Radio today (Sept 1935-Dec 1936)

RECEIVER FEATURES AUTOMATIC TUNING" PHIL.CO pipes have the characteristic of giving bass response without resorting to extremely large baffles. Special baffle construction is ultilized by American-Bosch and Crosley. "As resonant as the shell in the band stand" is the way American-Bosch describes its development. Crosley has a "Vibracoustic sounding board" which eliminates fuzziness and diffuses the high notes. The solid section left by the perforated construction has a tendency to prevent vibrations of the cone from continuing after the electrical impulses have ceased. The Eairbanks-Morse "Tone projector" is a bowl-shaped device mounted between the speaker and the console — it deflects and diffuses the higher frequencies, thereby providing more faithful reproduction. In order to provide "the best seat in the house" effect, Zenith has an "Acoustic adapter" which adjusts the set for different ceiling heights, varying wall angles, and different sized rooms. Circuit details Boreign reception is increased in most sets through the use of a built-in antenna tuning system or compensator for use with doublet antennas. Some of the sets using this idea are Arvin, Crosley, Grunow, Bhilco, and Zenith. Iron-core i-f. transformers are finding greater acceptance. KCA-Victor uses permeability-tuning at the i-f. frequency — air type trimmer condensers are used in the r-f. and oscillator circuits, thereby providing greater circuit stability. The octal-base tube has been adopted as standard by most manufacturers in all but their lowest price sets. Two notable examples of companies using the "G" type tubes (glass on octal base) are Bhilco and Zenith. "Turret shielding" is the Eairbanks-Morse key sales appeal. Each set is shielded with a metal screen fitting over the top of the set and a plate covers the bottom. In this way stray signals are kept from producing squeals and interference. Volume range expansion is found in the Crosley sets under name of "Bhantom conductor." An "Automatic volume governor" is used on the Zenith line — it permits the June, 1936 owner of the set to limit the maximum volume of the set; unauthorized persons or children then cannot exceed this maximum regardless of how they twist the volume control. This year the dealer has many new cabinet styles to sell in numerous finishes. RCAVictor has table sets in white. Zenith will supply certain of its models in maple, white, or black — walnut is standard. Grunow also has white and black finishes. Cabinet design The Admiral console has a sloping front panel and specially curved dial which permits tuning of the set while one is standing up — this convenience feature should find wide acceptance. Bractically every manufacturer has taken advantage of various grain effects to beautify the designs. Bencil stripes and inlays are being used to great advantage. BCA has gone modernistic and introduced what it calls "Tubular steel" sets. These cabinets use chromium-plated steel tubes as decorative trim and as legs. Bor clubrooms, modernistic apartments, and similar places, they should find much appeal. Emerson has some striking models using small amounts of metal trim — striking, but conservative wood inlays are found in many of the models. "Zephyr" styling is the modernistic design of Zenith. A table type Zephyr receiver is shown on page 13 of this issue. This design is used with certain consoles and chair type receivers. The latter are sets designed to be placed next to a chair. Controls are found on the top of the instrument. With these features, which are but a few of the many, the dealer should have no difficulty in making the 1936-7 season a record year for radio. — particularly with the stimulus of the presidential campaign. Bor never has the public received so much for its money as in these new 1936-37 sets. Here are new advances in styling which will attract feminine as well as masculine buyers. Sell the women on cabinet style. And the engineering advances of the new receivers include more new features than ever before, more automatic gadgets, more conveniences of control. In short, the public's radio dollar was never worth so much as it is going to be this summer and fall. 'TELL-TALE CONTROLS" "SPOTLIGHT DIAL" -ARVIN "VIBRACOUSTIC SOUNDING BOARD" -CROSLEY TURRET SHIELD" -FAIRBANKS MORSE