Radio age (Jan 1927-Jan 1928)

34 RADIO AGE for January, 1921 ONE of our readers, whom we take to be a telegraph operator (from his signature) , tells this department of his scheme for using a telephone as an aerial. J. N. Bacon, at Oshkosh, Wis., writes as follows: — "I am located on a corner with street cars on west and south sides of me, power line carrying 8 wires (power to car barns) 60 feet west of and parallel to my antenna, high power line carrying 66,000 volts 300 feet east of and parallel to my antenna and all approximately at same height. Reception spoiled by incessant crackling and when street cars are passing reception is entirely drowned out. "It was inconvenient to change the antenna to right angle to these power lines, and the results would have been doubtful even then, so I tried the stunt of using the telephone as a "pick up" with the result of an apparent increase of signal intensity, reducing the crackling to almost abs lute quiet, and unless I am looking for the street cars, would not know they were passing, except when forcing the tubes, then I get a slight crackling, but when the R. F. and detector tubes are being worked on the correct amount of filament battery, no noise is noticed. Am using a BrowningDrake hook-up, and while I have only had both coasts, the Gulf and Canadian station, as well as anything intermediate so far, with this new 'pick up,' I am in hopes that I may possibly get a little farther later on. "While the wife was not looking, I 'acquired' an aluminum pie pan from the kitchen cupboard and attached a wire to it for a lead-in to the antenna post on the set, cutting off the outside antenna entirely. I then placed the pan on the one desk and placed the phone upon the pan. "Do not attach the wire to the phone, nor allow it to come in contact with the metal part of the phone or the trouble shccter will be trying to locate trouble on your lines. "If it broadens your tuning, as it did mine, cut a .0005 fixed condenser in series in the leadin. This will bring it back to very sharp tuning again. "If you think this would help out some one who might be similarly situated, pass it along. There is no interference from the phone, whether it is working or not, neither does the ringing of the phone interfere, only a slight 'click' of the make or break, as the receiver is lifted off or replaced on the hook." The Magazine of the Hour BUILDING his own sets from prints in this magazine, Z. T. Wheeler, 112 Russell St., Nashville, Tenn., writes to enroll in the DT fraternity. Mr. Wheeler seems to have a penchant for three tube sets and says he has made up nearly every possible combination of three tubers, getting good results from all of them. Trees as Sources of Radio Inductive Interference By JAMES MONTAGNES IN some sections of the country radio inductive interference is the bugbear of radio fans. Electrical appliances and electric lines are the cause of this, and it takes radio inspectors and supervisors much time to hunt the trouble in order that the broadcast listener may be rid of this pest. The little town of Orillia in Ontario at the head of Lake Simcoe, recently sent in a complaint to the Toronto radio inspector that terrific radio interference was making radio reception almost impossible. The radio interference car was quickly prepared and Inspector S. J. Ellis with his assistant left for Orillia, about eighty miles north of Toronto. On coming within view of the town, Mr. Ellis was greatly impressed with the vast number of trees in and about the community. In fact Mr. Ellis fervently believes that there isn't another town with such a distinguishing entry. The trees proved to be more than that. Usually inspection for this sort of interference is done on foot; where a long road has to be investigated the car is used. A receiver, loop aerial and phones are carried by the hunter, the receiver being slung over the shoulder by means of a strap and the loop carried in the hand. Then as a noise is heard in the phones it is tuned in and hunted till it is loudest. This vicinity is then thoroughly searched and the source of the trouble quickly found in this manner. Following this system Mr. Ellis began hunting for inductive interference on reaching Orillia. He did not have far to go. Coming under some of the trees a faint sizzling was heard in the earphones. With out the aid of radio this was also to be heard, although very faintly. On investigating it was discovered that in a number of places throughout the town high voltage lines carrying 2,200 volts for the electrical consumption of Orillia were touching the trees in various places. As soon as the wires were separated from these branches the trouble ceased. As a result wherever this phenomena was found branches were sawn off. Typical examples of these charred limbs are shown in the accompanying photograph Today Orillia is still a town of trees but radio reception is excellent. Section of tree trunk, indentation showing where wood was burned away by high power line grounding to tree