Radio mirror (Jan-Oct 1923)

RADIO DIGES 7— Illustrated October 6, 1923 Radio Digest REG. U. S. PAT. OFF. AND DOM. OF CANADA Published by the Radio Digest Publishing Company, Inc. 123 West Madison Street Telephone: State 4843, 4844, 4845 Chicago, Illinois E. C. RAYNER, Publisher Chas. F. Smisor, Editor Evans E. Plummer, Managing Editor H. J. Marx, Technical Editor M. W. Thompson, Associate Editor Eastern Representative, Jacob Miller, Times Bldg., Times Square, New York; Telephone Bryant 4909 Pacific Coast Representatives E. J. Wood, 251 Kearney St., San Francisco Telephone Kearney 1472 H. M. Morris, 417 Western Mutual Life Building, Los Angeles Telephone 12011 Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations PUBLISHED WEEKLY SUBSCRIPTION RATES Yearly in U. S. and Possessions and Canada, $5.00. Foreign postage, $1.00 additional. Single copies, 10 cents. Vol. VI Chicago, Saturday, October 6, 1933 No. 13 Oratory Before the Microphone Appearance Accounts for Nothing, Speech Is AIL THE Radio orator need not worry about facing his audience or directing his voice to all parts of the hall. The nervous Eadio speaker can rely on no prompter, because the microphone picks up the faintest whisper and sends it out through space. After he has been introduced, he must begin immediately. If he falters or coughs, nervously impatient listeners will tune to another station. The attention of the unseen audience is held by words, and words alone. Deprived of elocutionary gestures and tricks, Eadio speakers must depend upon their speech. There are no friendly smiles or applause to indicate success, nor the shuffle of feet or restless moving about to tell of failure. The Eadio speaker is likely to be embarrassed as his last word strikes the microphone. Silence reigns in the studio. When he turns away and sees the announcer near, he feels like a person caught talking to himself. The studio is a place of suspense. The broadcasting novice would like to run away after he has finished his first talk. In the reception room adjoining, he sees others scheduled for the program waiting their turn. The scene reminds one of a doctor's anteroom, because a general tension and silence prevail. The atmosphere is of nervous portent. Underground Communication Longer Wave Lengths Seem to Penetrate Earth Better IN CONNECTION with its efforts to keep pace with all safety and rescue developments, the bureau of mines of the department of the interior, is planning to continue its investigations as to Eadio communication underground. The development of Eadio has been rapid and officials of the bureau feel that any application to mine rescue work must not be neglected. Some months ago preliminary Eadio experiments in sending and receiving underground at a mine in Pennsylvania were conducted with partial success. It was found that signals could be heard distinctly through fifty feet of coal strata but that the audibility fell off rapidly as this distance was increased. In all experiments a vertical antenna was found to give the better results. The horizontal antenna gave practically no reception. A loop of a single turn was used with fair results. The present preliminary experiments, while unsuccessful in indicating any practicable method of using Eadio waves for underground communication, nevertheless indicate clearly that electromagnetic waves may be made to travel through ,solid strata. The "absorption" or loss of intensity with distance is very great for the short wave lengths used in these experiments. Longer wave lengths are known to suffer less absorption and may possibly be found practically effective under certain conditions. Results Obtained by Broadcasting New Wave Lengths Cause Some Changes in Sets THESE has been rapid progress in broadcasting recently. Instead of the overcrowding of all stations on the two wave lengths of 360 and 400 meters, the stations have now been assigned definite wave lengths covering the wide range of 220 to 545 meters. This has greatly increased the possibilities of broadcast reception, provided the listener can use his receiver in such a way as to pick up any desired station. Difficulty has been experienced by some in receiving the longer waves. New stations have been established in certain localities producing very powerful signals in the receiving sets of nearby listeners and somewhat interfering with reception at more distant stations while their local station is in operation. Then, too, a few stations have been shut down or transferred, thereby requiring the listeners to get their programs from more remote stations, which in turn involves some modifications in the receiver or in the way in which it is handled. Fortunately all of the difficulties mentioned can be overcome to a great extent by a little care and a proper attitude. RADIO INDI-GEST You a Lawyer? Hope WHY DO THEY MAKE TUBES THAT TAKE DIFFERENT VOLTAGES, AND HOW'S A LAWYER TO KNOW THAT A FOUR-VOLT TUBE AND A SIX-VOLT TUBE ARE ENTIRELY DIFFERENT ANIMALS? BUT EXPERIENCE IS THE BEST You Blow 'Em All! TEACHER, SO THEY SAY, AND OF COURSE IT HELPS THE TUBE BUSINESS. ANYHOW— I PUT A FOUR-VOLT TUBE ON A SIX-VOLT LIGHTING BATTERY. PING! WENT THE TUBE, AND SO I LEARNED. GOO GOO. A-B-C Lessons for Indigest Beginners Chapter XVI— Refer to Our Back Numbers for Data BY GOSH IS for Patents, That some folks try to steal, So they can boss the ether And make we fans all squeal. P Since Father Has a Radio Broadcast from WOR by Charles L. H. Wager, Author Since father has a Radio our home is not the same, In fact, 'tis all conjusion and Radio is to blame, No longer is the routine of daily tasks gone through, Nor are those things attempted which ice had planned to do. Since father has a Radio he sits at it all day, And mother has to do the chores and keep the kids aicay, He says he's trying to tune in, he can't have any noise, We have to tiptoe round the room, 'tis hard on healthy boys. Since father has a Radio you ought to hear him talk, "O, Boy I I'm hearing Pittsburgh," "Say Ma! I've got New York," And "Dam that measley naval code," "Ye Gods, just hear tftat band From 'X-Y-Z' in Boston, Mass.," and "Isn't Newark grand*" Since father has a Radio even mother has the bug, To music from some distant place she sweeps the parlor rug, She irons with the ear-phones attached upon her head, And while she listens in at night she mixes up the bread. Since father has a Radio our meals arc served on trays, We masticate in rhythm with some late symphonic erase, We drink our coffee and our tea by sips arranged in code, But we've got used to anything since Radio is the mode. Since father has a Radio he never goes to church, He used to be a deacon but he's left them in the lurch, For now, when Sabbath comes around instead of in the pews He sits at home and listens to some far-off preacher's views. Since father has a Radio the neighbors now come in, The Reeds, the Peahs, the Stones, the Pratts, with children all a-grin. They say, "We just dropped in to call, Hello! what have you here* I swan ! — a Radio — By Gosh ! do you mind if we heart" Since father has a Radio our home has gone to pot, And even to the flivver we scarcely give a thought, But father says that Radio has been a boon to men, I wonder — will it ever make home sweet home again? A Few More Bends No, He'za Dial "Pointer" Our Pup, He'ze fan all right, For he listens in every night. Looks like a Setter by his tail; Pop says he must be "Air-dale." Al Brown. Heave a deep sigh For Will Kinard — The roof was high, The pavement hard. Condensed By DIELECTRIC A majority of the broadcasting stations have completed their operations intended to improve the quality and range of their transmission. The effect of this work has been noticeable in many instances. It yet remains, however, for Station KYW to put into effect the plans mapped out by Radio engineers whereby that station will overcome certain obstacles due to wave length and location. There are large numbers of grand opera fans who look forward to hearing the Chicago company through the courtesy of KYW, and to these the news will be welcome. Tell It to the Phonograph MOTHER (Listening to son's new Radio set): John, play that same piece over again. I think it is just wonderful. H. K. C. I doubt very much the basis in fact for the contention of some that broadcasting of crop reports (prices) by various stations consumes time not proportionately appreciated. Stop long enough to realize the percentage of this eountry 's inhabitants who secure their living from the soil; consider the price fixing and marketing difficulties confronting them, then revise your conclusion. WBAP is receiving evidence of keen appreciation from cotton and grain men of their broadcasting service along this line. The farmer needs it and values it highly. Ee-broadcasting programs by one or more stations in the United States is not a new story; it is frequently accomplished and with much success. The musical program at the Capitol theater in New York City is broadcast each Sunday evening by Station WEAF and re-broadcast by WCAP, in Washington, D. C, and WMAF, South Dartmouth, Mass. Now turn to the Pacific coast and see what is going on there. Long distance reception during summer months is admittedly poor in the South Pacific region, yet KGU in Honolulu has been re-broadcasting programs from Station KHJ, the Los Angeles Times, and getting it nightly! One more natal celebration is worthy of notice here, not only because it marks the third birthday of a wellknown broadcasting station, but for the fact of that station being the first owned by a newspaper to come on the air. The Detroit News could only count on a radius of a hundred miles of effective transmission when it started, but that has been increased. England, Hawaii and Peru have successfully received its entertaining features, including concerts by a well organized orchestra composed of members of the news staff. Good wishes to Station WWJ. It is not easy to erase from the mind the picture of horror and destruction which came to us from Japan a few weeks ago. It should not be easy to lose sight of the tremendous importance of Eadio to thousands of earthquake sufferers on that island. Had news of the disaster been delayed forty-eight hours (as would have been the case had Yonemura failed), then the suffering and death records would today be much larger. One lone Eadio station in sole touch with the outside world provided means of bringing quick aid to the stricken. I am quite sure that the use of Radio as a means of reaching America 's millions of people in behalf of any cause has a distinct advantage. A message delivered orally by Mrs. Wallace Eeid from broadcasting stations, urging a more active fight against the drug evil, makes an impress not easily erased from the mind. She hopes to have the active support of broadcasting stations throughout the land, giving time to information on the appalling conditions confronting those interested in suppressing this mostrous evil. Are you with her? Get busv.