Radio mirror (Jan-Oct 1923)

September 22, /p.'j R ADIO D T C, E ST — Illustrated AMATEURS TO RACE SOL CROSS COUNTRY TEN STATIONS COMPETING WITH SUN'S RAYS From Coast to Coast Amateurs Enter Speed Contest to Aid Science Research HARTFORD. CONN. — On the morning et Sunday, September 23. Radio amateurs of both coasts Will attempt to beat Old ^ol across the continent in spectacular daylight tests. Their transmitters Will he pitted against sunlight in their efforts to relay messages across the country between sunrise and sunset, according to F. H. Sehnell, traffic manager of the American Radio Relay League. At least ten picked amateurs on both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts will start messages as the sun comes over the horizon, and they will be relayed by intervening stations. By evening it is expected that most of the messages will have reached their destination, and for the brass pounders the contest with Father Time will end in a Radio victory. Tests Have Scientific Value These tests have a real scientific value, since they will demonstrate to what extent the sun affects transmission. Every one familiar with Radio knows that reception over long distance is more difficult during the daytime than in darkness, this being caused, it is believed, by the ionization of the earth's atmosphere by the sun's rays. The disastrous effect of sunlight upon Radio has been noticed, and it is confidently expected by league officers that definite comparisons may be drawn which will prove helpful in an investigation of this subject. In this connection some interesting information may be gathered from the experience of Donald H. Mix, league Radio operator with the MacMillan Arctic exploration party, ' since he must transmit messages and news reports through both daylight and darkness from the Arctic seas to amateurs at home. Starting1 Points Kept Secret Xo one will know from what stations the messages will start, says Sir. Sehnell, referring to the daylight tests. He says everybody will have the same chance of picking up a message and relaying it along the line. He advises all amateurs to keep a record of everything they hear, and whether they use standard or daylight saving time. These records should be sent to American Radio Relay League headquarters at Hartford, Conn., by October 1. The starting gong rings as the sun rises! ALL-STAR YEARDAY FOR CANUCK PLANT French-English Station to Mark Birth with Program of Choice Performers MONTREAL, QUE. — Canada's popular station, CKAC, situated on the roof of La Presse, the French newspaper here, will celebrate its first anniversary September 29. For the occasion, Manager Jacques X. Cartier who announces in both French and English, is preparing a special program which • will be given by the most popular artists who have performed during the last. year. This program will be doubly interesting, -since most all numbers will be either suns-, or played, for the first time in America. It will be one of the best all star entertainments ever broadcast by any station and will be typically bi-lingual. The concert will begin at 8:00 p. m., eastern time. All messages received during the evening will be acknowledged. During the first year, CKAC has had more than 4,000 artists performing singly and one hundred orchestras, besides a number of choirs and bands. During the summer months, over 3,000 American listeners in have visited the studio while touring the province of Quebec. Many have suggested that French courses be given from this station. Stenographers Copy Talk by Air to Win Fair Prize PHILADELPHIA — Radiophans here who are stenographers were recently given an opportunity to win part of the $100 in prizes offered by the management of the sesquicentennial exposition, which is to be held here in 1926 to commemorate the Declaration of Independence. A speech broadcast by Dr. John W. Stockwell from Station W1IAQ, Chicago, was transcribed by competing stenographers. Dr. Stockwell spoke at the rate of ninety-five words a minute; contestants were obliged to submit their transcriptions within fortyeight hours. Dr. Stockwell spoke later from Stations KYW and WDAP, Chicago. SERIALIZE MYSTERY NOVEL FOR WJZ FANS ■V TEW YORK. — The present serialij^l zation of William .Johnston's -^ ^" new mystery novel. "The Wedding1 Cipher," by Station WJZ of the Radio Corporation of America marks a new departure in the serialization of fiction. A chapter of Mr, Johnston's story is being broadcast from the station here every Thursday evening at 8:45 p. m. eastern standard time. 'JERRY,' REAL DUMMY, TELLS 'EM FROM WOR NEWARK, X. J.— "Jerry," the dummy who works for Marshall Montgomery, famous ventriloquist, broadcast a stunt and a new song for his master recently from Station WOR here. "Jerry" claims he is the first ventriloquist's dummy to broadcast from a Radio station. When interviewed on the subject, "Jerry" said that he enjoyed the experience very much. THE OLD FAMILY TOOTHBRUSH Remember the old barber shop quartet song, "The Old Family Toothbrush"? WeH, save the toothbrush, says Miss Shirley Vernon, above, who has found that dipping it in alcohol and scrubbing the surfaces of old crystals, is a great help to failing cat whiskers © K. oc H. PRAISE GRAIN PRICE SERVICE FROM WBAP Huge Sums Change Hands Daily on Radio Reports FORT WORTH, TEXAS.— WBAP (StarTelegram) cotton and grain reports have become an indispensable innovation throughout the entire Southwest. Daily thousands of dollars change hands, based upon the quotations that go out into the ether hourly to interested listeners in every section of the cotton and grain belt. Texas and Oklahoma farmers have the latest prices almost at the same time they are posted on the big exchanges of Xew Orleans, Xew York or Chicago. WBAP frequently receives letters commending them for the service given and thankfulness for the messages the Cowbells (symbol of WBAP) bring. In country towns a leading drug or merchandise store often installs a Radio receiver for the benefit of members of the community. Prices are posted to apprise the sons of the soil of the worth of their products. Keystone Operators Organize UXIOXTOWX, PA.— In the home of Merton Crichton a meeting of Radio operators was held, during which steps were taken to form an organization of amateur operators holding government licenses. Important events in western Pennsylvania will be sent by the operator in whose district they take place. 4,000 Storekeepers Hear Unique Program of WSY Birmingham Plant Entertains Huge Convention Audience BIRMINGHAM, ALA.— One of the big entertainment features for the more than 3,000 Alabama retail merchants in all lines of trade, who held their annual convention in Birmingham, was a program by Station WSY here. The entertainment was held at East Lake park, where a high power receiving set was installed especially for the occasion. Radio talks were also delivered by Col. R. A. Mitchell, vice president of the Alabama Power Company, and A. M. Kennedy, inventor of electrolytic arsenic. Special music was furnished by the WSY Serenaders. This program was in some respects one of the most remarkable ever received and sent over WSY, due to the fact that it was one of the largest Radio audiences ever assembled in Birmingham, numbering close to 4,000 people. Another unique feature was that many of the Alabama merchants present were from small country towns, some of them also conducting stores far out in the country. There were several hundred in the audience who never had the opportunity of listening to a Radio before. A number of the small town merchants and the country merchants said they expected to order receiving outfits as soon as they reached home. NEW STATION KYW STRONGER IS PLAN RUSH CHANGES ON CHICAGO PLANT FOR OPERA Shortened Wave Length and Other Obstacles to Be Overcome by Westinghouse Engineers CHICAGO. — Improvements in KYW, Westinghouse Station here, are being rushed to completion, to make the station the most powerful in the United States. New equipment is being installed under the direction of Chief Engineer Walter C. Evans, who has had charge of the mechanical section of the station virtually since it inaugurated broadcasting in the West two years ago. Particular effort is being made to have the station operating at its peak by the opening of the football season, so that the fans again may witness by Radio the conference games at Stagg Field. To Broadcast Opera Again Following the football season will come the opera season, when again KYW will broadcast to all parts of North America the music of the world's greatest voices from the Auditorium stage. The difficulties encountered in changing to the 870-kilocycle (S45-meter wave length) required by the government May 15, are being overcome. First there was the changing of the equipment to the new wave length, which was in itself an engineering feat. When this was done a new difficulty was encountered. Surmount Difficulties The Commonwealth Edison building, on which the station is located, and the surrounding buildings were found to be so tuned as to prevent the station getting out at its full power. The entire Radio engineering staff of the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, under the direction of C. W. Horn and Mr. Evans, was put t work, and it is believed that the defect has been remedied. Within a few weeks KYW will be itself again, with greater power and greater sending range. Plans for additional service, musical, news and features are now being perfected by Director Wilson J. Wetherbee of KYW so that the Radio patrons may look forward to a greatly improved station wh«n th-o ennipmcnl is I'cmocltltra. WHOLE CONTINENT HEARS CHILD CRY Baby Wails in Miu^ of Quiet Intermission at Detroit Church Service DETROIT. — A baby's cry that was heard all over the United States, parts of Canada and even down in old Mexico is an actual experience that took place recently from the Central M. E. church here. It occurred during a quiet intermission in the service that was being broadcast by WCX.'the Detroit Free Press. The child, in the arms of its mother in the north gallery of the church many feet from the microphone, becoming dissatisfied with its surroundings, suddenly started to wail. It was only for a second or two as the mother immediately hurried from the gallery. Nothing was thought of it at the time although the Radio engineer at the WCX studio in the Free Press building half a mile away said the wail came into the room so shrilly it almost startled him. The engineer said at first he thought the child might be in the studio. Nothing more was thought of the instance until when a few days later letters began to come in making reference to the child's wail. Some writers declared the wail was almost uncanny in its reality. Radio Enables Woman, Deaf 60 Years, to Hear Music POMONA, CALIF. — After having been deaf since she was three years of age, Mrs. Manley Everham, 63 years old, of this city, recently heard vocal and instrumental music by means of Radio. She said that when she first placed the 'phones to her ears she could hear only queer noises, but after a few minutes she was able to distinguish voices and the sound of instrumental music. During the demonstration Mrs. Everham became greatly excited, frequently clapping her hands in applause. Milwaukee "Bug" Club Resumes MILWAUKEE, WIS. — The first meeting of the Milwaukee Radio Amateurs' Club, Inc., following the annual summer recess was to be on the evening of September 20, in the Trustees' Room of the Milwaukee Public Museum. On September 27 the society will hold its annual corporate meeting at which there will be an election of the members of the board of directors.