be standardized for such devices as are gen-
erally termed accessories. This includes tele-
phone plugs and
jacks, vacuum tubes,
dry batteries, etc.
Specific dimensions
are the most difficult
features of standard-
ization of a new art.
It is next to impos-
sible for any one to
stand at the threshold
of development and
foresee all of the pos-
sibilities of new de-
vices, yet such
standardization is es-
sential to the progress
of the art. Very
seldom are the early
standards permanent,
and the general pro-
cedure is to adopt the
most obvious stand-
ard, changing it as
necessary, using
adapters to accom-
modate the old stand-
ard to the new prac-
tice until the old has

been completely superseded. This involves
inconvenience and expense, of course, but
greater expense would surely be involved
through not having the courage to change
standards when changes are obviously neces-
sary.

Standard sizes for dry batteries are governed
principally by the minimum size that will give
a satisfactory life. The battery manufacturer
determines the sizes. The manufacturer of
the self-contained radio receiver must make
his equipment to accommodate the batteries
offered.

The general physical dimensions of radio
receivers are determined partly by whatever
sizes conveniently fit into the modern home and
partly from the style of furniture prevailing.
Cabinet receivers, complete with stand, are on
the market in both upright and pedestal types.
Table or console models are also popular.

How Radio Is Being Standardized

1037

Cabinet radio receivers designed to be sup-
ported on a table have their proportions, of
course, determined by the proportions of
available tables. Fig. i illustrates one of the
vertical self-contained sets complete with a
stand, and other cabinet receivers are suitable
for mounting on a gate-leg table.

WHY CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS SHOULD BE
STANDARDIZED

THE standardization of constructional de-
tails is important both from the stand-
point of the manufacturer and the user. The
use of a universal type of connector for flexi-
ble cord terminals, for instance, is desirable to
the manufacturer because all manufacturers
can purchase these parts in large quantities
from the same outside manufacturers with
corresponding reduction in price.

The user prefers such a type of terminal be-
cause he can connect such a terminal to any
type of battery. Likewise the standardization
of markings is a great step forward in reducing
ambiguity and confusion particularly in sets
that are sold, ready to be assembled.

By the standardization of features involving
operation is meant the arrangement of knobs,
binding posts, tubes, etc. In the cabinet set,
it further means the arrangement of batteries
and especially battery connections.

Except for the work done by the Bureau of

Steam Engineering of the U. S. Navy, the first
real step in standardization was taken during
the past year by the Radio Section of the
Associated Manufacturers of Electrical Sup-
plies. An immeasurable amount of credit is
due this organization for the courage and
foresight that has been shown and equal
credit is due the manufacturer members for
the unselfish way in which they have sub-
scribed to the standards of the Association.
True, only a start has been made, but even in
the past short year, the work that has been
accomplished will have far-reaching effect
both for the manufacturer and the user of
radio receivers.

One of the outstanding results of the year's
work that is of particular interest to the user is
the standardization of color markings for cord
connections to radio receivers. With the
modern trend toward the convenient flexible
cords for connections to batteries instead of
the older type binding posts, some automatic
method of insuring correct connections even
if the instruction book be lost becomes es-
sential. The colors adopted by the Associa-
tion are shown on the color plate on page 1034.

RADIO CORDS ARE TO BE STANDARD

A STUDY of the chart will disclose the
fact that a very definite plan has been
followed which is almost self-explanatory.

FIG. I

A standard receiver of a popular type. The batteries, antenna, etc., are all contained in the cabinet.
In order for set manufacturers and battery manufacturers to supply parts which will fit into any receiver
of similar type, standardization of supplies is essential

1038

Radio Broadcast

FIG. 2

A type of plug made ac-
cording to the specifica-
tions of the Standards
Committee of the Associ-
ated Manufacturers of
Electrical Supplies. The
plan of the Committee is
that any plug sold will
fit into any jack available.
With very few exceptions
these standards have al-
ready been put in force by
manufacturers of these
parts

Blue is used to designate the antenna circuit,
due to the fact that the antenna is always
associated with height and the blue sky.
Yellow is used for the filament circuit to
suggest the color at which the filaments
operate. Bright red was used to designate the
highest positive B battery potential, this
being conventional electrical engineering prac-
tice. Maroon, a less bright red, is used to
designate one of the lower voltage positive
leads. Black is used for ground and in all
places where another color is now required.

These colors are solid colors. In the case of
the low side (negative) of circuits, a tracer of
the proper color to designate the circuit is
used instead of a solid color. Thus, the nega-
tive side of the filament circuit uses a black
cord with a yellow tracer.

TINNED FOR SOLDERING •-.

Where one cord does double duty, such as
when the negative B battery cord also serves
as the negative A battery cord, the cotton
covering is red with a yellow tracer.

While these color designations are primarily
intended for connections to factory-made sets,
there is nothingto prevent the builder of home-
made sets adopting such a color scheme for
internal wiring. Every constructor will at
once recognize the value of standard color
cords in connecting receivers he builds. Hours
of time can be saved. As soon as these
color markings are published, colored spaghetti
and covered bus wire will undoubtedly make
its appearance. The circuits of a set built in
this way will be infinitely easier to trace than
if the set was wired using wire of all one color.

Some of the specific dimension standards are
of general interest. The terminal lug shown
in Fig. 3 has been adopted for battery connec-
tions by the Association. This terminal will
fit the standard thumb-screw battery post and
will also fit any of the spring battery terminals.
Any one who has attempted to connect B
batteries with spring connectors to some of
the terminals on the market will appreciate
the value of such a standardized lug.

The dimensions of telephone plugs and
jacks have been standardized so that an>
make of plug will fit any make of jack. These
standardized sizes are shown in Fig. 4.

STANDARD B BATTERIES

B -BATTERY dimensions have been stand-
ardized and the size of battery for differ-
ent current drains has been specified. The
following designating letters refer to batteries
using the individual standard size cells shown:

DESIGNATION

A
A

INDIVIDUAL CELL DIMENSIONS

—vi-'
8 X I 8

f X2*

if x i if

1^ X 2\

FIG. 3

The standard lug

D 1

E i

F \

In addition to these letter designations, the letter
H is used to indicate the horizontal type of radio
battery and V to indicate vertical type of battery.

The complete designating data for a battery
also includes the number of cells. Thus the
Eveready battery No. 766 and BurgessNo. 2156
will be known as H-i s-D, meaning a horizontal
battery of 15 D size cells.

The Radio Apparatus Section of the Asso-
ciated Manufacturers of Electrical Supplies
has specified that for portable sets the B or
C size cells are to be used. For non-portable

How Radio Is Being Standardized

1039

"SLEEVE" CONDUCTOR
'TIP" CONDUCTOR

DIMENSION

MINIMUM

TOLERANCE

MAXIMUM

1.179"

.020"

1.199"

.959"

.863"

.248"

.002"

.250"

.243'.'

.002"

.245"

3/16"

FIG. 4

The standard plug for radio use and the complete

specifications of the Standards Committee of the

A. M. E. S.

receivers the D size cells are to be used for
current drains not exceeding 15 milliamperes
and for the highest current drains, the F size
cell is to be used.

In addition to these specific standard di-
mensions, the Section has adopted standards
of practice for manufacturers which will make
for improved quality of apparatus and for
greater convenience in handling. For in-
stance, it has been decided that the sleeve of
the telephone plug shall in every case be made
positive. This is an important feature for
loud speakers used outside the receiver, as
some types of loud speakers are particularly
sensitive to the direction of current flowing to
the B battery.

American Society of Mechanical Engineers
standard screws have been adopted, which will
facilitate repairs and knob-markings have been
standardized. The diameters of shafts on
which knobs are used have been definitely

specified. The maximum and minimum im-
pedance of loud speaker and telephone re-
ceivers are stated. Electrical tests have been
planned and many other standards have been
laid down by the Section which will operate
to increase the convenience of operating
standardized receivers, and will, furthermore,
make for a better and cheaper product that
can be more easily maintained at a decreased
cost.

While it is true that much yet remains to be
done in the standardization of radio receivers,
it is felt that a very decided start has been
made and there is no doubt but that as the art
progresses, standardization by reputable man-
ufacturers, through their representative or-
ganization, the Associated Manufacturers of
Electrical Supplies, will continue to keep
abreast of the times which will eventually
result in vast benefits to the user.

"TIP" SPRING

"RING" OR "SLEEVE"
SPRING WHEN USED

DIMENSION

MINIMUM

TOLERANCE

MAXIMUM

1.000 "

.040 "

1.040 "

.770 "

.020 '

.790 "

.2515"

.0015"

.2530"

.020 "

.010 "

.030"

.030 "

.010 "

.040"

.450"

Ys"

FIG. 5

Specifications and dimen-
sions for the standard jack

NEW TRENDS IN BROADCASTING

rJ~^HERE is a definitely new departure lately manifest in broadcasting pro-
Ji grams which has appeared in the form of the so-called "Hours." Some of
these have been devoted entirely to music, others are partly musical and partly
dramatic, and so on. How this development came about and how these programs
are planned are described in one of James C. Young's interesting articles which
will be a feature of an early number of RADIO BROADCAST. The broadcast
listener who is interested in seeing the manufacture of a program from the very
real "inside" will enjoy Mr. Young's story.

Can We Solve the Broadcast

Riddle?

A Consideration of the Prize Plans in RADIO BROADCAST'S $500 Contest — Is the
Winning Plan Feasible? — Some Thoughts on the Economics of Broadcasting

BY ZEH BOUCK

THERE were about eight hundred
plans submitted in the recent contest
conducted by RADIO BROADCAST in
which a prize of $500 was offered for
the best answer to the question: "Who Is to
Pay for Broadcasting — and How?" It was my
pleasure, as one of the judges, to read over all
the plans which were considered. It was very
gratifying to find so
representative a por-
tion of the radio au-
dience exhibiting a
sincere interest in the
economics of broad-
casting. The variety
of the solutions
showed that consider-
able intelligent
thought had been
devoted to the prob-
lem.

All of the ideas
possess workable pos-
sibilities and in many
cases the ingenuity of
the plan compensates
for the absence of
more practical quali-
ties. Among the es-
pecially ingenious
schemes were two
based on the possibil-
ity of capitalizing the
necessity for printed
radio programs. One
idea was to syndicate these programs to the
daily press' throughout the country at a nom-
inal rate which nevertheless would agglomer-
ate into a respectable sum. The second ar-
rangement advocates the printing of radio
programs as an individual publication, pro-
hibiting, through copyright, any duplication
in the press. Radio listeners would therefore
be compelled to pay for their programs, buy-
ing them on the news stands or through sub-
scriptions. A bit of interesting and relevant

"Admission Free"

A certain acute sense of what is "good
business" in Americans makes them par-
ticularly curious about the future of broad-
casting, because it seems to be coming to
their studies and their living rooms night
after night with no charge attached. Ob-
viously, broadcasting has a definite invisible
"means of support," but there is very general
uncertainty among those who have given
the subject thought whether this situation is
ethically right. Zeh Bouck was one of the
judges in the recent contest conducted by
this magazine to find the best suggested
solution for the "Who's to Pay" problem.
In this article, the author reviews the main
points of the other submitted plans which
were considered and adds many conclusions
of his own which throw not a little light on
the subject. The last word has certainly not
been said on this subject, but the only way to
get nearer the real solution is to discuss all
angles of the problem thoroughly. — THE
EDITOR.

text might be worked into the programs. It
will not be surprising if, to-morrow, we find
this scheme oiling the cogs of radio's economic
machinery.

Another idea was that the Government
license all receiving sets. This system is work-
ing in several European countries. But re-
gardless of its success across the water, which
is wide open to doubt,
it could only fail here.
Fundamentally no
government is capable
of supervising a highly
technical utility (as
Professor Pupin has
observed), and the
idea is too autocratic
to be palatable to
Yankee tastes. For
the same reasons, a
third suggestion of
complete government
control, with taxation
in proportion to the
ability of the set to
receive distance, must
be abandoned.

Another ingenious
idea provides for a
gigantic drive, con-
centrated into a period
of thirty days in which
voluntary contribu-
tions would be solic-
ited from rich and
poor enthusiasts. The resulting sum, high up
in million-dollar optimism, would form a trust
fund which should support wireless broad-
casting for the rest of its days. Aside from
making up, in part, to posterity for the ills we
are bequeathing it, little else recommends
this idea.

In these plans, and many more, we find the
main idea.

The essence of the whole contest is that
ultimately the listeners must pay for their

Can We Solve the Broadcast Riddle?

1041

aerial pleasures, and that such a payment is
not only fair and just, but will add tre-
mendously to the pleasurable possibilities of
radio.

THE WINNING PLAN

AS TO the manner in which this happy
situation is to be achieved, the winning
plan of Mr. Kellogg is probably the most en-
lightening. Certainly, did it not possess con-
siderable merit it would not have won. Thus,
if we strip from it a few superficial incompati-
bilities, we should have a creditable backbone
— well integrated and sturdy vertibrae —
capable of sustaining the weight of problems
associated with its materialization. This, in-
deed, we shall find, and also that the idea
has not dawned solely upon Mr. Kellogg, but
upon other minds more intimately associated
with radio.

The plan, in brief, (RADIO BROADCAST for
March, page 863) advocates a federal stamp
tax on crystals and tubes, with revenues dis-
tributed to the various broadcasting stations
by the Government.

WHY NOT EXTEND THE TAX?

OUR first doubt, in order of mention, is
the limitation of Mr. Kellogg's tax. If
the tax is confined only to crystals and
tubes it will boost the prices of these com-
modities, particularly of tubes, far above
their present high levels. Mr. Kellogg re-
commends a two-dollar tax on vacuum tubes.
Simple addition then determines the ultimate
price of vacuum tubes at five dollars each.
This would undoubtedly discourage the use
of multi-tube receivers, with an automatic
reduction in revenue to those concerned with
revenue, and perhaps seriously hamper the
progress of popular wireless. Moreover, this
system does not place the burden of taxation
where it belongs. In almost all of the sug-
gested plans, too much emphasis has been
given to the specious desirability of taxing
in proportion to the amusement or benefits
derived from the purchased material. En-
joyment is entirely relative and individual,
and varies in no arbitrary ratio to the amount
of money spent upon it. It is probable that

SIMILAR OPINIONS

Are held by Professor J. H. Morecroft, left, past president of the Institute of Radio Engineers and author
of The Principles of Radio Communication, and John V. L. Hogan also a past president of the I. R. E.
and a consulting radio engineer. Mr. Hogan wrote The Outline of Radio. Says Professor Morecroft about
the prize-winning plan: "I do not see how a fund collected from the taxing measure can be equitably dis-
tributed. I dislike the idea of the Government getting into the game because of its well-known and frequently
proved inefficiency and blighting effect in attempting to carry on a technical enterprise. Let us keep broad-
casting as far as possible out of Government hands." And Mr. Hogan wrote: " I see no real objection to a
voluntary tax on tubes and crystals, but I feel that the real difficulty would lie in distributing the funds so
raised. I do not believe the Government would be willing to accept the responsibility for such distribu-
tion, and, even were it willing, I feel quite strongly that governmental supervision of the program treasury
would not please either the radio listeners or the radio industry"

1 042

Radio Broadcast

the impecunious fellow in the hall bedroom de-
rives more amusement and utility from his three-
tube set, than does the millionaire listening in
occasionally on his thousand-dollar installation.

A tax limited to tubes and crystals would
impose an equal rate upon the purchaser of
a five-hundred-dollar console and the chap who
has scraped together sixty dollars for a simply
made five-tube receiver.

To levy an ad valorem duty on all parts and
complete sets is obviously a more equitable
system of taxation. This would slash the
necessary tax to a fraction of the sixty-six and
two thirds per cent, addition recommended by
Mr. Kellogg on tubes,
and would impose it-
self in a proportion
closely commensurate
will) tloe buyer's abil-
ity to afford it. It
has been estimated
that radio of the to-
morrow, no farther
ahead, perhaps than
1926, can be ade-
quately supported by
a one per cent, tax on
all equipment. The
millionaire will then
pay $505.00 for his
sumptuous receiver,
while the less preten-
tious five-tube set
will retail for $60.00.

A sliding scale
might be desirable,
the rate of tax in-
creasing with the
value of the appa-
ratus somewhat after the manner of our
present income tax arrangements. Thus the
suggested rate might apply to all goods under
fifty dollars, two percent, between fifty and one
hundred dollars, three per cent, between one
hundred and two hundred dollars, and so on.

Our first change then, in Mr. Kellogg's plan,
would be to extend a reduced tax to all goods
intimately associated with radio, the stamps
to be applied to the manufactured article at
the final factory. The imposition of such a
duty is quite as simple a matter as the limited
stamp act proposed in the winning plan.

What Authorities Think . . .

HERBERT HOOVER, Secretary of Com-
merce: "I do not believe that your prize-
winning plan is feasible under conditions
as they exist in this country, however well
it may work elsewhere."

MICHAEL PUPIN, Engineer, Educator,
and Inventor: "Railroads, telegraphy,
telephony, radio broadcasting
are certainly public utilities. ... All
of these public utilities are full of complex
technical problems which cannot and
never were intended to be handled by any
government."

PAUL B. KLUGH, Executive Chairman,
National Association of Broadcasters: "A
Government tax would be obnoxious.
For obvious reasons, voluntary contribu-
tions offer only an unfair solution. The
rain would fall equally on the just and un-
just. This leaves the possibility of a non-
federal stamp tax, which seems to hold
most promise of satisfaction for all parties
concerned."

"The tremendous value to the Government
of continuously having broadcasting stations
under its control to crystallize and direct pub-
lic opinion cannot be over-emphasized." This
possibility about which Mr. Kellogg is so
enthusiastic is the very thing that should be
avoided as far as possible, and it is a consid-
eration of even greater importance than federal
incompetency in handling technical matters.
It is the writer's opinion that the educa-
tional possibilities of radio broadcasting are
the most potent of all known systems of teach-
ing. This is because it insinuates itself to you
in your home, in your receptive leisure mo-
ments. It teaches,
insidiously, unfelt and
pleasantly, which is
how things truly
learned are always
learned. To place
wireless under a more
strict governmental
supervision would be
to hamper a great
educator. The idea is
comparable, but more
iniquitous, with plac-
ing every school in
the United States un-
der direct Federal su-

AGAIN we must make objection to the
governmental finger in the pie. Mr.
Kellogg, in his plan, argues that this is most
desirable in the following manner:

pervision.

The Government
must never be per-
mitted to direct and
mold public opinion.
On the contrary, pub-
lic opinion should mold
and direct the govern-
ment. This is not so-
cialism, anarchy, or Bolshevism. It is merely
progress, and well-developed democracy if you
will. The Government is already capable of
protecting itself to a legitimate extent through
its licensing of stations and the powerful can-
cellation prerogative. Anything more than this
would tend to atrophy original thought in al-
most every branch of art and science, perhaps
culminating in an odious censorship compar-
able to that we are told now exists in Russia.

THE ALTERNATIVE

IF WE eliminate governmental control what
may we substitute for it? The only logi-
cal thing that comes to mind is an organization
composed of broadcasters and manufacturers
who will impose and collect a stamp tax (the
simplest form of excise), and distribute the
funds in an equitable manner. The only

Can We Solve the Broadcast Riddle?

1043

argument in favor of a government-controlled
air is the desirable central authority of a
federal act. The facilities such an act would
confer for enforcing whatever tax measure the
legislature should deem wise and fit, would
greatly simplify the whole matter. But it
should not be difficult for a highly represen-
tative organization to develop executive
powers, quite comparable (if not actually
greater), than to those of national authority.
The organization must necessarily be a repre-
sentative one, and the manufacturers affili-
ated with it — the soundest and most reput-
able in the country — would need only de-
cline to deal with
such retailers
who handle boot-
leg or unstamped
apparatus to
bring them
around. To ob-
viate partiality
and the possibil-
ity of corruption,
the committee in
charge of collec-
tion and appro-
priation would be
composed largely
of commercially
disinterested in-
dividuals such as
J. P. Morgan,
Robert W. De
Forest, George
Gordon Battle,
or many others
who might be
willing and qual-
ified to serve.

Perhaps Mr.
Kellogg, who
characterized

such an arrangement as "inconceivable," will
be inclined to alter his opinion upon the above
analysis. Its practicability is such that it
suggested itself to the National Association of
Broadcasters, an organization closely com-
parable to that we have outlined, and of
which Paul B. Klugh is Executive Chairman.
The Committee On Paid Programs, author-
ized by this organization, evolved a system
almost identically similar to that suggested
above. The feasibility of this proposal is em-
phasized by the general satisfaction it would
give.

The public would receive better service, the
best possible programs with the additional

FRANK REICHMANN

Of Chicago. He is a well-known radio manufacturer
and engineer and was one of the judges in the con-
test recently conducted by this magazine

satisfaction of a direct deal between the lis-
tener and the artist.

The artist would be satisfied for obvious
reasons.

The broadcaster certainly would not com-
plain, for his expenses would not only be re-
duced, but in many cases his station turned
into a profitable proposition.

THE DISTRIBUTION PROBLEM

RADIO, were this suggestion adopted, would
become still more popular, with an ap-
preciable and welcome benefit to the manufac-
turers, jobbers, retailers, and all concerned.

The equitable
distribution of
the collected
funds is the real
and acknowl-
edged rub. The
sands which
must necessarily
support the foun-
dation of any ra-
dio economic sys-
tem are to-day
shifting, if not
actually sliding.
The permanence
and desirability
of radio adver-
tising have not
been established.
Radio advertis-
ing rates have
not as yet ad-
justed them-
selves, as they
must, to a sum
commensurate
with the value
of the publicity,
nor has the

amount of advertising permissible in a single
program been determined upon. The hun-
dreds of stations, small and large, whose
economic status, is doubtful, plus many other
factors, lend their weight to the general lack
of equilibrium of the radio industry.

Radio is in a chaotic halfway stage. It is
not in its infancy, but it is only in the early
process of development. Super-power, the
interlinking of stati.ons and other experiments
are just emerging from mental and engineer-
ing laboratories, and all these inchoate de-
velopments, these budding possibilities, must
vitally affect the mechanics of paying for
broadcasting.

1044

Radio Broadcast

ARE WE READY?

PAUL B. KLUGH, in reference to the
activity of his own organization, has
described the movement as premature. I
believe he is right. For the present, I think
it is better to let things ride along as they are.
To work these excellent plans into a more
mandatory proposition, to make a law of this
plan and endeavor to apply it, would be forc-
ing the issue. Such a procedure is rarely
wise or successful. To be successful and
permanent — a proposition must force itself
upon the situation as a necessity, whether or
not far-sighted individuals appreciated the
desirability many years before.

Herbert Hoover has said, "If we are once
agreed that broadcasting really has a mission
[who doubts it?] it. follows that it must and
will work out its own financial basis." Ex-
actly so. And in concluding we desire to
point out that, in all probability, the resulting
scheme of things will be closely similar to the
plans proposed to-day.

The taste of the fan is rapidly being edu-
cated. His innate desire f r what is good is
being gratified, and he has learned to expect
the best in programs which have been stead-

ily improving. Retrogradation is inconceiv-
able. All large broadcasters indubitably will
continue to improve their programs. The
increased expenses concurrent with this con-
sistent improvement can only be met by the
broadcasting manufacturers, through an in-
crease in the selling price of their products:
complete sets, tubes, loud speakers, storage
batteries, etc., or by a refusal to lower prices
when it could be otherwise possible for them
to do so. Other radio manufacturers who do
not support broadcasting stations — a grand
and glorious host of comparatively small
corporations — will therefore be able to
undersell the larger companies. It will be
then (or perhaps before the situation becomes
acute) that these great organizations will be
forced to protect their own interests, either by
confederating among themselves, or, as would
be more palatable to the public, lending their
cooperative support to some recognized non-
commercial radio body. In this, the reader
will recognize the principal recommendation
discussed in these pages. A stamp tax im-
posed by such a federation seems the least
complex method of adjusting a very difficult
and involved situation so that it may be within
the boundaries of fair competition.

THE TOWERS OF WBZ

At Springfield, Massachusetts. This is one of the stations heard abroad during the recent Radio Broadcast

International Tests

A "RADIO PLAY "—what is it? Sim-
ply a play, comedy, tragedy, or what
not, written directly for broadcasting.
Its definition thus depends wholly on
its purpose. A play
which is primarily a
radio play may, of
course, be perfectly
adaptable for presen-
tation on the boards,
the so-called "legiti-
mate" theatre, inas-
much as the differ-
ences between these
two are not such as to
make them mutually
exclusive. It is the
special play written
for the microphone
and received on radio
sets in a multitude of
homes, that we are
going to discuss.

The question nat-
urally arises, why
should there be a
special radio play?
Legitimate plays have
been broadcast before
now, some of them
with marked success.
It is true that the

Statistics Show

That one person out of every six has writ-
ten a play at some time in his life. The
statistics don't have much to say about the
number of these plays actually produced,
however. And since radio drama has lately
been included on an increasing number of
programs from an increasing number of sta-
tions, it is perfectly obvious that the plays
must come from somewhere. There is no
question about the fact that a lot of budding
radio-play talent is hiding its light under
various rural and municipal bushels. It is
possible that a number of Ambitious Ones
have even submitted radio plays to program
directors before now — certainly they did in
a contest held last year by a large eastern
station. Mildred Weinberger has set down
here a lot of information about radio plays
and how they should be written which should
be of great help to the budding playwright
and of interest to those of the radio audience
who listen to radio plays. Radio program
managers might be interested in developing
good radio plays for their programs and
a contest or two would probably draw forth
some very good work. — THE EDITOR.

number of plays open to choice for broadcast-
ing is necessarily limited, and the whole num-
ber of plays large. Only certain types of play
are effective when so given, and only certain
plays are sufficiently
free of copyright and
other strictures, to be
available. The whole
question of broad-
casting plays, which
is agitating some of
our theatre managers
at present, might be
answered by keeping
the two fields largely
separate. Thus a play
which is running on
Broadway may not,
be broadcast, if the
manager considers
that his seat sale
would be jeopardized.
The program depart-
ment of a radio sta-
tion would not even
be tempted to request
to broadcast the play
if there were plenty
of other material to
choose from. But the
radio audience does
like plays.

1046

Radio Broadcast

A FEW PROPERTIES FOR THE RADIO DRAMA

A portable door which can be opened and shut to
indicate entrances and exits of characters. The
bells on the stand give any effect from that of an
ambulance to the thin chime of a clock. Edward
H. Smith, director of the WGY players at Schenec-
tady is shown in the photograph

To write a play for broadcasting one must
remember that your play "gets over" through
the ear alone. There will be no costumes,
settings, make-up, or properties to assist in
putting it across. Simple settings, costumes,
and properties can be described by the radio
announcer. Many interruptions of the action
of the play, for interpolated directions, weaken
its effect. Therefore, we have a list of things
to do, and another of things not to do in writing
a play for radio broadcasting.

WHAT TO DO

WHAT are the positive requirements to
make our radio play effective? First,
keep the cast simple. Have only a few
characters, so that your audience will not for-
get them and be confused as to which one is
speaking. Then, when you name your people,
use names which are clear in sound. Re-
member how some names are easy to get over
the telephone, and others have to be repeated
five or six times before you understand who is
speaking. 1 f you are blessed with one of those
difficult names, and call up a department store,
or telephone a telegram, you will know all
about that! Your patience is gone before the
matter is even comprehended at the other end.
So call your people by names which come

clearly to the ear. Then, too, each name mt
be distinct from every other one. "Sue," d
"Prue, " would not be a good choice for 'o
women characters in the same play. \\?n
you can see who is speaking there is no cjbt
in the matter, but our radio audience c?dis-
tinguish only by its ears. A crowd isiever
useful in a broadcast play, unless yowish
merely an effect of confusion. If the ea is
to represent a background of convertion,
it can be done very well, with perha] two
voices, those of important characters, <ming
out of it. One must be careful not to ri: con-
fusion in the lines of important characte. If
three or more people try to talk a'once
even at very close intervals, so as to g'e an
effect of eagerness, excitement, or wha not,
the author of a radio play runs a strong cance
of merely blurring the speeches. In a-adio
play, the speech and the speaker shod at
all times be easily recognized by the sunds
going out.

It might be helpful, also, to use the naie of
the character addressed, more often thai nec-
essary in a stage play. For example Joe
and Harry meet

JOE. Well, Harry, how's the boy?

HARRY. First rate, Joe. How's the world:reat-
ing you?

JOE. Oh, so so. I've had a pretty raw deafrom
Mamie. Did you hear?

HARRY. Why no, Joe. That's too bad —

The hearer is never in doubt about \hich
radio character is speaking. Of course the
actors in a radio play will be selected pinci-
pally for their voices, so that the voice ofeach

THE KISS — BY RADIO

The personal touch, it is obvious, is quite lacking.

The scene was snapped in the studio of KGO, at

Oakland, California

How to Write a Radio Play

1047

character is recognized as distinct from every
other one. But it never hurts to make assur-
ance doubly sure. Without the use of the eye
some of us are surprisingly helpless. Have
you ever noticed how comparatively few
people can recognize which of their friends is
talking over the telephone?

GOOD WORDS FOR RADIO

THEN there is the question of the actual
words of your speeches. Use simple and
direct English. Make the speeches short
enough to be comprehended at one hearing.

Do not use dialect which is often difficult to
follow, even where the speaker is visible, and
over the telephone it is very confusing That
means eliminate the humorous Irish brogue,
the colored mammy, the Scotch, and various
other tempting type parts. Also, it is better
judgment and better taste not to use slang,
or the curtailed and often grossly incorrect
English of the "pedestrian." Good English
can be learned through the theatre, as many
Settlement dramatic organizations will affirm.
The radio program is especially effective in
this field because it comes so directly into the
home, and because it has so many young lis-

teners, many of whom like to be in style with
the latest colloquialisms, at the expense of a
real knowledge of their own language.

When it comes to the story of the play, give
enough in the actual words of your speeches so
that the physical activity of the characters is
clear. If one man were trying to get some-
thing from another, for instance, he might say,
"Give that to me, or I will tear it from you."
The answer is, "Over my dead body!" A
third voice cries — a woman's — "Don't fight!
Oh, you are hurting him!" The first man
exclaims, " I have it." Now we know what
has taken place, without seeing a thing.
There can, of course, be simple sounds, put in
by the "property man," such as the shutting
of a door, a pistol shot, a bell ringing, the
thump of a falling body. The simplest and
clearest of these actions can be explained by
words in a radio play without being redundant.
In general, words must take the place of what
would be pantomime in a stage play. This
leads to an interesting development — the use
of the soliloquy, which has been out of date
in the legitimate drama for several decades.

The soliloquy must represent in the radio
play what an actor is feeling, where he

CONTRAST

f his photograph shows how a love scene would be enacted on the stage and the cut which forms the heading

of this article shows how a love scene was broadcast recently from WGY. There, the two outside players are

involved and the actors in the center are awaiting their cues

1048

Radio Broadcast

could show this to his audience by the working
of his face, his hands, his general movements,
if our eyes could see him. Still we are out of
patience with the long soliloquy, which is
merely a stilted recitation. When a man
talks to himself, it should therefore be natural,
natural in the play and in the character.
People who are much alone often do talk to
themselves. Under the stress of emotion
any one may exclaim aloud, and so the cases
multiply. But the soliloquy in the radio play
must serve a double purpose. It must con-
tinue the action, audibly, while any character
is "on the stage" alone. We must hear what
he is doing.

It would seem besides all this, as though the
radio play especially ought to be kept at a
constant pitch of emotion — that is, the char-
acters should be highly involved, emotionally,
as much of the time as possible. There is
something very effective in the quiet spaces of
a stage play, filled with color, light, dramatic
pauses, when our eyes are taken with the pic-
ture and our interest held. But not so in the
broadcast play. We cannot see. This fact
cannot be too much emphasized, because it is
at the root of the whole difference between the
radio pool and any other sort. Our interest
has but one medium to sustain it here. If we
are bored, we retune the radio set and pick

up some other station. The radio playwright
can only hold his audience by sustaining con-
stantly the movement, the emotion, of the
story in the play. And all of this has to go
into the speeches — the words of the actors.

RADIO PLAYS SHOULD BE SHORT

IT IS advisable to make the radio play short
and so avoid tiring the audience. This
opens delightful fields for the playwright. Try
to interest a Broadway manager in a play
which runs less than two hours! Try to make
him consider even a two-act play! Yet here in
the broadcasting of plays, we are free. Why
not write that two-act play which has been
bothering you this long while, and try it on
the radio? There are many delightful situa-
tions which naturally fall into just this division
of time or place, but, unfortunately, we know
they will have no Broadway market in the
two-act form. So we try to fatten them, and
spread them, and pull them out of proportion,
much to our own grief, and theirs. Another
delightful prospect is that of freedom in the
choice of setting. The most fantastic, the
most extravagant set that the imagination can
devise, is nothing to the disadvantage of your
play. All you have to do is describe it — in
words — and the announcer in the radio station
will read them and create the scene. There

THE COUNTRY FAIR

In the process of broadcasting in the studio of WGY. The four on the divan are really horses, ready to race.
In recent months, radio plays have become increasingly popular in almost every section of the country

How to Write a Radio Play

1049

PIERRE OF THE PLAINS

A melodrama, recently produced at WGY. One of the prime essentials of this new art is that the number of
characters be few, and their speeches informative and direct. The radio drama has no limitations as to
place, for it is just as easy to hold one act in Central America and the next in Iceland as it is to have both

before a log fire in a London Club

should then be a field, here, for many a good
play which offers obstacles to a Broadway pro-
duction.

THE STAGE VS. THE BROADCASTING STUDIO

THE apparent rivalry between the stage
play and radio broadcasting seems, on
these grounds, not so formidable. As a mat-
ter of fact, many a play which is scoring a great
success in the theatre would not be good, at
all, sent out from a radio station. Take
"What Price Glory," a most stirring experi-
ence on the regular stage. What would the
second* act be, if we could only hear it? Take
away the dugout, the dim light, the make-up
of the men and you have a series of disjointed
recitations, with all that grim significance
gone. And the last act wouldn't be there at
all. But how tremendously it is there, at the
Plymouth Theatre! Conversely, however, the
fact that a play is effective on a radio program
does not prohibit its stage success. Perhaps
it has never had a hearing, and what better
hearing could it possibly have than this, to be
broadcast far and wide?

It should be very possible to rewrite many
plays, originally intended for stage production
so that they will suit the peculiar demands of
broadcasting very well. It has been suggested
that a moving picture scenario offers greater
possibilities, but this does not seem likely.
The moving picture appeals to the eye almost
as exclusively as the radio play reaches the ear.
It is written in terms of pantomime, which is
the very thing impossible to represent over a
studio microphone. Its story is based on
physical action, and the possibility of effective
visual drama. The radio play must make its
pictures audible. Everything needful to the
furtherance of the story must be told in the
lines. Thus only slight changes or additions
to an existing stage play might make it a
good radio vehicle, while rewriting the stor.y
of a movie would mean writing a whole
new play.

Why, in any case, borrow from preexisting
fields, when new horizons open? Why not
create a body of dramatic literature primarily
intended for this specific purpose, the radio
play?

'Che Listeners' Point o

6y eJ^ennie Irene THi^i

Opinions About the ]azz Age in Radio

OF LATE some of the saxophone
specialists and some of the leaders
of jazz orchestras heard over the
radio have risen up in wrath, and
in letters couched in unmistakable terms,
have accused the conductor of this department
of trying to put all the jazz players in the
country out of their jobs, and especially to
condemn every saxophone player to eternal
obscurity.

It has been interesting to receive these let-
ters. Adverse criticism as well as laudatory
criticism can be a tonic. But to be a tonic
it must strike with truth at the core of the
subject criticised. In this, every letter so far
received protesting against this department's
attitude toward the broadcasting of jazz, has
failed to make its point. For every letter has
brought the accusation that we have unre-
mittedly condemned, wholesale, all jazz and all
jazz players.

Now, first let it be said that the conductor
of this department does not especially enjoy
•jazz; If it is so-called "artistic jazz" about
all you get out of it is to listen to distortions of
the masterpieces of music, the great operatic
arias, the immortal songs. If it is the sort of
jazz that plays the latest popular hits it is
pretty nearly unspeakable, in our opinion.

Although not an admirer of any sort of
jazz, it would be far from consistent or fair for
us to make a sweeping condemnation of this
form of music. By certain jazz specialists it
has been raised to what is, of its kind, an art.
If it is the sort of art you enjoy, it is your full
right to hear as much of it as you desire. If
you don't enjoy it, yours is the privilege to
say so.

Here is a list of the jazz orchestras that
have received "Honorable Mention" in this

department since it opened in April, 1924. In
every instance a photograph of the organiza-
tion mentioned was published.

Vincent Lopez and his Hotel Pennsylvania
Orchestra.

Harvey Marburger and his Keith Vaudeville En-
tertainers, Cafe L'Aiglon, Philadelphia.

The Campus Serenaders of the Rensselaer Poly-
technic School, Troy, New York.

Perry & Russell, "Two-Man Singing Orchestra."

Paul Specht's Hotel Alamac Orchestra, New York.

Also was published a photograph of William
Menzer and his "Musical Saw." We confess
that the Musical Saw has a weird and haunt-
ing fascination for us. And as for the steel
guitars, they stand high, in our regard, as radio
entertainers. Have you noticed what good
music you hear when they are programmed?
They produce music played, generally, with
fine taste. Indeed, there are precious few
violinists heard over the radio who can come
within sight of these guitar players in musical
taste or technical achievement.

It is not against legitimate jazz or any of
the musical features that cannot be ranked as
"classical" and yet are good, that this de-
partment is fighting. What we are out to kill
completely and forever is the sort of broad-
casting described in masterly fashion by Dr.
R. S. Minerd of Erie, Pennsylvania, who,
writes, in a letter recently received from him,
after uttering a hearty Amen to all that has
been said in this department against radio
programs:

Night after night, when I get home after a hard,
long day, I don't feel like tuning-in and tuning-out
half a dozen stations, each of which inquires in
squally, squeaky, uncanny/'saxofool" wails," What's
Become of Sally? " Who, of all the millions of musi-

The Listeners' Point of View

1051

cians and musically inclined listeners-in in the world
ever cares a hang where that fool Sally is or anything
else about her except to regret that hers was not a
still-birth! Or who's going to "Follow the Swal-
low" to find "Where's My Sweetie Hiding5" And
"Red Hot Mama" is such a beautifully endearing
term to screech into the ear of one whose tenderest
memories are those of "Mother"!

I have tuned-in the same station several times
each evening, only to hear that someone has just
wired or phoned a req.uest for another repetition of
one of these soulless assemblages of noise which had
already been "played" several times the same eve-
ning.

The radio audience certainly is not composed
wholly of morons. There are, perhaps, as large a
number of those who appreciate music as there are
persons whose musical appreciation wallows in the
depths of the muck and mire, and it is an outrage
that stations which are trying to broadcast music
must realize that their efforts come to naught be-
cause some near high-powered station persists in
profaning the very air with their senseless confu-
sion. ... I am expressing the feelings of a
host of radio enthusiasts among my friends when I
say what I have said.

Dr. Minerd does not by a word exaggerate
the condition that prevails, a few stations
excepted, all over the country from about 10
p. M. to 2 A. M.

Where does the fault lie? Well, all will
agree that the programs from a broadcasting

station cannot rise higher than the intelligence
of the program director.

The remedy? It can be found only in the
owners of broadcasting stations. When they
see to it that their stations are run intelli-
gently we shall have programs that can com-
mand our respect, but not until then.

It is the public that must make the owners
of broadcasting stations see that they are
playing a losing game. And this can be done
only by putting up a loud and never-ending
protest against present conditions. Judging
from the letters that come to this department
this protest will soon gain such momentum
and volume as to cause a sudden and devas-
tating explosion somewhere.

Interesting Sidelights on the
Flonzaley Quartet

WHEN the Flonzaley Quartet broad-
cast from station WEAF in the third
of the Victor Talking Machine radio
programs, no doubt many said:

"Isn't it simply fine that this great string
quartet can be heard by thousands of people
in the small cities and towns? I don't suppose
they can appreciate them on a first hearing,
but then, they can buy records of the numbers
they hear to-night."

THE STUDIO OF KOA, AT DENVER

A group of artists broadcasting from the main studio of the new station of the General Elec-
tric Company, KOA, at Denver. A pity the performers couldn't be seen as well as heard!

1052

Radio Broadcast

THE FLONZALEY QUARTET

From left to. right, Adolfo Betti, first violin; Alfred Pochon, second
violin; Iwan d'Archambeau, violoncello; Felicien d'Archambeau, viola

Now, the truth is, that the Flonzaley Quar-
tet, the most idealistic and artistic players of
chamber music in the world, are known and
loved all over this country. Season after
season they have toured far and wide, return-
ing each year to towns of no more than a few
thousand inhabitants, who feel that unless
they hear these players each year a big gap
remains in their music season. Nor are they
satisfied with anything but the best programs
the Flonzaleys have to give. Said one of the
members of the quartet to the present writer
not so very long ago:

"We look forward to our engagements in
these smaller towns as among the keenest
pleasures of a season. The people are delight-
ful and charming to meet and they possess
unusually good musical taste."

It took a good many years for the Flonza-
leys to build up a clientele all over the country
because they never make a single concession
to popular demands. Now they are booked
solid from fall to spring every year. Not a
member of the quartet ever accepts any en-
gagement for an appearance as soloist or in

any other capacity. They play only as an en-
semble. This is that they may retain the
perfect unity in their playing that would be
impossible if they indulged in individual work.
Having appeared in more than four hundred
American cities and towns, the Flonzaleys on
that evening of their first broadcasting ex-
perience were heard by tens upon tens of
thousands far distant from New York, not as
strangers, but as friends.

Did Ethel Leginska Seek Publicity?

WHEN Ethel Leginska's concert with
the New York Symphony orchestra
was broadcast from WEAF it aroused
special interest because it was the first time a
woman had conducted an entire orchestral
concert in this country. Miss Leginska is
known both as pianist and composer, with a
flair for the extremely modern in the latter
medium. Then she displayed this ambition
to prove that she could also be a conductor, a
perfectly legitimate ambition indulged in by
various famous men pianists.

The Listeners' Point of View

1053

Her disappearance, recently, while the audi-
ence waited for her to give a piano recital at
Carnegie Hall failed of the dramatic effect
which we assume was intended. Genuine art-
ists are not temperamental. They are about
the sanest people in the world. Were it other-
wise they would not have the poise to appear
before the public repeatedly and give masterly
interpretations of the musical masterpieces.

Novaes an Excellent Feature of One
Brunswick Program

THAT was a happy thought on the part
of the Brunswick Phonograph Com-
pany to have Mme. Guiomar Novaes
play a Brazilian program for her initial radio
appearance made through wjz and WGY and
other stations. Novaes is not only the great-
est woman pianist, next to Carreno, who has
come to us from South America, but she is one
of the foremost women pianists from any
country now before the public. Radio as-
suredly has its moments of uplift when such an
artist can be heard by a vast audience. No-
vaes has toured this country many times since
she first came here as a shy young girl still in
her 'teens.

ETHEL LEGINSKA

Who recently mysteriously disappeared and was later
found. She is the only woman ever to conduct a
Symphony Concert. It was heard through WEAF

BROADCASTING STUDIO OF THE BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE

Which is operated in connection with station WAHG, at Richmond Hill, New York
City. H. V. Kaltenborn, associate editor of the Eagle, is here seen before the
microphone about to broadcast one of his noted "Current Topics Talks," formerly
one of the biggest features at WEAF, and now a regular feature of the Eagle programs.
Also in the picture are George Currie, chief announcer at the studio (at the left),
and at the right, Elmer M. Applegit, radio editor of the Eagle

N ewspape r
Radio Pro-
grams Are In-
complete

pOM PLAINTS
^— ' are constantly
coming to this de-
partment regard-
ing the failure of
the radio programs
published in the
newspapers to
make clear what
kind of perform-
ances can be heard
from certain sta-
tions at certain
hours. These com-
plaints are f re-
quently accom-
panied by outlines
of suggestions
whereby this con-
dition that so
hampers the lis-
tener-in may be
remedied. But

1054

Radio Broadcast

none of them has been especially practical. It
will take a long time to solve this difficulty.

At present, the newspapers in printing these
programs are
throwing away
space that, in its
prodigality, as-
tonishes one.
What does an
entire page in
the Sunday New
York Times cost
if bought for
advertising pur-
poses? Something
prodigious, you
may rest assured.
Yet, there you
see it, each week,
filled up with
radio programs
most of which, so
far as giving the
reader any real
enlightenment of
what he may hear
during the week,
might just as well
never have been
printed.

We will lift
two of these pro-
grams bodily,

Do not let it be understood that we are
laying the blame for this weekly printing of
useless bunk on the heads of the radio editors.

That is, not
wholly. With the
full advance pro-
grams they re-
ceive they could
do much better
with the leading
stations than is
now the case.
The larger sta-
tions send out
full programs,
giving every
number in detail,
weeks in ad-
vance. But with
the majority of
the stations the
situation is, we
grant, almost
hopeless.

This is a big
subject. One of
these days we are
going to have a
good deal to say
about it. But the
time is not yet

and let you see for
yourself. Here is
one headed WCAE,
Pittsburgh. The
questions in parentheses are, of course, our own

MME. GUIOMAR NOVAES
Brazilian pianist, recently heard
from wjz, WGY, WRC, and KDKA

6.30 p. M. William Penn Orchestra

7.30 P. M. Bedtime Story

7.45 P. M. Address (What about? Turnip grow-
ing or tax regulation? Or art?

8.30 P. M. Concert (What kind?)

9.00 P. M. Gypsy String Ensemble (That explains

itself.)

10.00 p. M. Concert (What kind?)
1 1 .00 P. M. Orchestra: songs. (Is this a jazz con-
cert or a concert of legitimate
music?)

WGY program; we refrain from

Follows a
comment:

2.00 p. M. Music; talk, Mrs, E. P. Pressy
6.00 P. M. News. Market reports
6.30 P. M. Dinner music
745P.M. "Income Tax," J. F. Zoller; A. O

Coggesshall, tenor.

8.00 P. M. John Leather, baritone; talk.
!0,oo P. M. Same as wjz.

ripe.

FROM station
KSD, St. Louis,
comes the good
news that the

recitals recently given from that station by
Francis Macmillen, concert violinist, brought in
more mail and from a more discriminating and
interested group of listeners, than any one
event in the history of the station. Mr.
Macmillen presented the same kind of pro-
grams he gives at his regular recitals on tour,
with no concession whatever to "popular"
taste. Yet there are hundreds of program
directors who are still unconvinced that the
radio public cares for anything but rattle-
clap music.

Are All Telegrams to Radio Stations
Laudatory?

ROADCASTING directors are not
prone to read to their listeners-in
during a program the derogatory com-
ments that come to them by wire or telephone.
Here is such a comment that a man writes us

The Listener's Point of View

1055

he sent to a well-known station that was tear-
ing the air to tatters with jazz.

" Discharge your orchestra and install a
small air compressor attached to several tin
fish horns. It would be more economical,
louder, and the musical effect would be the
same."

Cross Word Puzzles vs. "Music
Memory" Contests

IT HAS been said that the cross word puz-
zle has drawn thousands of owners of
radio sets from the loud speaker to the
dictionary. But we would put up quite a good-
sized bet that, during the evenings of the
"Brunswick Music Memory Contests" the
cross word puzzle gave way in interest to the
musical puzzle involved in this contest. Ar-
tists that the listeners were
assured were well known,
and many of world fame,
sang or played with no in-
troductory remarks to give
any indication who they
were or what compositions
were being performed. But
the names of some of the
artists to be heard were
published in advance, but
no indication given as to
when they would appear.
The Brunswick company
arranged a schedule of
awards totalling five thou-
sand dollars for those guess-
ing correctly the largest
number of names both of
artists and compositions.
That would mean some
guessing, and done without
a dictionary, too! At this
writing the winners had not
been announced.

Where Announcers
Are Perfect

STATION wcco vouches
for the absolute truth
of this story. Their
chief announcer, wishing to
improve the carrying power
and quality of his voice,
went to a voice specialist in
Minneapolis. He already
knew something of the
subject, but wanted to

become as proficient in his announcing as
possible.

The voice specialist dealt with him with
weary patience for some lessons, and then,
one day, exclaimed:

"See here! The best way for you to learn
voice control is to hear perfect tone production
every day. I advise you to listen to that new
announcer at wcco. I don't know his name.
But he has all the qualities it seems impossible
for you to learn."

Unpardonable Conflict in Good
Programs

THE excellent Brunswick broadcasting
program featuring their "Music Mem-
ory" contest, and the "Eveready
Hour," both of which have come to be ac-

MISS MIRIAM STEEP

Star of the Washington Square College Players, is being
heard in a series of radio dramas through station wjz

1056

Radio Broadcast

MISS MARY HOWARD

Soprano, of San Antonio, Texas, who is in New
York studying singing, is here seen broadcasting the
song, "Texas" through station WEAF in honor of
"Ma" Ferguson's inauguration that was then taking
place. Special amplifiers made it possible for the
audience at Austin to hear the song clearly

cepted and eagerly awaited features of Eastern
radio programs, were scheduled for the identi-
cal time on Tuesday night, February 10.
Assuming that the radio audience is kindly
disposed toward both programs, it is obvious
that they cannot listen to both at the same
time.

Good showmanship is more and more com-
ing to play in the arrangement of radio pro-
grams and there is no doubt that in particular,
the programs of these two organizations are as
near the ultimately desirable radio entertain-
ment as anything we now have in this country.
It is hard to understand just how those re-
sponsible for the radio programs of these two
companies failed to discover that there was a
conflict in time. One assumes that the con-
flict is unintentional. If it is by direct design,
there is absolutely no excuse for it.

Europe for Good Programs, America
for Good Performances

A STUDY of the programs put on at the
station of the Compagnie Franfaise de
Radiophonie as they are received week
by week, shows that these programs are much
superior in quality to those given in this
country. And they are much better com-
piled. Classical music is not mixed with
popular music, any more than it is in any
regular concert programs. But regarding the

quality of the performances, witness an en-
lightening communication of Eleanor Mc-
Lellan, New York voice teacher who has
recently returned from a number of months in
Europe. She says, in part:

I made something of a study of radio programs
while in Europe, and listened-in twice in Paris and
once in Switzerland. The programs, so far as
quality of selections is concerned, are far superior to
ours, which seem to be growing worse every day.
But in the quality of the performances, the programs
are decidedly inferior to ours, especially the singing.
Our cheapest vaudeville houses demand better
voices and singing than I heard when I listened-in
over there, and yet they were supposed to be artists
who were broadcasting. They were simply terrible.
For that matter, the singing was equally bad in the
public performances I heard. This degeneration of
the singing art seems to have come to Europe since
the war, at any rate since I was last there. Our
supposed second-class artists are so much better
than the best they have over there now that they
simply cannot be compared. Of course, these de-
fects show up with merciless truth over the radio.
In a nutshell, I would put it, Europe for good radio
programs, America for good radio performances.

DR. W. M. CLARK, of Indio, California,
writing regarding the stupidity of read-
ing telegrams during a radio program asks:
"What would the audience at a theatre think
to have the hero of the play make the an-
nouncement between the acts: 'Mr. Blank,
who is sitting in the gallery, has just sent
down word that he can hear every word of the
play distinctly.'"

JOSIAH ZURO

Conductor of the Sunday Symphony Society, whose
concerts have been broadcast every alternate Sun-
day from wjz. Mr. Zuro is also an operatic con-
ductor of far more than average ability

The Physics of Sound

The Nature of Sound — How It Is Produced,
How It Travels and Its Importance to. Radio

BY B. F. MIESSNER

COMMUNICATION, since the first
days of man and beast, has been the
one great instinctive force responsi-
ble for the increasing pace of prog-
ress through the ages. From the grunts of
our primeval ancestors to the radio of to-day,
the progress of mankind has followed the
progress of communication.

There seems to be some definite relation be-
tween the facilities for disseminating ideas
and the development of civilization. Cer-
tainly, the spreading
of news is vital to
the progress of hu-
manity.

The South Sea
Islander, with only
smoke clouds or
tom-toms with
which to spread his
news, is still in the
uncivilized barba-
rous state of our
own progenitors
thousands of years
ago. And why?
Principally because
the knowledge and
ideas of other peo-
ples the world over
has not been car-
ried to him. He has stood still -because he
has been isolated.

The highest type of communication yet
developed is radio. Everywhere, instantly,
it spreads its mystic, sound-bearing force and
man progresses faster than ever before.

In radio as in so many other forms of com-
munication, it is sound we broadcast and sound
we receive, and so it is toward sound itself
that we direct our attention, the better to
understand and more highly to develop the
usefulness of radio.

SOUND IS BOTH PHYSJCAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL

COUND is the sensation produced by the
*J action of vibrations of matter upon
the hearing organs of living beings, and is
therefore a physico-psychological phenom-

enon. The old catch question of the physics
teacher:

" Does a falling tree in a forest, make a noise
if no one is present to hear it," can be an-
swered "No"; because sound is only the audi-
tory effect of the forces we call sound waves.
Generally, however, the word "sound" refers
to the sound waves or vibrations themselves
rather than to the sensations they produce, and
because this usage is so general it will be ad-
hered to in these discussions on sound and
radio.

SOUND PRODUCED BY
VIBRATION

HTHAT sound is

I L.Vog

FIG. I

South Sea broadcasting is simple and effective but
limited in range and restricted to code signals

produced by
rapid movement of
matter can easily
be demonstrated. A
piano string when
struck appears
blurred and wider
than before, and the
vibration can be felt
with the finger; the
vibrations of a pho-
nograph or loud
speaker diaphragm
can also be felt; a vi-
brating tuning fork

provided with a sharp point and drawn over a
smoked or waxed surface will trace its vibrations
visibly. We need only clap our hands, force
air through our vocal cords, or tap our pencil
upon the table to show that the rapid move-
ment of matter generates sounds. If we view
a phonograph record through a magnifying
glass and see for ourselves how the needle is
vibrated by the wavy-lined groove in which it
rests, we can understand that vibrating bodies
set up vibrations of the air surrounding them
which we hear as sound. When it is desired
to produce sound of considerable magnitude
and the vibrating body itself has only a rel-
atively small area of contact with the air,
an. auxiliary body of large area and respon-
sive to the vibrations of the smaller body is
connected to it. By this expedient a small

1058

Radio Broadcast

of it, we actually hear the crunching sounds of
crushing food between our teeth, conveyed
directly to the auditory nerves in the ear

FIG. 2

Naval target practise demonstrates very well the varying velocities of light and sound. The
light, smoke, etc., from the gun muzzle is seen long before the sound of the detonation is heard

body vibrating with great force but unable to
get a grip on the air, is able to transfer a large
part of the energy of its vibration to the air,
which appears as sound energy. The sound
board of the piano, the belly and back of the
violin, the drum heads in percussion instru-
ments, the diaphragms of phonographs and
telephones, the air columns of amplifying horns
and wind instruments, are concrete examples
of this principle common in everyday life.

THE NATURE OF SOUND

THE vibrations or movements of bodies in
contact with the air thus impart some of
their energy to it which appears in a form
which we hear as sound, and which we call
sound waves. Like light and heat and radio,
sound is a form of energy capable of acting
through space. While the former are vibra-
tions of an omnipresent substance called the
ether, and travel with least resistance through
empty space, sound waves require some actual
physical substance, such as solid, liquid, or
gas, for their generation and propagation.
This can easily be demonstrated by suspend-
ing a vibrating electric bell in a bell jar and
pumping oat the air.

while sound is ordinarily thought of as
existing only in the air, most of us are familiar
with souttds in other substances to some ex-
tent. All of us who swim have surely heard
the sounds of clapping stones made by a com-
rade under water as we submerge our head.
Many of us, too, have listened to the approach
of a train miles away with ear to the steel rail
of its track. While most of us are unconscious

through the bones of the head from the
teeth.

THE VELOCITY OF SOUND

UNLIKE the waves of light or radio in the
ether, which travel at the amazing speed
of 186,000 miles per second, sound is a rel-
atively slow moving force. Who has not
seen the flash of a distant gun, of a stroke of
lightning, or the rush of steam from a whistle
and heard its sound come pealing in some
seconds later? The light and sound are pro-
duced at the same instant, but the light travels
so fast that its visual effect is practically in-
stantaneous; the sound is relatively very
slow, taking roughly five seconds to the mile
for it to reach the listener.

The distance of any object which produces
sound and some visible effect simultaneously,
such as those above mentioned, may easily be
determined by counting the seconds elapsing
between the sight and the sound and allowing
eleven hundred feet of distance for each second
so counted. Three different degrees of velocity
are most wonderfully illustrated in naval
target practice to those aboard the target
towing ship. The demonstrati«n is particu-
larly beautiful at night. As the battleship
six miles away lets go a salvo, we see first the
bright yellow flash of the powder explosion as
the projectile rushes out of the gun muzzle on
its journey to the search-.lighted target a few
hundred feet behind our ship. If the shells
are provided with luminous tracers, we see
the comet-like shell coming on at a tremendous
pace, for about ten seconds. Then almost

The Physics of Sound

1059

simultaneously we see the huge geyser-like
splash of the shell impact with the water near
the target, and hear the roar of the splash and
the crack of the atmospheric bowwave of the
shell. Then, last of all, twenty seconds or so
later, comes the deep booming roar of the sound.

THE speed of sound depends chiefly on the
nature and condition of the substance in
which it occurs. 1 n air it changes slightly with
the temperature, and also somewhat with the
intensity of the sound itself. It increases
slightly with both temperature and intensity.
In air at thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit, its
speed is 1090 feet per second. In salt water
at the same temperature it is about 4770 feet
per second, and in steel it increases to the rela-
tively rapid rate of 16,400 feet per second.

An extremely effective method of measuring
ocean depths is now used in oceanography.
A powerful sound is generated in the water
by a vibrating diaphragm several feet in dia-
meter energized by several kilowatts of electro-
magnetic energy. This sound travels to the
bottom of the ocean and is there reflected or
"echoed" back to the sending ship, where a
submerged microphone receives it. Measur-
ing instruments record the elapsed time be-
tween the transmitted toot and its received
echo, and the whole distance to the bottom
and back is the product of this time in seconds
and the velocity of the sound in the water.
The actual depth is obviously only half of
this distance.

When we speak of waves we think of a dis-
turbance or movement of some kind imparted
at one end of a series of particles and trans-
mitted to the other end by a progressive trans-
fer of movement through the series. Thus a
row of billiard balls struck sharply at one end
will transmit the impact successively through
the series without appreciable movement and
the last ball will fly away. A very long coiled
spring, if pushed or pulled suddenly so as to
compress or elongate it, will carry a wave of
compression or elongation from one turn of
the coil to the next toward the farther end,
which gradually becomes weaker and finally dies
out. A long rope suspended at one end and
suddenly jerked at the other will transmit a dis-
tinctly visible wave pulse to the suspended end.

HOW WATER WAVES ARE PRODUCED

OERHAPS the most familiar example of
wave motion is that set up in a water sur-
face by a falling stone. Here the stone in

entering the water pushes it aside, thus form-
ing a small crater-like rise in water level about
it, and as it sinks, a depression in the water
above it. The high portion, because of the
presence of the stone, can only move outward
in its tendency to equalize the water level.
The depression left by the stone in sinking
also is a center of disturbed equilibrium, and
the tendency there is to move upward. As
the water there moves upward it acquires
momentum which causes the central portion
to rise higher than the normal level, so that
now a distinct peak forms where the depression
was before. Again this peak drops down,
forms another smaller depression, rises to
form another smaller peak, and so on. Thus
the falling stone has created a center of dis-

I
STONE Q WATER SURFACE

= D

- F

FIG. 3

How waves are produced when a
stone is thrown into quiet water

io6o

Radio Broadcast

turbance in the water surface which changes
from high to low in a regular fashion and sets
up a series of several circular waves with gra-
dually diminishing force. While the particles
of the water merely move up and down, the
wave advances outward in widening circles.
Slow motion pictures of divers in aquatic
sports show these effects very clearly.

The size of the waves depends largely on the
size of the stone, and their force upon the
velocity and weight of the stone, If the stone
is large, a longer time is required for the raised
water at its edge to flow back and fill up the
depression than if the stone is small, and so the
speed of the up and down vibration of the water
particles is slower; that is, the frequency of the
up and down vibrations of the water is less.
For the same reason the distance between two
successive crests, or wavelength, is longer.
Incidentally the splash of the stone creates a
hemispherical sound wave whose pitch is
lower the larger the stone.

WATER WAVE EXPERIMENTS

JVyf ANY very interesting experiments with
•*'•*• water waves can be made at home in the
bath tub. Like the old philosopher, Archi-
medes, who discovered the laws of buoyancy
while in his daily bath, so can we discover for
ourselves some of the principal laws of acous-
tics by experiment with water waves If the
rays from the bath room light fall on the bot-
tom of the tub through the water, and if drops
of water from a slightly open faucet take the
place of falling stones, the waves may be ob-
served as shadows moving over the bottom of
the tub. Reflection or echoing from flat

surfaces may be visualized very clearly.
Likewise the focussing effect of the curves at
the corners of the tub may be seen with ease.
Further, the bending of the waves around ob-
jects of different size, shadows produced by
fairly large obstacles. In fact nearly all the
laws of acoustics may thus be demonstrated
most simply. Numerous photographs of water
waves will be included in later installments of
this series.

ATMOSPHERIC WAVES LIKE WATER WAVES

WE CAN produce waves in the atmos-
phere in much the same manner that
we produce waves on water. The normal pres-
sure of the atmosphere caused by the gravita-
tional attraction for its gas particles, is 14.7
pounds per square inch at sea level. At
higher elevations this pressure decreases, and
at lower levels it increases. This normal pres-
sure corresponds to the normal pressure of
water at some point in a tank, or to the normal
level of its surface. Just as there is a tendency
to equalize any change in this normal level
produced at any point within it, so there is the
same tendency in the atmosphere, or in fact
in any gas, to equalize any variations in its
pressure however produced. If we suddenly
change this pressure at some point, a center of
disturbance is created from which sound
waves will radiate in all directions. Thus, by
suddenly breaking an electric light bulb con-
taining no air, we introduce a center of prac-
tically zero pressure. The surrounding air at
comparatively high pressure, rushes into this
void in its tendency to equalize the pressure.
The air particles surrounding these also move

FIG 4.

A diagram of the apparatus used by Professor Foley to visualize sound waves. E, the electric machine,
charges a battery of leyden jars for the sound spark S, and another for the illuminating spark L. Trigger
gaps ST and LT, connected in series with these two circuits, are shortened when a high velocity bullet is
shot through them, whereupon the sound and illuminating sparks are passed in rapid succession. The time
interval between the two sparks is determined by varying the distance between the two trigger gaps

The Physics of Sound

1061

Courtesy Riverbank Laboratories, Geneva, Illinois

FIG 5.

The photograph in the center shows the circular shadow of the spherical wave produced by an electric

spark behind the central disk. The photograph on the right shows the reflection or "echoing" of a spark

sound at the surface of a hard body. In the first photograph, the absorption of a spark sound by a pad

of soft felt is very clear. All these photographs were taken by the device diagrammed in Fig. 4

inward to fill the partial void left by them,
and so a wave of reduced pressure moves out-
ward in all directions, forming a spherical
shell of reduced pressure which expands like
a toy balloon as it moves away from its
center.

As in the case of the water waves, the air, in
rushing into the vacuous space, gathers mo-
mentum as it goes, and instead of just filling
up the space to normal pressure it goes past
the normal and actually increases the pressure.
In returning it again passes the mark on the
low side, and so on. A short series of waves of
alternate low and high pressure are thereby
set up, the outermost one of which is a reduced
pressure shell or "rarefaction." It will be
noted here that while the water particles
moved in a direction at right angles to the
direction of motion of the wave, the air parti-
cles in sound waves move back and forth
along the lines of motion of the wave itself.
The particles in the rarefaction are moving
opposite to the direction of wave advance-
ment, those in the compression in the same
direction.

The process above described may be re-
versed by the sudden introduction of a high
pressure center instead of the low one just
described. The firing of a gun introduces
such a center. In this case the high tempera-
ture gases rush out of the gun muzzle behind
the projectile, forming a wave of compression,
following by one of rarefaction, etc. In this
case, because of the great length of the gun
barrel, considerable time is consumed in
emptying and filling the gun barrel in the pres-
sure equalizing process and the pitch charac-

ter of the sound is lowered accordingly. As a
matter of fact the nature of the sound changes
with the size and length of the gun barrel be-
of this fact. Short barrels produce

cause

sharp, piercing sounds having high pitched
characteristics; long, large bore barrels pro-
duce low, booming sounds of low pitched char-

acter.

SOUND WAVE PHOTOGRAPHY

A VERY beautiful method of visualizing
certain kinds of sound waves has been
perfected by Professor Arthur L. Foley, of
Indiana University. He generates a sound
pulse of very short duration and of high in-
tensity by a powerful, instantaneous, electric
spark. The wave so produced is allowed to
spread outward to the desired point, when a
second spark is produced whose light, in its
path to a photographic plate, passes through
the sound wave of the first. The variations
in density of the air in the sound wave cause a
refraction of the light from the illuminating
spark, that produces a shadow of the wave
on the plate, and therefore a picture of the
wave itself. The beauty of this method may
be appreciated when one considers that the
interval between the first and second sparks,
and therefore the point at which it is desired to
picture the wave, may be controlled to within
one hundred thousandth of a second.

Many obscure phenomena of sound have
been investigated in this manner and much
has been learned. The accompanying figures
show the arrangement of his apparatus and
several photographs of sound waves made with
it.

WHEN RADIO AIDED

The 8-19 recently grounded on a reef, near Cape Cod. The sos from the ship brought them help during

one of the worst storms of the winter. It was snowing, and the wind was high but the radio warning

brought the Coast Guard from near Nauset Beach, Massachusetts.

THE MARCH OF RADIO

Past President, Institute of Radio Engineers

Fearless Statement of Fact Is Not Illegal

A"J EXTREMELY important decision
was reached on January, -30, 1925,
by a jury sitting in the Federal Court
of Judge Garvin in Brooklyn. The
case involved the publishers of RADIO BROAD-
CAST, who were sued for libel by the originator
of the " Kaufman Circuit," a peculiar type
of regenerative circuit which was generally
brought to the broadcast listeners' attention
during the last two years. The circuit was,
in our opinion, a hodge-podge arrangement of
various coils and condensers and it was
characterized as in no real sense "new" in
an excellent article by Mr. Zeh Bouck ap-
pearing in RADIO BROADCAST for March, 1924,
entitled, "The Truth About Trick Cir-
cuits." Naturally after the appearance of un-
favorable criticism in such an unbiased

medium as RADIO BROADCAST always en-
deavors to be, sales of parts for the so-called
Kaufman Circuit fell off, whereupon Mr. Kauf-
man claimed that his personal character had
been harmed to such an extent that he was
legally entitled to damages.

The jury, after a very brief review of the
evidence, decided that no libel had been
shown, thus vindicating once more the cause
of truth-telling. Had the case been decided
differently, a great harm would have been done
to the average broadcast listener. There are al-
ways people who are continually getting up new
circuit arrangements and marketing them at a
profit to any who have heeded the extravagant
and unwarranted claims made for them. Many
times the average radio enthusiast is not able
to judge of the accuracy of the claims put

The March of Radio

1063

forth and finds that he has been deceived
only after investigation of the worthless ma-
terial.

It has been and will be the aim of RADIO
BROADCAST fearlessly to criticize and expose
all such impositions upon the radio public.
If, after our careful analysis and truthful
exposure of a circuit or device the "In-
ventor" suffers loss of caste (as Mr. Kauf-
man claimed was his plight), he can then
blame only his own unfortunate ignorance.

Telling the unpleasant truth about a radio
set certainly is not libel, and it is a sound
rule, not necessarily confined to the radio
field that one should not permit one's name
to be too intimately connected with a devel-
opment or event which won't stand up under
honest criticism.

William H. Priess, a well-known radio engineer
and executive:

Broadcast entertainers are in two principal
classes: those whose main income is derived from
the sale of seats in theaters and concert halls and
those whose main income is derived from the sale of
talking-machine records.

Both classes benefit directly when theii members
broadcast. The sale of seats for their entertain-
ments and the sale of their records is enormously
stimulated. Their income increases greatly. Their
managers and employers will realize this in a very
short time and will make them see it too.

It would seem that those theatrical folk of
reasonably broad vision have already seen
the truth of this assertion. The broadcasting

This Radio and the
Stage Nonsense

STAGE-FRIGHT is an
ailment which is likely
to attack nervous per-
formers, the performer being
supposedly on a stage of
some kind. Managers are,
of course, worried about
their proteges suffering from
such attacks, as their earn-
ings generally suffer. But
now we have the interesting
spectacle of stage - fright
among the managers them-
selves. They seem to be on
the point of nervous break-
down because of the relent-
less attacks they think that
radio is making upon box-
office receipts. Receipts are
falling off at a tremendous
rate, they say, because peo-
ple prefer to sit at home and
get their enjoyment by radio
at no cost and no incon-
venience. Rainy nights and
dirty taxis cannot bother
the radio listener.

It is extremely question-
able that radio has had
any such effect on the pub-
lic's patronage of the stage.
To offset the panicky state-
ments from some of the
stricken managers, we quote
from a recent letter of Mr.

REPAIRING A BROADCAST STATION ANTENNA
New lead-in wires are being put in place at WJZ-WJY, New York. The
rigger is suspended by a cable midway between the two masts which rise
loo feet above the 2o-story building on which they are installed. The
square house between the towers is the apparatus room for the twin sta-
tions, the control room and studio being on the sixth floor

1064

Radio Broadcast

by Brunswick and Victor artists is being done
in no eleemosynary vein. The managers of
the artists concerned and the talking-machine
manufacturers have determined that it is
good business. But many of the managers
(the less important generally) hold that radio
is making real inroads on their fields. In the
words of one of them — "The theater, the
radio, and the disc are engaged in a battle
from which one may not survive. Let Equity
(the actors' guild) provide in its contract
that an actor may not take part in a process
which may prove his own destruction."

Some of the managers rather disparage
radio as a competitor of the stage. Lee
Shubert, for example, says: "Just at present
radio is new and the public may stay at home
for a while listening-in, but the novelty will
wear off and they'll return to the theater.
Radio cannot keep people from the theater
because it cannot broadcast personalities and
situations."

It may well be that the stage has recently
fallen into disrepute with many of the theater-
goers, as some of the managers seem to think
the box-office receipts indicate, but if so it is
more likely that the pernicious practices in

which the managers themselves indulge may
have something to do with the public's con-
tempt. A short time ago we tried to get some
front seats for one of the revues. The box
office sold no seats farther front than the
twelfth row, we were informed,. They sold
all the best seats through the agencies accord-
ing to the dictum of the presiding genius at
the theatre's box office. Inquiry at the
agencies disclosed that not only did they not
have third row seats but they would not
take an order for such as the best they
could engage to deliver were sixth row seats.
Where the best seats were disposed of they
pretended not to know. In fact, at two of
the agencies they showed considerable ran-
cor that such an exorbitant request should
be made ! One can only conclude that the best
seats are disposed of at a considerable advance
over the advertised price to scalpers and curb
speculators, and it is only by dealing with
this undesirable class of vendors that one can
buy the best theater tickets. It seems very
likely that if the theater is gaining disrepute,
it is pernicious practice of this sort rather
than radio competition that is bringing it
about.

THE RADIO ROOM OF MARCONl's YACHT

The Elettra. Equipment of almost every sort is here, including receiving apparatus for very long and very
short waves. Signor Marconi has lately been conducting experiments with short waves and found that on
those from 100 to 32 meters, the daylight absorption decreased rapidly with the shorter waves. It was also
found that reflectors at the transmitting station, using very short waves, increased the strength of the

received signal and diminished fading

The March of Radio

1065

RECORDING RADIO SIGNALS

During the total eclipse of the sun in the RADIO BROADCAST laboratory at Garden City. Signals were
received from WGY, WBZ, and other stations. The photograph shows John B. Brennan (right) and
Keith Henney (left), both of the laboratory staff with one of the receivers used in the measurements. The
dictaphone at Mr. Henney's left was connected to a loud speaker unit attached to the receiver and continuous
records made of the signals of various broadcasters before, after, and during the eclipse. Effects noted in the

accompanying editorial were observed

What the Sun's Eclipse Proved About
Radio

IF ANYONE had expected to find great
and sudden changes in radio transmission
during the recent total eclipse of the sun, he
was doomed to disappointment. It had been
confidently predicted, and not without some
foundation, that, in the path of total eclipse,
radio transmission would greatly improve
during the time the moon intercepted the
sun's rays. We do know that night trans-
mission is better than that during daytime,
and as it might well be expected that the
moon would act as a complete shield against
the sun's active rays, improved transmission
during the eclipse seemed sure.

As a matter of fact no such thing was ob-
served at all. Many skilled observers, having
carefully planned their work and apparatus
days in advance, submitted reports which in

several cases are almost unbelievably opposite
to each other. From Schenectady to New
York the radio waves had to pass completely
through the hundred or so miles of shadow.
One observer in New York noticed that WGY
became very steady, with no fading at all
during the eclipse, and two others report that
WGY disappeared completely during the
eclipse!

Further to upset our ideas, the short wave
station at Schenectady was well received in
New York both before and after the eclipse,
but during the period of totality disappeared
altogether. And while this was happening
in New York the short wave from Schenectady
was not received at all during the observations
in Ithaca, only 1 50 miles away by G. W. Pick-
ard, one of the ablest experimenters in radio
to-day. He reported that the short wave
station of Schenectady could not even be
heard in Ithaca, much more measured.

io66

Radio Broadcast

So we have at our disposal these facts.
Radio transmission at night is much better
than during the day. Short wave stations
in Schenectady and Pittsburgh have been
heard halfway round the world. During the
eclipse, which we have assumed was night
time for radio, the short waves traveled in the
direction of movement of the moon's shadow
less than 150 miles. In a direction across the
shadow's path, they traveled reasonably well
both before and after the eclipse, but during
the eclipse they completely disappeared.
And while these contradictory effects are
being noted directly in and around the moon's
shadow, listeners hundreds and thousands of
miles away from the path of total eclipse re-
ported a wonderful gain in signal strength!

And not to have any one spot of the entire
field of possible happenings uncovered, en-
gineers at Riverhead, Long Island, listening to
Schenectady's short wave, reported no change
whatever in the signal strength, although the

This photograph was taken aboard the flagship Connecticut with the late
Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans seated in the wireless room in front of the
De Forest wireless telephone which was the latest achievement at that
time. The transmitting range was quite limited since the power was
only fifty watts. The radio telephone was then used merely for inter-fleet
communication

sending and receiving stations were on op-
posite sides of the shadow band!

The vagaries of radio transmission are ap-
parently more inexplicable than before the
moon cut off the sun's light. This is much
more satisfactory than might be supposed,
however, because when we know all the
secrets of radio, its fascination for thousands
of devotees will have disappeared. We knew
that there was still much to be learned about
radio and the eclipse showed us that there was
even more than we had supposed.

Too Many Bootleg Radio Tubes Are
Being Sold

Ai A result of the investigation of poor
tubes being marketed in New York
City, Joseph Haberman was found
to have been guilty of fraud and misrepresen-
tation and was recently sentenced to three
months in the workhouse. He had been
buying tubes from a New
Jersey manufacturer and
putting them up in cartons
marked " Radio Corpora-
tion of America." The Dis-
trict Attorney who repre-
sented the state in the
prosecution vouched for the
statement that 10,000 spur-
ious tubes were being sold
each day in America.

New Amateur Regula-
tions

THE Department of
Commerce has just
issued new regulations
for amateur transmitting
stations. Every amateur
operator should secure a
copy of these new rules and
adjust his transmitter ac-
cordingly. Amateurs are
given plenty of wave bands
to work in, but these bands
are so well defined that the
average amateur will have
to measure his emitted wave
much better than he has in
the past. From 4.69 meters
to 5.35, from 18.7 to 21.4,
from 37.5 to 42.8, from 75
to 85.7, and from 150 to
200 meters are assigned to
his use. There will have to

The March of Radio

1067

be quite a bit of
wavemeter calib-
ration carried out
before the average
amateur can avail
himself of the
privileges allowed
in these new regu-
lations.

There are two
sections in the
regulation which
will interest the
broadcast listener.
On spark trans-
mitters, we learn
that:

Amateur spark
transmitters produce
considerable interf er-
e n c e and conse-
quently are respon-
sible for many com-
plaints. Amateur
owners of such trans-
mitters should aban-
don their use as early
as possible and adopt

a system producing less interference. Until such
change is made they will be permitted in the wave
band between 170 and 180 meters and should have
a decrement not exceeding .1.

There are two "shoulds" in this regulation
that would serve much better if interpreted
as "musts." Under the heading "Quiet
Hours" we read "amateur stations when using
wavelengths between 150 and 200 meters are
required to observe a silent period from 8 to
10.30 P. M. daily.

Stations which have been using between
105 and no meters under temporary permit
must now move into one of the above specified
bands because the 105-1 10 meter band is now
given over to other uses.

What Radio Power Supply Apparatus
Should Be

AS LONG as the alternating current
filament tube is withheld from the
market, the one great improvement in
radio which we warmly endorse and encourage,
is apparatus which will take power from a
lighting socket and run the ordinary vacuum
tube set. The idea of using dry cells for all
modern radio receivers is somewhat absurd in
some respects when viewed from the en-
gineer's standpoint. Dry cells certainly have

THE TENDER HAMILTON

Which ferries passengers from the port of St. George, Bermuda, to liners making it as a
port of call. The seaworthy little ship has its radio equipment which is of consider-
able value in maintaining communication between ship and ship, and ship and shore

a special radio application which they should
meet, and so has the power apparatus.

The power supply apparatus at present
available employs some kind of rectifying
cells or tubes, combined with electrical filters
to eliminate hum from the receiving set.
This type of power supply apparatus is con-
nected to the house lighting circuit. Enough
power can be drawn from the house mains so
that a fire could be caused by improperly
designed equipment. It is most necessary
that the radio outfits be made satisfactory
from the fire risk standpoint. The flimsy
construction of many radio receivers now being
sold will not suffice if the set is connected to a
power supply device, and the sooner the manu-
facturers of these devices gets this firmly into
his designer's head the better it will be for the
art. If these rectifying outfits are designed so
that they will pass the fire underwriters' in-
spection, they will meet great favor.

Receiving Short Broadcast Waves

PERHAPS some of our readers are try-
ing to pick up broadcast programs sent
out over the short wave (less than 100
meters) channels. If so, they are probably dis-
appointed by the quality of the received signal.
There is a rapid period of waxing and waning
in the short wave channels, as we have men-

io68

Radio Broadcast

tioncd before, which has the effect of making
the received speech or music of peculiar
quality. The companies which are using
these short wave channels for rebroadcasting
have to use a special method of picking up the
signal to eliminate this fading effect. Either
two or more antennas, at different points, or a
very long antenna are used at the receiving
station. Either method is unsuitable for the
average broadcast listener.

New Religious Broadcasters

THE Episcopalians and Baptists have
been foremost in broadcasting religious
services, or so it appears to one who
listens-in. In addition in New York we have
besides some church services, the services of
the Federation of Churches and those of the
United Synagogue of America.

The Roman Catholics have now entered the
radio fold by having a station installed at the
Church of the Paulist Fathers in New York.
Instruction in the faith of the Roman Catholic
Church will be sent out regularly over the
channel of WPL, their call letters.
Not to be completely outdone, the Luther-

ans have installed a station at Concordia
Seminary, St. Louis. This station, KFUS,
will be used to bring the Lutheran view of
Christianity to the attention of those who
care to tune-in on its channel.

In addition to these stations, about eight
or ten others are regularly operated by relig-
ious organizations in various parts of the
country.

A Halt to Progress

IF OUR understanding is correct, the newest
type of loud speaker introduced in the radio
market is to be withdrawn. The paper
cone speaker, as it is generally called, de-
signed and produced by the Western Electric
Company, was the achievement of skilled
engineers combining and improving previously
known telephone and loud speaker parts.
It accomplished reproduction of music and
speech extremely well — in fact, it gave a more
natural quality than any other speaker we
have heard.

Many people who obtained these 54O-AW
reproducers were quite evidently disappointed
in them, judging from comments made by

RAPID FIRE RADIO

Transatlantic radio messages being received in Germany, direct from Rocky Point, Long Island. The auto-
matic machines in the photograph receive the dots and dashes at high speed and print them on the paper tape
from which they are later decoded by operators

The March of Radio

1069

dealers and some of the users.
Criticism of the quality of these
reproducers, however, was not
based on real fact. These paper
cones give off notes which the
other speakers do not reproduce.
Well-balanced orchestras pro-
duce many low notes which give
character and depth to their
renditions, but these notes do
not appear in the ordinary radio
reproduction. Neither the horn
type loud speaker nor the audio-
frequency amplifier will pass
these low-frequency notes along.
The paper cone would give them
off very well provided the proper
current was supplied to it by the
audio-frequency amplifier. Prac-
tically none of the available
amplifiers are designed so that
this is done. Because of this
defect in the radio circuit,
the paper speaker often disap-
pointed its enthusiastic pur-
chasers who had expected much
improvement in their radio
music.

We now hear that the paper cone speaker is
to be withdrawn from the market because its
manufacture and sale violate some kind of an
agreement between the American Telephone
and Telegraph Company and the Radio Cor-
poration. We sincerely hope that if this
proves to be true the Radio Corporation will
busy itself in putting out loud speakers equal
in quality to those now being suppressed.
The radio public wants and is entitled to
have the best speaker that science affords,
irrespective of agreements of any sort.

About a year -has passed since our last
inquiry received reproof from the Radio Cor-
poration officials. We venture to ask again,
where is the alternating current filament tube?
The public is still turning in tremendous
revenues to the battery manufacturer by using
dry cell tubes in five to ten tube receivers.
One of our friends tells us, for instance, that his
receiver uses up a set of filament batteries
each week! When those who have authority
in this matter can see their way clear to mar-
keting the lamp socket tube they will receive
hearty praise from the radio public. With
power from the lighting company, good audio-
frequency transformers, best quality loud
speakers, and freedom from squealing receiv-
ers, radio really becomes a pleasure. There-
fore we regret, if it is true, that the backward

THE FINAL LUXURY

Passengers on express transcontinental trains can now listen to
broadcasting as they while away the hours. The photograph shows
passengers on a Canadian National Railways train and the antenna
which brings them their broadcast programs. The first transmit-
ting to and from a moving train was done by the Delaware, Lacka-
wanna and Western Railroad about ten years ago, but was largely to
determine the advisability of dispatching trains by radio. An entire
chain of broadcasting stations has lately been set up in Canada by
the Canadian National Railways

step has been taken in the suppression of the
54O-AW speaker.

The March of Science

ADIO is a part, even if a comparatively
small one, of the vast field of general
science, so that we must be interested
in the advance of science as a whole if we would
appreciate the advancement of our own small
portion. The eclipse of the sun brought forth
in the New York Times an editorial on science
exceptional in treatment and language, which
we think worth while passing along.

SCIENCE AND LIFE

Perhaps few stop to reflect about the attitude of
millions of people toward the eclipse of the sun,
and to ask themselves what it is that has made this
differ so wonderfully from the mental state of those
human beings whom such a natural phenomenon
used to fill with superstitious fears. It is one of the
beneficent works of science. An attribute of true
science is the power of prediction. That has been
exemplified in a way which all can understand in the
. case of the eclipse. 1 ts beginning, duration, and end-
ing have all been minutely forecast. Everybody
has implicit confidence in the accuracy of these con-
clusions of astronomical mathematics. Going
behind technicalities, what is it that has been done
for the world, in this particular, except to give it
the truth, to furnish a complete explanation of a

ioyo

Radio Broadcast

WILLIAM H. EASTON

New York; Westinghouse Electric &

Manufacturing Company
"Short-wave rebroadcasling can provide us with a
world-wide system of intercommunication, but
the question will immediately arise ' What good
will it be if you cannot understand what it says? '
The answer is that a universal language will be
adopted which all can understand.

There has been a great deal of discussion on this
point, especially by those who have gone to infinite
labor to invent or learn some artificial speech,
such as Volapuk, Esperanto, or Ido. . . .
It seems to me that the weight of probability lies
with the adoption of some living language, and
that, furthermore, the chances are that English
will be adopted for this purpose."

natural event? Knowing in advance the thing
that will occur, accepting the reasons given for its
occurrence, people face with curiosity and keen in-
terest, but without a particle of dread, what in other
ages and other climes would have stricken terror to
the hearts of great multitudes.

The whole is a good illustration of what science
has done, or is endeavoring to do, in a thousand
other fields touching upon human life. It is forever
in quest of the truth. It seeks to ascertain and to
make known to the common intelligence the why
and the wherefore of many things that have been
regarded as impenetrable mysteries. With every
conquest, it not merely enlightens the minds of men,
but gives them more confidence, more calmness in
the face of the unknown, and banishes haunting
fears that have long afflicted mankind. We speak
with propriety of the blessings of applied science,
but we ought not to forget the great boon which
theoretical science has been to the human race.
When we note and read to-day of the temporary
veiling of the sun in full accord with the scientific
prophecy, we should be moved to give a grateful

thought to the vast revolution in man's outlook
upon the universe which has been wrought by
scientific workers in unnumbered laboratories and
experiment stations. They had added immensely
not only to the safeguards and comforts of life, but
to its dignity, its intellectual satisfactions, its as-
surance that the process of the suns will go on ma-
jestically. The endless and sublime search for
knowledge which has marked the strivings of star-
eyed science has lifted the minds of men to a level
where they can feel secure and affirm that it would
be a shame to stand in God's creation and doubt
truth's sufficiency.

Interesting Things Interestingly
Said

LJERBERT HOOVER (Washington; Secretary
^ * of Commerce). "The greatest development
of broadcasting during the past year has not been
in the application of new methods of transmission
or reception, important as improvements in these
lines have been. It is rather in the change of public
attitude. Listeners are becoming more and more
appreciative of the real service of radio and in-
creasingly critical both as to the character of the
matter furnished them and as to the efficiency with
which it reaches them. . . . There is a growing
realization on the part of the broadcasters of the
public responsibilities they assume in conducting
an agency so greatly affecting the cultural progress
of our people and the innovations of which we hear
so much, national programs, short-wave rebroad-
casting, increased power, and wired radio . . .
— all are based entirely upon the necessity for
meeting the growing popular requirement of better

CRANKLIN P. ADAMS (New York; in the
New York World, "The Conning Tower").
" If the theatres are afraid that the average theatri-
cal patron is going to stay at home to hear the radio
version of "The Sunshine of Your Smile," or songs
to that effect, they are greater cowards than we
thought; which is no faint praise. One solution of
the Radio Menace problem might be More and
Better Plays."

|_J. I. PHILLIPS (New York; in "The Sun Dial,"
* * New York Sun). "Now the radio owes its
popularity to the fact that no speculator can touch
'it, and that you can begin listening with $i i in your
pocket and still have the $11 when it is all over.
Then if you find you are in on a bad entertainment,
you can switch yourself right out of it without the
assistance of check boys and taxi drivers. It is this
take it or leave it principle that is the chief lure of
radio, and if the theatre men want to crowd it any
they've got to find some way for a man in a theatre
to tune himself out of a bum show without any
trouble or added expense.

"The show business will never rival the radio for

The March of Radio

1071

popularity until it becomes possible for a patron to
press a button or twist a knob and immediately turn
a very bad actress into eight Hawaiian ukelele play-
ers or convert a painful actor into somebody like
Lopez or Whiteman. '

/^UGLIELMO MARCONI (London). "Recent
^-* tests from England to the United States,
Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, India, and
South Africa, using only fifteen kilowatts power
indicate the possibility of installing low-power sys-
tems capable of day and night commercial radio
services to all parts of the globe. For ordinary
efficient communication between fixed places .or
between particular countries, 1 think the logical
thing to do if possible at both points with a view to
secrecy and economy is to concentrate all the
radiated energy into direct beams. It may be
necessary in the near future to regulate by inter-
national legislation the use of short waves and to
safeguard them from preventable interference."

LJ V. K ALT EN BORN (Brooklyn; Associate
' * «• Editor, Brooklyn Daily Eagle). "Radio co-
operates rather than competes with newspapers and
magazines. It supplements in a remarkable and
delightful way the former means for filling leisure
hours. Radio is not a suitable medium for direct
advertising. . . . The radio advertiser has no
chance to catch the eye. His only appeal is to the
ear. . . . Nor can radio, with its limited
appeal to a single sense, compete with the many-
sided appeal of the speaking stage. . . . The
great future of radio broadcasting lies in the field of
education. Education comes more easily through
the ear than through the eye. There is scarcely a
subject taught in a great university which could not
be taught over the air but not at the same time that
it is taught in a classroom. It is a mistake to sup-
pose that the best results in radio work can be ob-
tained by making it a by-product. Radio requires
its own technique."

COWARD H. JEWETT (Detroit; President,
" Jewett Phonograph & Radio Company).
"In my opinion, the public should not be made to
pay the cost of broadcasting. I doubt very much
if it would be desirable to have them pay, any more
than they are now called on to pay the entire cost of
the newspapers and magazines they read. Adver-
tising carries the load there and it is my belief that
advertising should carry the load in making up the
expenses of broadcasting. Radio as an advertising
medium is a sort of halfway station between the
newspaper and the billboard. The message of any
advertiser on the air must be limited to a selling
message such as a billboard seeks to put across.
There will probably develop a school of broadcast

DR. ALFRED N. GOLDSMITH

New York; Chief Broadcast Engineer,

Radio Corporation of America
"High-power (in broadcasting stations) is an
experiment, and we must move cautiously. . .
I believe that if the higher-powered station is lo-
cated judiciously, that is, in sparsely settled
localities outside the city, it will provide just as
good reception for the city folk and at the same
time, give the farmers out in Iowa, Indiana, and
other agricultural sections a chance to see what
radio really can do.

" If the receiving set is really selective, practi-
cally no difficulty will be experienced in tuning-
out the super-power station, that is, if you are ten
or twenty miles away from it. Of course if you
are close, a three-circuit set and perhaps a wave-
trap may be necessary to tune it out, if it can be
accomplished then.

"Super-power is simply a matter of increasing
the signal strength over the strength of the static.
It stands to reason that if the static and the signal
have the same strength, you are going to hear
nothing but a lot of weird noises. If the signal
strength is increased, you can shorten your an-
tenna, thus reducing the static, while at the same
time, the signal will come in with equal or greater
force."

advertising which will make advertising messages
as attractive as there are to-day in newspapers and
magazines."

JOHN GOLDEN (New York; theatrical producer).
"If bicycles, automobiles and radio keep people
away from the theatre, so does love-making, and
where would we all be if we stopped thatp It is just
as sensible to blame the cross word puzzle as an
influence unfavorable to drama. If the theatre
cannot withstand the radio, or any other influence,
it deserves to die."

1SHOT a joke into the air,
It fell to earth I know not where;
But when I'd sown my meagre chaff,
I listened close, nor heard a laugh,
And felt that pang which all must know
Who've jested through the radio. — Life.

The Man Who Knew All About

Radio

BY WILLIAM H. GARY, JR.

Drawings by George C. Williamson

THEY sat in the living-room, looking at
Brainley Nutmeg's new receiving set
— Brainley, his wife, her father and
mother, and eleven-year old Junior.
It seemed to be all set, but no receiving.

" I do hope it will be going by the time Jack
and Jean Mabie arrive," said Mrs. Nutmeg.
"They're waiting to see how ours works before
they buy a radio of their own."

"So am I," said Mr. Muscadier, with a
twinkle in his eye.

"My crystal set upstairs has it all over this
one, so far," boasted Junior, tactlessly.

Brainley seemed to sweat under the burden
of these last two remarks.

"Well, I'm hanged if / know what's wrong,"
he said. "I've connected up everything just
the way it says in the instructions. All the
parts seem to be here — I don't know where
I'd connect any more if I had them."

He glared at the silent cabinet as if trying
to determine what kind of punishment to ad-
minister to it. But he realized, on this very
first evening of his radio experience, that a
receiving set can't be disciplined like a child.
It's a lot wiser than you are: you can't bluff it.
Punishment only makes it more stubborn and
unmanageable. Junk! New, shiny junk,
with excelsior-particles still clinging to it.
The big receiving set sat on a table in the
corner as if it were a god upon a pedestal, with
cartons, wrapping paper, and excelsior spread
about on the floor, like offerings.

" Well, I '11 go over it with the diagram again,
and see if I can find the trouble. If not, I
guess we're out of luck to-night."

"It will be a disappointment for those
friends of yours who are coming," said Grand-
ma Muscadier.

"Who, the Mabies? That's not half of it.
I saw James Grunt at lunch to-day and got
talking about the new set, and sort of had
to ask him to stop in, too."

"Oh Brainley! You didn't!" This from
his wife.

"Sorry but I did."

"Oh dear! — he's so — so impatient and sort
of superior."

"Well, perhaps he won't know anything
about radio."

"I'm sure he won't."

Mrs. Nutmeg said they shouldn't have
asked anyone to come, the very first evening.

"The very first fifty, you mean," replied
Brainley, with his head in the receiving cab-
inet.

At this point, the doorbell rang, and Junior
bounced out into the hall to let in the two
Mabies and Mr. Grunt.

"Hello, Nutmegs!" came Jack Mabie's
hearty voice. "Well, Brainley, they tell me
there's music in the air."

" I guess there is," replied Brainley, with an
effort to be cheery. "So far I haven't been
able to draw any of it out.

"Jean and I expect to get one like it — if it
seems to be a good one."

"I advise you to wait."

"But it's an expensive critter, with those
four lights and a big horn and batteries and
all that. It must be good."

"Good as the day it was born — no more, no
less."

With this off his chest, Brainley felt better,
and greeted Mr. Grunt with a perverse, almost
savage gaiety.

The talk was, of course, on radio. For the
first five minutes every one was so busy giving
each other their ideas and secondhand ex-
periences that it didn't matter whether the
new apparatus was working or not. Mr.
Grunt, a slightly bald little bachelor with a
'cock-sure manner, sat himself down next to
Mr. and Mrs. Muscadier.

I THINK it's awfully nice looking," Mrs.
Mabie was saying to her husband and the
Nutmegs, as they stood gazing at the set.
"See how nicely the cabinet is made. Jack,
we must have a mahogany one like this.
How well it blends with the other furniture in
the room."

The Man Who Knew All About Radio

1073

"Yes, in harmonious silence like the book-
case, apparently," observed Jack. "I wish 1
could help you out, Brainley, but I don't
know the first thing about this radio game."

"As if/ did."

"Well — you at least have the advantage of
having read the directions."

"Call that an advantage, do you? Wait
till you've read 'em!"

"Wait'll I take off my coat and roll up my
sleeves, too. We might as well both look like
electricians, anyway."

Then Brainley handed him the little sheet
labeled: " Instructions: Assembly and Opera-
tion."

"What'll we do first — blow 'Assembly'?"
said Jack, briskly.

"Yes. You begin at the top and read out
loud what it says; I'll accompany you on this
double-barreled steam-calliope."

Brainley picked up his screw-driver and
pliers, and the two men bent over the set like
surgeons over an appendicitis case.

It was Mr. Grunt who made things uncom-
fortable, a few minutes later, by remarking:

"Well, Brainley, how about a little con-
cert?"

And to make things worse, Junior called
downstairs from his room that he was getting
the local station "swell" on his crystal set.

" It's easy to see where the electrical genius
lies in this family," observed Mr. Grunt.
"I'm going up to see Junior's machine."

He went; and although it relieved Brainley
considerably, it didn't put voice into his
newly acquired receiver.

" I give it up," he said finally. "We'll have
to get somebody from the radio store to come
round to-morrow."

WE MIGHT call up the Flashes next
door, "suggested Mrs. Nutmeg.
"Mrs. Flash told me yesterday that
they've had a radio for three months
and it works like a charm. Perhaps
her husband could tell us what is
the matter. She said he knows all
about radio."

"All about it like Mr. Grunt?"
murmured Brainley. "I think one
expert like that is enough in the
house at one time."

"Still," said Jack Mabie, "if this
Flash fellow has had a set working
like a charm for three months, he
might be able to make this one
work like something, ' for three

Mrs. Muscadier called to Mrs. Nutmeg:
" I'm afraid your father and I shall have to go,
my dear. Perhaps we shall be able to hear it
another night."

Brainley was filled with chagrin. Poor
parents-in-law! They had sat there listening
to James Grunt's half-baked opinions, waiting
for the new apparatus to speak, all without
complaint or meddlesome suggestion. He
hastened to apologize. If they could wait just
a few minutes longer, he'd get Mr. Flash right
over, and maybe he'd find some simple thing
wrong which could be remedied in a minute.
He'd call him right up.

The Muscadiers decided that they'd wait
a bit, then, and see.

Over the telephone, Brainley described to
Mr. Flash the symptoms of the sick receiver.
They knew each other only by sight, but
Brainley's flattering request for aid, and Mr.
Flash's obliging response that he'd be right
over, seemed to unite them immediately by
the bonds of friendship. When the doorbell
rang a minute later, Brainley and his wife both
went out into the hall to greet their neighbor,
with a welcome that was almost shouted.

"Come rigbi in!" said Mrs. Nutmeg, heart-
ily. She introduced him as "Mr. Flash — a
real radio expert."

That was an unfortunate introduction to
live up to, and it rather knocked the pins from
under Mr. Flash — they would expect him to
make a few passes in the air and produce mu-
sic. He was an earnest little man of about
thirty-five, who seemed to make up in his
pathetic eagerness to please what he lacked in
a sense of humor \ His only electrical exper-
ience before he bought his own set, had been
the repairing on an occasional bell circuit.
Once, when he had spent half of a Saturday
afternoon under his dining-room table and in

minutes."

"IT SEEMED TO BE ALL SET, BUT NO RECEIVING

1074

Radio Broadcast

the pantry, trying to determine why the
buzzer wouldn't work, and had finally thought
of exchanging the old dry cells for new ones,
and had done it — with amazing and complete
success — his wife and some of her women
friends had marveled, and had called him
"awfully clever at that kind of thing." And
when he had done a similar trick with his radio
set, and even remedied a couple of more serious
ills such as replacing a burnt-out tube, he be-
gan to believe they were right. At any rate,
the Nutmegs and their guests would think he
was "awfully clever at that kind of thing"
unless he proved himself otherwise; and he saw
no reason to hasten a show-down. Besides,
he had plenty of confidence that he could do
the job. It wasn't as if he didn't know a
rheostat from a loop antenna; he had picked
up a lot in three months. So he walked over
to the table and looked at the Nutmegs' re-
ceiver. It wasn't at all like his: it had twice
as many tubes and half again as many dials.

However, most sets are essentially the
same. He looked at Brainley and Jack in
their shirt-sleeves. "May I?" he asked of
Mrs. Nutmeg.

"Oh, of course! Here, let me take your
coat."

Off came Mr. Flash's coat and up went his
sleeves. Then he planted himself in front of
the set with Brainley on one side of him and
Jack Mabie on the other, and the others giving
him their undivided and confident attention
in the background.

WE MIGHT as well begin at the beginning
and go right through," he said briskly,
for once in his life feeling the thrill of being
master of a situation. "Antenna's all right,
I suppose? Well insulated? Not touching
the side of the house? Between 75 and 150
feet long? Hmm!" He looked at the knife
switch on the window-sill, to which Brainley
had dutifully connected the lead-in and
ground, as per directions. "That seems to
be as it should. Now the ground — hmm! —
radiator — ground clamp. Tight? Yes.
Now the B battery."

Here was talent ! Everyone perked up con-
siderably, filled with admiration and with re-
newed hope of having some music after all.
Mr. Flash had the air of a doctor who says:
"Pulse, normal; temperature, normal. . . ."

"Have you a B-battery voltmeter?"

Brainley was sorry to say that he didn't
know what one looked like.

"Well, never mind; they're new batteries,
aren't they?"

"Yes. Brand new."

"Hmm! A-battery? Newly charged?"

"I think so. It came from the store with
the rest of the stuff."

The radio expert twirled a nut off one of the
A-battery binding posts in the rear of the set,
losing the nut on the floor. He touched the
end of the wire to the other post of the battery.
Spat! Spat! All kinds of fireworks. "Juice
there," he said calmly. His audience looked
on in rapture.

"Are you sure the polarity's right?"

"The what?"

Mr. Flash descended to a term more in-
telligible to the uninitiated. "Are you sure
that the wire going to the plus A on the set
is attached to the positive, and not the nega-
tive side of the battery?"

" I think so. The directions said the posi-
tive dingus generally had a swipe of red paint
on it."

"Sometimes the battery people make a
mistake," said Mr. Flash, indulging in this
flight of fancy so as to pave the way for a
spectacular effect that suddenly occurred to
him. "Now if we only had a potato — a raw
potato — we could easily tell."

"A raw potato?"

Mr. Flash seemed to be rapidly becoming
inebriated with the wine of rapt attention that
everyone was giving him. "Yes. You put
the terminals into it, and a black ring appears
around the positive one."

Magic! Mrs. Nutmeg started out to the
kitchen to get a potato.

But Mr. Flash had spoken before he had
thought. He wasn't sure whether it was the
positive or the negative terminal which dis-
colored the potato. " Never mind ! " he called.
"There's an easier way. We'll consider the
red positive, and if the set doesn't work that
way we'll reverse the connections."

All the others, even Grandma Muscadier,
looked disappointed that they weren't to be
shown what happens to the potato. Brainley
resolved to try the experiment himself, some-
time, when nobody was around.

NOW the vacuum tubes," went on the
monarch -of -all -he -surveyed. He wag-
gled the rheostats back and forth. "All four
of them light. Now for the connections."

Jack Mabie picked up the direction sheet
which had fallen to the floor, and offered it to
him. But he declined it, gently. " I think I
can trace out the wiring just as well without
it, thanks."

Extraordinary! The others looked at him

The Man Who Knew All About Radio

1075

"THE MORE THEY LOOKED, THE MORE THEIR WONDER GREW
THAT ONE SMALL HEAD COULD CARRY ALL HE KNEW"

with even increased admiration. Brainley
thought of the only two verses of poetry he
remembered out of all he had read in school:

The more they looked, the more their wonder grew,
That one small head could carry all he knew.

And so the examination progressed, until all
possibilities of bad or broken connections, and
other troubles, had been disposed of. But still
the set didn't speak a word. They reversed
the A-battery connection. Nothing doing.
They put it back the way it was. This was all
gradually becoming a bit tiresome. The
audience was not quite so breathless with in-
terest, their eyes weren't glued quite so tightly
as at first, upon the Last Straw.

"The trouble with a radio set," said Mr.
Flash, finally; "is that one little defect puts
the whole machine out of business."

" I guess we'd better give it up for to-night,"
said Brainley.

Mr. Flash shook his head in bewilderment.
"It's beyond me," he confessed, in a tone that
implied it was probably beyond any one else,
too. "Everything's all ready: if we could only
put our finger on the trouble, we ought to get a
signal that could be heard out on the street."

MAYBE the tubes don't make good con-
tacts in the sockets," suggested Junior,
who had appeared at one side of the table
from nowhere in particular.

Mr. Flash was the only one who bothered to
reply to this. "No, it can't be that," he said
gently.

But Junior was not to be squelched so easily.
"Well," he asserted stoutly, "maybe there's
a grid contact or a plate contact that's bent
so far down in the socket that it doesn't touch
the prong on the end of the tube. That was
what Joe Brown and I found was wrong with
his set, last week."

His father was impatient. "No no — can't
you see they all light?"

" They would anyway, if the filament prongs
made contact."

A strained silence followed this announce-
ment. Would they or wouldn't they? Brain-
ley didn't know. Mr. Flash hurriedly said,
with the air of one who is being polite to the
child of the house:

"Well, we can soon see whether the tube
contacts are at fault."

Action again! He took out all the tubes
and fished around in the first socket with the
tip of the screw-driver. There was a sputter,
and he jerked his hand out as if a bee had
stung it.

"What's that? What's the matter?" asked
Brainley.

"Juice from the A battery," replied Mr.
Flash, as calmly as he could. And he undid
one of the connections at the A battery.

"I can't get under these contacts with a

1076

Radio Broadcast

BECAUSE
ROOM

. MR. GRUNT IS SITTING UP IN MY
LISTENING TO THE PRIZE FIGHT"

screw-driver. I wonder if I could have a
hair-pin?"

Mrs. Mabie said she hadn't been able to
offer any advice, but that she could at least
supply the hair-pin. She did, and Mr. Flash
began hooking it under each one of the prongs,
bending it up a little way.

"First a potato, now a hair-pin," murmured
Mrs. Nutmeg to Mrs. Mabie. "They'll be
asking us for a china egg next."

After a while, Mr. Flash gave back the hair-
pin, somewhat the worse for wear, and replaced
the tubes.

"Funny," said Brainley, leaning wearily
over the cabinet. "Now the tubes don't even
light. I thought we had been holding our
own at least, but it seems as if we're going
backwards."

"No, you forget the A-battery connection,"
said Mr. Flash, remembering it himself just
in time to make the remark. Brainley bent
down, attached the A-battery wire — and a
blast of music filled the room! It was some
woman singing.

"There it is!"

"Oh, good!"

"Good for you, Mr. Flash!" cried the

women, coming up from the background to
join the group round the set.

"Hooray!" yelled Junior.

Brainley was all smiles. "Now to tune it
in just a bit better," he said. He stepped
round more in front of the set, pushing Junior
out of the way. In a few seconds the singer's
voice was coming in as clear as could be.

Junior seemed to be somewhat disheartened
at the treatment he had received, .but Jack
Mabie clapped him on the shoulder and gave
him a sly wink that sent his spirits soaring
again.

Then everybody sat down and listened to
the singing. At the end of the piece, the an-
nouncer gave his call letters. It was a place
some distance away. "What do you know
about that? 150 miles right off the bat,"
exclaimed Brainlcy. They sat still and lis-
tened to the next selection. And the next.
Marvelous thing, the radio! However, that
woman hadn't much of a voice. . . .

Mrs. Mabie was scanning the evening paper.
She didn't yet know how to turn directly to
the page where the radio programs are, but she
finally found them.

"You know — there's a prize fight on to-

The Man Who Knew All About Radio

1077

night. Why, it's being broadcast by the
station right in the city!"

"Yes, it's Kid McDuggin versus Bullethead
Jones . . ." began Junior; but he was in-
terrupted by cries of "Oh, do let's try and get
it!" "That will be a lot better than the
woman singing!" etc., from the others.

Mr. Flash and Brainley rose to the occasion,
tuned out the i5O-mile woman, and searched
for the local station. But they didn't seem to
strike the right combination, even with Mr.
Flash turning the dials at the right of the
panel while Brainley turned those at the
left. They did get all kinds of shrieks and
groans, however; at which Mrs. Nutmeg
put her hands over her ears and said:
"Brainley! For mercy sakes — stop those aw-
ful noises!"

Brainley stopped, and let Mr. Flash have

all the knobs to himself. Soon a man's voice
was heard, faintly.

"Bring him in! Bring him in!" called the
others excitedly, as if advising an angler how
to play a fish.

Mr. Flash brought him in. It was the an-
nouncer at the same i5O-mile station, declar-
ing that Miss Spairus was done for the evening.

"My goodness!" exclaimed Mrs. Nutmeg.
"Junior, it's eleven o'clock. You ought to
have been in bed long ago. Say good night to
everyone, dear, and run along up. You can
listen to the radio any night, now that it is
working."

"But I can't go to bed yet", said Junior,
earnestly.

"You can't? Why not?"

" Because — Mr. Grunt is up there sitting on
my bed, listening to the prize fight."

WHAT A FIVE
THOUSAND WATT
BROADCASTING
STATION LOOKS
LIKE

From the unromantic
side. The operator
is shown behind the
apparatus panel of
the new WLW station
at Harrison, Ohio,
about twentyrfive
miles from Cincinnati
where the studio is
located. Operators
in the Cincinnati
studio control the
station which is
located far enough
outside the city
limits so that the
powerful waves of
the station will not
mar the reception of
the local enthusiasts

Progressive Experiment with the
Roberts Circuit

BY KEITH HENNEY

'"THIS well-written and extremely enlightening article by Mr. Henney is distinctly not a
* construction article. The author is a new member of the technical staff of RADIO BROAD-
CAST and has made one of his subjects for experiment in our laboratory, the Roberts circuit.
We feel that there is room for a great deal of legitimate and productive experiment with this
circuit, which has, as great numbers of radio folk will tell you, very large possibilities. Here
Mr. Henney has carefully outlined the technical basis for his suggested experiments and shown
why the changes he thinks desirable can be made. Those who have not yet built a Roberts
Knockout receiver can do so and make the alterations recommended and those who already
have one of them operating will unquestionably be interested in this line of technical thought.
The author would be interested to hear from readers who follow in some of the paths here
suggested. — THE EDITOR.

TO THOSE who enjoy radio for what it
brings from the outer world, the
"Knockout" series of receivers em-
ploying the Roberts circuit has much
to offer. These may be built according to
predetermined dimensions and specifications
with the certainty that each one will work, or
can be made to work. Building a receiver
from the various articles about the Roberts
circuit is like, let us say, making a cake ac-
cording to an old established recipe.

On the other hand, there are many inquisi-
tive mortals who enjoy radio per se, who like to
build, and raze, and then rebuild. For these,

FIG. I

The antenna-radio frequency amplifier circuit. The
four variable elements in this circuit, the antenna
coil, P, the secondary coil, S, the coupling, M, be-
tween these coils, and the secondary condenser C,
are intimately connected with the operation of the
receiver

the Roberts circuit has many avenues along
which one might find something new.

The several Knockout receivers have been
thoroughly described in RADIO BROADCAST
and it is not for those who enjoy the completed
receiver that this article is written. Rather,
it is for those adventurous souls who would
like to disprove the statement that there is
nothing new under the sun.

Now to experiment efficiently is to experi-
ment with some definite object in view; it is
not to tear into the midst of things in the vain
hope that somewhere along the line of destruc-
tion something interesting may turn up. One
might forgive a surgeon who advised the re-
moval of tonsils when one had a sore throat,
but if he stumbled around and wanted to carve
an appendix or the left middle finger for the
same cause, it would be another matter.

The anatomy of the Roberts circuit should
be well understood before the actual business
of dissection and remodeling is begun. In
general, the various sets of the Roberts Knock-
out series and the circuit upon which they
are built is but one of several types of com-
bined radio-frequency amplifiers and regener-
ative detectors. The Cutting and Washington
Teledyne was one of the first commercial
examples of this efficient combination. The
High Mu receiver described by G. H. Brown-
ing in RADIO BROADCAST for December,
1924, was another method of doing about the
same thing. All of these combine two promi-
nent patented ideas, that of regeneration

Progressive Experiment with the Roberts Circuit

1079

FIG. 2

The series condenser method of connecting the an-
tenna to the amplifier. Once the proper place to
tap the coil and the size of the condenser are found,
the tuning will be practically independent of the
antenna and will be very sharp

and that of neutralization of capacity feed-
back between the circuits.

The only excuse for these suggested experi-
ments with the Knockout Roberts circuit is
to make it better — if possible. There are two
points of attack: the amplifier and the de-
tector. Tuning may be made sharper and
signals may be made stronger. Both of these
are worthy improvements. Another improve-
ment would be a simplification of the tuning;
the elimination of the taps and the antenna
coil.

THE RADIO FREQUENCY AMPLIFIER

DEC INN ING with the amplifier, then, let
D Us see what it consists of and where we
might find a point of attack. Fig. i shows the
conventional arrangement of coils, condenser,
and tube. Evidently there are four variable
factors :

1 . Primary or antenna coil, P.

2. Coupling of primary and secondary coils, M.

3. Secondary or grid coil, S.

4. Secondary tuning condenser, C.

Now the size of the secondary coil and its
tuning condenser are intimately related to the
wavelengths to be received. We may increase
the number of turns on the coil and decrease
the number of plates on the condenser, or vice
versa. When we increase factor 3 (in the list
above), we must decrease factor 4. One has
the certainty, however, that better results will
always be obtained with the largest practical
coil and the smallest practical condenser.
The use of a small condenser is advisable be-
cause of the fact that a variable capacity has a
high resistance near the low end of its scale.

Any one of the orthodox fifteen or seventeen

plate condensers of the "low-loss" variety,
that is, a condenser of about .00035 micro-
farads capacity, will cover the broadcasting
wavelength range nicely provided the coil used
with it is made properly.

The size of wire and the method of winding
are variables also, but until more is known
definitely about the importance of these
variables it is safe to leave them out of con-
sideration. It has been demonstrated that it
is unwise to go to extremes in the matter of
size of wire, say larger than No. 18 or smaller
than No. 28. At the present time it seems
that any of the methods of winding are effec-
tive, say the single layer coil, the spider web
or the basket weave. The main thing is to see
that there are no short circuited turns, and to
avoid all forms of "stickem," except an oc-
casional dab of collodion.

The size of the antenna coil and its coupling
to the secondary control the sharpness of
tuning of this amplifier circuit, and to some
extent govern the strength of signals. If the
coil is too close or too large, the high resistance
of the antenna will be reflected into the grid
circuit and will make tuning broad. If the coils
are too far apart not enough voltage will be
impressed from the antenna circuit and signals
will not be as strong as they might be.

A solution to this matter seems to lie in an
arrangement attributed to the English circuit
wizard, Scott-Taggart. The method is illus-
trated in Fig. 2 and is quite simple. Instead
of using a distinct coil and feeding in the
voltage by electromagnetic coupling, the
voltage is introduced directly into the secon-
dary circuit by means of a small series con-
denser. One of the small vernier types,
external to the average condenser itself, will

FIG. 3

The series inductance method of tuning the antenna
circuit. For each wavelength there is a particular
tap and value of the secondary tuning condenser
that will give maximum volume and selectivity

io8o

Radio Broadcast

FIG. 4

The radio-frequency transformer. Here again are
four variables. Instead of an antenna coil as in
Fig. i three is a plate coil which serves the same
purpose — that of transferring the voltage from one
part of the circuit to another. The coupling, M,
must be close if the longer wavelength stations are to
be heard

do very well, and if one wishes, a fixed con-
denser, say of .0001 mfd. may be used, and the
coil then tapped at two or three places.

The antenna-ground circuit in this case is
completed by attaching the ground to the
bottom of the coil. If too many turns are
included in this antenna circuit, tuning will be
broad, but with the proper juggling, a position
will be found where the tuning is practically
independent of antenna size, and the other
taps may be discarded.

Another method is shown in Fig. 3 but is
open to the objection that an additional tuning
control is necessary. The plate in Fig. 9
shows this arrangement. The antenna coil is
tapped but its adjustment is not critical.

For simplicity, the series condenser method
seems best. It eliminates one coil and the taps
of the Roberts Knockout receivers, and makes
the tuning of the amplifier sharper without de-
creasing the strength of signals. In fact,
separating the antenna from the grid circuit
by this isolating condenser tends to decrease
the resistance of this circuit so that stronger
signals frequently result.

THE RADIO FREQUENCY TRANSFORMER

"TPACKLING the radio-frequency trans-
* former is like experimenting with dyna-
mite. Something is bound to happen, but
when or what are unknowns.

In this case the same variables exist. Fig. 4
shows the simplified diagram of this trans-
former.

Here again the size of the secondary coil and
its condenser are controlled by the wave-
lengths to be received, and the condenser
should not be larger than necessary. If the
two tuning condensers of the set are alike it is

always possible to adjust the number of turns
on the coils so that the dials will read alike
for any particular station.

The primary may vary from one turn to as
many as one wishes but with various results.
The usual commercial neutrodyne uses about
ten turns or less, which are scarcely enough
to get full gain out of the amplifier. Five-
tube sets which are not manufactured under
Hazeltine licenses use fewer turns on the
primary so that there is little danger of the
amplifier oscillating.

The effect of varying the ratio between the
primary and secondary turns is not so obvious
as it may seem. In low frequency circuits,
the voltage across the secondary of a trans-
former depends directly on the turn ratio, but
this is not the case in high frequency circuits.
Because of this there is no reason in trying for
a high "step-up" by cutting down the primary
and increasing the secondary turns.

Too few turns will not transfer enough
voltage from the plate circuit, especially at the
longer wavelengths. Too many turns distort
the amplifier characteristic so that the low
wavelength stations are slighted. And with-
out complicated laboratory equipment the
experimenter is not able to find the correct
ratio of turns except by cut and try. The
best ratio is the one that brings in stations
about the middle of the broadcasting range
loudest, say those around 360 meters.

In the Knockout spider web coils the primary
has 22 turns. In the High Mu receiver there
are 26 turns — both being at least twice the
number on most commercial neutrodynes.
With many turns in the plate circuit of the
amplifier tube the tendency toward oscillation
is greater, and more care must be exercised
in arranging the apparatus to eliminate feed-

.001

Neutralizing Condenser

FIG. 5

A method of protecting tubes in case the neutraliz-
ing condenser becomes shorted. The additional
condenser may be of any size provided it is larger
> than the neutralizing capacity

Progressive Experiment with the Roberts Circuit

1081

back. On the other hand, the amplifier with
20 turns in the plate circuit will perform better
as an amplifier once it is properly neutralized,
and the long wavelength stations will receive
their amplification.

The matter of coupling between the two
coils of the radio-frequency transformer is
important, and the inability of many receivers
to pick up the longer wave stations lies in
neglect of this important point. To get
maximum voltage transfer, maximum coupling
must exist between primary and secondary.
This coupling must be electromagnetic, and
electrostatic coupling must be reduced to a
minimum. The High Mu receiver already
mentioned employs an interesting method of
eliminating capacity coupling, and to some
extent the receiver illustrated here does the
same.

The primary is a typical Knockout affair —
two wires simultaneously wound into a com-
pact coil. It has recently been found that
greater ease in neutralizing will be obtained if
the two wires are twisted together before wind-
ing. This may be done by placing two ends
of the wires in a vise or some other support and
twisting the wires together by means of a
small hand drill.

The secondary should be as close to the
primary as possible but without actual over-
lapping of wires, which has the effect of short-

ing several of the secondary turns with re-
sultant broadness of tuning. Loosening the
coupling between the coils is often useful in
eliminating unwanted signals, but to get maxi-
mum voltage from the amplifier to the detector
the two windings would be close together.
Fig. 10 shows one method of making the
coupling variable.

NEUTRALIZING METHODS

"T* HE neutralizing condenser must be some-
1 what larger than the ordinary and care
must be taken that it does not "short" for that
would place the B battery voltage across the
filaments. One method of preventing loss of
tubes from this cause is shown in Fig. 5. A
large condenser, say .001 mfd., is placed in
series with the neutralizing condenser.

Since the Knockout is a reflex arrangement,
the usual method of balancing out the capacity
feed back with the amplifier tube unlighted is
impossible. One method is to listen with the
phones in the amplifier as usual and to tune the
two circuits to the same wavelength. If the
amplifier is any good at all it will oscillate, a
phenomenon that is easily recognized. Then
the neutralizing condenser may be adjusted
until oscillations cease. It will be found that
the adjustment is somewhat critical and in-
creasing the capacity beyond the required
point will cause the amplifier to oscillate

FIG. 6

A photograph of a convenient neutralizing condenser which may be adjusted as the photograph
shows, so that the operator's hand does not come near enough to cause bad capacity effects

1082

Radio Broadcast

FIG. 7

A stunt for the "DX" seeker. The sizes of the coils that convey
some voltage from the antenna directly to the detector and the coup-
ling to their respective circuits must be determined by experiment.
Interesting results have been obtained in preliminary trials of this

scheme

again which results in effect, in a miniature
Hartley circuit. In this method the tickler
should be shorted, or at least turned to mini-
mum coupling with the secondary so that the
detector circuit does not oscillate.

Another method is actually to make the
detector oscillate, and to tune to some carrier
wave. Then the neutralizing condenser may
be adjusted until the carrier wave does not
change in pitch when the amplifier tuning con-
denser is varied.

A particularly useful neutral-
izing condenser is shown in Fig.
6. This may be adjusted with
a stick whittled into the shape
of a screw driver, eliminating the
bad capacity effect of bringing
the hand near the condenser
itself.

THE SECONDARY WINDING

THE secondary winding
should always be as large
as possible with the condenser
that is used. For the experi-
menter who winds his owri coils,
the correct number may be
found by putting on too many
to begin with. Then the longest
wavelength station that is to be
received is tuned in, and the coil
reduced in size, one turn at a time
until the station is tuned near
the top of the condenser scale.
The end of the winding near the primary
goes to the filament and the other to the grid.
With some tubes it is better to connect the coil
to the negative filament lead instead of the more
usual connection to the positive. The proper
polarity may best be determined by experiment.

A SUGGESTION WITH POSSIBILITIES

FOR. the dyed-in-the-wool experimenter, a
new scheme has been suggested for
boosting signal strength. Fig. 7 illustrates

FIG.

The complete Roberts circuit. If condensers of other capacity than the .00035 mfd. shown here are used,
corresponding changes will have to be made in the secondary coils. The fixed condenser across the phones
in the amplifier should be about .001 mfd. and that across the secondary of the reflexed transformer as small

as possible

Progressive Experiment with the Roberts Circuit

1083

this stunt in symbolic manner. A few turns
from the antenna are placed near the primary
of the radio frequency coil, with the object of
feeding some of the antenna voltage directly
into the detector circuit. In preliminary
experiments on this modification in the RADIO
BROADCAST Laboratory, some interesting re-
sults were obtained, but definite information
as to the proper number of turns and coupling
is not yet ready.

BY-PASS CONDENSERS

IN ALL reflex circuits the by-pass condensers
are important items. Across the primary
of the audio frequency transformer is a con-
denser to pass the radio frequencies around
this high impedance coil. Unless this con-
denser is large enough, the detector circuit will
not oscillate. On the other hand the con-
denser must not be too large or some of the
high audio frequencies, say those of the piccolo
or higher violin harmonics, will not be heard.
This statement applies to all condensers that
are used around audio-frequency transformers.
The muffled tones that are often heard are
due to oversize condensers.

The condenser across the secondary as
shown in Fig. 8 should be as small as possible,
for a small capacity here has the same effect
as a large one across the primary. The experi-
menter should begin with the smallest con-
denser available, as say, .0001 mfd. and in-
crease its value slowly until full gain is secured
from the amplifier.

Another scheme that may be used is to use
a grid leak across the secondary instead of a
condenser. Its value is best determined by trial.

OTHER VARIABLE ELEMENTS IN THIS CIRCUIT

THE photograph in Fig. 9 shows the use of a
variable grid leak — The Fil-Ko-Leak — that
is very useful. This has any value up to and
including 6 megohms, a range that is practical
for any of the tubes now obtainable. For some
tubes the value is quite critical and the simplic-
ity of obtaining the required resistance appeals
at once to the experimenter and the one who
wants to adjust his receiver to the top notch
of efficiency, and to leave it there.

In the original Roberts Knockout receiver,
a voltage of 45 was recommended for the
detector, a value which gives the maximum
signal strength with average tubes. Tubes,
however, are not all alike — would that they
were! — and what is sauce for the goose
is not always sauce for the gander. Too much
B battery on the detector makes the tickler
function irregularly and the detector too
difficult to control. Too little B battery and
the detector circuit refuses to oscillate at all.
The correct value may lie anywhere between
i6| volts to above 45. The only approved
method of discovering that elusive value is by
experiment.

Connecting the negative B battery lead to
the negative A battery gives a reduction of
approximately 6 volts (with storage battery
tubes) in the voltage to the detector, and is
one method of adjusting this variable.

The photograph in Fig. 9 shows a set in
which all the variables are present. The
antenna coupling to the amplifier, the primary
and secondary of the radio frequency trans-
former, the grid leak of the detector, the

FIG. 9

A photograph of a receiver that is a veritable experimenter's paradise — everything is variable. The method
of changing the coupling between the antenna coil and the amplifier as well as the series inductance method
of tuning the antenna circuit is shown here. A variable grid leak may be seen near the binding posts. In
this case the value was 2 megohms. The variable resistance was calibrated and was remarkably accurate for

an instrument of its small size

1084

Radio Broadcast

FIG. 10

The variable coupling between the primary and secondary of the antenna coupling coil is interesting to

the experimenter. For selectivity the coupling should be loose, but when longer wavelength stations are

received the two coils should be as close together as possible

neutralizing condenser — all are variable, a
rather complicated state of affairs but one in
which the experimentally inclined may be sure
of getting the maximum results at all times.

There is another variable factor that has
been discussed in recent radio articles, and
that is the effect B battery voltage has on the
radio frequency amplifier. The point has been
raised that there is no use in placing full 90
volts on the tube of this amplifier, since there
is no necessity for power amplification here
but only for voltage step-up. The idea is
that with decreased plate voltage, the current
drain from the B batteries would be corres-
pondingly decreased, which tends toward
greater economy.

Unfortunately another point enters here
that the uninitiated does not seem to know.
We refer to vacuum tube operation and the
mathematics of radio-frequency amplifiers.
The facts are these: The voltage amplification
produced by this tube depends inversely upon
the plate impedance of the tube. The im-
pedance in turn depends inversely upon the
plate voltage.

In other words, the greater the plate voltage,
the lower the plate impedance, and the greater

will be the amplification. The drain from the
B batteries may be kept down to the proper
limits by the judicious use of C batteries.
The fact that the Roberts Knockout is a reflex
circuit in which audio frequency currents are
also flowing in the plate circuit of the first
tube makes even more important the matter
of proper B and C voltages on this tube.

It is a distinct advantage in the Knockout
receiver to use as high plate voltages as possible
and at the same time to keep down the B
battery drain by means of C batteries. Ninety
volts is none too much to use on the amplifiers,
even 125 may be used provided the proper care
is taken. As much C battery as possible
should be employed consistent with good
quality and good volume. It will be found that
the C battery is very important, better signals
always being secured when this voltage is
correctly adjusted.

Standard apparatus was used throughout
this receiver. The first transformer is a
General Radio No. 285 and the second, a
No. 65A Federal. The condensers are Gard-
ner and Hepburn. The coils are "Supercoils"
made by the Perfection Radio Manufacturing
Company.

As the Broadcaster Sees It

BY CARL DREHER

Drawings by Frankly n Stratford

Should Broadcasters Serve Local or Distant Listeners?

ONE of our readers, Mr. A. R. Coch-
ran of Chester, Pennsylvania,
complains of the difficulty encoun-
tered by distance hunters when
they come across a station which does not
announce its call letters at frequent intervals.
The receiver being painstakingly tuned to the
distant signal, the listener waits breathlessly
for the end of a number, only to have the
music start again without any announcement
to give him the information he seeks. In DX
fishing, the listener's time is limited: he cannot
linger too long on any one wavelength if he is
to grind out an imposing aggregate mileage
to brag about on the 7.32 the next morning.
Furthermore, he runs the risk of fidgeting
through a number of selections, and then los-
ing the announcement if the transmitting
station happens to be down in a trough at
that moment, and the signal drops below
the omnipresent background of squeals,
static, and induction. At bottom, the listener-
for-distance is a person who gambles on fluc-
tuations of signal strength against noise — and
the noise is always present if one amplifies
enough. Naturally, therefore, this class of
listener feels aggrieved when the broadcaster
does not cooperate with him by frequent
emission of his call
letters. He wants
more. As every user
of the telephone
knows, some of the
letters of the alpha-
bet, like C, B, and D,
are easily confused.
The vowel component
is the same in each
case, and the conson-
ant is apt to be lost
in the shuffle. Mr.
Cochran accordingly
revives the proposal
to assign names to the

letters, a procedure which has found successful
application in various methods of code signal-
ling. "WGY" would be announced as "Watch
George Yoke." "Watch Boy Able Pup," it is
pointed out, could not be confused with
"Watch Pup Able Boy," -as readily as WBAP
may be read for WPAB.

This is all very logical, but immediately the
question arises: Is it the purpose of a broad-
casting station merely to distribute its call
letters far and wide, or is it its object to give a
program service, and if both these demands
must be met simultaneously, to what extent
shall one be subordinated to the other? As
soon as we look at the question from this
angle, the existence of two opposing bodies of
opinion becomes apparent. One school looks
at broadcasting as a game or competition in
which one tries to beat out the elements and
one's fellow listeners. The other party looks
at broadcasting as a source of entertainment
and instruction. It is my opinion that the
future belongs to the party of the second part
However, let us proceed to a discussion of the
question from both sides.

What does the DX hound get out of his
hobby? First, the thrill of. annihilating dis-
tance, in a certain sense. There is a kind of
Olympian triumph in
listening to sounds
coming from the other
side of the continent.
Secondly, there is the
zest of competition.
Not everyone can get
distant stations.
Here we have the I-
can -take-any-hill-on-
high psychology. In
early youth, it's "My
big brother can lick
your big brother."
But it is quite human
at any age, and not

,-, ... i . .

lor rev,d.io dlstc\J\ce

io86

Radio Broadcast

everyone can shoot tigers in India, or climb
Mt. McKinley, or explore the polar regions.
Such epic feats require space and -money,
and who will begrudge the denizens of city
apartment houses, possessing none too much
of either, getting what throb they can out
of their radio sets? Thirdly, if one builds
one's own set, or studies the operation of re-
ceivers, whether factory- or home-made, there
is an element of technological education.
There may be other factors besides these three
and their corollaries, but I believe that most
of the impulses behind the DX game may be
classified as above.

To a disinterested witness, DX fishing
seems about the same sort of thing as the feat
of a graduate student at Columbia in writing
six hundred words on the back of a postage
stamp. It wasn't useful. It wasn't salubri-
ous. It didn't make old Henry Barnard lean
over the ramparts of heaven to applaud the
scholarly achievement of this student of his
university. The words that were written
may have been worth reading, but one would
go to a book to read them, not to a postage
stamp. All one can say for the feat is that it
amused that particular young man, that it
quickened the sense of living in him. That is
about all that one can say about DX reception.
Perhaps that is a good deal. At the worst,
De gustibus non est disputandum, or, in other

words, Let everyone go to Ahem in

his own way.

That is all there is to be said from a personal
standpoint, but something may be said in the
interest of the program directors. I am an
engineer, not a program man, but I know
enough of the problems of these harassed
pioneers, whose work will probably be ap-
preciated at its worth when they are dead, to
give what I am sure would be their reaction to
the proposal to use code words in place of let-
ters. The letters themselves have no program
value, but at least they are meaningless and
innocuous. In the show business — and broad-
casting is a branch of the show business, let it
never be forgotten — it is only a short step
from the sublime to the ridiculous. Nor does
one like to risk annoying the audience by any
conspicuous repetition of the commonplace.
"Watch George Yoke," dinned too often into
the ears of the Schenectady populace, might
cause distressing reactions. It would not be
a very fitting termination for the "Marche
Slav." It would not be a romantic interlude
between dances with a beautiful girl. If I
had anything to do with running off WGY'S
program I should boggle at "Watch George

Yoke," and take my chances with the wrath
of the listeners in Lower California.

Is it at all certain that call letters or arbi-
trary designations will continue to be used for
identification of broadcasting stations? Are
not these symbols a vestigial left-over from
the purely telegraph days of radio? Would
one assign call letters to the Odeon of Paris,
or to Covent Gardens, or to the Metropolitan
Opera? The day will come when broadcast-
ing stations — some of them, at any rate — will
be on this artistic level, and, as a matter of
course, their programs will be heard all over
the world. Then where will be the thrill of
hearing distant stations? When everyone
can do it, there will be no fun in it. There
will be no more use for call letters when radio
arrives at that stage than there would be for
tree-blaze's in a city park.

Furthermore, the urge to hear and be heard
over thousands of miles leads to a frame of
mind at least indirectly opposed to sound pro-
gram considerations. As this article is writ-
ten, a St. Louis station announces that on a
certain day it is going to broadcast contimj-
ously for eighteen hours, in the expectation of
being heard all over the world. Have they
made certain that they are going to have
something to say which should be heard all
over the world? Eighteen hours is a long
stretch. How much of the eighteen-hour
output is going to be worth hearing? Would
it not be just as well to have an automatic
machine sending, "The quick brown fox
jumped over the lazy dog," and signing the
call letters every four seconds? Best of all,
why not go the whole hog, simply repeat the
call letters interminably, and let it go at that?

In building up this reductio ad absurdum, and
.in presenting the various aspects of this ques-
tion as they appear to me, I have no desire to
be dogmatic. I do not assume the powers of
an arbiter for 5OO-odd broadcasters and
heaven knows how many million listeners.
Has anyone else something to contribute to
the symposium?

How Many Radio Receivers Are
There?

UNDER the direction of Borough
President Connolly, a radio canvass
was recently made in Queens, New
York City, and a total of 34,994 receiving sets
was found. Queens has a population of
470,000. Assuming that the canvass was ac-
curately carried out, it would appear that in
this locality there is one radio set to about 13.5

As the Broadcaster Sees It

1087

of population. With this figure as a starting
point some approximations may be made as
to the actual number of radio receivers in use
in the United States.

Queens is a part of New York City, but,
next to Richmond, it is the most sparsely
settled of the five boroughs. The density of
population is about 4,343 to the square mile.
Richmond has 2,050 to the square mile; the
Bronx, 17,900; Kings, 28,500; New York
County (Manhattan) averages no less than
103,900 to the square mile. These figures
are from the 1920 census. The great varia-
tion in the degree of urbanization and the
density of population, even within the borders
of New York City, is quite apparent.

If we assume that the inhabitants of other
parts of New York City have gone in for
radio to the same extent as those of
Queens (one set to 13.5 persons), then, the
population of New York City being about
5,623,500, there must be some 420,000 re-
ceivers within the city limits — say 450,000 to
allow for the increase in population since 1920.
Taking the population of the metropolitan dis-
trict, comprising New York City, Westchester
County in New York State, and most of seven
adjacent counties in New Jersey, as about
8,000,000, there must be some 600,000 sets in
this district.

On the basis of 100,000,000 as the popula-
tion of the United States, half of the popula-
tion being classified as urban, at the rate of one
set to 14 persons, this section of the citizenry
has absorbed some 3,500,000 receivers. In the
remaining rural portion probably the per-
centage of receivers to the population is not
over a quarter of the ratio disclosed in the
Queens census. This would amount to 900,000
sets in rural territory, or a total of 4,400,000
for the entire country. This figure agrees
fairly well with the conjectural totals of
3,500,000 to 5,000,000 receivers in the United
States which have been offered by various
estimators.

The writer is just enough of a statistician to
insist that his results are not accurate to bet-
ter than 25 per cent, high or low. Those who
are booming radio will add the 25 per cent, and
those very vocal gentlemen who insist that
radio is ruining the theater, the varnished pret-
zel industry, etc., have the privilege of sub-
tracting 25 per cent, if it will make them feel
better.

If a radio census could be carried out in
several rural counties a more accurate esti-
mate of the number of radio sets in the coun-
try would be possible. The weakness of the

above estimates lies in the fact that they are
based on a ratio obtained in one urban locality.
The average density of population in New
York State is only about 220 per mile, or
about one twentieth of the density in Queens.
In Nassau County on Long Island the figure
is 460 per mile, while in Hamilton County it
is 2.3 per mile, which is close to the figure of
i.o per square mile taken as frontier popula-
tion in political economy. If reliable figures
on the number of radio sets in representative
counties like Erie, Ulster, and Suffolk could
be obtained, a reasonably accurate total for
New York State could be calculated, and this
might be adapted to other states.

" Pioneer's" Static

THE New York Herald-Tribune runs a
daily column of radio criticism, "Last
Night on the Radio," by "Pioneer."
Recently the first "Pioneer" departed, not, we
are happy to say, from the earth, but merely
from the lists of broadcasting comment, where
he had engaged in many a scuffle and knock-
down-drag-out fight. In making a respectful
bow to his successor, and wishing her all the
luck in the world in a profession where one
needs it, heaven knows, we must say a word
about Pioneer II 's use of the word "static."

In the issue of December 31, 1924, it was
stated that "the shrill wail of static intruded
upon speeches and songs." We have heard
static crash, bang, grind, click, and growl, but
never, in our hearing, has the monster wailed.
We thought immediately of oscillating re-
ceivers. On January 12, 1925, Pioneer spoke
of atmospheric disturbances which "sent
shrieks of static to mar the patient voices of
the singers." Finally, on January I5th it
became clear that to Pioneer "static" meant
any interference, artificial or natural, with
clear transmission, for she referred to a musi-

orve raxlio for every *3f crtrseivs

io88

Radio Broadcast

cal feature "transmitted to that slight whist-
ling accompaniment of static which we have
noticed of late from ." Incidental com-
ments were "overwhelmed in the rush of
static noises." "This defect in transmission
is due," we were told, "to some malady of the
. . . microphone . . .

"Static," in orthodox engineering termino-
logy, is applied only to disturbances arising
from electrostatic charges accumulating on a
receiving antenna. "Strays" is the proper
name for other natural disturbances with re-
ception, generally originating in local or dis-
tant lightning. However, both static and
strays are. loosely grouped under the single
term "static." This word is never properly
applied to man-made disturbances. It was so
used in a series excellent articles in RADIO
BROADCAST on inductive disturbances by
Mr. A. F. Van Dyck, but purely as a fig-
ure of speech. "Heterodyning," "squeal-
ing," "howling," "induction," "line noise,"
"cross-talk," "crossfire," "oscillation,"
"commutator ripple," "tube hiss," are a few
of the names applied to various forms of
artificial disturbance. To the expert, every
little noise has a meaning of its own.

It is quite possible that technical radio
terminology will diverge from the popular
lingo much as in medicine and other fields.
The man in the street talks of his "breast-
bone," where the physician uses "sternum";
be speaks of an "ear-inflammation" where the
professional medical man refers to "acute
otitis media." As often as not the popular
term means the same as the more esoteric
technical expression; frequently, however, the
latter has the advantage in defmiteness and
accuracy. The technical nomenclature is valu-
able, in another respect, it enables the techni-
cian to feel superior to the layman, and to
write articles like this one.

the radio critics are Kere to stay

Molly and the Paint

OUR estimable neighbor, Miss Mix, in
"The Listeners' Point of View" for
February, cites a WGY program in
which a waltz, "Take a Look at Molly," is
followed by a lecture on "The Metallography
of Paint," after which appears the fox trot,
"Jealous." Miss Mix then inquires whether
anyone but the compiler of this program
knows why a talk was put in such a place; she
suggests, furthermore, that the compiler
himself may not know.

In the course of our scientific investigations
we have on many occasions found it necessary
to inspect the lips, cheeks, and eyebrows of
beautiful girls at close range. None of them
was named Molly. All of them, if we may
set it down without betraying confidences,
enhanced their loveliness with various daubs
and pigments. May it not be that the WGY
program wrestler, looking at some Mary or
Minnie or Molly in the office, had his mind
driven, by an irresistible and logical associa-
tion of ideas, to the subject of paint?

More Data on the Differentiation of
Broadcasting Stations

THE New York Times of January i5th
carries a news item stating that the
Paulist Fathers are installing a 500-
watt broadcasting station at their head-
quarters on 59th Street, the programs to
include concerts by the Paulist Choristers,
lectures by well-known Catholics, both clergy-
men and laymen, and instruction in the
principles of the Roman Catholic church. Of
course this is not the first broadcasting station
to be operated by a religious organization,
WQAO of the Calvary Baptist Church, and WBBR
of the People's Pulpit Association being local
predecessors in this field. The new station,
whose call letters are to be WPL, is perhaps the
first major broadcasting venture of the Catholic
church in this country: the evangelical creeds,
in general, have been less conservative.

Religious broadcasters are existing examples
of specialization in radio program material.
In the nature of the case they are limited to
serious music and discussions. Jazz and
humor have no place on their programs.
Their object is to edify, not to amuse. At
present practically all the New York stations,
even the distinctively jazzy Let's-go-boys
type, carry some sermonic or sacred material.
In time, perhaps, this class of broadcasting
will be taken over largely by specialists.

As the Broadcaster Sees It

1089

An SOS Log

IN OUR previous disquisition on the subject
of "Broadcasting and the sos" we made
the statement that the inland broadcasters,
under the present system, do not pay much
attention to sos calls on the high seas. We
now present in substantiation our log of Janu-
ary i, 1925, taken in New York City. We did
not listen on wavelengths below 450 meters.
The deleted entries represent radio telegraph
traffic which we are not at liberty to divulge.

12.30 A.M
12.32

12.33
12.42

12.44

12.45
12.47

12.49
12.50
12.56

12.58
12.59

1. 00
I.OI

1.05

1.09
I.I I

1.14
1.19
1.30

January i, 1925.

QRT sos NAH New York broadcasters go
off air.

WHO Des Moines, Iowa, broadcasting.
522.3 meters.

wcx Detroit, Mich., 516 meters. Broad-
casting jazz — " Follow the Swallow,"
etc.

woe Davenport, Iowa. "What'll I
Do?" and other dance numbers. 498
meters.

KYW Chicago, 535.4 meters. Someone

broadcasting request messages and

smart patter. Says it's 10 minutes to
12.

WCAE Pittsburgh. Dance music Silver-
town orchestra from New York by wire.
462 meters.

Chimes on about 500 meters. Appar-
ently Davenport. Then puts out
noise and general merriment in studio.
As above (i.oi) signs. Yes, it's woe.
wcx Detroit Free Press still on dance
music from Book-Cadillac Hotel.

woe on studio program.

Tenor, "Land of the Sky-Blue Water."

woe lets a . little wire
talk go out changing to field pick-up,
sos not yet clear. Off watch.
All above reception was on super-
heterodyne and loud speaker.

How Can Broadcast Operators Be
Trained?

AS FAR as we know, there is no estab-
lished school for broadcast radio
operators in the United States.
Schools for telegraph operators, both wire and
radio, exist in sufficient number to meet the
demand. But if a young man wants to be-

tlve

come a technical broadcaster, his only chance
at the present time is to get into the employ of
some station and to learn the business there.
And, as the public becomes more critical and
the broadcasters more careful, that chance, at
least in the larger cities, is likely to become a
slim one.

The source of supply for broadcast opera-
tors, up to this time, has been largely from the
radio telegraph field, both commercial and
amateur. Sea-going operators who had be-
come tired of the briny deep got jobs on shore
running broadcasting stations. Some of them,
with a good ear for music and an interest in
acoustics, added to that part of the techno-
logical foundation which is the same for radio
telegraphy and telephony, turned out very
well. Others with less aptitude for the new
field got in and stayed in because the station
owners knew even less than they did. Still
others made blunders so egregious that they
were discharged and became garage me-
chanics or salesmen. The more talented
candidates likewise made blunders, of course,
but they did not make the same mistake twice.
Also, they had their troubles on the air at a
time when the public was less critical.

This fact is not appreciated by some marine
radio operators who turn their eyes toward
broadcasting. They do not realize that many
of the things which they know will have no
direct application in a broadcasting station,
that there are many problems in such a station
with which they have had no contact, and
that considerable adaptability and intelligence
may be required to close up the gaps. There
was a time — it ended about a decade ago —
when a radio man was a radio man, and knew,
or thought he knew, everything in the art.
He was ready to build or handle any type of
transmitter or receiver of any power. Nowa-
days, there are transmitter specialists and re-

Radio Broadcast

ceiver specialists, high power men, low power
men, and innumerable narrower divisions. A
radio man may be an expert in loud speakers,
or in super-heterodyne receivers, or in broad-
casting microphones. The body of knowledge
and technology which he shares in common
with all radio men is no longer all-important;
it is only the foundation of a structure of
specialized knowledge, and it is the latter
which has great economic importance. Broad-
casting is one of these divisions. To try to
get a job in a broadcasting station on the
strength of one's experience in marine radio
is somewh'at like approaching a Mason for
fraternal aid on the strength of the fact that
one is a member of the Elks.

A considerable number of technical broad-
casters have been recruited from the wire tele-
phone field. These men approached broad-
casting from a totally different direction than
the radio telegraph people. Broadcasting
may be summed up as radio plus acoustics.
The difference between a tube set used for
telegraphy and the same transmitter used for
telephony is one in modulation. Up to the
modulation circuits they are the same. In
fact, the same transmitter is sometimes used
for both purposes by the aid of change-over
switches with the proper circuits. The tele-
phone experts knew a good deal more about
the acoustical features than most of the radio
men. The latter were proficient in getting
their waves out on the air and in picking
them up, but they were familiar only with re-
latively simple forms of modulation. The
elaborate and exacting modes of impressing
the carrier with which they had to deal when
broadcasting became the vogue, made some
of them feel like brick-layers confronted by
a problem in interior decorating.

One possible source of supply for broad-
casting technicians, which has scarcely been
touched, is the phonograph recording labora-
tory. The phonograph interests have been
faced for many years by acoustic problems
similar to those now encountered by the
broadcasters, and some of the gramophone
recording experts would be an asset to many a
broadcasting station. Some really brilliant
broadcast performances have in fact been
turned out by the operators of a New York
station working together with phonograph
recording specialists in the latters' labora-
tories. For a number of reasons, however,
there has been little actual interchange of
workers between the two fields. The principal
reason is that in the case of the phonograph
man the first term in the equation, "radio plus

acoustics equals broadcasting," is missing,
and at the present time, employers in the
broadcasting field insist on the first and get
what they can in the second. A broadcast
technician is expected to know, first, how to
run a radio transmitter and the associated
amplifiers — the business of tuning, getting
maximum radiation, standing a 6oo-meter
watch, oiling generators and grinding down
brushes, shooting trouble, and the like; in the
second category he must balance up orches-
tras, detect blasting and all forms of distor-
tion, and act, in short, as a musical critic
and adjuster. In time, perhaps, the two func-
tions may become differentiated. One class
of operator will tend to the machinery, while
the other class of technician will be concerned
solely with the music. There is already some
tendency in this direction in those stations
where the power plant is separated from the
studios and control room.

Judging by the inquiries received by a pro-
fessional broadcaster, many young men are
desirous of entering this new field, embracing
its romance, and enduring its agonies. For
such, a few words of advice may be of interest.

As to general temperament, one requires
calmness unmixed with over-confidence.
Calmness is essential because broadcasting is a
branch of the show business which places even
more reliance on machinery than does the
theater; it is at best a nervous game, and if
the players add to the tension by injecting an
excess of temperament at every opportunity,
explosions will be too violent and frequent for
the successful running of the station. At the
same time, on the technical end, a certain
controlled apprehensiveness is in order. One
must never trust the equipment; at times
when one is not on the air one must always be
looking for things that may go wrong when
the amperes are in the antenna and the multi-
tude is twirling its knobs. "Be not anxious
for the morrow, for the morrow will be anxious
for itself," is an injunction sadly inapplicable
to the broadcaster.

A high school education, or its equivalent
in general schooling, is essential. Broadcast-
ing is a business in which one meets many
highly cultivated and well-informed people.
Good diction, a vocabulary of decent size, and
polite deportment, are not qualities to sway
the stars from their courses, but they are very
useful in such a business as broadcasting:
therein, of course, broadcasting is not unique.

General radio experience, as has been said, is
necessary at the present time, and will prob-
ably always be eminently desirable. Ama-

As the Broadcaster Sees It

tcur experience is good, professional work is
better. A knowledge of physics and of ordi-
nary electrical practice is essential. Acoustics,
theoretical and practical, must be studied.
Alternating current theory is as important in
radio broadcasting as in wireless telegraphy.
The influence of inductance and capacitance
on currents of various audible frequencies is
one of the fundamental problems of broad-
casting. Telephone practice is of obvious
interest to the broadcaster, since all the
larger stations reach out for a considerable
part of their program material with wire lines.
While some excellent textbooks have been
written on the subject of wireless telephony, a
handbook on broadcasting remains a work for
the future. However, the subject has been
partly covered in its technical aspects by
various engineering papers, the study of which
forms a good preparation for actual work in the
field. This bibliography is as follows:

CASPER. Telephone Transformers (Section on
Frequency Requirements) Journal A.I. E. E.,
March, 1924. Page 197.

MARTIN and FLETCHER. High Quality Transmis-
sion and Reproduction of Speech and Music.
Journal A. I. E. E., March, 1924. Page 230.

JONES. The Nature of Language. Journal A. I.
E. E., April, 1924. Page 321.

HITCHCOCK. Applications of Long Distance Tele-
phony on the Pacific Coast. Journal A. I.
E. E., Dec., 1923. Page 1264.

OSBORNE. Telephone Transmission Over Long Dis-
tances. Journal A. I. E. E., Oct., 1923.
Page 1051.

JONES. Discussion on Thomas. A Diaphragmless
Microphone. Journal A. I. E. E., Sept., 1923,
Page 979.

ARNOLD and ESPENSCHIED. Transatlantic Radio
Telephony. Journal A. I. E. E., Aug., 1923.
Page 347.

GREEN and MAXFIELD. Public Address System.
Journal A. I. E. E., April, 1923. Page 347.

MARTIN and CLARK. Use of Public Address Sys-
tems with Telephone Lines. Journal A. I.
E. E., April, 1923. Page 359.

WEINBERGER. Broadcast Transmitting Stations of
the Radio Corporation of America. Proc.
I. R. E., Dec., 1924. Page 748.

tKe traiiviiu*

NELSON. Transmitting Equipment for Radio Tele-

phone Broadcasting. Proc. I. R. E., Oct., 1924.

Page 553.
LITTLE. KDKA, the Radio Telephone Broadcasting

Station of the Westinghouse Electric and

Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa.

Proc. I. R. E., June, 1924. Page 255.
BAKER. Commercial Radio Tube Transmitters.

Proc. I. R. E., Dec., 1923. Page 60 1.
BAKER. Description of the General Electric Com-

pany's Broadcasting Station at Schenectady,

N. Y. Proc. I. R. E., Aug., 1923. Page 339.
NICHOLS and ESPENSCHIED. Radio Extension of

the Telephone System to Ships at Sea. Proc.

I. R. E., June, 1923. Page 193.
ESPENSCHIED. Applications to Radio of Wire Trans-

mission Engineering. Proc. I. R. E., Oct.,

1922. Page 344.
SABINE. Collected Papers on Acoustics. Harvard

University Press.
MILLER. The Science of Musical Sounds. Mac-

Millan.

Some valuable papers are also to be found
in the semi-technical periodicals, and the
above is by no means a complete summary of
the important literature. However, any
aspirant who digests all the information in
these articles is well on his way to becoming a
qualified technical broadcaster. It pains me,
in fact, to make public the observation that
there are many chief technicians and subor-
dinate operators of metropolitan broadcasting
stations who have not read them at all.

EACH month, Mr. Dreher's articles will deal with important and
interesting phases of radio broadcasting, discussed particularly
from the point of view of the broadcaster. Some of the topics he
discusses are highly controversial, and readers who feel, either
through their official positions or general knowledge, that they have
something definite to contribute on these matters can communicate
with the author through RADIO BROADCAST.

SOME NOTES ON THE SECOND-HARMONIC SUPER

THE many fans who are experimenting
with the second-harmonic super-
heterodyne receiver described by
Allan T. Hanscom in RADIO BROAD-
CAST for November, 1924, will be interested in
the further developments that more recent
experiments have
brought out.

Neutralization or
balancing of the first
tube is greatly facili-
tated by the use of a
small variable con-
denser, such as the
Chelton Midget, in-
stead of the fixed
capacity. This mini-
ature condenser has a
capacity of .000045
mfd., and is connected
at N in diagram Fig. i .

The difficulty with the common type of
neutralizing condenser is that the capacity is
not large enough for use in this circuit. Also,
by mounting the small variable condenser on
the panel, a certain amount of controlled re-
generation may be obtained which builds up
the signal strength remarkably on weak
stations.

Certain makes of loop antennas require
different values of neutralizing capacity, and
practically all loops are easily balanced by
slight variations of this condenser.

The operator will find that there is one
value of neutralizing capacity that will give
stability over the entire tuning range of the
set, with the single exception of when the os-
cillator is tuned to a frequency the same as
that of the loop. Since the range of the os-

In the R. B. Lab This Month

— Some notes on the second-harmonic super-
heterodyne.

— A radio power panel for the home con-
structor.

— How to build and use a capacity bridge for
important laboratory testing.

— The theory of resistance coupling in audio
frequency amplifiers and how to use the C
battery in such circuits.

cillator is from 400 to 1200 meters, and the
range of the loop from 200 to 600 meters, this
can only occur when the oscillator condenser
reads close to zero — a combination that is
never effected during actual reception.

Because of the effect of the intermediate fre-
quency secondary
shunted across the
loop, a variable tun-
ing condenser which
has a capacity of
.0005 mfd. is scarcely
large enough to reach
the highest wave-
lengths. Some manu-
facturers' condensers
fall noticeably short
of their maximum rat-

ing. If experiment
proves that the re-
ceiver will not re-
spond to wavelengths such as that employed by
WEAF it will be necessary to add turns (one or
two) to the loop. Likewise, the oscillator con-
denser may exhibit similar evidences of too
low a capacity. — ALLAN T. HANSCOM.

- A RADIO POWER PANEL

FIGURES 2 and 3 show an accessory
that will pay for itself many times over
wherever it is installed by the radio
enthusiast who "builds his own." Detailed
consideration will disclose many advantages
not apparent at first glance.

The radio fan who builds his own sets us-
ually finds it desirable to test new circuits or
parts from time to time, since he tries to keep
his receiver as modern and efficient as possible.

In the R. B. Lab.

1093

LOOP

FIG. I

The loop circuit of the Second Harmonic Super-
heterodyne.— "N" is the neutralizing condenser

Only too often, with A, B, and C batteries,
and their numerous leads, scattered all over
a table, or on the floor under or near the bench,
such testing periods not only become a strain
on the nerves of the operator, but are a source
of actual danger to batteries and tubes. The
constant tracing of wires and altering of con-
nections, to determine proper leads and cor-
rect voltage, proves quite an inconvenience,
while the accidental touching of wires often in-
jures batteries or burns out one or more tubes.
The price of one tube, even the cheapest bootleg
variety, will more than pay for the materials
used in constructing a power control panel.

Although the panel illustrated was installed
in the back of the phonograph which contains
the receiver and batteries used by the con-
structor who suggested this arrangement, it
would have proved equally useful mounted on
the top or side of an ordinary box which
would protect the batteries and connections.

Enclosing all batteries and labeling the ter-
minals make repeated tracing of connections
unnecessary. The labeled terminals, and
short flexible leads with lugs on each end,
which connect the panel to the receiver, greatly
reduce the possibility of accidental connec-
tions due to confusion or a wire slipping from
its terminal and falling against another ter-
minal. The triple-pole switch and the spring
brass piece at its left, acts as a double-pole
single-throw filament cut-off switch and a
single-pole double-throw antenna switch which
connects the antenna to the set when the
filaments are connected, and connects the an-
tenna direct to the ground wire when the
switch is opened just enough to break the
filament circuit. The switch arm and points
left of the triple-pole switch permits instant
regulation of C battery voltage from o to 6
volts. The center set of switch points effects
the regulation of amplifier plate voltage from
i to 8 batteries. (The extraordinary number
of taps permit the adding of extra B batteries

To Antenna

FIG. 2

Schematic connections of the radio power panel. Additional
taps for special voltages may be added in any of the circuits

Radio Broadcast

FIG. 3

This power control panel facilitates the testing of re-
ceivers and is a most useful addition to any laboratory

as the voltage drops off in use, while the alter-
nating "dead" points prevent a 22- volt
"short" every time the switch arm moves
from one battery terminal to the next.) The
nine screws just below the points permit the
convenient testing of individual batteries for
voltage or noise, and for "shorting out" any
defective B battery which may be removed
from the circuit at a later and more convenient
time. The set of points at the left permit
instant regulation of detector plate voltage
from 1 6 to 22 volts.

It will be noted that none of the circuits are
connected behind the panel, which permits any
desired interconnection of circuits within the
receiver itself.

The builder of the panel shown, who does
considerable experimenting, and sometimes
tests out equipment for others, has found that
next to his A storage battery and battery
charger, the power-control panel is the most
useful piece of radio equipment he owns.

— GLENN McWiLLiAMS

A HANDY CAPACITY BRIDGE

SEVERAL suggestions have been received
by this department, evidencing an in-
terest in an easily constructed capacity
bridge for general test or checking work.

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate an instrument of this
character that was built up in the laboratory
one afternoon, and which has proved itself of
considerable value in routine work, such as
checking and determining the capacities of
small fixed condensers, and testing them for
break-down or faulty insulation.

The circuit as shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 is
a photographic illustration of the ensemble
mounted baseboard fashion. The parts used
in this instrument are one telephone jack, four
Fahnestock clips, one 50,000 ohm resistor
(Daven) and mounting, one Bradleyohm (No.
10), two condenser clip mountings (Daven) and
one variable condenser .001 mfd. maximum ca-
pacity. This last may be of the usual air type
(the best form) or a Dubilier Variodon. It
should have a straight line capacity character-
istic, i. e., the capacity changes should be pro-
portional to the dial settings. If 180 degrees
gives .001 mfd., 90 degrees should be close to
.0005 mfd.

The connections in Fig. 4 are almost self
explanatory. Rx is the Bradleyohm; R2 is
the fixed 50,000 ohm resistance; CT is the var-
iable condenser and Cx is the unknown capac-
ity which is clipped into the convenient
mounting. The extra mounting is shunted
across the variable condenser, so that its
effective capacity can be increased by

In the R. B. Lab.

1095

110 V.
A.C.

FIG. 4

The connections of the simple capacity
bridge. The telephone receivers are
most conveniently plugged into a jack

clipping in fixed condensers of reliably known
values.

The phones and no-volt A. C. lines are
connected as indicated. The operation of the
bridge is possible in two 'ways. The more
simple and easily understandable is as follows:

R! should be set at the same resistance as
R2. This can be determined with a milliam-
meter, voltmeter and a B battery. Re-
sistance in ohms is always equal to volts di-
vided by current. This desired setting can
also be arrived at by placing a condenser of
.001 mfd. capacity in the "X" clip and turning
G! to maximum, that is the same .001 mfd.
capacity. Rx is now adjusted until no alter-
nating current hum is heard in the telephone
receivers. At this adjustment the bridge will
be "balanced," and R: will equal R2. To

check an unknown capacity this procedure is
reversed. The doubtful condenser is clipped
into the "X" mounting and the capacity of
Ct is varied until no sound is heard in the re-
ceivers. At this point, the unknown capacity
will be equal to Q.

The second method, while a little more
complex, is preferable where convenient, and
makes possible measurements of Cx, within
reasonable limits, without adding capacities
in shunt of Q. In this case C2 is generally
turned to its highest setting, and Rx adjusted
for no response in the phones. The resistance
of RI should be measured at this setting. The
capacity of Cx can then be determined from
the equation

R2
Cx = — x Ci

If, for example, R, has a resistance of 50,000
ohms, Q is set at .001 mfd., and the resistance
of R! is found to be 25,000 ohms at the full
adjustment, substituting in the above equa-
tion will determine the capacity of Cx as .002
mfd.

A leaky condenser will indicate only a re-
duction in hum, noticeably different from the
almost absolute silence of a perfect condenser.
A shorted capacity will give an increased hum
that is constant regardless of adjustments.

THE C BATTERY AND RESISTANCE
COUPLING

DUE to the meager justification for re-
sistance-coupled audio amplification
prior to the advent of radio telephonic
broadcasting, its treatment in radio publica-
tions and the popular text books has been scant

FIG. 5
This capacity bridge is quickly built and the more serious enthusiast will find it most useful

iog6

Radio Broadcast

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10 9876543210123456789 10

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FIG. 6

The dynamic curve of a 0-301 -A tube taken
under the conditions mentioned on the chart

and inadequate. Since resistance-coupled in-
tensification was popularized by RADIO BROAD-
CAST magazine as an amplifier ideally suited
to the requirements of the broadcast enthusi-
ast, many additional articles, in a variety of
publications, have endeavored to throw light
on the subject. However, due to the general
lack of understanding, these write-ups have
been of little avail. With few exceptions
they have ignored the unique characteristics
of resistance coupling, and have borrowed too
freely from transformer-coupled phenomena
in the attempt to make clear the functioning
of the resistance-coupled system.

The most prevalent error has been the
recommendation of a bias of similar propor-
tions to that employed in transformer-coupled
intensification. This ignores a fundamental
difference between the actions of these two
amplifiers. A transformer-coupled amplifier
(in a vast majority of cases) modulates up
while a resistance-coupled amplifier modulates
down. That is, signal variation in a trans-
former-coupled amplifier places a plus po-
tential of varying strength on the grid of the
succeeding tubes causing the plate currents
to increase, while a similar variation in a re-
sistance-coupled intensifier, places minus po-
tentials on the amplifying grids, causing the
currents to decrease. The effect in a trans-
former-coupled amplifier is the placing of a
positive bias on the grids, varying with the
speech or music; while that in a resistance-
coupled set is just the opposite. It was in
appreciation of this, -the significance of which
will be explained shortly/that RADIO BROAD-
CAST has not, in its past articles on re-
sistance coupling, advised the use of a
negative bias.

Figs. 6 and 7 are the "dynamic" curves of

two vacuum tubes, a Cunningham C-3OI-A
and a Western Electric 2i6-A respectively.
"Dynamic" refers to curves taken under
conditions closely similar to those under which
the tubes are to be operated. In the case of
the c-301-A this means measurements were
taken with a ioo,ooo-ohm coupling resistance
in the plate circuit. The winding of the loud
speaker was included in the plate circuit of
the power tube. These conditions are practi-
cally those indicated in the circuit, Fig. 8, in
which the first two tubes are c-3oi-A's (or
similar tubes) and the last tube, outputting
to the speaker, is the WE-2i6-A.

The figures along the base of the curve, or
abscissa, indicate the grid potential in plus or
minus volts, and the vertical figures the plate
current corresponding to different grid vol-
tages. It will be observed that as the grid
potential becomes positive, the current rises,
and vice versa. Toward the upper and lower
extremes of the characteristic curve, the line,
which is quite straight immediately on both
sides of the zero grid potential, bends. In
other words, continued variations of the grid
potential, in the same direction, no longer
cause so great changes in the plate current.
(The upper bend, being off the chart, is not
shown in the 2i6-A curve.) Thus, if signals
are so intense that they carry the grid poten-
tial down to the curve or bend, the plate cur-
rent changes cease to vary in proportion to
the signal fluctuations. The plate current
changes, however, are responsible for the
audio output, or the amplified impulse passed
on to the next stage. Thus, if the curve por-
tion of the characteristic is touched, the audio
output will no longer vary exactly with the

15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

W.E. 216 A TUBE

;xternal resistance ) = V\
:one type speaker
iattery = 135 Volts
mum variation n EQ-
/e starts at minus 7

l<
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ax
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-4 —

Safe bias = 7-4 = 3 Volts

I ! !

10 987654 32 10123456789 10
- EG + - »

A similar curve of a Western Electric 2i6-A power

tube. These curves greatly facilitate the analysis

of the action of an amplifying bulb

In the R. B. Lab.

1097

original signal. A single familiar word de-
scribing this condition is "distortion."

We may, therefore, write down, as the first
law to be observed in distortionless amplifi-
cation : The signal variation must be confined
to the straight portion of the characteristic
curve. It will be observed that the straight
line begins to curve at minus 4 and minus 7
volts respectively in the Cunningham and
Western Electric tubes.

There is another precept of distortionless
intensification and that is that the grid must
never become positive. All variations must
be between zero and where the lines begin to
curve, on the minus side. This rule w.hich
must be obeyed to the letter in transformer
coupling, is less strict in the case of resistance-
coupled amplifiers.

Therefore, in a transformer-coupled ampli-
fier, which tends to move up the curve, a bias
may be used to keep the top of the maximum
impulse below the zero line. For instance, a
negative bias, in the case of Fig. 7, of seven
volts may be applied to the grid, and the up-
ward impulses will all vary along the straight
line. However, in the case of resistance-
coupled amplification, with a similar bias, the
slightest movement down would necessarily
fall on the straight portion of the curve, with
resulting distortion. (In some cases of ex-
treme bias with a resistance-coupled amplifier,
modulation will turn, somewhere on the curve,
and begin to climb. This is equally bad, for it
indicates a double space current change for a
single grid impulse — i.e., the gen-
eration of harmonics.) .006

HOW MUCH BIAS IS PERMISSABLE.'

THE amount of C battery bias
in a resistance-coupled amplifier
is simply determined, merely by
subtracting the amount of maxi-
mum minus grid signal variation
from the permissable bias, or the
point where the curve commences.
If the curve is straight to minus
seven volts, and the maximum
grid variation is minus four volts,
it is evidently possible to place
an additional bias of three volts
without causing distortion, by
means of a C battery. This is
exactly the case with the 2i6-A
tube according to measurements

made in this laboratory with a plate battery
of 135 volts.

It will be observed that in the case of the
first two tubes, which are the same as far as
the curve is concerned, the line breaks at about
minus four volts. This, of course, precludes
the possibility of a large bias. Indeed, con-
sideration of the very many curves made in
this laboratory, which indicate a much earlier
break (at minus one or two volts) with what
bulbs were available, a C battery bias is not
recommended in these stages. As the plate
current consumption in these tubes is very
low, about one milliampere with 100,000-
ohm plate resistors and a 135-volt B battery,
the bias is not necessary from the standpoint
of economy. It is therefore suggested that
the bias, on the first two tubes of a three-stage
amplifier, be secured from the drop across the
filament and rheostat. This will be well
within the safe limit, with a margin for poor
tubes.

The recommended circuit for a three-step
resistance-coupled amplifier is shown in Fig.
8. The first two tubes receive their bias in
the manner suggested, while a three volt C
battery is included in the grid circuit of the
last or "open" tube. The usual values of C
and R are given on the diagram. Tests and
cunves made in THE R. B. LAB indicate that
this diagram holds good for practically all
storage battery tubes. With dry cell tubes,
the C battery should be reduced to one and
one half volts.

.006

FIG. 8

The ideal connections for a resistance-coupled amplifier.
This diagram is arrived at after a careful consideration of the re-
sistance coupled amplification characteristics of standard tubes

New Broadcasting Wavelengths

FOR some time, the radio service of the
Department of Commerce has been
engaged in reallocating the wave-
lengths of many of the broadcasting
stations in the Class B group. Stations of this
class are those with power of at least 500
watts and especially efficient equipment. It
is understood that the purpose of this readjust-
ment is to make room for the many new appli-
cations for Class B licenses. Finer shades of
differentiation between the stations now li-
censed has been tried. It is probable that if
these allotments do not prove satisfactory,
still other alterations may be made, though
it is likely that the further changes, if made,
will not be very great.

Among the changes made are KDKA from
326 to 309, WGY from 380 to 379.5, WIP from
509 to 508.2, woo from 509 to 508.2, WDAR
from 395 to 394.5 meters.

To station WMH at Cincinnati was allocated
two wavelengths, 325.9 during the month
when it divides time with station WSAI and
422.3 during the month, when it shares broad-
casting time with station WLW, also of Cin-
cinnati.

Wavelengths in meters, call letters, and loca-
tions announced by the Department are as
follows:

LOCATION

Boston

Lawrenceburg, Tenn.
Lansing, Mich.
Berrien Springs
East Lansing, Mich.
Hastings, Neb.
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Bristow, Okla.
Atlantic City, N. J.
Elgin, 111.
Mooseheart, 111.
Providence, R. I.
East Pittsburgh, Pa.
New York
New York
Beaumont, Tex.
Buffalo, N. Y.
Denver, Col.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Springfield, Mass.

WAVE

CALL

LENGTH

LETTERS

280.2

WNAC

282.8

WOAN

285-5
285.5
285.5
288.3

WREO
WEMC
WKAR
KFKX

293.9

WEAO

293.9
296.9
299-8
302.8

WBAV-
KFRU
WPG
WTAS

302.8

WJJD

305.9

WJAR

309.1
315.6
315.6
315.6

KDKA
WAHG
WGBS
KFDM

319.0

WGR

322.4

KOA

325-9

WMH

325-9

WSAI

333-1

WBZ

336.9

WSAC

336.9

KFMX

336.9

WCAL

340.7

WKAQ

340.7

KSAC

344.6

WLS

344.6

WCBD

348.6

KOB

348.6

WTIC

352.7

WWJ

352.7

WJAD

361.2

WHN

365,6

WHB

365.6

WDAF

370.2

WEBH

370.2

WGN

374-8

KTHS

379-5

WGY

379-5

WHAZ

384.4

WMBF

389.4

WTAM

389.4

WEAR

394-5

WFI

394-5

WDAR

394-5

WOAI

399.8

WHAS

405.2

WOR

405.2

WJY

416.4

WCCO

422.3

WLW

422.3

WMH

428.3

WSB

434-5

NAA

440.9

WDWF

440.9

WOS

447-5

WQJ

447-5

WMAQ

454-3

WJZ

461.3

WCAE

468.5

WCAP

468.5

WRC

475-9

WEEI

475-9

WBAP

475-9

WFAA

483-6 '

WHAA

483.6

woe

491.5

WEAF

499-7

WMC

508.2

WOO

508.2

WIP

516.9

WCX

526.0

WNYC

526.0

WHO

526.0

WOAW

535-4

KYW

535-4

WHA

545-1

KSD

545-1

KFUO

Clemson College, S. C.
Northfield, Minn.
Northfield, Minn.
San Juan, Porto Rico
Manhattan, Kan.
Chicago, 111.
Zion, 111.

State College, N. M.
Hartford, Conn.
Detroit, Mich.
Waco, Tex.
New York
Kansas City, Mo.
Kansas City, Mo.
Chicago, 111.
Chicago, III.
Hot Springs, Ark.
Schenectady, N. Y.
Troy, N. Y. .
Miami Beach, Fla.
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Philadelphia, Pa.
Philadelphia, Pa.
San Antonio, Texas
Louisville, Ky.
Newark, N. J.
New York
Minneapolis, Minn.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Atlanta, Ga.
Arlington, Va.
Cranston, R. I.
Jefferson City, Mo.
Chicago, 111.
Chicago, III.
New York
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Washington, D. C.
Washington, D. C.
Boston, Mass.
Forth Worth, Tex.
Dallas, Tex.
Iowa City, Iowa
Davenport, Iowa
New York
Memphis, Tenn.
Philadelphia
Philadelphia
Detroit
New York
Des Moines, Iowa
Omaha, Neb.
Chicago, III.
Madison, Wis.
St. Louis, Mo.
St. Louis, Mo.

Radio-Frequency Amplification
and How to Measure It

A Clear Theoretical Discussion — Circuits to Measure
Amplification — Proper Design of Coupling Devices

BY HARRY DIAMOND

Department of Electrical Engineering, Lehigh University

IN THIS paper, the interested technical reader will find radio-frequency amplification
* most thoroughly discussed from the theoretical side with some very helpful diagrams
and curves. Mr. Diamond attempts theoretically to show that for radio-frequency
coupling, a choke coil having a natural wavelength equal to the signal to be received is better
than a coil tuned by a condenser to the desired wavelength, and other important facts
about coupling-coil design.

Much credit for the experimental work and circuits used in this article is due to H. T.
Friis and G. A. Jensen, engineers of the Western Electric Company from whose paper
"High Frequency Amplifiers" (which appeared in the Bell System Technical Journal for
April, 1924) much of this material is taken. — THE EDITOR.

RADIO amplifier is a device which
makes possible the reception of very
weak incoming signals by increasing
amplifying their strength. It

must therefore be a kind of trigger which,
whenever actuated by the extremely small
signal voltages of the antenna, releases from a
local energy source an amount of energy much
greater than that actuating the antenna.

The vacuum tube is admirably fitted for such
action. The grid constitutes the trigger de-
vice and the plate supply battery the local
energy source. The small signal voltage
variations impressed upon the grid or input
circuit of the tube are reproduced on a much
larger scale in the plate or output circuit, the
amount by which the signals are amplified
being known as the amplification factor of the
tube. The actual voltage variations passed
on to the next tube, however, depend not
only upon this factor, but also upon the value
of the impedance in the plate circuit which
serves to couple the amplifier tube with the
next tube.

Amplifiers are therefore classified according
to the nature of this coupling impedance being
known as resistance-coupled, inductance-
coupled (tuned or untuned), or transformer-
coupled amplifiers. (See Figs, i, 2, and 3.)

It should be noted that amplification may
take place either before or after detection. In
the first case this requires the use of a radio-

frequency amplifier, and the second an audio-
frequency amplifier. The advantage of using
the former depends chiefly upon the nature of
static interference. It is well known that this
type of interference sets up voltage variations
in the antenna well within the audible fre-
quency range. If we use a radio-frequency
amplifier, then, the radio-frequency signal volt-
ages are amplified while the voltages due to
static interference remain unamplified (theo-
retically). On the other hand, an audio-
frequency amplifier amplifies not only the rec-
tified signal voltages but also those due to the
atmospheric disturbances.

Unfortunately, however, the design of an
economical radio-frequency amplifier which
will work efficiently on the shorter wavelengths
used in broadcasting, is a very difficult matter.
The advantages gained in reducing the effect
of "static interference" are often lost due to
the distortion introduced by the amplifier.

AMPLIFIER

DETECTOR

FIG. 1
RESISTANCE- COUPLED AMPLIFIER

1 IOO

Radio Broadcast

Again, at radio frequencies, the plate to fila-
ment capacity of the amplifying tube (Ci in
Figs, i, 2, 3) constitutes a low impedance
placed in parallel with the primary of the
coupling impedance, while the grid to filament
capacity of the next tube (c2, Figs, i, 2, 3)
constitues a low impedance placed in parallel
with the secondary of the coupling impedance.
The net effect is to reduce the magnitude of the
voltage variations passed on from one tube to
the other, thus reducing the amount of ampli-
fication.

Other serious problems of design arise, de-
pending on the type of amplifier. We shall
here mention some of the problems common
to each type and then describe a hook-up
devised by engineers of the Western Electric
Company, whereby the exact characteristics
of each amplifier may be obtained, under
actual operating conditions. With the aid 'of
this method of test, it becomes possible to
design an amplifier which will give a maximum
of amplification with a minimum of distortion.

The term "distortion" as used here is in-
tended to indicate that the amplification is
not constant but varies with the frequency
whether it be radio or audio.

RESISTANCE-COUPLED AMPLIFIERS

p ESISTANCE varies but little with the
1 *- frequency, being very nearly the same
for direct currents, for alternating currents
of audio-frequencies and for those of radio-
frequencies. The value of the coupling re-
sistance being then independent of the fre-
quency of the signal note, all signals are
equally amplified and little or no distortion
is introduced.

However, the very fact that the coupling
resistance offers the same opposition to the
flow of direct current that it does to alternating
currents constitutes one of the disadvantages
of this type of amplifier. Much higher B
battery voltages are made necessary, since
the net plate voltage available equals the
battery voltage minus the voltage drop caused

"DETECTOR

AMPLIFIER

DETECTOR

FIG. 3
TRANSFORMER- COUPLED AMPLIFIER

^ FIG. 2

INDUCTANCE- COUPLED AMPLIFIER

by the direct current flowing through the
coupling resistance.

Furthermore, the maximum amplification
theoretically possible with this amplifier is
equal to but one half the amplification factor
of the tube used. More tubes are therefore
necessary for the same increase in signal
strength. The cost of upkeep is also greater
because the B batteries must be of higher volt-
ages, as explained, must supply energy for
more tubes, and must also compensate for con-
siderable energy loss in the coupling resis-
tances.

INDUCTANCE-AND TRANSFORMER-COUPLED
AMPLIFIERS

THE main advantage of both the induc-
tively coupled and the transformer-
coupled amplifiers is that the inductive im-
pedance placed in the plate circuit of the
amplifying tube offers a very low resistance to
direct currents and a very high impedance to
high frequency currents. The plate supply
battery furnishing the direct current in the
plate circuit may then be of but slightly higher
voltage than the rated voltage of the tube,
since the voltage drop in the resistance is very
small. Another advantage is that nearly the
full amplification property of the tube may be
utilized, which reduces the total number of
tubes necessary. Either the inductance-
coupled or the transformes- coupled amplifier
can therefore be used in a relatively inexpen-
sive circuit.

An important disadvantage common to
both amplifiers, however, is that signal notes of
frequencies near the resonant frequency of the
coupling impedance are very well amplified,
while those of much lower or much higher fre-
quencies are very poorly amplified. Conse-
quently, considerable distortion is introduced.
This disadvantage often offsets any advantage
in cost or increase of amplification. An obvi-
ous solution lies in using a coupling inductance
or transformer whose resonant frequency is at
least twice the frequency of the incoming

Radio-Frequency Amplification and How to Measure It noi

signals. The design of such a circuit requires
the greatest care. In order to make a thorough
study of the best possible hook up, a depend-
able method of measurement under actual
operating conditions is necessary.

Such a method of measurement has been
developed in the Bell System Laboratories
and has proven very successful. Fig. 4 shows
the circuit diagram of the apparatus used.
The input apparatus is shown at the left.
An oscillator (or generator of high-frequency
currents having a range of from 400-1500
kilocycles [200-750 meters] is connected in
series with a potentiometer and a sensitive
thermo-couple ammeter (or a hot-wire milli-
ammeter with a i-m.a. scale) used for measur-
ing the value of the very small current flowing
in the circuit. This current, I, flowing through
the resistance R4 of the potentiometer causes
a potential difference between the terminals
of this resistance equal to IR4. This po-
tential difference is then impressed between
the grid and filament of the amplifying tube,
Aj. Obviously by varying the value of either
the current I or the resistance R4, the potential
difference impressed upon the input circuit of
the tube may be varied.

The output potential difference of the
amplifier stage is measured by means of the
tube voltmeter B. This is merely a vacuum
tube whose variations of plate currents for
different values of alternating grid voltages
are known. A given change in the plate cur-
rent, as recorded by the plate ammeter, signi-
fies then that an alternating voltage of de-
finite value has been impressed upon the grid
circuit.

THE C BATTERY

HPHE purpose of the C battery shown is to
«• make the grid negative and thus limit the
value of the direct-current flowing in the plate
circuit. With this current reduced, it is
possible to adjust the balancing device shown
so that the plate ammeter will read zero when

THERMOCOUPLE

FIG. 4
METHOD OF MEASUREMENT OF TUNED AMPLIFIER

PLATE AMMETER

FIG. 5
DETAILS OF BALANCING ARRANGEMENT

there is no input to the grid. With this ar-
rangement, the entire scale of the plate amme-
ter is in use, thus increasing the accuracy of
the readings taken. Also, the measured vol-
tage may be obtained from a single reading
instead of from the difference of two readings.
The action of the balancing device may be
understood from the portion of Fig. 4 to the
right of the tuned amplifier, reproduced in
Fig. 5. Consider the case when there is no
input to the grid circuit of the voltmeter tube
B. Under normal conditions, there is then a
direct current in the plate circuit of a magni-
tude depending on the value of the B and C
batteries. The direction of this current is
shown by the arrow I,. With the balancing
arrangement as shown, the filament battery
sets up a secondary current, Ia, which divides
into I3 and I4. It is seen that I4 is in a
direction opposite to I,. If the value of R.,
and R3 is properly adjusted, I4 may be made
equal to I,. The plate ammeter will then
read zero.

Now, when an alternating voltage is im-
pressed between the grid and filament of the
voltmeter tube, an alternating current will be
superimposed upon the direct current I,.
The value of I4will, however, remain constant.
The plate ammeter therefore records directly
the value of the alternating plate current.
The voltage impressed upon the grid can then
be found from established
curves.

It is necessary first to
calibrate the tube volt-
meter. This is done by
disconnecting it from the
amplifier and connecting it
directly across the poten-
tiometer R4 — Rs. R4 is
then adjusted to some
definite value, say 500
onms an(j the current

through it adjusted to say

I 102

Radio Broadcast

THERMOCOUPLE

It should be noted that the
resistance R4 must be absolutely
independent of the frequency.
Otherwise, the tube would be
incorrect for all frequencies ex-
cept for the one at which it was
calibrated.

USES FOR THIS MEASURING
RG 6 PIATEAMMETER' APPARATUS

METHOD OF MEASUREMENT OF TRANSFORMER -COUPLED AMPLIFIER *~pHE US6S tOWhich the

A measuring apparatus here
described can be put are numerous. For
example, Fig. 4 shows a tuned amplifier
being tested. Keeping the magnitude and
frequency of the oscillator current constant,
the circuit may be tuned to resonance by
means of the variable condenser C. The
lead from the plate of the amplifier tube
Aj to the coil is then moved along the coil
until a point is reached which gives the
maximum reading of the ammeter in the plate
circuit of the tube voltmeter. (The amplifier
must, of course, be retuned for each point
tried.) This is the point of maximum ampli-
fication.

The best step-up for a certain frequency
being now established, we may measure the
amplification for different frequencies and
thus obtain the frequency range possible with
this amplifier. Results may show that the
frequency range is so narrow that considerable
distortion would be introduced by the use of
this amplifier. Since the frequency range for
a given amplifier decreases as its amplificaton
increases, it may therefore be advisable to
increase our frequency range at the expense
of the amplification by varying the step-up.

TESTING A TRANSFORMER-COUPLED AMPLIFIER

C I CURE 6 shows the hook-up for testing a
Ji transformer-coupled amplifier. The con-
nections are the same as for testing the
tuned amplifier with the exception, of course,
of the details for the amplifiers.

Referring to Fig. 7, curve A shows the varia-
tion of amplification with frequency for a
tuned amplifier for the step-up which gives the
maximum amplification. The coil used con-
sists of a single layer solenoid closely wound
with 6 1 turns of No. 28 solid wire, and having
an inductance of 200 micro-henries. The
tuning condenser was set for 95.0 micro-micro-
farads.

B is a similar curve for a choke coil amplifier,
(tuning condenser omitted) for the condition
of maximum amplification. This coil con-
sists of 173 turns of No. 28 solid wire, wound in

one milliampere. A resultant voltage of 0.5
volt is thus impressed upon the grid circuit
of the tube and the corresponding change
in plate current recorded.

The tube voltmeter is then replaced in its
normal place in the circuit and the resistance
R4 reconnected to the input of the amplifier.
Keeping the value of the current through R4
constant at one milliampere, the resistance R4
is reduced until the change in the tube volt-
meter plate current is the same as before.
The voltage impressed upon the grid of the
amplifier is then the new value of R4 times
O.ODJ ampere (i milliampere). The voltage
put into the grid of the voltmeter tube, which
is also the output voltage of the amplifier is
still 0.5 volt since the change in the voltmeter
tube plate current is the same. The ampli-
fication factor of the stage is then equal to
If R4 was reduced to, say 50 ohms,

the amplification factor is equal to 10.

In the circuit as described, considerable
precaution has been taken to make certain
that no energy passes into the amplifier cir-
cuit except that which may be measured by
the voltage drop across the resistance R4.
The undesirable "pick-up" energy may be
due to coupling to some stray source of
energy. An excellent test for the presence
of this "pick-up" is the closing of the switch
"S" placed at the input of the amplifier.
With this switch closed there should be no
input to the tube voltmeter. The ammeter
in the plate circuit of the tube voltmeter
should read zero.

With the measuring apparatus here de-
scribed, the resistance R 4 can be reduced to
i ohm, the results obtained still being de-
pendable. This means that an input voltage
to the amplifier as low as o.ooi volt or i
millivolt can be obtained. If the maximum
input voltage to the tube voltmeter is limited
to 0.5* volt, the maximum amplification that
carrbe measured is then 500. For amplification
factors above 500, the same apparatus can
still be used by means of an indirect method.

Radio- Frequency Amplification and How to Measure It 1 103

the same manner as the first coil, and having
an inductance of 1630 micro-henries. It will
at once be noted that while there is little choice
between the tuned amplifier and the choke
coil amplifier with respect to frequency width,
there is a considerable difference in the ampli-
fication obtained, the choke coil giving nearly
twice the amplification of the tuned circuit.
However, it is to be remembered the choke
coil amplifies at the resonant or peak fre-
quency.

In general, the highest amplification is ob-
tained when the inductance is as large as possi-
ble for the frequency in question, that is, for
the smallest possible value of the tuning con-
denser. With choke coils, the value of the
tuning condenser is, of course, zero. The
distributed capacity of the coil must, however,
be considered. To get a high amplification,

EFFECT OF VALUE OF TUNING CAPACITY
UPON AMPLIFICATION OF A TUNED AMPLIFIER

18
16
14
012

§10
5f ft
S8
6

4
2
fl

>?•>

}

/Freq. range)
31,000 cycles

• • •«

Freq. ra
'44,000 q

ige^
cles

1040 1060.
290

1080 1100
KILO-CYCLES

280 270

METERS

1120 1140 1160

260

FIG. 7

small coils made of fine, solid wire and with
large inductance and small distributive
capacity should be used, rather than large coils
made of stranded wire and with smaller in-
ductance but larger distributive capacity.
In practice, it is not important to go to ex-
tremes to reduce the distributed capacity by
one or two micro-micro-farads, since the coil
is always shunted by the tube capacities,
which are of the order of 10 micro-micro-
farads, and the distributive capacity of the
coil here used was only 3.5 micro-micro-farads.

CHOOSING A PROPER TURN RATIO

CIGURE 8 shows the effect of the ratio of
turns on the amplification and the fre-
quency range obtained with a choke coil
amplifier. Curve A is for a step-up ratio of
1 15, 34 turns being connected between the
plate and filament of the amplifying tube and

EFFECT OF STEP-UP RATIO UPON AMPLIFICATION

AND FREQUENCY RANGE
OF A CHOKE-COIL COUPLED AMPLIFIER

1600

1000

FIG. 8

the entire 173 turns across the grid and fila-
ment of the voltmeter tube. Similarly, curves
B, C, and D are for step up ratios of i 13, i -.2,
and i : i , respectively. As noted above, the
choice of the proper ratio of turns is largely a
compromise between the magnitude of the
amplification and the width of the frequency
band. For the particular choke coil here
considered, a step-up ratio of 1:2 (curve C
seems to be the best from both points of view).
While giving an amplification considerably
greater than for the i : i ratio, the frequency
range obtainable is not very much less. A
step-up ratio somewhere between 1:1 and 1:2
might give even better results.

Fig. 9 shows the amplification curve for a
loosely coupled transformer, having two simi-
lar pancake coils, 2 inches in diameter, wound
with 210 turns of No. 28 solid wire. The
distance between the coils is equal to f inch.
By actual measurement at low frequencies, the
inductance of each coil was found to be 2 1 oo mi-
cro-henries and the mutual inductance 950 m.h.

CURVE OF AMPLIFICATION VS. FREQUENCY
FOR A LOOSELY-COUPLED TRANSFORMER

ff —

"«v

• • ••

-----

Freq. range

~ 770,000 cycles

_.„

00 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 160
KILO-CYCLES

1000

500

300
METERS

FIG. 9

200

Do You Know of a Better Receiver
for Home Construction?

We Believe RADIO BROADCAST'S Four-Tube Knockout Is
the Best and Will Pay $100 for Description of a Better One

BY ARTHUR H. LYNCH

RADIO BROADCAST, from its first
number, has been endeavoring to pro-
vide its readers with the most relia-
ble radio information it is possible to
obtain. In no section of the magazine is this
more evident than in the description of vari-
ous receivers for home construction. We
have refrained from publishing descriptions
of receivers just because they were new; they
had to be better than information previously
published.

And now, after considerable experience with
the two- and four-tube Roberts Knockout re-
ceivers, we believe them to be better for home
construction than any other receivers employ-
ing the same number of tubes ever described in
any periodical. We want our readers to have
the best it is possible for a very rapidly ex-
panding art to produce and to this end we are
at work, in three different laboratories, at-
tempting to produce something better than the
design which Walter Van B. Roberts gave us.

You will find, from reading Keith Hen-
ney's article on page 1078 of this magazine,
that we have done a great deal of experiment-
ing in our efforts to improve and simplify the
fundamental circuit. Frankly, we have not
improved the circuit, but we have found that
the receivers employing the circuit may be
improved by paying particular attention to
the parts used in its building. Frankly, too,
this improvement, though very much worth
while, is not at all revolutionary.

Coils, transformers, condensers, sockets,
resistances of all kinds, and parts of almost
every kind have had their day in court and
though there is a difference in the performance,
when all the parts employed are good, the
difference is very slight and in most cases it is
negligible.

WHERE CAN A BETTER RECEIVER BE FOUND?

WE HAVE hunted high and low for some-
thing better. We have carefully exper-
imented with many other receivers — in fact,
nearly every night for the past six months

several members of our staff have hunted very
diligently right up to the wee hours of dawn.
We have come to know circuits by their middle
names and all this work has been in vain so
far as finding a new circuit worthy of the name
is concerned.

As we said at the outset, we are making
every effort to provide readers of RADIO
BROADCAST with the most reliable information
on valuable changes in receiver design. For
this reason we are calling upon our readers to
assist us in a task which, up to now, has
brought us but little information not already
well known. In a nutshell our proposition is
this: We want you to assist us in locating a
receiver design better than the two- and four-
tube Knockouts.

Do you know of a better receiver? If so,
you will not even have to write an article
describing it or supply us with diagrams or
other illustrations to win the prize which we
are offering. If you are convinced that you
have a better type of receiver, send us a set
all made up according to your design. If it
meets with the approval of our laboratory
staff, we will mail a check for $100 to you,
provided, of course, that you will permit us
to describe the receiver in RADIO BROADCAST
and other publications under our control.

On the other hand, if, after the receiver has
met with our approval, we can have an article
describing it by you, we will pay generously
for it, particularly if accompanied by suitable
diagrams and illustrations.

Below we outline the problems more speci-
fically and suggest that before submitting a
receiver for test you test it against a four-tube
Knockout receiver yourself. This will save
time for you and for us.

SPECIFICATIONS OF THE DESIRED RECEIVER

HE receiver we are looking for must
meet the qualifications outlined below:

1. The receiver must not radiate.

2. It may employ four tubes (or less if you think

four are unnecessary).

Do You Know of a Better Receiver for Home Construction? 1 105

3. It must be extremely selective.

4. It must be made of parts which may be had

from dealers in at least ten large cities.

5. It must be capable of operation with both dry

cell and storage battery tubes.

6. It must be capable of proper operation with

tubes operated at their normal filament volt-
age.

7. It must be built to permit the transfer of tubes

from one socket to another without materially
changing the re-
sults obtained.

8. It must produce

good quality,
without blasting
or rattling cone-
type speaker.

9. It must be capable

of satis factory
performance with
several makes of
parts designed for
similar use.

10. It must not require

critical grid con-
denser or grid-
leak adjustment.

11. It must have no

more than three
tuning controls.

12. It must permit the

use of voltage up
to 120 on the
audio amplifier
tubes (though less
may be used if
desired.)

13. The plate current

consumption of
the four tubes
(measured at nor-
mal filament volt-
age)-must be less
than 10 milliam-
peres, when stor-
age battery tubes
are used.

14. It must be capable

of exceptional
long-distance re-
ception, with vol-
ume sufficient to
fill a good-sized
living room.

15. It must be simple to operate.

1 6. It must be free from hand capacity.

17. No shielding is to be used.

1 8. It must be capable of loud speaker operation on

two tubes.

HOW THE TEST WILL BE MADE

AT LEAST three judges will be employed
who will be capable of passing on the
over-all quality of the receiver.

IMPROVEMENTS in radio circuits
* from the point of view of genuine
technical advances come from the en-
gineer and the research man, who are
aided by the resources of their technical
training and knowledge. Very few real
technical advances have been made by
the comparatively untrained amateur
experimenter in radio, no matter how
extensive his experience. And when
the amateur increases his knowledge
and technical experience to a great de-
gree, he then becomes a professional.
The editors believe that fundamental
new discoveries in the radio art will come
from the research laboratory, but there
is always the possibility that some pri-
vate investigator may chance on an
improvement in construction and design
that will prove revolutionary. We
know that great numbers of radio en-
thusiasts are constantly experimenting
and it is quite reasonable to expect that
some of them may chance on a discovery
with decided possibilities. RADIO
BROADCAST wants to find that discovery
and wants to turn it to the benefit of
those who build radio receivers in the
home workshop. The prize contest
which is announced in the accompanying
article is open to everyone. It should
be remembered by all those who wish to
compete that the improvement must be
of unquestioned value, for nothing else
will be considered.

The test will be made on the following
points:

Volume on local stations
Tone quality on local stations
Selectivity, judged by ability to cut out
locals and bring in distant stations

The receivers to be tested will use an identi-
cal set of batteries and antenna and ground
equipment, provided" with a switching arrange-
ment by which first
one receiver then the
other may be put in
use.

The test of volume
on local stations will
be the last, and im-
mediately followingit,
without any adjust-
ments being made, the
judges will measure
the filament voltage
and plate current of
both receivers and
satisfy themselves of
the comparative
merits of each with
particular regard to
the items covered in
the specifications.
They will allot five
points in favor of the
receiver showing up
better in each of these
particulars.

Five points will be
allowed the receiver
producing greater vol-
ume (provided specifi-
cation 6 is abided by).
Five points will be
allowed for better
tone quality.

Five points will be
allowed for selectivity.
This offer is made
to the advocates of re-
ceivers for home con-
struction only. Those
of standard manufac-
ture are not to be considered. Manufacturers
may later want to establish a similar method of
proving the all-around utility of their products.
We have no desire to compete with them.

If a receiver is found, which proves better
than our four-tube Knockout, it will be worth
a lot to us to be able to present the design to
our readers, which is what we will do if some
one can show us such a receiver.

If HURRICANE AT

Afloat on an Oil Tank A Thrilling Chapter
From the Life of a Marine Radio Ma

By JOHN L, ED

THE new radio operator was hungry.
A vessel alongside the next dock
had parted her moorings and swung
around to ram its neighbor. In short,
a squall was blowing in the Erie Basin, Brook-
lyn— where the Elisba Walker lay, cleared for
Mexico and ready to sail any minute — five-
o'clock dinner was being served aft, across two
hundred feet of deck, and the new wireless
operator wasn't going to get himself wet! In
fact he remembers exslaiming to himself fer-
vently "Thank the Lord, we aren't out at sea
in this!"

That, as I say, was a squall, as such may be
had off the Brooklyn Flats.

A few weeks later the Arabic battled for her
life; the Nordfarer lost her bridge — and her
skipper — who happened to be at duty on this
bridge; the Delaware Sun stood by a foundered
schooner; a man was blown bodily from the
flying bridge of the Cerro Ebano; and so on
down the line. For forty minutes the Elisba
Walker was in the actual storm center of the
hurricane, and, well — the wireless operator
got wet!

There is little pointedly thrilling in the life
of the single operator carried by cargo vessels
in ordinary times of fair weather and usual
routine. He turns out in the morning when
his inclinations dictate, which is anywhere
from five o'clock to noon. If he has copied

press from the high-power, long-wave stations
at Washington, Cape Cod, or Colon, perhaps
he types up a wireless newspaper for the cap-
tain and the different messrooms. Then he
may pick up a weather bulletin. Often, how-
ever, he does not do so much in the way of
work as to start up his motor-generator during
the entire course of morning and afternoon.
His life is one of long lazy days, of sun-swept
seas, of skies only less blue than the mazarine
waves they dome, and nights made up of
tropic stars and the gentle swish of ocean
against the on-going hull of the ship.

But such idyllic weather as this did not last
forever with the Elisba Walker. No indeed!

At seven-thirty in the evening of the twenty-
fifth of August last I unsuspectingly went on
watch after a dozeful intermission of several
hours. It was the wireless telegraph which
first gave us an idea of what we were in for.

I put on the phones. The receptor was
tuned to the usual ship's wavelength, 600
meters. A ship was sending out a report of
its local weather conditions. First came the
latitude and longitude, which I recognized as
indicating a point some sixty miles south of
us. (We were then nearing Cape Hatteras.)
"Wind force eleven." Twelve is as high as
the wind force code goes ! Next came " Moun-
tainous seas." The ship with which the first
was communicating answered in a whistling

A Hurricane at Sea

1 107

note slightly fainter than the first ship. Her lat-
itude showed her to be some thirty miles south
of the first. The operator spelled out the
intriguing reply, "Conditions here same as
yours, only wind is terrific." The great hurri-
cane which had lain off to the east had looped
around and was running to the north and
northeast. However favorable our local
weather conditions might be a few short hours'
run to the south of us the seas were "moun-
tainous", the wind
"terrific."

A copy of these in-
tercepted messages I
took up to the
skipper.

Those Dots and Dashes

medley of loud and faint buzzes, when, in a
trice — everything was dead silent! The an-
tenna carried away! In a raging hurricane
and out of touch with ships and shore! With
a great shuddering lurch of the vessel and a
tremendous sobbing crash that rose above
the yowl of the wind, several thousand tons
of water struck the deck outside. At the
same instant the radio signals broke in again
as strong, and as reassuring, as ever. This
happened more than
once. The simple-
enough explanation
was that the waves

SEAS MOUNTAINOUS;
WIND TERRIFIC"

AT EIGHT o'clock
the first mate
came off watch and I
went in to play the
usual evening game
of chess with him.
Said he at once, "You
scared the dickens
out of the Old Man,
Sparks." I did not
understand until the
mate added, "He
came up on the
bridge with those
messages you gave
him. When he called
me he was stuttering;

when he handed me the messages he could
hardly talk." This was Captain Prager's last
trip after half a century of sailing the seas.

As the mate finished speaking, there came
a grand crash on the deck overhead, the whole
great frame of the vessel quivered and moaned,
and down through a ventilator shaft in the
middle of the ceiling of the mate's cabin poured
a deluge of salt water. The mate seized a pail
from a corner and held it up to intercept the
flow.

When the chess game was over I went again
to the radio to see what the wild ether waves
might be whispering during a sure-enough
hurricane.

But by this time wind and waves had
worked themselves up to a rampant fury, and
before putting on the phones it was necessary
to "make fast" such movable objects as type-
writer, table, and pails, to keep them from
skating about the cabin.

I donned the phones, and had heard a

Which come through the loud speaker of
many a broadcast listener's set on nights
sometimes stormy and sometimes clear are
often freighted with more meaning than their
calm spacing indicates. Those new to radio
are too prone to think that "radio" refers
solely to broadcasting. But there is more to
radio than that. Ship and land stations
throughout the world are day and night
carrying on their business by means of the
same medium that brings entertainment to
so many of us. Much of this radio telegraph
traffic is workaday and routine, but when the
emergency arises, radio is there to meet it.
There are few radio men — "Sparks" as they
are invariably called — who can not spin a
yarn or two of radio and the sea well worth
the hearing. Mr. Eddy's story gives an
interesting and a true picture of an experi-
ence which is certainly not unknown to the
marine radio operator. — THE EDITOR.

were coming in a
mass clean across the
waist of the ship,
wrapping the lower
end of the lead-in
wires in a solid bank
of salt water, which
naturally grounded
the antenna to the
ship's hull and the
ocean, and so com-
pletely killed all
signals.

Towards one o'-
clock the ether grew
quiet; there was little
to be heard but two
or three ships ex-
changing weather
bulletins, an operator
who had missed the
United States Navy

stations' weather broadcast requesting it from
one who had copied it, a Dutchman with
weird-sounding spark calling a coastal station
a thousand miles away, the ceaseless crackle of
atmospherics. I was sleepy, very sleepy. I
decided to turn in.

But in this pleasant ambition I was sadly
disappointed. How such a quantity of water
as I discovered contrived to get into my bunk
must remain a mystery!

"PRETTY THICK"

pvISCOURAGED thus, I turned again to
L' the radio. The Munargo, with tiresome
repetitions necessitated by the heavy static,
was handling, traffic with the station at East
Moriches, Long Island. This out of the way
and the air clear again, the English-speaking
operator on the Danish steamship Nordfarer
called me and asked how the weather was with
us. I gave him a detailed report, adding the
words "Pretty t-h-i-c-k," with the dots and

no8

Radio Broadcast

dashes dragged out for emphasis. At this
two other ships put m the universal radio
signal for a laugh— four dots and two dots —
and the Dane returned a snappy "Thick, did
U sa?!!!" The exclamation marks were em-
phasized. He followed them with a "Ditto
here, OM." (OM: radio for "old man".)

Late the next day it was that this same
operator called me with a long "service mes-

"THE HURRICANE HAD SUBSIDED .

And the sun was shining through scudding clouds." The radio cabin of the ship

was located at this end of the flying bridge, which is the narrow passageway in the

center of the photograph

sage" telling of their bridge being taken away
at midnight by the wind, and the skipper
along with the bridge. The operator wanted
to know how to go about getting a radio com-
pass-bearing for his ship, which was now with-
out navigating charts and had been without
a "sight" on the sun for the past five days.
They had no idea of their position. When the
operator had been talking to me the night be-
fore, his captain
had been drowned
more than an
hour, but so
mighty was the
storm that the
operator was as
yet unaware of the
disaster it had
worked to his own
ship.

Finally I took
off the phones, put
the A batteries on
charge, and curled
up on the narrow
settee, still myste-
riously dry, with
my feet hanging
over. I took care
to brace myself in
such a way that
despite the violent
movement of the
ship I could re-
main on the settee
without particular
effort and without
wobbling too much
for sleep. The
wind was screech-
ing, groaning, bel-
lowing, like some
vast giant in alter-
nate agonies of
pain and rage. Al-
ready half asleep,
I flattered myself
that I had been
listening-in on
such stuff as the
broadcast listeners
about their snug
hearths ashore
could never hear.

I dozed off and
slept while the
Elisha Walker,
some two score

A Hurricane at Sea

1 109

THE SEA AND THE SHIP

Amateur photography is a bit dangerous aboard ship during a hurricane and this view was taken by the
operator of the Elisba Walker after the storm had abated enough so that the radio cabin door could be
opened. The chain is the hand-chain of the fore-and-aft bridge. Just above it, the ship's rail is discern-

able through the flying water

miles off Cape Hatteras, passed through the
very center of the hurricane.

THE CENTER OF THE HURRICANE

"\A7HEN I awoke at five-thirty, the im-
* V penetrable shrieking blackness of the
night before was the least bit less black with
the rising of a sun somewhere in heavens far,
far off and above the howling watery inferno
in which we still weltered. We were passing
out of the nearly breeze-less area at the widen-
ing center of the cyclonic storm and into the
very worst part of it again. Government
meteorological observers have estimated the
wind velocity at this part of a hurricane to be
as high as two hundred miles per hour. At
any rate, it blows hard. The barometer, us-
usally about thirty-something, and reported
by the press as down to 29.42 and the lowest
recorded in four years, read on the bridge of
the Elisba Walker 28.65 ' There was a feeling
in one's ears as when climbing a mountain —
a hollow sort of pressure distending the ear
drums.

Gigantic seas hid the ship, often flying over
the top side of the antenna, making it im-

possible to discern the after lights and funnel
from the bridge, even occasionally hiding the
foremast from the view of those on duty in the
wheel house. To walk down a narrow alley-
way was an acrobatic stunt, and the excessive
exercise gained in a little such walking im-
pressed itself on arms and back and thighs
with a soreness which lasted several days.

After half a cup of strong coffee in the pan-
try I returned to the radio cabin. The naval
station at Norfolk, Virginia, was "coming in"
extraordinarily loud. I talked with their
operator for a minute, then started for the
bridge with the idea that the offer of a radio
compass-bearing might not be unwelcome, for
only an unreliable approximation of the ship's
position could be reached by dead reckoning
in such weather, and of course no observa-
tion of the sun had been possible in the past
few days.

No words could possibly describe the terrific,
the awful, composition of sound and move-
ment which struck one coming up the steps
into the chart house of the Elisha Walker in
the early morning of the twenty-sixth of
August. As a comparison I see a small box-

Radio Broadcast

like room, gained by a flight of stairs, the
walls lined with small black-paned windows,
a dim light focused over a broad chart on a
high table at one side, the whole chamber
jumping and rushing through a violently con-
voluted path. Just beyond the thin walls a
thousand demented devils are making a fren-
zied onslaught against every square inch of
outer surface. That the thousand devils are
nothing more than the rapid movement of
thin air is merely inconceivable; but it is so.
Ask the lookout on the weather side of the
bridge if it be not so. He had his very trous-
ers stripped from his legs by the hand of this
unseen giant.

After a shouted conversation with the cap-
tain, I returned to the radio, only to find that
in the interim a sea, finding the transmitter,
had drenched the inductances and put it out
of commission. Attempting to clean the salt
water from between the numberless turns of
shiny copper ribbon availed only to get the
operator a fall and a bloody contusion on the
hip. Until the seas went down — to the extent
of no longer keeping the transmitter under a
continual shower — all efforts were futile. The
Elisha Walker was out of communication with
other vessels and with the shore; the ship's
position could not be ascertained.

THE STORM ABATES

IN A few more hours we saw that the storm
was perceptibly abating; but the wind was
still blowing at a velocity in the neighborhood

of one hundred miles an hour, and great seas
were still sweeping across the ship to mingle
again with the ocean on the lee side. From
seven-thirty to eight, breakfast was being
served aft; so with the second mate's oil
skin, sou' wester, and hip boots I fared forth
to cross the flying bridge. It was no mere
blow in New York Harbor now, but the
fury of a mighty storm on the high seas that
one bucked as one fought one's way down
the narrow bridge which leads from amid-
ships to the poop deck of an oil tanker.
"Fought" is a suitable word, for it was as
if ten men, grasping every part of body and
clothing, were wrenching loose your grip on
the hand chains to toss you over the side to
Father Neptune.

In spite of this zestful prelude, my breakfast
appetite, I confess, was not of the heartiest;
though I made up for it a few hours later. By
then the gale had subsided to a strong wind,
the sun was shining through scudding clouds
and mist sufficiently to permit an observation.
A day or two later, with a life boat stove
in, two-inch planking blown away, most of a
large metal speaking tubing carried away,
and the rest bent to fantastic shapes, the
Elisba Walker steamed in the early forenoon
sun up Ambrose Channel and into the port of
New York.

As sang Chief Engineer R. C. Waite in his
seafaring barytone,

"Oh, it ain't gonna rain no mo', no mo';

It ain't gonna rain no mo'!"

HOW TO CONSTRUCT A RADIO-FREQUENCY
AMPLIFIER

TAfILL be the subject of an excellent construction article
" which will appear in an early number of RADIO BROAD-
CAST. A tuned radio-frequency amplifier to meet the require-
ments of present-day broadcast reception ought to contain
inherent neutralization or some means, either mechanical or
electrical, to balance the circuit and prevent radiation. The
circuit to be described employs two stages of amplification and
the famous Roberts method oj neutralizing.

The Beneficent Results of
Broadcasting

SOME few weeks ago, the amiable Mr.
Frank Sullivan, a special feature
writer and well-known wit of the
New York World paid a visit to the
microphone of station WGBS in New York.
Seldom has the clear cold light of reason been
so thrown on individual reactions on the "Great
Experience" — which, six years .ago perhaps
was the War, or facing the minister with one's
bride. But now, we fear, the "Great Experi-
ence" is broadcasting. An experience it is, too,
and perhaps more of an experience for the
listener than the performer. Very shortly
after appearing, Mr. Sullivan recovered
enough to write the following testimonial for
broadcasting which was printed in Heywood
Broun's column "It Seems to Me" in the
New York World (copyright, 1925, by that
paper) :

" I have a message for you from Mr. Eduard
Lippe and Mr. Thurston Macauley, two of the
most estimable gentlemen who ever made my
lot an easy one at station WGBS last Tuesday
night," he writes. "They want you to come
and broadcast from their station. Take my
tip, by all means do it. I did for the first
time last Tuesday night, and since broad-
casting I have been a different man.

"Before broadcasting, I had that achy, tired
feeling all the time. 1 didn't want to get up
in the morning. It was an effort to drag
myself to work. I had spots before my eyes,
spots on my vest, vertigo, malaria, pyorrhea,
mitral insufficiency, endocarditis, acne, dip-
somania, Argyll Robertson pupil, acute arnica,
alopecia, migraine, megrims, and paronychia.
To-day all I have is spots on my vest, and I
feel I owe it all to that wonderfully tonic ex-
perience of broadcasting. .

"You will be frightened before you go on.
1 walked around the block at Gimbel's four
times before I had the abdomen to go up and
face the music. But, as I told my dear radio
audience, I comforted myself with the assur-
ance that by no possible means yet known to
science could they throw anything at me.

" Dr. Paul Sifton, radio editor of the World,
was a great help. He advised a good sleep
in the afternoon preceding the ordeal, so I

slept carefully all day Tuesday. I rose at 6
and breakfasted lightly on a steak, with a few
lamb chops by way of vegetable, and a sirloin
of beef for dessert. I took no stimulants
whatever with the exception of three or four
cups of coffee with brandy in them. It is best
to avoid too much stimulant on such occasions.

"Then I put on a good heavy sweater and a
rubber suit and ran from io5th Street to West
Fourth and Perry. Whose place should be
at that point but the dry cleaning establish-
ment of my old friend, Sir Lucius O'Connor,
whom John Masefield had the honor of work-
ing for as a barkeep in the old days, when Sir
Lucius kept a dry cleaning establishment on
Sixth Avenue. Several hours later, having
worked up a perspiration, I had a good rub-
down and massage, and then Dr. Sifton, after
applying the stethoscope to Mr. Macauley
and Mr. Lippe, said he thought I was fit to
take the air.

" I was frightfully nervous, I can tell you.
My heart was bumping like a Broadway sur-
face car going over the crosstown tracks at
Times Square. Dr. Sifton administered a
hypodermic and gave me Marsh's test for
arsenic. I felt better. Mr. Lippe asked me if
I thought I could go ahead with it. I said
'Damn the torpedoes. A Sullivan never re-
treated from a microphone yet.'

"Dr. Sifton gave me the Shick test then,
and I sat down. Immediately I had faced
that modest little disc, so fraught with mys-
tic, hidden possibilities, and visioned that vast
invisible audience outside, something stirred
within me and a mighty surge of emotion
swept over me. I want to tell you, Broun,
that at that moment I was proud of America,
and proud to be an American.

" From that moment on I was sure of my-
self. I had all the calm of a man whose tooth
is being extracted. Mr. Lippe said, 'It's all
right, I don't think anybody is listening. Go
ahead.' So I did.

" I had a splendid time, and I do want you
to have the experience. WGBS has had 103
letters lauding my speech. If they haven't
got the letters, then I must have forgotten to
put stamps on them."

Essential Radio Accessories

A Brief Discussion of Radio Components of Great Im-
portance in Receivers— Constructional Ideals and How
They Are Attained— A Bibliography of Radio References

WHAT MAKES THE WHEELS GO 'ROUND: XII
BY WALTER VAN B. ROBERTS

IN THIS last installment of Mr. Roberts excellent series of explanatory technical articles,
* the reader will find nothing that is new or revolutionary. He will find, however, a splen-
didly clear treatment of important radio fundamentals put in simple and direct fashion. And,
too, many radio experimenters who have come in the art with broadcasting, but who want
really to increase their technical reading, v/ill do well to observe the bibliography recom-
mended by the writer on page 1 1 14. — THE EDITOR.

IT IS easy enough to stick a megaphone on
to a receiver that produces a loud signal.
Most loud speakers are merely refine-
ments of this idea. The horn concen-
trates the sound somewhat in one direction
and the tapered column of air that fits up
against the small receiver diaphragm at the
small end and swells gradually out to join the
open air at the flared end, supplies something
for the diaphragm to work against. It makes
the diaphragm set more air in motion, just as
if a bigger diaphragm were used, thus increasing
the volume of sound produced. But inasmuch
as the best receivers are only about two per
cent, efficient (that is, of 100 units of electric
energy entering them only about 2 leave in the
form of sound energy), only small efficiencies
are likely to be obtained even when horns are
coupled to the diaphragm. It is interesting
to note at this point that the great sensitivity
of the human ear tends to make up for the
inefficiency with which energy is converted
from mechanical to acoustic- by means of
vibrating bodies. In ordinary speech only
about one erg (the erg is the physicist's unit
of energy) per second is converted into sound
energy. How little this is can be seen from
the following calculation: reckoning that the
average human being talks the equivalent of
two hours steady talking per day, and that the
average population of the United States since
the Revolution is forty million, and that power
is worth two cents per kilowatt hour, then
from the energy point of view all the talking
that has been done in the history of our
country is only worth $8.59.

86. THE IDEAL LOUD SPEAKER

IN ADDITION to the low efficiency of the
* conventional loud speaker, there is more
or less distortion introduced in this method of
making radio signals audible by the horn.
An excellent method of overcoming this is
by the use of two or three separate horns,
each with its own diaphragm. In the case
where three are used, for example, one is
a very long horn that responds well to low
tones, the second is an ordinary sized loud
speaker responding fairly well over the middle
range, and the third is a very small horn giv-
ing the very high pitched notes. The three
horns, all working at once, combine to give
a satisfactory uniform response over the whole
audible range. The three horns, of course,
are combined in a single box. The long horn
can be coiled to save space if necessary.

Another type of loud speaker avoids such
distortion as is due to the horn by using no
horn at all. This type of speaker usually,
but not necessarily, has a large, light, stiff pa-
per cone for a diaphragm, and this alone is suf-
ficient to give it a good "grip" on the air. At
present only a few commercial types of loud
speakers give any sort of an approach to the
goal of quality, which is to have all frequen-
cies transmitted from speaker to listener with
equal efficiency. (It would seem that this
goal could be easiest attained by letting the
faults of one part of the apparatus cancel those
of another part. For instance, if an audio
amplifier favors the lower frequencies and the
loud speaker gives the loudest response at the

Essential Radio Accessories

1113

higher frequencies, then the combination of
these two units would offer a nearly uniform
response over the entire range. But then
parts would not be interchangeable, so the
endeavor at present is to make each unit,
independently of the others, possess a "flat"
characteristic, that is, to handle the whole
necessary range of frequencies with equal
efficiency.) The average amateur can build
himself an amplifier that will operate a cheap
loud speaker with passable quality and
enough volume for a small quiet room, but if
he wishes enough volume for a large audience,
together with the best quality of music and
"articulation" (intelligibility), he should buy
or build a first class push-pull amplifier which
can be used with a loud speaker unit, or
amplifier using power tubes and use it to feed
a high quality loud speaker such as those
described above.

87. DRY CELLS FOR A BATTERIES

WHEN only a watt or less is required to
heat the filaments of all the tubes of
a receiving set, it is often simplest to use the
standard six inch dry cell. The voltage of a
dry cell is between \\ and i volt according to
its condition. To get the most, in the long
run, out of such a cell, not more than about \
ampere should be allowed to flow through it.
Hence we should not figure on obtaining more
power (volts times amperes) than about j
watt per cell. Thus a single tube requiring
an ampere at five volts (five watts) for its
filament would require about 20 dry cells to
run it for any length of time. On the other
hand, the Radiotron UV-IQQ tube needs only
.18 watt (60 milamperes at three volts) for its
filament. Two dry cells in series, or, better,
three in series with a controlling rheostat,
would take care of three such tubes easily.
The WD-II or wo-i2 tube runs on \ ampere
at i.i volts. It is obviously designed to run
on a single dry cell.

88. RADIO TUBES

THE tendency in tube design seems to be
toward very small tubes (requiring very
little filament battery energy) for handling
small amounts of alternating current power.
At first the filaments of vacuum tubes were
made mostly of tungsten, a metal which gives
off a good emission of electrons only when very
hot, and the tungsten filament still in use in the
Radiotron uv-aoo "soft" detector tube re-
quires five watts to heat it. The Western
Electric Company reduced the power required
for their filaments by making them of platinum

coated with oxides of barium and strontium
which give a good emission of electrons at
a dull red heat. The WD-II and wo-i2
tubes of the Radio Corporation of America
have filaments of the same type. The next
step came with the discovery that if a little
thorium oxide is mixed with the tungsten of a
filament, upon operating the filament, pure
thorium works its way out of the filament and
coats its surface, as a result of which plenty
of emission can be had with the filament
running much cooler than when the surface is
tungsten. If one of these thoriated filament
tubes is run at more than the rated voltage
with the idea of increasing the emission, the
thorium surface is likely to boil off and then
the filament will be no better than plain
tungsten until the thorium surface is renewed
by letting the filament run a while at rated
voltage with the plate battery disconnected.
The Radiotron 201 -A is a tube having this
type of filament and takes \ ampere at 5 volts
and while it is a good detector and amplifier
of weak currents, its advantage over the 199
is chiefly its ability to handle larger amounts
of power, such as for a loud speaker. The
Radiotron 199 also uses a thoriated filament
but takes only .06 ampere at 3 volts, or only
.18 watt. Its grid and plate are so small that
the resulting reduction in grid-plate capacity
makes it less apt to oscillate in radio-frequency
amplifiers.

The next advance was the discovery that
by special means caesium could be made to
coat tungsten filaments. And caesium gives a
good emission at the lowest temperature of any
material known.

It is probable that before very long the
tubes for radio frequency amplification and
detection will be as small as one's little finger
and many of them will be run on a few dry
cells, and, last but not least, quantity pro-
duction should bring the price down to a
fraction of what we now pay.

89. DESIGN OF GOOD ACCESSORIES

A VARIABLE condenser that makes hor-
rible noises due to short circuits or bad
contacts with the rotating part, or is hard to
turn, or that isn't balanced so as to "stay
put," or that does not have the same capacity
every time it is turned to the same setting,
or that has lost motion or looseness in the
knob, or that hasn't some satisfactory means
for very fine adjustment, is enough to take all
the pleasure out of a radio set. For a while,
very few really good condensers were avail-
able to the radio public. Now, there are a

1 1 14

Radio Broadcast

considerable number available of good con-
struction. It doesn't pay to save money on
the tuning condenser.

90. SOCKETS

ANOTHER point where trouble is likely
to occur is in the tube sockets. The
springs that make contact should be long, and
made of several laminations so that they won't
be permanently bent by pushing the tube into
the socket. Poor contacts in tube sockets
cause a lot of "unexplained" noises. The
socket should also be made of a good insulating

material. Hard rubber, porcelain, pyrex glass,
and bakelite are good but many of the fi-
berous and moulded materials are not.

91.

CONTACTS

GOOD contacts throughout a "set are es-
sential. All contacts should be soldered,
or else a good clean wire clamped firmly by a
binding post or Fahnstock clip. Poor contacts
are responsible for so much of the trouble that
arises in receiving sets that it is worth while
to guard against them with what might seem
unnecessary care.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. H. J. van der Bijl, "The Thermionic
Vacuum Tube."

2. R. A. Heising, "Modulation in Radio
Telephony." Proc. I. R. E. Aug., 1921.
R. V. L. Hartley, " Relations of Carrier
and Side Bands in Radio Transmission."
Proc. I. R. E. Feb., 1923.

3. H. D. Arnold and Lloyd Espenschied,
"Transatlantic Radio Telephony".
Journal of the American Institute of
Electrical Engineers, Aug., 1923.

4. S. E. Anderson, "Vacuum Tube Ampli-
fication." "Q. S. T." Jan., 1923.

5. R. A. Heising, "TheAudion Oscillator."
Proc. A. I. E. E. April and May,
1920.

6. L. A. Hazletine, "Tuned Radio Fre-
quency Amplification with Neutral-
ization of Capacity Coupling." Q. S. T.
April, 1923.

7. Principles of Radio Transmission and
Reception with Antenna and Coil Aerials,
J. H. Dellinger. Proc. A. I. E. E. Oct.,
1919.

'8. Lloyd Espenschied, "The Application to

1 1

Radio of Wire Transmission Engineer-
ing." Proc. I. R. E. Oct., 1922.

9. Q. S. T. Aug. and Sept., 1923.
10. Science, Dec. 22, 1922, Supplement.

Irving Langenuir and K. H. Kingdon,
"Thermionic Effects Caused by Alkali
Vapors in Vacuum Tubes." Science,
Jan. 12, 1923.

E. H. Armstrong, "Some Recent De-
velopments of Regenerative Circuits."
Proc. I. R. E. Aug., 1922.

13. E. H. Armstrong, "A New System of
Short Wave Amplification." Proc. I. R.
E., Feb., 1921.

14. OttoJ.Zobel, "Theory and Design of Uni-
form and Composite Electric Wave
Filters." The Bell System Technical
Journal, Jan., 1923.

15. W. van B. Roberts, "A Single Tube
Loop Set in a Brief Case." RADIO
BROADCAST, May, 1923.

Also, for general discussion of modulation,
demodulation, and filters, see E. H. Colpitts
and O. B. Blackwell, "Carrier Current Tele-
phony and Telegraphy." Proc. A. I. E. E.,
1921.

Radio Equipment Does the
American Fan Use?

An Analysis of the Apparatus Used by Listeners Who
Heard Europe in the International Radio Broadcast Test

By HAROLD S. FRAINE

WE ASKED a deep-dyed radio
fan what he thought the recent
International Radio Broadcast
Test had proved to him.

He grinned. "Well," he rejoined, "it
proved that there are a lot of fatheads like
me who sit up all hours for the privilege of
discovering that if he
owns a radio set in
New York one can
hear a radiating rodeo
rider as far away as
Denver."

The Test did prove
this in a sense. We
found beyond doubt,
that the million
squealers who tanta-
lized their dials dur-
ing this time are the
chief obstacle to dis-
tance reception. The
tests led one to think
that multi-tube sets
are no more likely of
success in distance
angling than expen-
sive tackle is the
paraphernalia of suc-
cess for a man who
angles for fish.

It proved that the
successful ten -tube
sets strung end to
end wouldn't reach
to first base. It
proved that Willie's
one-tube set was ten

times as effective as the multi-tube sets, and
this is immense encouragement to the Willies
until you examine the numbers of them, and
discover where they live.

There are at least as many one-tube sets,
as for instance, seven-tube outfits. And when
one remembers that the multi-tube sets are

The Facts in the Case

At various times in recent radio history —
and all radio history is really " recent "-
various agencies have collected statistics
about the radio public. But most of these
surveys, perhaps made for a particular pur-
pose, were necessarily limited in their scope.
Mr. Fraine, a member of RADIO BROADCAST
staff, has examined the interesting question-
naires returned to the magazine from thou-
sands of radio listeners in every part of this
country and others, who reported hearing
foreign broadcasters during the International
Radio Broadcast Tests of last November and
December. It is not incorrect to assume
that those who returned their answers rep-
resent a very fair cross-section of the Ameri-
can radio public. We can judge from what
they say what kind of radio equipment is
most popular, and if we be of an analytical
turn of mind, we might make a very fair
prediction of the trend of radio. Are home-
built or complete, purchased receivers more
popular? Do listeners favor storage or dry
cells? The author has tried carefully to
draw reasonable conclusions about these,
and many other, interesting points.

— THE EDITORS.

preponderantly owned in big towns where the
money to buy them is more plentiful, where
folks stay home less because of the big town's
amusements, and where the lust for entertain-
ment' is overwhelmingly greater than the lust
for distance; if one remember these things,
one wonders if Willie deserves the distin-
guished service medal
after all.

Naturally, having
sponsored the Inter-
national Broadcast
Test and invested a
great many thou-
sands of dollars to in-
sure their success,
RADIO BROADCAST
wanted to know some-
thing about those
who achieved the
note-worthy end of
hearing Europe. We
wondered where they
lived, what circuits
they used, how many
tubes were used in
their sets, whether
they had a long or
short antenna, high
or low, or a loop,
whether DX was
picked up with
phones, or whether
the loud speaker
brought it out enough
for all to hear,
whether they used
dry or wet batteries.

The first job was to sort out the answers
to these questions as they came to us in the
mail, and if you were ever in the unenviable
position of having to write down in a few
hasty sentences the result of the answers to
over forty-six thousand questions, you know
that takes a little longer than from yesterday

1 1 16

Radio Broadcast

to to-day. That is why this article is in the only five different essential hook-ups, this

April RADIO BROADCAST and not January. number could be multiplied by a hundred and

still you wouldn't have all the various "dynes"

MANUFACTURED vs. HOME-BUILT SETS and <«flexes." Some of you will say: "I

WHAT is the percentage of manufactured might as well call my set one of these, as to
compared to home-built sets?" This say all birds are chickens." But in the last
question was put to a prominent radio retailer, analysis, you will find that these classifica-
He leaned back and thought a moment and tions are about as good as any: — super-
said: heterodyne, neutrodyne, stabilized radio

" I can't answer that question for the whole frequency, reflex, and regenerative, and

country, but I do know this. Two years ago, the greatest of these, as you will see by the

about 85 per cent, of our business was selling table, is regenerative!

parts and only about 15 per cent, of our sales The typical regenerative circuit, after all

were complete sets. To-day just the reverse we have said in the columns, must be closely

is true, and fully 85 per cent, of our business associated in your mind with the radiating

is in the sale of complete sets." bloopers, and our fine argument against re-

We got a very difficult picture from the generative squealers is clean out — out with

questionnaire which reached a very represen- a knockout blow — down for the count of

tative part of the radio public. The answers ten! But not so hasty! Practically every

showed that a majority of radio fans still one of these people came right out flat footed

"roll their own" — fifty-five per cent, to be and said "no radiation, in the antenna circuit"

exact. There was every sort and kind of "extra neutralized tube in the antenna cir-

radio mixture you could conceive of and cuit," or something to that general effect,

while the table of percentages we made shows Which goes to prove that a large number of

regenerative circuit owners at least know
• what they are up against, and that there is a

INTERNATIONAL RADIO TESTS— 1924 fortune for the man who can invent some

N simple attachment preventing regenerative

Location.! circuit radiation. In this connection, the

Will you accept appointment as official listener new attachment, invented by Mr. Roy A.

in next year's tests? Weagant, Chief Engineer of the De Forest

Type Receiver. ..... Company, may prove of great benefit to

If factory made, what kind? . ~,

If home-made, what important parts? regenerative set users. The argument re-
Number of Tubes Kind of Tubes garding the proper use of the regenerative

Antenna or Loop. .Length of Antenna. .Height. . . sets seems to have generated more heat than

//Battery. Wet Dry Make.' i:ffut

B Battery. Wet Dry Make 8" '

Battery Eliminator? .What kind? The suPer-heterodyne, neutrodyne, and the

Any special equipment not covered above various kinds of reflex circuits divided honors

nearly equally among the home built sets,

u/, ; / : •; ' ', • employing not essentially regenerative cir-

What was source of worst interference? . • ^P

cuits. There are more than three times as

Next worse source many regeneratives as any of these others.

And this means absolutely nothing except

Did you use head-phone or loud speaker? th t th CQSt f d home_made receivers,

Make of Phone Make of Speaker . .

Names of radio enthusiasts having efficient appar- Just as with good manufactured receivers,

atus and who can be recommended by you as official plays a big part in the number that are in

listeners. circulation.

ANTENNA — LONG OR SHORT? HIGH OR LOW?

/^\ UT on the wide expanses of the ocean

Return to RAD.O BROADCAST, V °n -?*1™? ^ '" *™ ^^ a"d

Garden City, New York. calm, sailors rig a sail away up on the main

================^=====^===1 mast which they call a "cloud-breaker" or

THE QUESTIONNAIRE "sky-sail." Its purpose Ms to pick up any

..... , vagrant air current which might help to

Which was sent to all listeners who reported hearing rarr,, tv,0 cVn't-. r,l™,,r R,,*- +1,^ ^A oh.V

foreign broadcasts. The information which th! Car,7 !he S^P **?** ?ut the good ship

answers brought gave a set of facts about radio users really depends for its headway upon its broad

which had never been definitely known before sails of modest height. In the same way

What Radio Equipment Does the American Fan Use? 1117

r£

113 + 56789 10
NUMBER OF TUBES

J±

LENGTH ^ANTENNA

10' 2O' 30' 40' 50' 6O' 7O' 8O' 9O' 10O'
HEIGHT of ANTENNA

.Manufactured vs. Home -.Made

TYPES OF HOME-MADE HOOK-

UPS USED IN TESTS

VC~>&<''"3>*

V
Super-JletroJyne

/6.23K

JVeutroJyne

I3.0O:

RaJio ^frequency

5.01%

Reflex

if.3et

Regenerative

49MI

100.00%

SOURCE of

WORST INTERFERENCE

Radiaiitvj Receivers
Spark. Stations (Code)
Static

SO.TI
78.5*
»-5*

Joe/ing

s.yn

Other Station J-

5.5)6

Jtfan-made Static

52*

M> Interference'

t.s%

100%

TABLE I

Showing graphically the results of answers to the questionnaire on page 1 1 16. The tabulation shows that
of the group answering, 45 per cent, used manufactured sets and 55 per cent, were home made. It
roughly classifies the types of circuits used in the home made receiver, source of worst interference, aver-
age length and height of antenna and the number of tubes used

radio fans, looking for unusual results, some-
times can afford antennas stuck high in the
air, which may pick up stray radio impulses,
but the most dependable average good re-
sults, it would appear, are obtained from an-
tenna of moderate height and length.

As you will see from the diagrams, the most
popular antenna is from 100 to 125 feet long
and about 30 feet above the ground. A sur-
prisingly large percentage use an elevation
of only 10 feet, and much shorter lengths.

Einstein has secured a good deal of pub-
licity from what is popularly known as the
Law of Relativity, which, in our modest un-
derstanding, means that anything you think
is true, isn't true absolutely, except as it
relates to something else that is true. You
finish where you started, and then begin all
over again !

So with antennas. Anything you think is
true about them, isn't true except as it re-
lates to the unavoidable conditions where
your particular antenna is located. It is
natural to expect that in cities where there is
every sort of interference underneath the
ground, on the ground, and in the buildings,
a high antenna, as far away as possible from
the disturbing elements, will be most effec-
tive. In the country, where one is far from
all disturbances, great heights are apparently
not so desirable.

Even these conclusions are relative, for high

antennas may collect static and more remote
disturbances; long antennas with their in-
evitable lengthy lead-ins, cut down the se-
lectivity of the receiver. In general these
statistics show that for good results from an-
tennas it is not necessary to put them in the
clouds.

ANTENNA VS. LOOPS

ONE big quarter slice of pie in the statis-
tics is given to the loop. Think of it!
Twenty-four out of every hundred of these
people didn't do any tree climbing or roof
walking whatever.

"Oh," you say, "but all these people used
big and expensive receivers."

Well, let us see. The table showing ap-
proximately the "Types of Home-Made
Hookups" shows that only 16.23 Per cent,
were super-heterodynes. And of these super-
heterodynes, 44 per cent, use a loop, another
19 per cent, use a loop loosely coupled with
an antenna, while 37 per cent, used an an-
tenna exclusively. Really, the users of both
loop and antenna should be classed with the
antenna users, giving a total of 56 per cent,
operating their super-heterodynes on an an-
tenna, against 44 per cent, operating on a loop.

In addition to the super-heterodyne hook-
up, among the loop users were listeners with
neutrodynes, tuned radio-frequency sets and
reflex sets. Conspicuous among the loop

in8

Radio Broadcast

Outside
Jleriah

TABLE II

The proportion of the use of out-
side antennas to the use of loops

users were those who employed one of the spe-
cial types of reflex. It was a five-tube set.

PHONES VS. LOUD SPEAKERS

IT HAS been said that a large majority of
radio owners now use only a loud speaker
both for tuning and for constant reception.
Our analysis, however, shows quite the con-
trary. For distance work 54.4 per cent, use
only the phones, an additional 29 per cent,
use both the phones and the loud speaker,
while only 17.6 per cent, use the loud speaker
alone. Adding those who use the phones ex-
clusively and those who use both the loud
speaker and the phones, we have a total of
82.4 per cent, of set owners who have phones
on hand. It may be that in the future we
will use only the loud speaker, but, for the
present, phones appear to be holding their
own. There are still, apparently, large num-
bers of people who need a good loud speaker.

WET VS. DRY BATTERIES

/CONSIDERING the difficulties of charg-
^ ing and the occasional inconvenience of
wet batteries, naturally there is a great temp-
tation for many radio folk to use dry cells.
One often hears it said that the use of dry cell
sets is much on the increase. We have been
wondering about this, and so have you, but
not until the answers to these questions came
to us did we have the lightest inkling of more
than a general idea of the real truth. Table
III shows clearly the true situation. Here

at last we have some knowledge beyond the
mere fact that the fewer tubes one uses the
less battery required.

AN HONEST RADIO FAN

WE THINK this investigation has dis-
covered for you the most honest radio
fan in America. His name is William Samuel
Dycus and he lives in Moundsville, West
Virginia, He stated in answer to the ques-
tion, "What was your worst source of interfer-
ence?" His worst source of interference was
"distance." A truth which all of us felt, but
lacked the candor to admit. While we ad-
mire his honesty and admit there is much
truth in his statement, neither you nor I
would say that distance is truly the real
handicap to radio receiving to-day.

The table which is an analysis of the "worst
source of interference" shows that practi-
cally half give first place to radiating receivers.
Other sources play only a small part in the
total, while only a few people stated they had
no interference whatever.

By the way, you will wonder where the
people live who are thus blessed with no
interference. Doubtless not on Long Island,
or anywhere close to large cities. On Long
Island, if the thousands of bloopers were not
enough, the code which covers the whole area
like a blanket furnishes the rest of the inter-
ference. People who live in that area, and
there are not a few of them, deserve especial
credit to have heard Europe.

Conditions in the cities are in no way
comparable with conditions in the smaller
towns and in the country. And yet our suc-
cessful listeners were limited to no special
location. There were hundreds within the
city limits of New York who heard. The
rural sections were represented in almost exact
ratio to their population.

Here, however, is a letter from as far West
as Indianapolis which speaks more eloquently
than any words we could use — with reserva-
tions, because naturally we do not admit
that the International Tests were 90 per cent,
bunk! Anyway, here is the letter:

RADIO BROADCAST,
Garden City, L. I.

GENTLEMEN:

Your secret is out! You disguised it well, but
the truth of it has become so obvious during the
last few days that there is no further need of se-
crecy.

Transatlantic Test? Ninety per cent. bunk.
Demonstration of the curse of squealing receivers?
Ninety per cent, perfect!

What Radio Equipment Does the American Fan Use? 1119

We have had several foreign stations on a Radi-
ola super-heterodyne with a directional loop, but
at the announcing of the station the squeals have
invariably increased until no other -sound can be
distinguished. I enjoy RADIO BROADCAST as much
as I detest "radio broadcast's" evening hour of
babel. I understand now how super-power alone
can eliminate the squealers. Your demonstration
has been a great success, and you have many sup-
porters of your campaign against squealers from
this district. Success to you!

Yours truly
THOMAS B. NOBLE, Jr.,

We are glad the Tests have served for this
incidental good effect.

Perhaps there is some hope in the remarks
by Dr. J. H. Dellinger, Chief of the Radio
Laboratory of the United States Bureau of
Standards, in a survey on Interference re-
leased recently by the Department of Com-
merce:—

The various causes of interference divide into two
great classes — natural and man-made. Progress is
being steadily made against both of these enemies.
As to the natural interference, there will always be
a certain residuum of atmospheric disturbances and
fading which will necessarily limit the distance from
any broadcasting station at which reliable satisfac-
tory reception will be possible. The various kinds
of man-made interference, on the other hand, are
curable and are of local character; it can be expected
that more and more localities will be freed from the
various types of this pest.

Increase of knowledge and of practical applica-
tions characterize all phases of radio. We are
coming to have a picture of the machinery by which
the waves are propagated. Remarkable discov-
eries are being made in the behavior and potentiali-
ties of the waves of hitherto unknown frequencies.
We are learning to direct the waves in a desired
direction. The battle against interference is being
won in spite of enormous increase in the use^of radio.

AN ENGLISHMAN TUNES~IN

AFTER looking over the letters, which
came to us by the basketful from people
in all parts of the United States, it was some-
thing of a shock to come across one mailed by
Arthur Oswald Millne, "Homefleet," North-
down Way, Margate, Kent, England. He
heard several of the American stations on a
receiver which he called a

"i-V-2 Tuned H F Plug and Transformer
L F."

Which translated from Continental radio
"lingo" into ordinary "Yankee" means one
stage tuned radio-frequency, detector, and
two stages of transformer-coupled audio fre-
quency.

"H F" in England means, high frequency

or radio frequency "valve" designates a
detector, and transformer L F" signifies
transformer low frequency or audio frequency.

In answer to the question on whether or
not he used a battery eliminator, he said:

"What on earth is a battery eliminator?"

"Do you mean a rheostat?"

Power from the lighting circuit seems not
yet to have appealed to the Englishmen.

THE IDEAL RADIO EQUIPMENT

IF WE could take a composite photograph of
good radio sets along with their equipment,
where we found them all over the country,
and somehow visualize for you the kind that
was most successful, this picture would be most
valuable for every reader of these pages.
In a sense the tables shown here do exactly
that. They paint for you a picture taken from
actual facts. For that reason we believe
they are worthy of careful study.

Taking them one by one they form a very
useful basis for camparison with the equip-
ment you now use, or suggest the right thing
to buy.

First comes the number of tubes used in
successful sets (Table I). You will see that
the number most frequently occurring is five.
You might have guessed that, without having
seen these percentages; but would you guess
the next most popular number of tubes is —
three?

Your ideal set, it would appear, will have
either five or three tubes.

This would be very convincing and pleas-
ing, in a way, if true. At least one question
about radio would be solved forever, and you

TABLE III

How the current for the radio re-
ceiver is supplied by the average user

1 1 20

Radio Broadcast

Super Jietrodyne <Sete

Jtoih

29%

TABLE IV

The top illustration shows how the users of super-
heterodynes in the RADIO BROADCAST survey got
their energy from the ether. An unfortunately
large percentage used an antenna directly con-
nected to their "super." The lower drawing shows
how the users of all types of receivers got their
signals. Twenty-nine per cent, used both loud
speaker and phones and 17.6 per cent, used the
loud speaker alone. These figures, it is true,
apply chiefly to reception during the International
Test

could sleep peacefully to-night, knowing that
your five- or three-tube creation is the set
sublime. Herein lie the limitations of an
investigation of this kind. Just because a
large number of people are successful with a
certain number of tubes does not prove that
these same people would have gone wrong
with a different number of tubes. You can-
not prove that all cats have ten tails, because
no cat has nine tails, and a cat has one more
tail than no cat. Mr. Henry Ford does not
necessarily make the best car for all uses
because he makes more!

The purpose of these analyses is to suggest
rather than to prove. In no place are the
limitations of mere figures more clearly shown
than in Table I, which shows the kind of
hook-ups home radio builders use. Neverthe-
less the percentages are highly significant as
an index to the kind of hook-up in use to-day.

But to return to our ideal set (with reser-
vations), you see from Table I that you have
a little better chance of owning a distance-
getter if you make your set than if you buy
it complete. Here again, on second thought,
you will see that if you would rather buy than
build, all you have to do is to be careful and
purchase the right kind of set. There are
more and more good ones being made every
day. There is no table showing the com-
parative ratings of the various manufactured
sets used. To outline them would be like
trying to itemize the accomplishments of the
automobiles of the United States. This
book would not hold the complete record,
and rather than work an injustice upon set
manufacturers we are obliged to leave this
interesting part of the story untold.

Our ideal set has one chance in four of
using a loop, and if it uses an antenna, there
will not be much over a hundred feet of it all
told, and it will be from twenty to forty feet
off the ground (Table I). It will probably
use wet A and dry B batteries, or both units
wet, but it has a healthy little chance of
being good with all dry cells (Table III).

For "Radio Golf," as Secretary Hoover
calls DX, we will surely need a pair of phones
(Table IV), And if we own a super-hetero-
dyne, we will have better chances for distance
with an antenna outside, although the neigh-
bors may rightly object. The secret being
out, we can well conclude by considering the
main causes of interference (Table I), which
is radiating receivers — those birdies and
cat-calls and squawks in the menagerie of din.

' I ^HE material appearing in this magazine is fully protected by copy-
•* right, and editors of periodicals are advised that unauthorized publi-
cation of circuit diagrams, technical descriptions, and parts or the whole of
articles, without due permission and credit, is an infraction of the law.
Those who wish to reprint material appearing in these pages are as^ed to
communicate with the editor.

"NOW, I HAVE FOUND. .

A Department Where Readers Can Exchange Ideas and Sug-
gestions of Value to the Radio Constructor and Operator

> '

FOR a long time, RADIO BROADCAST has felt the need of an outlet for the many excellent ideas dealing with
various features of radio construction which reach our office. With this issue, we begin the department
of good ideas from our readers, and invite the cooperation of all those who are interested.

A TESTER FOR CIRCUIT CONTINUITY

I HAVE assembled a very simple test out-
fit made up from odds and ends around
the work shop which helps considerably
in determining whether purchased parts and
laboratory odds and ends are defective or not.
It has also been found useful in testing out
radio sets for continuity of circuit, testing
fixed and variable condensers for short cir-
cuits, jacks and sockets for loose connections,
and transformers for short circuits, open cir-
cuits, and ground. This test unit consists of
a 25-watt lamp inserted in one side of the
1 10- volt line to which are connected two awls.
The test leads are of flexible wire. Two fuse
sockets and fuses are inserted one in each side
of the line at its input. The circuit diagram is
shown in Fig. i .

The lamp flashes when a circuit is closed
indicating that the circuit of the unit tested is
continuous. In testing audio transformers,
the awl points are touched to the primary posts
and if the secondary side is momentarily short
circuited, a spark discharge may be observed
at its terminals. — F. E. MADDOX, Roanoke,
Virginia.

HEAD SET PLUG MADE FROM
BROKEN AUTO BULB

SMALL plugs for plugging in radio head-
sets are indispensable where radio
receiver or loud speakers are to be used
in different rooms in the house. They can be
made for little or nothing, from the bases of
burned-out automobile lamps.

To make the plug, the glass bulb must be

broken away close to the top edge of the fer-
rule and the remains of the filament removed
from the ends of their coarse wire terminals.
Then the latter should be spread about £ inch
apart and thoroughly cleaned to make them
bright.

The ends of the wires composing a length of
twisted lamp cord are then cleaned and sol-
dered to the two filament terminals. In doing
this, care should be exercised not to use too
much solder, otherwise there is apt to be a
short circuit between the terminals.

Then the terminals are again pressed to-
gether so they are nearly parallel. Hot sealing
wax is poured between and around them so
they are thoroughly covered and imbedded
in a solid insulation which completed the plug
shown in Fig. 2.

This plug could then be inserted in an auto-

Line fuses

Test terminals-'

Flexible cord
with weight

FIG. I

I 122

Radio Broadcast

oB + 45
OB+90

FIG. 3

mobile dash socket placed in a convenient
place in the wall. Radio concerts can then be
enjoyed just as well as though one were sitting
near the receiver. — L. R. ROBBINS, Harwich,
Mass.

THE WD-i i IN THE ROBERTS CIRCUIT

THE WD-I i or WD-I2 as detector with
the 20 1 -A as amplifier is my first choice
of tubes for the Roberts circuit. These
tubes take the same current and can therefore
be used with the filaments in series. This
method uses the whole battery voltage use-
fully in the tubes, reduces the current con-

or j

BROKEN AUTO
LIGHT BULB

FIG. 2

sumption about 20 per cent, below the
20 1 -A- 1 99 combination (which is quite an
item when using dry cells) and in my opinion,
based on the operation of a number of sets, is
quite as satisfactory.

It also reduces first cost by eliminating the
high resistance necessary with the 199 tube,
the only resistance used being a six-ohm rheo-
stat, which is not really necessary. However,
I have found that most tubes will work as
well or better, a little below rated voltage
rather than above. With this combination
it is impossible to overheat the filaments,
giving the tubes a longer life.

This combination is much more stable in the
four-tube set than when a 201 -A is used as a
detector and seems to me to give as good
range and volume as when the larger tubes
are used throughout. Care should be taken
to use bus wire for the filament leads and not
less than No. 14 wire for the A battery leads
which should be as short as possible as there is
no voltage to spare for line loss.

The diagram Fig. 3 shows the slight modi-
fication of the Roberts circuit necessary.
Observe the changes in the filament circuit,
the WD-I i grid return, and the return for the
.005 mfd. bypass condenser. — HARDING Gow,
East Sound, Washington.

QUESTIONS AND
\3

WHEN YOU WRITE THE GRID

Don't fail to enclose a stamped, self -addressed envelope with your
inquiry if you expect a personal reply.

Don't be impatient if you do not receive an immediate answer. Every
letter is answered in the order of its receipt. Do not send a second letter
asking about the first.

Look over your files of RADIO BROADCAST before asking a question
which might have been covered in a previous issue.

Don't ask for a comparison between manufactured apparatus. The
addresses of manufacturers of articles used in the construction of ap-
paratus described in RADIO BROADCAST will be given on request.

Don't include questions on subscription orders or inquiries to other
departments of Doubleday, Page & Co. Address a separate inquiry to
The Grid.

Don't send us a fee for answering your questions. The Grid Depart-
ment is maintained for the aid and convenience of readers of RADIO
BROADCAST and there is no charge for the service.

QUERIES ANSWERED

OF WHAT USE ARE METERS IN A RADIO RECEIVING
CIRCUIT?

H. B. — Saginaw, Michigan.

HOW ARE NEUTRODYNES NEUTRALIZED?

L. N. C.— Toledo, Ohio.

HOW ARE PANELS PREPARED?

I. M. — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

CAN YOU REFER ME TO ANY PREVIOUS PUBLISHED
METERS AND THEIR USES

THE inclusion of voltmeters and ammeters in
a radio circuit is desirable but not always
possible because of their cost. Meters offer
a definite check on the condition and operating
efficiency of the batteries used with radio receivers.
Those who can afford these luxuries may well make
this addition to their equipment.

A plate milliameter with a full scale range of o
to 100 milliamperes such as the Weston type 301 is
admirably suited for the purpose of determining the
rate of current flow in the B battery circuit. In
other words, the amount of current the entire set
is drawing in milliamperes may be determined.

NOTES AND COMMENTS ON THE ROBERTS CIRCUIT?

C. C. — Chicago, Illinois.
BRIEFLY, WHAT SHOULD I DO TO KEEP MY STORAGE

BATTERY IN TOP-NOTCH ORDER TO INSURE PERFECT

SERVICE? j A T _San Diego, California.

WlLL YOU TELL ME WHAT WAVE TRAPS ARE, HOW
THEY ARE USED AND WHAT ARE THE CIRCUITS?

A. L. T. — Norfolk, Virginia.

A correct reading of the. voltage of the B battery
is also desirable so as to determine the state of its
life. When a battery drops in .voltage below two
thirds of its rated voltage it is ready to be junked.
B batteries whose voltage is low mean weak, dis-
torted signals.

The use of these two meters is clear when the
following explanation is considered.

B batteries have a certain period of life. As in
the case of the storage battery as described in last
months' GRID, this "life is rated in ampere-hours,
only in B batteries the rating is a fraction of the
larger filament batteries and is rated in milliampere
hours. Explained, this means that a certain amount
of current in milliamperes may be withdrawn from

1 124

Radio Broadcast

the battery over a certain period. Applying values,
a 4500 milliampere hour B battery may theoretically
be discharged at the rate of 45 milliamperes for 100
hours. As this discharge takes place and the ca-
pacity of the battery is reduced, the voltage also
decreases.

The use of the voltmeter and milliameter is quite
evident in determining this condition.

Some may wish to mount the meters permanently
on the panel of their receiver.

In the case of the voltmeter this may well be a
double reading scale covering both filament and
plate voltages. By means of a double-pole double-
throw switch, this voltmeter may be thrown from
one circuit to the other. Excepting for momentary
B battery tests the voltmeter should be thrown
over to the filament side. See Fig. i.

The milliameter may be inserted in series with
the negative lead of the B battery line. In this
position it will register the total detector and am-
plifier tube drain.

However, for the true experimenter, this plan is
not economical or entirely efficient since, on the
building of other circuits it will necessitate the tear-
ing out of these meters from the previous circuit.

A better way is to mount these meters on a
special panel with the necessary clip leads attached.
Then temporary tests may be made with any cir-
cuit. See Fig. 2.

The use of a voltmeter in a super-heterodyne,
either of the manufactured or home-made type de-
serves special notice not related to the above dis-
cussion. Tubes have a definite voltage rating
specified by the manufacturer. For the good of the
tube it is well not to exceed this rating. A volt-
meter is the surest check-up.

NEUTRALIZING SYSTEMS

THE selection of a system for obtaining neu--
tralization in a tuned radio-frequency ampli-
fier depends largely upon the circuit em-
ployed. To qualify this statement — a circuit em-
bodying a reflex system could not be neutralized by
the standard neutrodyne method because in remov-
ing the tubes, one at a time, the audio frequency
circuit would be broken, which would prevent the
audio signal from being heard in the phones.

VOLTMETER

To B Battery
Terminals

To A Battery
Terminals

Double-pole Double-throw
Switch

FIG. I

Plate milliamperes

"•Double-pole Double-throw
Switch

FIG. 2

Therefore for systems consisting in part of a re-
flex feature another is necessary. It is assumed that
neutralizing condensers of a sort are employed, and
no dependence placed upon inherent neutralization
as the result of the various placements of the parts
used.

The Roberts system of squeal neutralization as
explained in the January, 1925, issue of RADIO
BROADCAST will apply here.

For receivers of the standard r. f. type it will not
be out of order to repeat the explanation of neutral-
ization as recommended by the neutrodyne manu-
facturers.

First, tune-in a station to maximum signal
strength. If possible tune-in a distant station as
the neutralizing effect will be more manifest to the
operator.

Then, remove the first tube, insulate one of the
filament prongs with a slip of paper or spaghetti
tubing so that it will not make contact with the
filament socket blade, and replace it in the socket.

It will be noted that the signal will come in some-
what faintly. Carefully retune so that the signal
will attain its loudest point, taking into considera-
tion that it will not be as loud as before, because the
tube is not functioning.

Now, with the aid of a rubber tipped pencil or
other insulated object slowly slide the neutralizing
tubing, or if it is a variable plate condenser, revolve
-it, until the signal vanishes. In some instances this
condition may not be reached but at least the signal
will decrease noticeably.

When this point has been reached, the insulation
at the filament terminal may be removed and the
operation repeated for the next tube.

HOW TO PREPARE PANELS FOR ASSEMBLY

IT MAY be said that in a majority of descriptive
articles covering the construction of a receiver
or other radio device, the preparation of the
panel is lightly dismissed with the brief explanation
that "the holes should be drilled according to the
panel layout." In justice to this very important
item, the few pointers that govern the proper prep-
aration of a panel are described here.

To begin with, satisfactory tools are an scential
not to be disregarded. A light hammer, dividers,
center punch, scriber, square, and six-inch scale are
entirely sufficient for the average work shop.

Wherever possible, dimensions given on panel lay-
outs should be transferred to the back of the panel.

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

1125

Write /or our free book'
let on

RUBBER

for more perfect

RADIO
RECEPTION

It is filled with valuable
hints to radio enthusiasts .

In building your set
specify the following

GOODRICH
RADIO PANELS

highly polished — hold
their luster. Supplied in
black or mahogany; easily
worked with same tools
as wood or metals. Guar-
anteed against excessive
warpage.

GOODRICH V. T.
SOCKETS

Only socket made where
tube can be inserted and
fastened or unfastened
and removed without
turning tube in socket.
Locks automatically.
Prevents tube breakage.
Contacts automatically
wiped when tube is in-
serted.

GOODRICH VARIOM-
ETERS -UNWOUND

RADIOPHONE EAR
CUSHIONS

SPAGHETTI TUBING
BATTERY MATS

down that
dielectric loss

Science has proved that rubber is best electrically
—its dielectric loss is smallest of all known panel
materials — but there are many different kinds of
so-called rubber. Play safe and insist on Goodrich.

We are specialists in rubber. We manufacture
every conceivable rubber product, from great
conveyor belts and automobile tires to rubber
bands. There are fifty-five years of experience
behind us. Quality is ever our first consideration.

Goodrich Rubber Radio Products are made
particularly for the service they are called upon
to meet — developed after long experiment and
research.

Use them — for better reception, maximum
selectivity and widest possible range.

Listen in on the
Silvertown Cord Orchestra

Every Tuesday and every other Thursday from
10 to 11 P. M. (Eastern Standard Time.) 'The
greatest dance orchestra on the air. Tune in on
the following stations:

WEAF, New York; WJAR, Providence; WFI,
Philadelphia; WCAE, Pittsburgh; WQR, Buffalo,
WEEI, Boston; WWJ, Detroit; and 9 to 10
P. M. (Central Standard Time), Stations WCCO,
St. Paul-Minneapolis; WOC, Davenport.

THE B. F. GOODRICH RUBBER COMPANY

Established 1870 Akron, Ohio

Goodrich

r> If RADIO

Kuooer PRODUCTS

Tested and approved by XADIC BROADCAST

1 126

Radio Broadcast

The front pan'el side should be selected for its free-
dom from blemishes and other marks although if it
is to be grained there is no preference as to which is
to be front or back.

With the square and scriber, lay off the dimensions
making light scratch lines. At the intersections
make the centerpunch marks. Don't cant the
centerpunch, otherwise the mark may become off
center.

In drilling the panel place the front side down
against the top of the bench and clamp in position
firmly. Then, with a small drill, drill out all the
holes. After this is finished, the holes may be re-
drilled to their correct size. Be sure to hold the
drill in as perpendicular a position as possible. If
it is desired that the drill not penetrate into the
bench, then a board larger than the panel should be
placed under it.

In graining a panel use a fine sandpaper or No. oo
emery cloth.

Rub up and down fhe length of the panel keeping
the motion parallel with the panel edges.

When the desired appearance has been obtained
the bakelite dust may be removed and a finish pro-
duced by rubbing the panel with an oiled cloth.

NOTES AND REFERENCES ON THE ROBERTS CIRCUIT

AS IS to be expected when a circuit like the
Roberts spreads like wildfire, the many
deviations from the original construction
and "just that personal touch" have had accom-
panying them the innumerable troubles that befall
any radio circuit.

A glance at the fundamental circuit Fig. 3 and
the theoretical action depicted in Fig. 4 will at
once appraise one of the fact that there are three
main features of which it is comprised. And each
one has its possibilities of bringing to the finished
sets its own peculiar troubles. Intelligent tests
may be conducted to determine its locality and
causes.

The January, 1925, GRID briefly outlined the sev-
eral places where trouble might be met.

Rectification--

Amplified R.F. Signal-

Regenerative
Boost *-

Amplified Audio Signal./

Further Amplification ]
of Audio Signal

=~G

FIG. 3

FIG. 4

The heart of the circuit is the two tuner units.
Special care should be taken before assembly, to see
that there are no open or short circuits in these coils.

Very often reversing the connections to the sec-
ondaries make the circuit function as should.

In the matter of reflexing the audio transformer
should not be located too near the antenna coil unit.
The coil units themselves should not be placed too
near together and in all cases should be at right
angles to each other.

Additional information on the Roberts circuit has
appeared in the following pages of RADIO BROAD-
CAST.

April 1924 Page 456

May 73

July 272

August 308

September 379-426-438

October 490

November 1 12

December 267

January 1925 511-524

February 711-721-746

M arch 87 5-909-930-93 1-93 9

CARE OF STORAGE BATTERIES

IT IS certainly true that you'll get out of a bat-
tery no more than you put into it.
A battery that is neglected lasts but a short
while and in this day and age of radio modernity the
time has not come when it is possible for us utterly
to disregard battery expense.

Lead is subject to oxidation.
Copper is subject to attack by
sulphuric acid. In a battery,
the terminals are of lead, and
often after charging there is an
excess of sulphuric acid cover-
ing the top of the battery jar
due to spraying. Now, putting
two and two together, the
copper wire connecting cable
will not always make perfect
contact with the lead post due
to the film of oxide on it. Also
once the connection is on the
post the acid causes corrosion
which manifests itself in a light
green slime covering the post
and connector.

To insure a proper contact to
the post it is well to scrape
away the surface so that the

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

1127

Outstanding T&nsfbtfaef

^^- ^ .

GENERAL RADIO

Higher Amplification o-Vef
the entire Audio

285 Avdio

Mofe NatMf&l Reproduction
of Speech, cxrvcl Mvsic.

'TMIE marked superiority of the Type 285
•*• Transformer is evident by its high and uni-
form amplification over the entire audio range.
High amplification is attained by a turns ratio
of 6:1. Ordinarily such a high ratio would
lower the primary impedance and distort the
lower notes, while the higher notes would be
muffled or lost entirely by the effect of distrib-
uted capacity.

To offset these tendencies the core of the
Type 285 Transformer is made of specially
selected steel of high permeability, and the
turns of the primary and secondary coils are
increased to give a higher impedance and
turns ratio. Consequently both ends of the
curve are sustained, so that greater volume
with better tone quality is the result.

high and low pitch, whether in-
•*• strumental or vocal, in combination or
individually, are reproduced with a clarity
that pleases the most critical radio listener.

So great is the amplification produced by
the Type 285 Transformer that one stage
using a Type 285 gives a volume that is ap-
proximately equivalent to that produced by
two stages using any average transformers.
Seldom is more than one Type 285 necessary
to produce good loud-speaker volume with a
quality of tone never before realized in radio
reception.

If you want the best there is in transformer
design, the General Radio Type 285 should be
your choice.

For Sale at all Leading Radio Stores

Cambridge, Mass.

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

I 128

Radio Broadcast

bright lead shows itself. To prevent corrosion
often this cleaning process is applied : coat the post
and connection liberally with ordinary vaseline.

Wipe the case and top of the jars dry of excess
acid.

Keep the level of the solution one quarter of an
inch above the plates.

Add distilled water when necessary but never add
acid.

Do not bump the battery. Broken jar-units will
result in a drop in capacity and voltage.

Keep the battery in a dry place. Once the
wooden case becomes water soaked it is easy for
the acid to attack and rot it.

Never short-circuit the battery to determine
whether or not it's charged. Use a hydrometer.

In charging a storage battery do not charge it or
discharge it at a higher rate than that specified on
its nameplate.

The leads from the battery to the receiver should
be strong and preferably of the double twisted lamp-
cord type.

WAVE TRAPS AND HOW TO USE THEM

A WAVE trap is a remedy for poor tuning
characteristics of a receiver. It is a cure
but not a preventative.

However, the characteristics of many receivers
are such that wave traps are really essential.

Briefly, a wave trap consists of a coil and variable
condenser having the property to be tuned to or
select a certain wavelength setting which it is de-
sired to exclude from the receiver.

Usually a wave trap is required where the receiver

/ WAVE TRAP
= — Inductively
' Coupled

/ WAVE TRAP
Sfz Conductively
Coupled

FIG. 5

tunes broadly permitting the reception of two or
more signals simultaneously. The wave trap per-
forms the functions of eliminating from the receiver
circuit the undesired signal. The circuit is not un-
like that of an ordinary receiver, the coil and con-
denser in parallel tune to the same wavelength
range as the receiver.

Wave traps may be made according to several
types as outlined in the circuit diagrams in Fig. 5,
which also shows their proper connection.

The method of operation is as follows. The trap
is tuned to the undesired interfering station, then
the receiver is tuned to that station from which it is
desired to receive.

HOW TO FIND RECEIVER TROUBLE

IN last month's GRID were listed three definite
divisions where receiver trouble might arise.

The continuing four, listed below, are especially
applicable to reflex receivers employing a crystal
for rectification. Special attention must be paid
to the selection of a crystal of merit, as this unit is
really the heart of the circuit.

While, as has been said before, this information
is especially intended for reflex trouble-shooting,
much of it may be applied to a methodic trouble-
detection system in many other types of receivers.

i . — General suggestions
A — Keep grid and plate wires separated and at

right angles to each other.
B — Turn audio-frequency transformers so that

their cores are at right angles to each other.
C — Separate tuning units so as to prevent reaction

between them.

For reflex circuits employing crystal rectification
the following notes may be observed.

2. — Howling •

Be sure that the negative side of the A battery is
grounded. When this is not done, howling or
humming occurs. Howling is also produced by
reversed leads to the primary of the audio frequency
reflex transformer, and lack of use of suitable by-
pass condensers across transformer secondaries
when amplifiers are used.

3. — Crystals

Upon crystals really depends the successful oper-
ation of the receiver. Poor crystals will cause
squealing, lack of volume, improper reflex action,
partial rectification in the first tube, and broad
tuning. About nine tenths of all the trouble in
the reflex circuit can be attributed to a poor crystal.
Get a good crystal!

4. — Selectivity

As stated above, poor crystals sometimes cause
broad tuning. Then, too, location, nearness to
local stations, etc., greatly effect sharp tuning.
Several remedies for overcoming this fault are as
follows: i. Rewind the primary of the antenna
coupler so that this circuit may be tuned to the
incoming wave. 2. • Construct a counterpoise of
several wires either underneath the antenna near
the ground, or, if your location is in a city, erect it
in the basement of your house. A counterpoise
consists of several wires, very similar to an ordinary
antenna and well insulated. The counterpoise is
used instead of a ground.

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

112S

How to Build

and Operate the

Ultradyne

32-page illustrated book giv-
ing the latest authentic infor-
mation on drilling, wiring,
assembling and tuning the
Model L-2 Ultradyne Recei-
• ver 50c

The Ultradyne Kit

Consists of 1 Low Loss Tun
ing Coil, 1 Special Low Los
Coupler, 1 Type "A" Ultra
former, 3 Type "B" Ultrafor
mers, 4 Matched Fixed Con
densers.

To protect the public, Mr.
Lacault's personal monogram
seal (R. E. L.) is placed on
all genuine Ultraformers. All
ultraformers are guaranteed
so long as this seal remains
unbroken $30.00

Heard Europe on a Home
Built Ultradyne Model L-2

Arthur Bender, 116 East 2nd Street,
Covington, Ky., had no trouble picking
up European stations last week on his
eight tube Ultradyne .which he constructed
himself.

— Cincinnati-Enquirer, Nov. 30, 1924.

ECE Mr. Bender, thousands have successfully built
the Model L-2 Ultradyne and claim it the most won-
derful receiver they have ever known for great dis-
tance on the Loud Speaker.

In no other receiver is found the "Modulation System" of
radio reception — an outstanding radio engineering develop-
ment by R. E. Lacault, E. E., A. M. I. R. E., Chief Engi-
neer of this Company and formerly Radio Research Engi-
neer with the French Signal Corps Research Laboratories.

With the application of regeneration to the "Modulation
System" the Ultradyne is capable of detecting the faintest
broadcast signal, regenerating and making it audible on
the loud speaker.

In addition, the Ultradyne is the most selective receiver
known. Regardless of close similarity in wave length, it
selects any station within range — brings in broadcasting
clearly, distinctly, faithfully.

The Model L-2 Ultradyne will do everything better than any
super-radio operating under the same conditions.

Write for descriptive circular

MODEL L-2

PHENIX RADIO CORPORATION

5-7 Beekman Street
New York

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

New Equipment

DAYOLA RECEIVER

A radio frequency receiver with good quality reproduction.
It is enclosed in a cabinet of fine workmanship with a drop
front, making it possible entirely to close the set when not
in operation. Made by the Dayton Fan & Motor Co.,
Dayton, Ohio

LINCOLN LOOP AERIAL

The super-heterodyne receiver depends on the loop for
signal pick-up. It is, therefore, very necessary that this
function be accomplished efficiently. The loop illustrated
here is of commendable construction and design. The tap
off switch near the cast base allows variation of wavelength
range. Made by the Lincoln Radio Corp., 224 No. Wells
St., Chicago, Illinois

PYREX SOCKET

The base is of pyrex glass and the brass shell takes the tube

base. The prong contacts are extended to allow direct

soldered connections. Made by the Garod Corporation,

120 Pacific St., Newark, New Jersey

JEWETT MICRO-DIAL

The Micro-Dial, unlike some devices for micrornetrical
tuning, fits readily into vjrtually any set. It requires no
special mounting to put it into operation and is not cumber-
some. Made by the Jewett Radio & Phonograph Co.,
5680 Twelfth St., Detroit, Michigan

THE ADAPTO RADIO CABINET

Is complete in detail as well as being a handsome piece of
furniture. It will take any panel size up to 10i" high and
31j" long and combines loud speaker, easily accessible
battery compartments, and a drawer for small items.
Made by the L. R. Donehue Lumber Company, New
Albany, Indiana

RADIO BROADCAST ADVERTISER

1131

A set anyone can put together and
enjoy all-the-y ear-' round radio.

Directions given so simply
that anyone can follow them

ABOVE are illustrated the circular
of printed instructions and the life-
size diagrams of the wiring, which
are packed with each Model "S"
Kitset. Step by step the making
of the set is described in clear,
simple language — -just simple op-
erations which anyone can easily
follow.

Only two tools required — -
a screw driver and pliers — •
and they are included in the kit.

Enthusiastic praise

from Model "S" user
From New York City:

"Well, I believe we had every jerk-
water station in the U. S. Stations
I never heard of before. At 11:45
P. M. I pulled in KFI (Los Angeles,
Calif.) on the loudspeaker. At
12:15 A. M. KGO (Oakland,
Calif.). I went back and picked
up KFI three times. My home is
located in what is considered one
of the worst sections for radio. The
skyline of New York is directly
opposite me. I am on the harbor,
a mile from the Navy Yard, and
have three bridges with electric
trains to bother me, but with it all
I got the coast. Forgot to mention
that two locals were on — WHN
and WJZ; some selectivity."

FOUR TUBE REFLEX AMPLIFIER
WITH "D" COIL TRANSFORMER
AND SODION TUBE DETECTOR S-13

ACME

This is the new Model "S" Acmefiex Kitset

IN THE above wiring diagram special attention is called to the
D-Coil radio frequency tuning unit and the vacuum tube detector,
giving the famous Acme Reflex (trade mark) still greater distance,
greater selectivity and better reception.

We can save you about $60.00
on this $150.00 radio

TF YOU bought this set com-
1 pletely assembled it would
cost you $150. But by put-
ting it together yourself you
can buy it for only $80, plus
cabinet, saving about $60.
We could make it for less but
it wouldn't give results.

Acme Engineers have done
all the engineering for you
and have written clear, simple
directions which show you,
step by step, how to put the
set together. Many have
done it in three hours, and
found it fascinating fun.
Even if you know nothing
about radio you can put it
together. All the parts are
in the kitset, even the loop.
No antenna to erect. Even a
screwdriver and pair of pliers,

the only tools you need, are
included. No soldering to
do. The panel is all drilled
for you. The only accessories
to buy are tubes, batteries,
loudspeaker and cabinet. If
you don't want to put it to-
gether yourself, there are
amateurs and dealers glad to
do it for you.

And your finished set is the
famous Acme Reflex (trade
mark) now wonderfully im-
proved in distance, selectiv-
ity and reception. It will pull
in more stations, louder and
clearer, than any other set
using the same number of
tubes (five). Only one tun-
ing dial — easy to tune. Send
coupon today for complete
information.

Note these features of Model "S" Acmeffex Kitset

Complete directions given for putting set together.

No antenna to erect.

No technical knowledge or workshop required.

Only two tools and they are in the Kit.

No soldering to do.

Only one tuning dial.

Excellent reproduction.

* Greater distance, sensitivity and selectivity.

Non-radiating — won't bother your neighbor.
Saves you about $60.00.

ACME APPARATUS COMPANY

Dept. F 3 Cambridge, Mass.

Pioneer Radio and Transformer Engineers and Manufacturers

ACME APPARATUS CO., Dept. F3, Cambridge, Mass.

Send complete information about the new Model "S" Acmeflex
I Kitset to

** for amplification

Name.
Street.

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

Our Authors

GY. ALLEN is too modest to send us his
photograph for this page. We last re-
call seeing his picture in a group of Westjng-
house engineers who were working under his
direction in experimenting with radio re-
ception in 1924 in the Hudson-Manhattan
vehicular tunnel. Mr. Allen, who is engineer
assistant to the manager of the radio division
of the Westinghouse Company, says that he
has lately become convinced that his interest
in radio dates from the time that he was old
enough to talk.

EH BOUCK at this writing had deserted
his New York laboratory and forsaken
radio and all its works for a vacation in Ber-
muda, which ,
as he says, is the
nearest thing
to a desert is-
land he can find.
We suggested a
New York traf-
fic tower as the
latest thing in
solitude, but he
turned that
down because
he was afraid
that somebody
might mistake
one for a mast

and string an antenna on it. His article
in this number of the magazine deals with a
subject that we all feel is highly important.

MY ACTIVITIES in radio," writes Mil-
dred Weinberger," have been largely
vicarious, for I married radio." Her husband
is Julius Weinberger, a research engineer for
the Radio Corporation of America in charge
of broadcasting station design. The scope
of her article may be better understood when
we know that Mrs. Weinberger's hobbies and
recreations "have been tied up closely with
plays:writingandproducingthem. I haveacted
and often been the general handy man who
makes something out of nothing", she writes.

D. F. MIESSNER, who is contributing a
J-J series of articles on sound and its relation
to radio, is probably known to some readers by
his book Radio Dynamics which was brought
out by Van Nostrand, as well as for his in-
vention of the Electric Dog which is more

ZEH BOUCK

scientifically known as Automatic Helio-
trophic Machine.

KEITH HENNEY is a new member of the
technical staff of RADIO BROADCAST and
recently completed three years of research
under Dr. E. L. Chaffee at Cruft Radio Labo-
ratories, Harvard University.

HARRY DIAMOND has been "in radio"
since his undergraduate days at Massa-
chusetts Institute of Technology. "Radio,"
says he, "has always been my hobby since the
days of the spark gap (I often feel that some
do not know that those days are over). My
present position allows me considerable
chance for radio research, but I have not as
yet succeeded revolutionizing the art." Mr.
Diamond is an instructor in Electrical Engi-
neering at Lehigh University.

JOHN EDDY got his first thrill as a school-
J boy in London at the time of the Titanic
disaster. "Then I wound a coil on a two-
by-four and tried to copy time signals from the
Eiffel Tower," he writes. "I operated ama-
teur stations 2AKN, 3FS, 2JE, and finally SNI
at Ithaca, New York. At fourteen, I held a
commercial operator's license. During the
summer vacations from school and college, I
have enjoyed trips taken as radio operator to
Cuba and Gulf of Mexico ports and to the
West Coast. I can't
decide whether ra-
dio has cursed my
life or blessed it."

AROLD S.
FRAINE is a
member of the ad-
vertising staff of
RADIO BROADCAST
and spends most of
his time tracing
scents in the radio
forests of New York
City. He has a wide
acquaintance among
those who manu-
facture and sell things radio. His work in the
International Radio Broadcast Tests has made
him a popular person indeed, for he has many
valuable facts about the radio likes and dis-
likes of the American public now at his figura-
tive finger tips,

MILDRED WEINBERGER

WD-11
WD-12
UV-199

UV-200
UV-201-A

Radiotrons with
these model num-
bers are genuine
only when they bear
the name Radiotron
and the RCA mark.

ere the fun
comes in

Listening to real music — listening to clear,
undistorted voice — getting what you want
when you want it. That's where the fun
conies in, in radio.

The tubes cannot do the whole job. But
other good parts are of little avail without
the best tubes. Everybody knows this, and
most people do ask for RADIOTRONS by
name, and watch to see that they get what
they ask for. For the very best reception
your set can give— no matter what type of
tube you need — Look for the Radiotron
name, and the RCA mark. .

Radio Corporation of America

233 Broadway
New York

Sales Offices:

10 So. La Saile St.

Chicago, III.

28 Geary St.
San Francisco, CaL

Radiotron

REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

imiwrto

the well-known
Crosley 52 at *$0
inhanftsomlargc

cabinet \

r~"HE tremendous demand for the Crosley three

1 tube 52 has encouraged us to offer this circuit in
a new attractive cabinet with sloping panel, the
Crosley 52 Special. This Cabinet is large enough to
hold all dry cell batter'es. It thus becomes self con-
tained, a beautifu| piece of furniture which can take
its place in the living rooms of the most discriminat-
ing. The sloping panel makes operation easier and
greatly adds to the appearance of the set.

Prices quoted are without accessories
^. Prices West of Rockies — add 10%

THE CROSLEY RADIO CORPORATION

420 Sassafras Street, Powel Crosley, Jr., President Cincinnati, Ohio

Crosley owns and operates Broadcasting Station WLW

Of course, the popular Crosley 52 will be continued .
It has given uniformly satisfactory loud speaker
service in all parts of the country. Continual coast
to coast reception and even foreign stations on the
loud speaker have been frequently reported. You
can purchase a Crosley 52 or 52 Special from most
any good dealer. All Crosley Radios are licensed
under Armstrong Regenerative U. S. Patent
1,113,149. Write for Catalogue.

Tested and approved by RADIO BROADCAST

THE COUNTRY LIFE PRESS, GARDEN CITY, NEW YORE

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