Radio Digest (July 1924-Apr 1925)

14 RADIO DIGES T— Illustrated August 16, 1924 ,, Radio Digest Published by the Radio Digest Publishing Company, Inc. 510 North Dearborn Street Telephone: State 4372, 4373, 4374, 4375 Chicago, Illinois E. C. BAYNER, Publisher Evans E. Plummer Managing Editor Charles P. Smisor ...........Ed tor Harry J. Marx Technical Editor Eastern Office, 611-12 Times Bldg., Times Sq., New York; Telephone Bryant 4909, 10462 Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations PUBLISHED WEEKLY SUBSCRIPTION BATES Yearly In U. S. anil Possessions and Canada, $5.00 Foreign postage. $1.00 additional. Single copies. 10 cents. Vol. X Chicago, Saturday, August 16, 1924 No. 6 B Legislation and the Amateur Few Lights on What the Amateur Has Done iACK in 1912 when the amateur bill was passed the senators and not a few executives of the larger commercial companies winked at each other. At last it was thought that the amateur was placed where he belonged, and some of the wise ones believed he was quite a hopeless predicament indeed. Now, it should not be inferred that some of our worthy students of the art at that time, with their roaring 5 KW transformers, did not need to be squelched, but it is a fact that this legislation did encourage amateur experimentation along new lines. Not in the least deterred by the use of the 200-meter wave as a possible avenue for long distance transmission, our worthy amateurs rolled up their sleeves and went into a long series of experiments that added tons and tons of literature to the art, to say nothing of the practical results achieved in transmitting on wave lengths that were at one time completely ignored by professional engineers. As a result of this experimentation which the amateurs were forced into, the 200-meter wave is today regarded as a commercial possibility, for our experiments have succeeded in getting messages in practically every corner of the world with it. They simply took that wave length out of the scrap heap of Radio refuse, brushed it off and did the impossible. Consequently the Alexander bill did nothing but allow our amateur fans to prove their ability as research workers. The records of the Patent Office today stand as evidence that amateurs are born experimenters of the most ingenious and persevering type. We have only to mention men like De Forest, Armstrong and Reinartz to prove this beyond the shadow of doubt. There are many other problems in Radio that could be overcome by the attention of the amateur, but, of course, as long as they are not moved to involuntary action as a body, it is doubtful if the sporadic experiments made by certain of their number will ever bring to them any deserving credit. It was the amateur who contributed to the processes of sharp tuning, and it was the amateur who really taught us how to make the most efficient use of the vacuum tube. He must also receive credit for having developed the lower wave lengths, and contributed to what little research that has been done in the cause of fading, but will we likewise' be able to„credit him in the future with new accomplishments along similar lines? Weather Not Radio Fault The Universe Still Controls Itself SOMEBODY, with more or less authority to speak, suggests that the unusual weather of this spring and summer may be attributed to the effects of Radiocasting. The idea furnishes text for much conversation and varies the stereotyped comment about the weather. Our scientific adventurer this time does not offer us reasons why Radiocasting agitation of the air should produce rain rather than drought, winds rather than calm. He does not take into consideration the records of the weather bureau that we have had seasons as rainy and stormy as this. And later in the year, if we should be afflicted vyith protracted dryness, would we still be justified in clinging to the faith that the rain and storms of May and June were created by too much Radio talk and windjamming? If the Radio wave travels at 186,000 miles per second why should it slacken the speed to develop a rain cloud somewhere along the line, then too, why should one spot remain warm and another cold, the Radio wave travels in all directions? The fact still remains that all these new things developed have never changed the earth out of its orbit or cut off one single second in time for the year. All things were placed here for us to work out and there will be many things be worked out by future generations and maybe as it is now, will look like a small thing, that even change a raindrop, when we look upon . years hence. RADIO INDI-GEST "Ain't It the Truth?" A wealth of pathos, endearment, passion, entreaty, in fact all of the human emotions can be emphasized in those four words. They also bring to mind that truly here is the 9th wonder of the world. To make a short story longer. It was a dark and chilly night and having accumulated an earnest conviction "That our house was a barren waste without a Radio," an immediate canvass of the family was made, which showed one for and one against the motion, in summing up "She" said, "She would not have one of those squawky things in the house." Ah! "Well! that was six months ago. Since then — concerts and sopranos, sermons, the price of pigs, plays, static and conventions, anything and everything at will daytime or night, the wife is an expert. How well I remember the joy and pride in personally making this set, it is a large one I think, I can almost remember what I put into it, of course I can see the dials at any time I want and occasionally I get brief glimpses of the lights through the peep-holes, and sh! listen! one time (when she ran over to the grocery) I got a hold of one of the dials and almost got a wheeze out of it myself before she got back. "Well! maybe some time I'll get a chance. But about women again — when a woman says "no," does she mean "no?" Answer: No! H. G. PAUER. Mrs. Partington Speaks Out Dear Indi: Mizz Partington says she's getting sort of "Huffy" at your artist, Mister Brown, and threatens a law suit, directly, for libel and defame-a-tion of character, account of her pictures in Indigest colyum of your paper, also says you had better watch out your own self or she may up and ast you to stop your old paper. She insists that Mr. Brown is awful ignorant if he don't know that all young widders generally keeps up to style or maybe a little ahead, and if he wasn't so smart he'd notice the pictures of Radio artists in your paper, or if he could visit her town once, he would mighty quick see that on the whole two blocks of Riverside avenue a young lady without bobbed hair is just as stylish as a horse and buggy. She wants Mr. Brown should know that more than one Delineator comes to this postoffice, and even if they don't, why, there's a lot of stations keeps her posted, just by listening in, and she ain't no back number neither, even if he did draw a picture of her on the way to her Sunday school in 1872. SIGNING OFF. It's The Bunk! This Ain't a Bit Funny A Tragedy in Two Choruses The merry little oscillation Fared upon its way; Started by regeneration, It had no bit of say, As to just when or where; Or how or why it went. Rapidly it rent the air As it onward spent. Wandered in wide increasing rings That had no destination. Made some queer squeels and things Caused by regeneration. SXV. Faith Supreme Befuddled Radio enthusiast: "Been waiting over an hour — when does the concert commence?" London Opinion. Hope Springs Eternal Dear Indi: Fred Smith, studio director of the Crosley WLW station, has a wife who believes she can keep his hair from falling out, despite the old proverb, "grass don't grow on a busy street nor does hair grow on a busy brain." When asked if the special treatments were doing him any good, he replied: "No, but they make my wife happy." SPIDER WEBB. What, $$$$$ Bills? Dear Indi: I see that your mail box is empty, you're lucky, mine is full of bills. IN. S. ULATION. "Larry, Turn the Crank!" Dearest Indi: Just imagine my tuning in 2LO today at high noon. Can you? I can't! EDDY CURRENTS. Condensed By DIELECTRIC We in this country went so rapidly along the way of discovery in the realm of Radiophony that for a time no one seemed to be catching up to us. It appears that our English cousins are picking up speed with a new idea which may have a lot to do with the nature of sets later to appear on the market. Many plans are in existence to reduce the number of parts necessary to properly operate a receiving set and it is along this line that the English claim to have advanced. They have put out a four electrode tube which would require no B batteries, hence eliminating one of the bulkiest items. We will await further tests with interest. It is time for some American inventor to get busy on a similar tube or to go the English one better and make a five electrode tube, if needs be, to get results. A few of the largest of our department stores have undertaken to supply entertainment and service to those who engage in the past-time of listening in. In the main their programs are of a high order and the quality of transmission is of the best. Gimbel Brothers have operated two stations, one in Philadelphia and another in Milwaukee, which are well known to Radio audiences, so that the announcement of the opening of another in New York in the near future will be good news to many. It is expected to link the three together, when advisable, a procedure looked upon with favor by the majority of fans. With the announcement coming from General Harbord of dissolution of the Radio Sud America, which organization included Radio companies in England, France and Germany, whereby the Radio Corporation of America finds itself in a preferential position, the immediate extension of Radiocasting in Latin America may confidently be expected. Distances between towns and the large percentage of population resident in farming regions will have a direct bearing on this. Other means of communication that are not comparable to those in this country, another fact influencing the development of Radiocast service. The two Americas may soon become far more closely linked through air lines and new features in transmitting. It is said that WGY has recently done what no other Radiocast station ever attempted — transmitted simultaneously on three wave lengths. Several stations have been operating on two different waves, one intended for local reception and another (low wave) for reception at a distant point for re-Radiocasting; the system whereby KDKA has reached England while entertaining. its own listeners in America. Under the new arrangement all programs from WGY will now go out on 380, either 60 or 107, and 15.85 meters simultaneously. In the use of the 15-meter wave length, the Schenectady station hopes to improve daylight reception of its programs, as it is believed short waves are more reliable during that time. Mr. Flewelling has accomplished something capable of adding considerable stimulus to the latest method in Radiocasting in his reception of station 2YT, Poldhu, England, while operating a receiving set in Chicago. The British station was using this most modern of discoveries — the "direct ray" — on a 94-meter wave length. Since details of the circuit used to receive are no doubt of importance in the accomplishment, I shall leave that phase of it and refer to plans for extending the Marconi principle. _ The Marconi company is to erect a beam station in England, adapted for communication with Canada and capable of extension to provide communication with South Africa, India and Australia. Let's see what develops from the short wave on a direct ray transmission.