Radio mirror (Jan-Oct 1923)

RADIO DIGEST July 14, 1923 Radio Digest REG. U. S. PAT. OFF. AND DOM. OF CANADA Published by the Radio Digest Publishing Company, Inc. 123 West Madison Street Telephone State 4844-4645 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 Bid?., 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 <tsr> 58 PUBLISHED WEEKLY SUBSCRIPTION RATES {6.00 Single Copies, 10 Cents Vol. \T Chicagro, Saturday, July 14, 1933 No. 1 Interference Located The Radio Amateur Is at Last Vindicated OFFICIAL observations made by engineers of the Bureau of Standards for a period of seven months, and still being continued today, point to the fact that it is not the amateur that causes most of the interference to reception of concerts from broadcasting stations, but it is the broadcasting stations themselves. Centering their observations on two broadcasting stations — one KDKA at Pittsburgh and the other WLB at Minneapolis — the engineers sought to discover the effect their messages had on nearby and distant receiving stations. They conclude that "the reliability of signals from a station first decreases and then rises as we increase the distance from that station. ' ' In their reports from between 200 and 1,000 receiving stations, monthly, the engineers were able to classify the sources from which interferences were being experienced. After tabulating these sources they showed that an average of 30.9 per cent of the interference came from other broadcasting stations, while amateurs with spark sets furnished 3.5 per cent of the trouble, and those with C. W. sets only 2.3 per cent. W Simple Receiving Sets Very Few Essentials Required in Circuits HAT aTe the absolute essentials of a Radio receiving set? The basic requirements for making Radio waves audible are two; an instrument to rectify the incoming waves and a receiver to turn the electrical energy into sound. The latter device is familiar to everyone. The rectifying is accomplished by a vacuum tube and apparatus used in conjunction with it, or in the simpler sets by a crystal of some suitable mineral, contact being made with a fine wire or metal surface. "While a detector and telephone receiver will receive the signals of a powerful station close by, even without an antenna, reception over moderate distances requires both the antenna and some device for tuning to the incoming wave. The variometer, the variocoupler and the variable condenser are among the more familiar instruments for tuning. The simplest form of practical receiving apparatus is a crystal set which contains a detector, a coil of wire with a slider or switch to vary the number of turns in use and a small fixed condenser. This set with a normal antenna will receive broadcasting up to a distance of ten or fifteen miles. Occasionally stations several hundred miles away are heard on such sets using an outdoor aerial. Vacuum tubes sets may be classified into groups such as non-regenerative, regenerative, Radio frequency and super-regenerative sets. The circuit of the simple non-regenerative set is similar to that used with the crystal set, the chief point of difference being the use of the vacuum tube detector. The range of this set is somewhat greater than that of a crystal set and the inconvenience of adjusting the crystal is eliminated. A large majority of the popular receiving sets today are of the regenerative type. They vary widely in detail, but all employ some variation of the feedback circuit developed by Major Armstrong. The Copp, Reinartz and many other popular circuits belong in this class. Distances exceeding 1,000 miles frequently are covered by the various regenerative receivers. The consistent range is several hundred miles. Radio frequency amplification forms the basis of the third class of receivers mentioned. This form of amplification makes reception possible over great distances even with a loop or indoor antenna. Sets using Radio frequency amplification give remarkable results when properly handled, but it is difficult for the novice in Radio to obtain the same results as does the expert operator. Reflex and neutrodyne circuits come in the Radio frequency class, but often are satisfactory, and simple to operate. RADIO INDI-GEST SOCIETY NOTES OF WALLA WALLA WALLA WALLA. — Rozee, author, Jennie Jerome and Goofey, co-authors of "In Search of a Kanoofls". left here last week on the annual weekly mail boat following their successful termination of the Kanoofis hunt. The Kanoofls, a beautiful thing, was boxed up in a goldplated cage and will be exhibited in the States at all of the 336,782,195 National Radio Exhibitions, due to be held ere 1924 yawns. The departure was touching. The three were broke, so it was necessarily touching, very. Willie Bazoo, native basso (picture herewith), sang a tear-bringing farewell, entitled, "Properly Adjust Tour Grid Bias With Your Potentiometer M'dear, For I'll Broadcast to You on Electromagnetic Waves When You're Gone." (A trust song. Wotta we care about the trust?) The picture was taken of Willie just as he threw the dice on his parting, shot. He parted with everything he had but it's warm in Walla Walla. The Walla Walla Chamber of Commerce is planning a drive for a greater Walla Walla. Of course, the Indi-Gest broadcasting station will come in for a large part of the advertising campaign. C. F. Jenkins invention, Radio Movies, will be used to exploit and broadcast the beauties and grace of the unbleached and uneducated youthful maiden dancers. Sweet Cookie, premiere danseuse, is depicted. (Well what do you know about that?) Although she is here shown greatly reduced, she was formerly much larger but took Indi-Gest's Sweet Cookie broadcast weight-dissolving exercises. Sweet Cookie attributes all her grace to Al Brown, who drew her. The contest for a name for the Indi-Gest plant is growing very heated. Natives of "Walla Walla are betting every bead on various contributors. Brambdin Bray, announcer, wants more names. Send 'em in now before the Christmas rush. SURPRESSED DESIRE We oft'times have our secret desires And little dreams of life. (Do tell.) However, I've no thoughts of fame ; Too late — I have a wife. (Lost hope.) But just the same I have one wish Although I am not single, (Oui, oui.) I hope some day to accomplish the Last line of this jingle. (Drive on.) For four long weeks I've waded through A would-be poem, balmy, (Coo, coo.) That traveled to the South Sea Isles From the land of the salami. (Sot dog.) I am a simple sort of man, A peace loving goofus, (How quaint.) But I would like to kick the pants Of the guy that wrote "Kanoofis." (Zowie!) Rotoe E. Gapp. Clipping1 from the New York Evening Mail tells just how careful Miss Eleanor Fitzgibbons is of her brand new pet flock of Jersey cows. Sez it, "Absolute cleanliness and Radio concerts are other items which go to make them (the cows) contented." Never would we wish to dispute Miss Fitzgibbons' reference to the cows, but we say that this sounds like the opposite sez to us. A-B-G Lessons for Indigest Beginners Chapter IV— A Brass Band Sleuth, So to Speak BY GOSH DIS for detector, (Not of the Sherlock brand) That changes Radio wavelets Into "Skinktown's Marine band." We'd Say, "Well, Georgie, How's Things?" Indi: Do you think there must be blood on the moon when Station WOC broadcasts material like this? SANDMAN (enthusiastically): "Now, little boys and girls, Betsy Ross heard a knock and she opened the door and there stood — why, whom do you suppose? — Why, there stood George Washington! Now, little boys and girls, what would YOU do if you heard a knock and opened the door and saw George Washington standing there " Yes, little boys and girls, what "WOULD you do? I imagine that his presence on MY front porch would make me well er nervous, to say the least! Le Moqdeue. How to Transform a Transformer Dear Indi: (For your Kinks Department.) Having been troubled with an incessant induction for several weeks from a nearby leaky power transformer, I found, I could eliminate the racket by placing a stick of picric acid behind said transformer and igniting same. This method is very effective. P. S.: Excuse me, I forgot to enclose $1.00. Maybe I can send it next Friday. Please send me a Kanoofls. Eddt Currents. Here lies Francis Aiagonqnin Kline. Who plugged in his phones On a high-voltage line. No, We Need Something Stronger My Dear Sir : Having noted your anxiety over a name for your super bum broadcasting station at Walla Walla, I hasten to submit all the words in the unabridged edition of Webster's great work. This surely ought to win the grand prize with ease. Auxt Exxa, We'll Bite. What Is It? Dear Indi : Hah ! I have you at last. You thought you could get away with something when you let Jennie Jerome end the "Kanoofis" hunt by finding it in the form of the silk thread off the corner of a dark red Turkish towel. BUT Turkish towels have no silk threads. I know as a result of manv Saturday night experiences. Now, tell the truth. What IS a' Kanoofis? Alogonqlix Tonsils III. Condensed By DIELECTRIC Another broadcasting station has been flattered in having a Wisconsin infant use their call letters to form the name Wallace Gordon Yadon. The initial letters will be recognized as associated with the popular Schenectady station WGT. In the south, not long ago, the call letters of a well-known station were used in naming a little girl "broadcaster." In this case, it will probably be either an announcer or Radio operator. What has the station given its name-sake? In the ease of a shortage of engineers in some railway work, a Radio message broadcast recently brought a supply of college men who are pursuing courses in engineering. This is a pretty sure way of reaching those you are seeking, for the news is quickly spread and even though you are not the one fitted for the work your interest in the broadcast will lead to telling others who may not have receiving sets. It is surprising how seldom Radio is resorted to for this emergency when it is considered how effective it is. In carrying on chess games between passengers aboard two ships nothing startling has been disclosed, except that the games may be called on account of losing contact with each other. This same form of pastime has been indulged among Radiophans ashore and has given the impetus to arranging contests of debating, etc., which not only enlarges the field of sport but carries it to the most modern arena — the expanse of air. It seems to me entirely possible that we shall learn of a new game to be played by certain passengers coming to our shores from abroad, which will consist of large paunches and various shaped bottles; the object being to empty as many of the latter as possible into the former before reaching the three mile limit. It is yet entirely too early to presume a prediction that vertical antennae prevent static interference acceptable as fact. From, the result attained by two men in California, who raised an antenna vertically by means of a kite, hope may be given to despondent summer fans. Experts have been working hard to find a real way in which the annoyance of static might be eradicated. None genuine has yet been found. We will await further experiments with the vertical idea before tearing down the aerials now in use. Any fan living within a few doors of a single circuit operated by a new "bug" will readily appreciate the effectiveness of scrambled speech for preventing clear reception. The A. T. & T. made the announcement that they had successfully carried on experiments in transmitting messages unintelligible to any save the one with a set capable of unscrambling them. Privacy may be had, but at what expense? That is the point which most concerns us just now. Many a watch, some grown to clock-like proportions and others still in their midgetey, is unsheathed before the receiving set and made to conform with the time sent out from Arlington twice daily. This is an important feature in broadcasting and eliminates the necessity of having a wave length in tune with tlie naval station. Farmers especially profit from the broadcasting stations relaying the time signals. In Paris it has become impossible to transmit time accurately because of the vibrations in the city upsetting the delicate adjustments of the instruments. Hence they must take time to transport time to a less disturbing location.