Radio mirror (Jan-Oct 1923)

10 RADIO DIGEST July 7, 1923 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, 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 PUBLISHED WEEKLY SUBSCRIPTION RATES Single Copies, 10 Cents Vol. V Chicago, Saturday, July 1, 19*3 No. 13 — Su^riier-Teaches Us Lessons Many Things to Be Learned for General Improvement THE little setbacks that Eadio may receive this season will be a boon to the entire industry. The dealers and manufacturers will have time to learn the needed lesson. The time has come when a dealer cannot afford to carry a conglomerate stock of odds and ends, expecting to unload it at a great profit on the public. The time has passed when a newly born fan will step into a store and buy anything with a piece of wire wrapped around it. The spasmodic demand of the faddists will not prove profitable in the long run. The dealer is beginning to realize that dependable apparatus, bought to meet the varying Radio conditions, is more to be relied upon than unknown apparatus that looks good in the catalogue and is merely an ornament on the shelves. Radio Intelligence Work Invaluable Assistance in Army Maneuvers ALTHOUGH little was known of the work of the Radio intelligence section of the army during or since the war, it was one of the most spectacular. Radio direction finders were placed all along the lines at a distance of about five miles from the actual front and spaced about twelve miles apart. These receiving sets located the enemy stations in operation, recorded their bearings by means of directional coils, not unlike modern Radio compasses, and forwarded the bearings to headquarters, where they were plotted on maps. Other Radio receiving stations at army headquarters intercepted and copied all enemy code messages and telegraphed them back to general headquarters, where code experts worked them out, giving the staff valuable information as to the movements or intentions of the enemy. Humidity Makes Trouble Dampness Will Make Set Inoperative YOU will find that a great many ills with the Radio set are laid at the door of static, but a large portion of them can be found in dampness. The summer season is attended with damp spells which fills the air with humidity. The outside weather conditions are let into the house, for windows are allowed to be left open most of the time. Sets are taken to the seaside and on boating trips where dampness prevails. Under such conditions the broadcast listener is apt to wonder why that set which has acted so faithfully at home in a warm room has suddenly become languid. Dampness in most cases is the secret of the jinx that is resting on the wonder box. Water is one of the highest conducting substances of electrical energy, and dampness indicates the presence of water. Sets in which the base and panel mountings are -not damp-proof are not going to be efficient in damp weather. Leakage that to the lay mind may mean nothing will appall the Radio engineer who is able to comprehend what this means. Real Pleasure in Making Sets Homemade Sets Outnumber Manufactured Ones A NUMBER of years ago, before Radio had the universal appeal that it has at the present time, it was necessary for the experimenter, or man who was interested in the science, to make practically all of the parts that went into his set, but the present tendency seems to be to go to some store and buy these parts already built. This means that the cost of the sets are higher, and a great deal of the real pleasure is left out of the operation of building your own set. Incidentally, a great deal of this apparatus is not as good as the real homemade parts. However, there are some parts, such as head phones, vacuum tubes and transformers, that are much better manufactured where duplication of the finer details may be procured. The average fan takes much pride in making parts, and there is a great deal of satisfaction taken when those parts function correctly and bring in messages. Careful construction always brings results, and many times a homemade set will surpass those of special manufacture. In Quest of the Kanoofis Part IV— The Arrival at Walla Walla After thirteen years of sailing upon the ocean blue. (Bloo-ee.) A little island in the sea came popping into view. (Pop-pop.) We landed on the shore at night, because we thought it best. ('Fraid cats.) And there were all the contribs to Radio Indi-gest. (Playing hop scotch.) They greeted us with open arms and asked us where and how. (WheifoT.) They did not recognize us, for we are old men now. (We looked like Santa Clans.) The Spaniards that we took from Spain, all spoke good English too. (We taught them how.) They were all Radiophans, you see, and stuck to us like glue. (Major's cement.) It seems Indi-gest bought this place for reasons of his own. (Real estate.) And put a station on it that throughout the world is known. (This is Station B-U-N-K broadcasting.) A laboratory he has, too. Now there's -some common sense. (Horse sense.) From here he broadcasts funny things, and does experiments. (Gives big prizes, too.) We told him of our searching for years to get one part. (We looked, too.) P^^& So he said, "WALLA WALLA'S where you should have made your start. (What did we know?) We have a real Kanoofis here. It's buried in the ground." (So, you've been hiding it?) He scraped the earth a little bit, and that was what he found. (May have some licker buried, too.) Now, we suppose you're right on edge to know what it can be. (You are, too, aren't you?) A Kanoofis is the funniest thing that ever you did see. (Never was in a circus, either.) "It's a SILK THREAD off the corner of a dark red TURKISH TOWEL. (Aw, I knew it all the time.) You hang it on your switch points, so your Radio set don't howl. (Certainly glad that's over with.) —ENDED BY JENNIE JEROME. (Readers desiring Kanooflses may secure same from Sir. Indi-Gest by tendering suitable contributions, or what have you?) (1) Sure; (2) The Natives Stole 'Em for Beads Dear Indi : By the looks of the flashlight photo of your new station you have already joined the A. R. R. L. (Sure, I'll bite. Why?) Because, note the moonshine and how still it looks. Am I right? I also note the insulators are conspicuous by their absence. Whyfor? — Mike Rofarads. A-B-G Lessons for Indigest Beginners Chapter III— Have You a Little Crystal? C BY GOSH IS for crystal, A chuck of stuff quite neat, That brings in all the locals Quite clear and very sweet. Revenue Officers Say You Can't Work Your Circuit Gents : Well, the great problem is solved at last. The illicit liquor which is being broadcast by the A. R. R. L. can now be received. The answer is in the Undiluted Still Condenser Circuit. A copy of this circuit is enclosed. The 20 gallon tube is mounted with the water-cooled plate at the lower end. The faucet is mounted at the lower end of the plate so that the ether which gathers in the tube through the process of Volsteadization may be drawn out. The phones should be worn during the reception and one will hear the sweet strains of "How dry I am." — Hootch Shot Dick of Bland Canyon, Colo. Rest in peace Charles Daniel McCUier. He tried to murder A "spark" amateur. Referred to the P. and Q. Dept. Deer cir? I have saw your unvaluable paper and wood like to get sum inflamation how to bild a set. Wear dos the varyomeet her go? How meny bees do you use in a bee battery? Do you keep the bees in a honie combe coil? I have not got a aunt enna, I have a aunt Mary & she is only five feat long. Do you roast a peanut toobe? Wil I kneed a potatoe meter? Yours in variable. Feedback Fog. We Passed It on a Blind Man Dear Indi : I notice your kinks department and since I have a dollar no one will accept I am sending it with the kink. An amateur told me that a wrecktifier is necessary to charge my storage battery from A.C. current. Having a small baby sister who wrecktifles the tubes in 1 4-5 seconds flat (world's record) I decided to use her to advantage. Following is the circuit : Put baby in the box and in few moments she will wrecktify the lamps. Then take disconnected battery and carry to battery station. The best feature of this wrecktifier is the exercise you get carrying the battery. Yours cruelly. — I, T. Smee. Looking Ahead You Can Never Tell What's Wrong with a broadcasting station program till you hear from its listeners. If you were one of the lucky Radiophans to hear Indigest's opening night program, don't let us hear from you, unless you have a' kick. We always like a good kick in anything. Sand along the kicks as Walla Walla has a complete repertoire of non-trust songs and, oh, boy! What a CHARMING flock of sopranos. Now, these sopranos are very versatile and strive to please. Bambdin Bray is training them that way. If you don't hear what you want, ask for it and Bambdin will train 'em. What is your ideal Indigest Program? Read Indigest two weeks from now and maybe somebody will send some in. Buy Indigest from your most horrible newsdealer, 10c. In fact, continue buying Indi until we tell you to stop. HOT WEATHER SUGGESTIONS F"Ote ANNOUNCING Condensed By DIELECTRIC News of the Marine Band concerts from Station NAA being off for the summer months was not received with joy by the thousands who tune in for them, but later advice is very acceptable. With the new station in the national capital on the air these concerts may still be heard. The music will be picked up in the local parks and sent out as usual. WEAF will relay some of the eoncerts and speeches, which will ensure many weaker sets the pleasure of listening in too — though far away. And now photosculpture ! There is only one fault with this new marvel in Radio, and that is that two cameras are required for the job. So many folks get to oscillating when they face only one camera, and with two before them they may distort the image entirely. Borah or LaFollette would enjoy the experience probably; although it requires an hour to transmit the impressions from subject to sculptor they would lose nothing in the interim — and we would gain bronze tablets. Would that constitute base-relief? "Al" Smith is not regarded as exactly bone dry, nor does he believe in treating a dry subject without some admixture of moisture, and I submit the proof of that was given only recently. This genial governor of New York state addressed the people of his state by using Station WGY to report directly on the financial status of the commonwealth. Usually such reports are very dry. This was not, and while the choice of phrases may have had something to do with that, I believe the main factor was receiving sets in comfortable home surroundings. The General Electric Company plans to have duplicates of its well known Station WGY in sections of the country serving the largest audiences. One of these, as already indicated, is to be completed by fall at Oakland, Cal., and another is likely to be built at Fort Worth, Texas. Each of these stations has a normal radius of well over a thousand miles and Radiophans will look forward to having so good service as they are accustomed to from WGY, in other parts of the country. Every Radio journal, and section of daily papers covering the subject, is calling attention to the manner of using Radio sets on vacations. We need to be educated to the idea that the pleasure of listening in is there for us this summer as never before. Static, of course, is still on the job as in seasons past, but the powerful stations can cut through it for a considerable distance, also interference has been reduced nearly to the limit. If you fail to include your set on that trip, you will certainly regret it and spoil your outing to a large extent. There are many who prefer to listen to well-balanced programs of lasting music rather than the evanescent outpouring of a wailing ukelele. To such the "pop" concerts given from Station WNAC in Boston offer real treats. Not only do you hear an orchestra, comprised of members of the Boston Symphony, but it has been possible to listen to the Harvard glee club, a thoroughly trained body of singers. Radiophans of the country owe much to station WEAF for their enterprise in boosting along the speeches of President Harding, the one from St. Louis and another from Kansas City. We have been looking forward to the time when it would be possible for the mass of American citizens to hear (if not see) the head of the nation. I do not doubt the ultimate effect of this presidential broadcasting will be to focus larger attention on Radiophony to our general benefit. The next step — already visioned — is to accompany speech carried by ether waves with a moving picture of the speaker right in the home. This would almost entirely eliminate the sense of distance, which has already been materially reduced through the use of Radio.