Radio mirror (Jan-Oct 1923)

J RADIO DIGEST ILLUSTRATED R. C. A. IN NEW GRAB? (Continued from page 1) Radioeraft Company, Inc., and the DeForest Radio Telephone and Telegraph Company, for infringement of the Armstrong patent. The Westinghouse company, one of the five organizations in the Radio Corporation, claims that the Armstrong license, one of which is held by the Radioeraft Company, a subsidiary of DeForest, does not permit the sale of Armstrong circuit sets through the regular trade channels of jobbers and dealers, but only direct to the amateur. The suit evidently seeks to prevent the seventeen independent manufacturers licensed under the Armstrong patent from doing business except as mail order houses, that is, direct to the fan. Suit Plimsy Cloak for Heal Purpose? Although the suit just filed was directed against the Radioeraft and DeForest companies, it is said that the action is merely a flimsy cloak for the real purpose of the monopolists. The real significance of the suit is that it may be construed as a test case against the sixteen other independent manufacturers who paid good money to E. H. Armstrong for their licenses. These manufacturers, it is said, are now being attacked by a group of five organizations called the Radio Corporation of America which is reported to have entirely too much capital behind it for no other purpose than wrecking the Radio industry for the purposes of everyone except themselves, by court suits, injunctions, and other methods. "Buncombe by Woolwortli Building' Gang" Another angle to the demoralization of the Radio industry and hundreds of independent manufacturers by the Radio Corporation of America is found in the belief that the Westinghouse-R. C. A. clique is seeking publicity for the Armstrong regenerative sets to counteract the growing popularity with Radiophans of Reflex circuit sets, a patent for one of the best of which is owned by the DeForest Radio Telephone and Telegraph Company. Radio manufacturers throughout the country are indignant at the latest "grab," as one of these has termed it. . Another stated that the Westinghouse suit was the "choicest piece of buncombe yet shot out by the Woolworth Building gang." A third person suggested that the R. C. A. wouldn't stop at taking pennies from a blind man's cup. The counsel for DeForest in the suit is Darby and Darby, New York City. The date of the hearing has been set for March 19. Ho String's on Armstrong licenses Investigation of one of the Armstrong licenses held by an independent manufacturer shows that the license granted him the right to sell to everybody except for commercial purposes. It is hardly believable that this right could fairly and rationally be construed to mean specifically the channels of distribution through which the goods were to be sold. Armstrong, reported to have been paid $500,000 by Westinghouse, it is said, will be called on to testify as to what he meant then, and if the meaning has changed any. Another point of interest turned up in the discovery that Dr. Edward Preston, president of the Weston Instrument Company, manufacturers of high grade electrical measuring instruments, is a shareholder in the Radioeraft Company, now being attacked. The interesting part of the discovery, not obvious to outsiders, is that Dr. Preston, a multimillionaire, in protecting his rights regarding electrical measuring instruments, has defeated several of the largest electrical manufacturers in the country in court battles when the latter attempted to steal certain of his patented ideas. It is reported that the Westinghouse Company was involved in these so-called steals. Whether the Westinghouse company would like to "get back" at Dr. Preston is not known, but as was said, the connection presents some interesting sidelights. Supreme Court Gives E. C. A. a Shock A very telling shock was given to the Radio Corporation in its group of numerous court actions and entanglements when a decision in a patent suit was handed down recently by the Supreme Court of the United States. In a nutshell, this case was number 240 between the Crown Die and Tool Company, petitioner, and the Nye Tool and Machine Works, respondent. The latter had bought the "right to sue" the former for infringements from the owner of an important patent. The District Court of Illinois maintained that the right to litigate could not be bought from an inventor. The case was appealed to the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, which court for the first time in the history of the United States, reversed the decision and said that the right to litigate could be purchased as a license from an inventor. Supreme Upholds District Court The case was then appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States, by the Crown Die and Tool Company. The final judiciary gave its decision February 19. This was a reversal of the Circuit Court's reversal. Tn other words, the Supreme Court sustained the first, the District Court, and maintained that the legal right of an invention could not be licensed by a patentee, and that all infringement actions must be maintained by the patentee alone. Miss Florence King, famous Chicago patent attorney, won this case. Sixteen Suits of R. C. A. Weakened Now for the interesting part. The counsel for the Radio Corporation of America attempted to be heard in this case before the Supreme Court. Their motion to be heard was denied, however. In the R. C. A. brief, the counsel for the R. C. A. put down in black and white that the Radio Corporation of America was relying on the decision of the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Seventh District in sixteen suits for injunctions and accountings which they had pending because of infringements of patents, "each of which is based upon one or more assignments." The suit, R. C. A. vs. Jacob Hohenstein et al„ was mentioned as one of these cases. The conclusion, therefore, is that the R. C. A. lost an important toe hold when it based many of its legal efforts on a decision which has since been reversed by the Supreme Court of the United States. Representative White Asks for Federal Investigation AUGUSTA, ME. — Congress Representative White of this state is out after a Federal investigation of the entire Radio Situation of the country, particularly with reference to possible violations of the anti-trust laws. In a resolution he introduced, as member of the House Merchant Marine Committee, he asks that the Federal Trade Commission investigate the entire Radio industry. The resolution required that a report to .the.next House be given on the manufacture of Radio apparatus, ownership of patents, agreements tending to restrict trade or fix prices and contracts or leases for exclusive rights or special privileges in the reception or transmission of messages. Rep. White is joint author of the White-Kellogg Federal Radio Control bill. DEALERS ORGANIZE FOR AID TO WHAM Rochester Plant to Get HighGrade Artists as Result of Meetings ROCHESTER, N. T.— As a result of several meetings held recently by the electrical dealers of this city who handle Radio supplies, a new organization has been formed, known as the Radio Broadcasting Musical Association. The new association will give a series of musical programs which will be broadcast from Station WHAM. This move, it is said, is due to the intense interest in Radio in this section and the excellent quality of the transmitting apparatus in use at the Broadcasting station in the Eastman School of Music, which is equal to that of any station in the country. The high-grade artists appearing on these programs are only available on one or two nights a week, and as the majority of Radiophans in this city have sets with a rather limited range, it was thought advisable to broadcast additional material, and with this view the new association was formed. The association has announced that popular programs will be broadcast each evening except Sunday and Monday, from 7:30 to 8:30 o'clock, in addition to the regular schedule. "JACKIE" COOGAN (Continued from page 1) the fun we can get out of Radio and all the interesting things we can learn. I will never forget my first talk into the microphone and I hope every one of the Radio Digest readers will have the same chance I did. It was wonderful. CONTENTS Radio Digest, Illustrated. Volume 4, Number 9, publisked Chicago. Illinois, March 10, 1923. Published weekly by Badio Digest Publishing Company. 123 West Madison Street, Chicago, Illinois. Subscription rates, yearly. Five Dollars: Foreign. Six Dollars; single copies. Ten Cents. Entered as second-class matter April 27, 1922, at the postofflce at Chicago, Illinois, under the Act of March 3. 1879. "All the Live News of Radio" 1 to 6 Did Armstrong Invent Super? An exclusive interview with C. V. Logwood, whose claims to the invention are being considered seriously by the Patent Office 5 Book Reviews ■ 6 The "How" of the Simplified Super Circuit, Part VI, by E. T. Flewelling 7 Radiophone Broadcasting Stations, Part I— Station Schedules and How to Use the Directory 8 Receiving Records Contest, Completely Revised to Date 9 Editorials; Condensed by Dielectric; Indi-Gest, Humor Column 10 A-B-C Lessons for Beginners, Chapter X — The Vacuum Tube as a Detector, by A. G. Mohaupt.. 11 How to Prevent Howling in a Set; Four Other Kinks 12 Reinartz Set Designed for Compactness, Part V — Two Step Amplifier Construction, by H. J. Marx 13 RJ). 75 Is Popular Single Tube Set; The Reader's View 14 Questions and Answers 15 Radio Illustrated, a Page of Pictures 16 Looking Ahead Flewelling Contest Prize Winners will be announced in the next issue of the Digest. Who do you suppose won the $100 in prizes? See the next issue for the details. It is planned to describe the prize winning sets in issues of the near future. Reinartz Sets will be discussed again next week by H. J. Marx. He has something neat in store for Reinartz fans. G. C. Arnoux of WBAP, "Uncle Billy" of WGI and Harry Sadenwalter of WGY will be a few of the mystery men unfolded to listeners in who read page 5 of the Digest next week. The station announcers and staff members whose voices are often heard, are but rarely seen, and less known. But their pictures in the Digest will eliminate all this uncertainty and will help the invisible audience to visualize the invisible personnel of the great broadcasters. Part II of the Radiophonist's Telephone Book will be given on page 8 of the March 1 7 issue. You can't get along without it, can you? A-B-C Lessons for Beginners, Chapter Eleven next week will discuss the action of the vacuum tube as an amplifier. A. G. Mohaupt will make this article just as interesting as all of its predecessors. See his Chapter Ten on page 1 1 . E. T. Flewelling Will Tell More About His Circuit in the March 1 7 issue. The Digest certainly scored a hit when it "found" Flewelling. Read what he says this week on page 7. Newsstands Don't Always Have One Left WHEN YOU WANT Radio Digest YOU WANT IT! BE SURE OF YOUR WEEKLY COPY BY SUBSCRIBING NOW SEND IN THE BLANK TODAY Publisher, 123 West Madison St., Chicago, Illinois. Please find enclosed check M. 0. for Five Dollars (Six, Foreign) for One Year's Subscription to Radio Digest, Illustrated. Name „ Address City State „. ETHER ONLY PILOT IN SIX HOUR FLIGHT NEW FRENCH APPARATUS PROVES SUCCESSFUL Aveline Control Weighs But 90 Pounds — Developed By State Research Laboratories PARIS. — A pilotless French military airplane today made a flight of six and one-half hours in an aerodrome. This is an epoch making performance. The plane could have reached Berlin, Vienna, Rome or equivalent distances without the touch of a human hand. Radio Control A pilot was sent up with the plane, but he did not touch the controls during the flight. Two miles below he could barely see the group of aeronautical engineers on Only field make the plane ascend, descend, loop and bank itself at just the right angle in making turns. It responded instantly to Radio control. The only action of the pilot was to land the airplane after the flight. The control apparatus does everything but land the plane. Of Military Value The apparatus, which weighs ninety pounds, is called Aveline control. It has been developed by state research laboratories. It has two pistons working as arms, which are driven by compressed air. Mercury tubes, making or breaking contacts with the tilting of the ship, constitute the heart of the control apparatus. The apparatus will have not only military value, but for commercial aviation it will serve as a safety device. Leper and Wife United to Outside World by Ether Receiving Set Installed in Leper Colony By Army Officer MISSOULA, MONT.— Through the magic of Radio the world has been restored to two persons who for six years have lived apart from their fellow men in forced confinement — one a leper, the other his wife. Six years ago O. G. Willett, former state senator, was found to have leprosy, contracted, it is believed, during his service as a soldier in the Philippines. When he was banished from society, his wife followed him into exile, and since that time they have lived in a small bungalow near the little town of Alberton, Mcnt. Alberton is in Mineral county, whose people Senator Willett once represented in the state assembly. The Radio set was recently installed by Lieutenant Alexander, a Radio expert of Fort Missoula, Mont. With another soldier and Mayor W. H. Beacon of Missoula, he visited the leper camp after obtaining permission from the state board of health to enter the enclosure. The antennae was strung from the bungalow at the top of a lofty pine, about 150 feet distant. Before he left Missoula, Lieutenant Alexander had tested the set and found that he was able to "pick up" Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Nome. Alaska. Springfield Exchange Club Listens in to Louisville SPRINGFIELD, OHIO. — Members of the Springfield Exchange club spent an enjoyable night this week when they assembled at the Foos Gas Engine company plant and listened to a Radio program broadcast by the Exchange club of Louisville, Kentucky. The Radio program was composed of musical numbers and several four-minute talks, all having a part in the program being members of the Louisville club. After the program had been started, a telegram was sent to the Louisville club stating that the program was being heard distinctly and was being thoroughly enjoyed. Twenty minutes later, the Louisville announcer stated that the telegram had been received and a special number was played for the Springfield organization. Station WEAO Broadcasts Ohio Senator's Messages COLUMBUS, O. — Legislators of Ohio, members of the general assembly in session at the present time, were given the opportunity to broadcast messages to their constituents from Station WEAO of the Ohio State University on Thursday, February 22, as a part of the program of the university in showing the public officials the state university plant and a cross section of its activities on University Day, annually observed on Washington's birthday. Governor A. V. Donahey, cabinet members, supreme court judges, legislators and others in public life in Ohio were in the party that visited the state university and were guests of the Ohio State Alumni association and other campus organizations.