Radio mirror (Jan-Oct 1923)

RADIO DIGEST March 17, 1923 nddio Digest Illustrated REG. U. S. PAT. OFF. Published by the Radio Digest Publishing Company, Inc. 123 West Madison Street Telephone State 4844-4845 Chicago. Illinois E. C. RAYNER. Publisher Chas. F. Smisor, Editor Evans E. Plummer, Managing Editor Harry J. Marx, Technical Editor Eastern Representative, Jacob Miller, 2126 Broadway, New York Telephone Columbus 2390 Pacific Coast Representatives E. J. Wood, 2S1 Kearny St., San Francisco Telephone Kearny 1472 H. M. Morris, 417 Western Mutual Life Building, Los Angeles Telephone 12011 PUBLISHED WEEKLY SUBSCRIPTION RATES $8.00 Single Copies. 10 Cents Vol. IV Chicago, Saturday, March 17, 1923 No. 10 Radio Controlled Airplanes Tremendous Possibilities for Quick Action of Planes RADIO controls an airplane in a six-hour flight. Not a soul on board but yet the ether wares from the ground turned the trick. Does this seemingly unimportant news dispatch from France have any meaning to you? Major General Patrick, chief of the TJ. S. air forces, recently stated that Radio controlled planes would be common in this country before long. That being the case, the lives of many TJ. S. military pilots will be lengthened considerably. Nowadays, eight years is about the maximum life of our military fliers. They are often ^ai~:l for life long before the eight years are up. ixaiio will prolong the lives of the pilots and make military aviation a more attractive career for youths looking forward to imitating Methuselah. Snowbound Farmers Shut in by Large Drifts, Radio Relieves Monotony MANY persons living in the country who looked upon Radio as a plaything are now well convinced that broadcasting is a real utility. Recently an eastern state was almost buried under snow. The cities were able to cope with the snow after a fashion, but the country was practically isolated, especially after the wind churned up the snow and drifted roads as rapidly as shovelers and tractors opened them. The farmer was snowed in. Rural mail carriers found it impossible to get through for days. In some cases the telephone lines were temporarily out of commission. Notwithstanding his isolation the farmer with a Radio receiving set was able to get the news of the day. Ether Etiquette The Right of One's Neighbor Should Be Considered THERE is a certain code of action in every sport, one that is intended to permit the greatest number to enjoy that sport. In the theater, hats are removed. The person who stands in his seat at a ball game is soon requested with ' ' down in front, ' ' and if he does not ' ' down ' ' he is apt to be downed. Persons who are noisy during a symphony concert are asked to leave. If you think the matter over for a moment you will appreciate that corresponding features exist in Radio broadcast reception and that "listening in" must be played as a gentlemen's game. Every Radio receiving station consists of an antenna of some description connected to some type of receiving apparatus. The antenna intercepts and absorbs from the passing magnetic waves a certain amount of energy. This amount will vary with the type of receiver used, the operation of receiver, the size of the antenna and overall the efficiency of the receiving set. Listeners employing crystal sets can do a great deal of good for other listeners by detuning their sets when they are in use. It is not necessary to disturb the adjustment of the crystal to do this. Merely turn your tune dial or knob, or place your tuning coil sliders to either end of their scales and your set will not absorb the energy that other listeners in wish to pick up. Most regenerative receivers become miniature transmitters when the regeneration control is placed at a point where the receiver will oscillate. Waves radiated from a station using a receiver in this way can be picked up several blocks away by other regenerative sets. Every Radiophan has heard the faint whistles and squeals moving over the scales of their sets, spoiling the reception of distant concerts. These whistles are caused by thoughtless fans receiving signals while their sets oscillate. These listeners find the station with their detector tube oscillating and then, by careful adjustment, lower the ' ' beat note ' ' to zero. By keeping the receiver at this central adjustment it is possible to receive signals with the detector tube oscillating. Since the slightest change in either the transmitting station's wave length or the receiving station's antenna or adjustments will cause a growl or squeal, this method is to be discouraged as most impolite and unsportsmanlike. Condensed By DIELECTRIC Is there any special significance in the fact of thirtyfour broadcasting stations failing to renew their licenses to broadcast during the month of January? Are there already enough stations operating to fulfill the needs of the" Radio audiences of the country? Everyone of you knows that there are too many using the ether now, on the present allotment of wave lengths. Even with the benefits to come with the ultimate passage of the White bill, it would seem desirable to eliminate some of the less efficient broadcasting stations. We have passed the stage of quantity requirements and entered the quality era. "Very few fans are content merely to hear ' ' something. ' ' The letter printed in Radio Digest from Rochester, N. Y., is an indication of the modern trend of listeners in away from the cut-and-dried character of program. Something of the 400-meter station requirements must be made to apply to all stations in the very near future. Homesickness, at least, may be reduced to a minimum by copying the plan of Station WW J, which proposes to install a receiving set on the S. S. Pastores of the United Fruit Company, so that the passengers (from Detroit) may have the home news daily on their cruise to the tropics. This plan would no doubt work well aboard other vessels within a broadcasting radius of the home station. But what about that other dread malady often accompanying sea travel? If Radio can be used to prevent seasickness as well, then it will be a boon to a large number of voyagers. A reflex circuit might tend to stabilize the undue amount of oscillation set up in the feed-back system of a passenger in a rough sea. The details of this Radio specific I shall leave to some medical fan. Eadiophans in Chicago are going at the silent period program with a vengeance. They first proposed an ordinance compelling one night a week of silence on the part of local broadcasters, so that DX work might pursue its course undisturbed. It looked a little dubious to me, however, since the measure was referred to the committee on "gas." That is the subject in hand, but most such committees favor the gas-er rather than the gas-ee. However, the local plants have agreed on a silent Monday night without recourse to an ordinance. It only goes to show how determined we fans can be to gain our end. ' ' Silence, and mighty little of that, ' ' has been the slogan of the vast majority of broadcasting stations, though I'm glad to say that quite a few have lately acceded to the popular demand without being coerced in such forceful manner. It will come to all of us eventually. In the meantime Radio Golf suffers in some quarters. What becomes of the Radiowl in the light of this warning from the Department of Commerce? Surely the reading of letters and telegrams from Screech and Hoot owls is in contravention to the rule against acknowledging such messages by broadcasting. It is not alone the clan to which I have referred as violating this rule to whom all censure is due. There are many stations in the habit of reading communications from listeners in. This is uninteresting to most of us, as a matter of fact, and probably pleases only those whose names are being read. The revocation of licenses is a stern measure — but enforceable. I believe much good is to come as the result of the activity of the National Radio Chamber of Commerce. This body is concerned with improving the character of broadcasting programs by eliminating much that is trivial and without real value to the main Radio public. Whether or not it should come within the scope of this organization to use its influence to debar questionable matter from the air, I do not know. That such matter is being broadcast I do know, having heard it. It may be assumed that children should be in bed while these vaudeville skits are being sent out. Quite likely. There are some adults to whom alleged witticisms carry considerable nauseating effects. Of course with the audienee in the hall we are not concerned, but the larger audience wishing to hear something worthwhile and clean can hardly be expected to tune in culpable stations as frequently as would otherwise be the case. Before a number of invited guests expectantly awaiting what should come from the loudspeaker, such incidents are not helpful to the game. Another distance record has been established by Station WHAZ, the Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute, at Troy, N. Y., and one by an amateur, A. G. Leonard, Jr., of this city. In the first instance, concert programs were received in New Zealand over a distance of 10,000 miles, both speech and musie being clearly received. Mr. Leonard's record is quite noteworthy for a 200-meter station. His voice was heard by the operator of the Awaru station, at Invercargill, New Zealand, a distance of 8,000 miles. The voice was said to be very plain though weak, while the CW messages were clear and strong. These records are multiplying rapidly and you can look for a new one most any day. Two large audiences heard speeches simultaneously, the one in Chicago and the other in New York, by means of telephonic communication, while at the same time a much larger audience was listening in to the proceedings through their receiving sets. Honor was paid to the memory and contributions of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell to telephonic development. Radio development has not yet reached the point where a two-way conversation may be carried on between two stations privately. Scientists are working out the principles involved but have not succeeded so far in attaining the desired end. Much that has seemed impossible is now a reality, so that this difficult problem may be solved and become a practical phase of Radiophony. RADIO INDI-GEST (This column is open to all aspiring Radioknuts who tender suitable contributions. Try to "make" the column if you can. All unsuitable manuscripts are turned over to the Office Squirrel who does not guarantee their return or anything else for that matter. — Indi.) But What's in a Name? Dear Indi — Glancing over some of the programs of the multitudinous broadcast plants, I fain would report that Mrs. Pipes plays (the violin, not the organ) for KGW, Arthur Bean is served'Seattle fans a la ether, and Mr. Head and Mr. Stern are now featured at one of the Atlantic Seaboard stations. Oh, yes, Mr. Story recently told a fairy tale for the children listeners of WGI. — Indiphan. Oh Ladio! called my love by Radio, In hopes that she would hear; asked her if she'd marry me, And closed it, "Billy Dear." Oh ! sad is my predicament — Indeed a sorry mess; When I tuned in my receiving set I heard forty answer, ' ' Yes ! ' ' — Lord Jeff. Here's an Old One in a New Setting A director of a broadcasting station was asked by a prospective user of the service what the charge was. "One hundred dollars for the first ten minutes ' ' was the answer. "All right," said the prospect, "we'll skip the first ten minutes. ' ' His Type Cornered All the Gold Bricks The Office Squirrell sez he heard of a so-called Radiophan who is so dumb he thinks COD is a broadcasting station. Said dumbbell also thinks all noises other than musie are created by the died-in-the-wool DX worker next door who has only been "in Radio" for ten years or more. O. O. Mclntyre, the famous New York writer, recently said, "Talking bv Radio is just like talking into a knot hole." — G. C. C. Jr.