Ventnor news., April 09, 1924, Image 22

About Ventnor news. (Ventnor City, N.J.) 1907-1926

Image provided by: Rutgers University Libraries

                
RADIO
I
By ABNER J. GELULA
— RADIO
the Regenerative Receiver
There has been considerable
written recently in regard to in
terference caused by receiving
outfits. As a result of this dis
cussion the radio public may be
confused in regard to the real sit
uation, its causes and possible
means of improving conditions.
We are sure that legislation
making it illegal to operate a re
ceiver that can radiate, if it is
improperly operated, will not
prevent the use of such receivers.
The following facts have led us
to this conclusion.
1. There are many more re
ceivers in use in the United
States that were constructed by
the users, or some one in the i
user’s locality, than there are
of those manufactured by recog
nized manufacturers. The appa
ratus is frequently changed and
experimented with so that there
can be no check upon its ability
to interfere with other receivers
in the vicinity where it is located.
2. The cheapest and most effi
cient receiver that can be made is
of the regenerative type, so that
the person of limited means de
siring to listen to the broadcasted
entertainment can obtain more
for .his expenditure of money if he
chooses a regenerative set. This
is true whether he constructs his
own outfit or buys a manufactured
set. The maintenance cost of the
regenerative receiver is small.
The receiver when properly oper
ated will not interfere with other
receivers nearby.
3. Simple inexpensive regen
erative receivers will operate ef
ficiently on small or indoor
aerials.
4. In England the manufactur
ers of receivers for listening to
the broadcast programs were re
quired to obtain approval of the
British postoffice authorities on
all types of apparatus before it
was offered for sale. One re
quirement was that the apparatus
should not be capable of produc
ing interference with other receiv
ers. Notwithstanding these
regulations, the interference from
receiving apparatus has not been
eliminated and according to the
“Wireless World,” a radio maga
zine devoted to the interest of ra
dio development in Great Britain
the British postoffice no longer
requires that the apparatus be in
capable of radiating. This maga
zine points out that it is very
difficult to construct efficient in
expensive receivers that are not
capable of radiating if they are
improperly operated, and voices
the opinion that the way out of
the troubles in Great Britain is
through education of users of re
ceiving apparatus rather than by
limiting the enjoyment of the
broadcasted programs to those
people who can afford to purchase
expensive apparatus and pay
large maintenance costs.
5. It is not difficult for the
user of a regenerative receiver
to know that his receiver may be
interfering with reception by
other people. When the regen
erative amplification is increased
to more than the useful amount
the operator hears a squeal in his
own receiver and should immedi
ately reduce the regeneration or
amplification until the squeal
stops.
If every operator of a regenera
tive receiver who desires to enjoy
the broadcast transmission real
izes that every time he permits
his receiver to squeal that his
neighbors who may be listening
to the same station must endure
listening to the same squeal, we
are sure that there will be little
! trouble from careless handling of
| regenerative receivers.
Should the education of users
of regenerative receivers fail to
produce results then it will be nec
essary for manufacturers and
dealers to discourage the manu
facture and sale of all apparatus
capable of producing interference
and to discourage the use of such
receivers, thereby denying the
public the privilege of obtaining
the cheapest and most simple effi
cient apparatus now known for
receiving. It would be practically
impossible to enforce a law pro
hibiting the use of radiating re
ceivers because of the home made
apparatus and the experimenters.
It is possible for those who can
or care to pay for them, to obtain
efficient receivers that are not cap
able of causing interference.
T.hese receivers may be operated
without taking precautions of
any kind, and besides usually have
other desirable features such as
the ability to tune out local sta
tions and listen to distant stations.
In closing let' me emphasize
again that if every operator of a
receiver that can be made to
squeal when the tickler or regen
eration is increased too much,
will immediately reduce the regen
eration until the squeal stops,
that there will be no need to look
upon the simple regenerative re
ceiver with disfavor.
Present Day
Radio Troubles
(By C. W. Horn, Superintendent
of Radio Operations, Westing
house Electric and Manufacturing
Company.)
When we look at the then sup
posedly insurmountable obstacles
of the dim radio past, about a
year or two ago, and compare our
present conditions with those of
yesteryear, we come to the con
clusion that we are making con
siderable progress. Even though
we consider ourselves “old timers”
and call ourselves competent to
judge without bias, it is hard to
do so without direct and instan
taneous comparison.
As an illustration, I at one time
had a friend listen to a loud
speaker I was particularly proud
of, believing in its qualities, but
my friend did. not seem enthusi
astic. He stated he believed his
speaker had as good qualities as
mine. It was only when we
brought the two together and
switched from one to the other
that we had impressed upon us
the great difference.
It is not so long ago that all sta
tions were operating on 360 met
ers. Then came the heaven-born
idea of assigning another wave in
order to handle the great increase
in broadcasting traffic. We then
obtained 400 meters. A great cry
was heard from many experts and
others that 40 meters separation
was not sufficient—that it was im
possible to receive from one sta
tion while the other was operating
if both were in the same city as
the listener. Here was a condi
tion that had to be met, and meet
it we did. By the simple process
of improving antenna design and
a few other minor changes every
body was happy again.
Then came the great increase
in the number of stations operat
ing or desiring to operate, and it
was necessary to allocate a larger
number of wavelengths or fre
quencies for this traffic. A plan
was put into effect whereby a
greater spread of frequencies was
made available and stations closely
crowded together, the separation
being but 10 kilocycles. Again a
great howl went up among the
RADIOTORI AT. see a. c. radiomen first
OTHER THINGS
“The air is full of things you shouldn’t miss.” That won
derful little slogan originated by the National Carbon Com
pany tells the whole story and presents a logical argument
WHY radio is a necessity in your home. ' One has but to
glance over the program of an evening to find that this slogan
is full of things you shouldn’t miss” because “They Satisfy”;
ment.-Ten million MORE will join the forces by June of 1925!
A conglomeration of trade slogans might say, “The air
is full of things you shouldn’t miss” because “They Satisfy”;
“Ask Dad, He Knows”; “Eventually, Why Not Now?”
*******
Get acquainted with your home-town radio dealers. They
solicit and appreciate your patronage. The old cry, “I’ll get
it in Philly,” should not hold true, for your local dealer can
handle your wants far more efficiently than any city-radio
man, and it costs nearly $5.00 to get to Philadelphia.
Your local radio stores guarantee QUALITY, courteous
TREATMENT and FAIR PRICE.
Help your local radio dealer who is here to help you.
BUY EVERYTHING in ATLANTIC CITY. Be guided by
the radio advertisements on this page.
*******
Many and many a time we feel tempted to publish a *
book entitled “Who’s Who in Radio and WHY.” If we should
follow strictly to the WHY in the title, we fear our book
should indeed be very thin. As to the Who’s Who part, if
we followed strictly to the interpretation of the title, we
might have to issue the book in sets of many volumes. John
Jones invents the HOKUMDYNE; William Smith discovers
the EATANDYNE; Rastus Flynn, after “many years of hard
study,” invents the HEAREMDYNE; Jack Moore invents the
DYNEDYNE; Henry Bright invents the DYNEDYNEDYNE;
etc. It’s this-a-dyne or that-a-dyne. One man who under
stands WHY he calls it “Dyne” starts something and zip—
the rest of the radio fraternity goes “Dyne”-crazy and de
mands sets with the name DYNE hung on and rejects sets as
worthless if it hasn’t DYNE on it. As a matter of fact, we
might take this opportunity to warn our radio readers to -
BEWARE of the majority of the DYNES on the market—
the NAME is the only good thing about it!
If anyone tells you to dismantle your set for the summer
months, kindly, yet firmly, itell him to go back and study the
difference between a tube and a rheostat.
An indoor aerial solves the static problem. An ordinary
length of No. 18 B & S gauge copper wire wound about the
moulding of the room ideally serves the purpose. The dis
tance and volume will not be decreased to such a great extent,
but the atmospheric disturbances will practically cease.
In order to use an indoor aerial it is best to have about
two stages of radio frequency amplification before the de
tector.
jreat and near great of the radio
fraternity that this was entirely
;oo close a spacing, and that it
would be impossible to prevent the
‘beating” or heterodyning of the
iifferent stations and creating
confusion. I admit that when the
plan was first placed before us
there was considerable trouble,
but within a week or two things
began to straighten out.
since tnen muon progress has
been made in the development of
radio frequency standards, and I
believe most broadcasting stations
now are equipped with such de
vices. These standards enable
the stations to remain at least
somewhere near their assigned
frequencies. In the case of this
Station KDKA we have been in
formed by the Bureau of Stand
ards that our greatest variation
during last month was about one
tenth of one per cent. Now, if
all stations can do as well, and
there is no reason why they can
not, this annoyance from the beat
note will be considered as solved.
So you see there is no need of
being a pessimist as to the future
of radio. We must meet obstacles
before we can overcome them. The
more obstacles we meet the more
we will be compelled to investigate
this latest wonder in the electrical
field, and- therefore the greater
will be the development of this
activity.' -
as an, example, taice me proD
lem of satisfying our curiosity as
to what some distant station is
transmitting while a nearby sta
tion is on the air. For a time I
received many letters from radio
listeners complaining about their
inability to tune out a local sta
tion. Many suggested legislation
in order to silence the local station.
They viewed their problem in the
ight that they were correct am
;hat all the trouble was caused b;
:he other fellow, and that, there
'ore, something must be done t<
force this other fellow to stop b;
aw if necessary. I might sa;
;hat this is a common feeling, an!
i would include a few radio writ
-rs in this category.
This interference from the lo
:al station became quite acute ii
several cities, and it devolved upoi
the broadcasting interests to edu
;ate the general public. The con
struction and operation of traps
filters, etc., were described, an<
now in these very same citie
there is very little complaint am
everybody is happy. However
had the first impression prevailed
we would have our statute book
crowded with regulations am
laws regulating hours of opera
tion and the interference problem
I wish to state now that al
problems and difficulties in con
nection with radio that may aria
can best be solved and will b
solved by radio engineers througl
invention and development and no
by politicians and laws. Let thos
who talk of laws first get up regu
lations and laws to enforce a mor
simply controlled regulation, sue
as prohibition, before enterin;
into a field infinitely more difficul
to regulate.
We are now confronted with ai
interference problem in the shap
of receiver-re-radiation. Thi
makes itself known by the whist
ling sounds or ‘'birdies,” as the
are usually called. This, as ha
been explained so often, is causei
by neighboring receiving sets osci
lating as is the case when receiv
ing on zero beat.
I have noticed a general ten
dency on some people’s part t
blame the single circuit receive
l H. P. Davis, Vice President, Westinghouse Electric & Manufacture
j ing Company, the Father of Broadcasting
i : --
as the worst offender. All regen
erative receiving sets which do not
have a stage or more of radio fre
quency ahead of the detector are
capable of • receiving these
“beats.” It resolves itself into
the proposition of having some re
gard for your neighbors and
keeping your receiver from oscil
lating.
The most sensitive point on your
dial is just before the detector
tube begins to oscillate. With mul
tiple circuit receivers it is very
difficult to go over the range of
wave lengths and keep the tick
ler adjusted at this most sensitive
. point as the operator is blest with
' but two hands usually. What
does he generally do then? Why,
he starts his detector oscillating
' and tunes until he hears a carrier
wave by the squeal, and then he
, clears up the signal. However, in
doing this he has disturbed the
whole neighborhood and has had
some terrible things said about
' him.
Now, with a single circuit tuner
you can tune in all you want with
out causing trouble because this
type of receiver has usually but
two controls, that is, the tuner
dial and the tickler adjustment.
As this type of tuner is designed
for the normal type of human be
ing, that is, one having but two
hands, the listener can very read
ily adjust the tuning dial and at
the same time keep his regenera
IF IT’S PRINTING—WE DO IT
AMUSEMENT PUB. CO.
506-8*10-12 N. Tennessee Ave.
F- S
tive control or tickler at the
proper setting without spilling
over.
In conclusion, let me emphasize
that radio difficulties and prob
lems will be solved by radio engi
neers and not by politicians en
acting laws to govern a science of
which so little is known, or whose
future development can only be
guessed at.
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