Radio today (Sept 1935-Dec 1936)

RECEIVERS TODAY * SEPTEMBER plunges radio into the most interesting season of radio's most interesting year — the season which brings disclosure of the new models to the trade and public. During the past nine months, engineering and production departments have been laboring, literally night and day in many cases, to prepare the designs and the products which are now appearing for the 1935-36 season. We know that progress in the radio art has been, and still is, rapid, and it is interesting to review the advances which form the features of the present season. Metal tube complications As a plan of review, the developments of 1935-36 may be divided into those pertaining to circuits, and those more wholly mechanical. Each of these groups may be separated into items which are universal, or nearly so, throughout the industry, and those which are individual to one manufacturer, or at most a few companies. Considering first the circuit developments of universal sort, the outstanding item of the year is of course the metal tube. Here the situation is made complicated by the use of more than one type of metal tube. For certain intermediate types partly glass and partly metal have been introduced as well as the all-metal type. These additional types utilize previous structural methods to a considerable extent, and are therefore more readily produced this year. They are intended to be interchangeable with the new allmetal type of tube and thereby to assist in meeting the full tube requirements of the industry, until allmetal tube production is able to catch up. The all-metal tube is a revolutionary change in tube construction, and its advocates believe it will bring about, within a very few years, marked improvements in performance and reliability of tubes and receivers. Most of the receiver manufacturers have equipped at least several models with metal tubes this year, and there is little doubt that future receiver designs will utilize metal tubes extensively. The year 1935 will be remembered as the year of the metal tube introduction. More tubes — better sets It appears that a trend to more tubes in the medium and higher priced receivers is definitely established. The number of receivers using from ten to twenty-five tubes is considerably larger than last year. The additional tubes are used for better and more refined performance, such as less distortion, more output, better selectivity without effect upon fidelity, better volume control, better tuning indicators. Midnight-blue mirror-glass Sparton console, chromium-steel trim, styled by Walter Teague, famous designer. Contrast with ip2j model Also, it appears -that there is a trend to somewhat greater emphasis upon the better receivers. It seems to be more recognized that both performance and reliability can not be built into the complex and critically adjusted instrument which is the modern broadcast receiver, for sale at $13.98. Prices range from twenty to six hundred dollars, with "full performance" models, that is, models having features such as automatic volume control, bass augmentation, etc., ranging from about forty dollars up. "Higher fidelity" High fidelity has received attention and all manufacturers have improved tone quality in their better models with increased high frequency response and "cleaner" bass. A vital part of high-fidelity circuits is the "band-width control," and there has been considerable improvement in both constructional and performance aspects of this feature. Methods depending upon variation of inductive coupling between intermediate-frequency tuned circuits are standard practice. Many manufacturers have introduced this year another wave band, that below 550 kc, for reception of weather reports sent out regularly by airways stations. The use of additional wave-bands, or short waves, giving foreign broadcast, amateur and police call reception, should perhaps not be classed as a 1935 feature, as it became standard practice last year. The 1935 models conclusively show, however, that "short waves" have become an accepted and expected feature of broadcast receivers, and are here to stay. "Hoiv's your antenna?" The importance of efficient antennas is now widely recognized, and all manufacturers are making recommendation for, and many specific provision for, suitable antennas for broadcast receivers, especially for all-wave use. The importance of having good antenna installations can not be emphasized too strongly. They are indispensable to satisfactory foreign short-wave reception, and give worthwhile improvement even in domestic broadcast reception. Accent on bass In the sets themselves, a number of circuit developments are found to be widely utilized this year. Bass augmentation (whereby amplification 12 Radio Today