Radio Broadcast (May-Oct 1925)

ON 0U% 'BIRTHDAY WITH this number, Radio Broadcast is three years old and we are going to take this opportunity of climbing to the house top and shouting about ourselves. During the remainder of the year, we will be modest and hide our light under a bushel, but on our birthday we should have a bit more latitude. We feel that we are doing the job that we set out to do pretty well. If this presumption is unwarranted, we invite you to tell us wherein we have failed in order that we may not appear to fail again. Our job is not an easy one and we're human just like you, and we not only can, but sometimes do make mistakes. As a rule our mistakes are brought home to us in no uncertain terms, but there may be a few we've made that you haven't told us about. DURING the last three years we have been plugging along with ideals, which, for a while, seemed like the pot of gold at the rainbow's end. These ideals are approaching nearer to actuality all the time. Our first and perhaps most important ideal from your point of view is a desire to present to our readers the best technical information that research makes available. It is with considerable pride that we recall having published the first article on a transformer-coupled superheterodyne, and another article describing various important experiments with the "super." It is significant to note that literally hundreds of "supers" have been described by other publications and that we find our first set for home construction is just about as good as any of the newer types — with the single exception of the Hanscom super-heterodyne, and that receiver saw the light of day in ourown pages. There are other circuits we have described in the magazine during our short three years of publication. The Knockout series of receivers have been tremendously well received by readers of the magazine in practically every part of the world, and if the letters which you, the reader, write us, can be accepted as any indication, that series is becoming increasingly popular. And these receivers are popular we feel, because they fill a very want among radio constructors. Our criterion is " Such a receiver and circuit must be reliable and technically sound. It must be helpful and useful to the radio constructor." These requirements, we feel, our construction articles have fulfilled. And while we're on the subject of circuits, it is in order to say a word about our attitude toward "trick circuits." We never have and never will publish any construction articles on trick circuits. Our ideal is the publication of one extremely good "how to make it" article a month. If it employs a new, but good circuit — such as the two-tube superheterodyne we have up our sleeves for next month — so much the better. If on the other hand, no really new circuit is found, a more satisfactory arrangement of an old but good one is, as a rule, of real value. In March of last year we published an article entitled "The Truth About Trick Circuits." One gentleman whose circuit was rather severely criticized in the article brought suit against us in court for $100,000 damages. Fortunately for you and for us, the jury decided in our favor. We shall continue our policy of telling the truth, even when it hurts. A: S A parting shot, we cannot resist mentioning the International Radio Broadcast Tests which were conducted by us for the second time last November. To you we owe a vote of thanks for your cooperation in making them a success. And they were more successful than anything of the kind ever attempted. From last year's experience we have learned much which will make our work of preparation for next fall much more effective. Everything considered, we have had a fairly good and profitable time together during our short friendship, and our plans for the immediate future will, we trust, meet with your entire approval. As an example of some of our plans, we are glad to announce that we are going to add eight pages of text beginning with the June magazine. We greatly appreciate your friendly support and trust that our efforts in the future will warrant its continuance. / popu ft