LISTENING-IN ON TRAINS

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 15, 28 October 1927, Page 15

LISTENING-IN ON TRAINS

| CANADA’S RADIO ENTERPRISE ee ENTERTAINMENT FOR PASSENGERS. Despite the fact that the train was speeding along at more than forty miles an hour on its way from Boston to: Montreal, regardless of daylight and the hilly country throngh winch /the road lay, passengers in the parlonr car were being entertained in 2 most novel fashion, From the loudspeaker at the end of the car issned forth music from New York and Schenectady with a volume which was easily heard by the passengers in the rearmost seat. And if at any time any passenger wished to listen more. closely to the concert, he had but to put on the earphones which hung beside his ‘seat. As nightfall gathered and the music became even louder, reception improving with a resultant ¢ ~‘er choice of stations, a feeling of admiration and ‘awe pervaded the train. To pick up entertainment such as this, with as good a quality of tone and as small an amount of interference as one has’ in one’s parlour at home, seemed incredible. The most sceptical on the’ subject of radio on moving trains would have been entirely convinced. The Gevernment-owned railway of Canada operates on its suns from coast to coast 76 trains equipped witl receiving apparatus. Practically any of the longer trips in Canada may now be made more pleasant with the entertainment afforded by& the radio. BOX AERIAL USED. A bex aerial extending the length of the cat md. abont seven inches above the metal roof, is nsed. The aerial is supported on glass insulators above the roof of the car, which is used as the earth for the receiver, -thus allowing but a very short distance between aerial and earth. At the place nearest the position of the radio receiver the aerial is tapped and a lead-in brought to the set. The receiver is housed in an wpright cabinet, theing a separate nnit loosely placed in the container. Above and below the place for the receiver there is room for batteries and accessory apparatus, while on top of the cabinet is the cone loudspeaker. As mentioned before, there is a pair of earphones plugged in at each seat, the fittings for these plugs being specially built into the car, and the wiring to the receiver is behind the panels. The number of phones used varies as to*the number of seats, from 28 to 40 being used. These are connected to the receiver in sets of five, each five ’phones being hooked up in series, and each set in parallel. A special transformer on the output terminals of the set leads to these ‘phones. In most of the cars the receiver used is a four-valve reflex, doing the duty of a six-valve set, and_ fitted with a three-stage power amplifier for use with the loudspeaker. This receiver is specially made for the railway company, and is not found on the market, although at one time it was among the sets on sale to the public. The choice of this set and the five-valve neutrodyne of the same make on the newer cars, such as the Bos-ton-Montreal, was only made after exhaustive tests had been conducted with a great variety of receivers. SUPER-HETS. USELESS. Loop aerials and super-heterodynes were found to be useless on moving trains, especially on the steel cars which make up the majority of those on the Canadian lines. There are still sets being tried out for new cars, and all the cars being built as parlour cars are now wired for radio while under construction. To ensure the passengers’ good reception, a radio operator is carried on each radio-equipped car. These operators are, in the main, young men, specially trained to use the radio re ceivers on the trains, and know to a nicety what to expect on a run, and where to find stations quickly without picking up too much interference from telegraph and power lines. TUNNELS CAUSE FADING. It is interesting to listen critically to the’ concerts when going through cuttings, tunnels, and over steel bridges. Each of these structures has a tendency to blot the music ont, sometimes noticeably, and at other times barely perceptible. ower lines also cause some trouble, and at some stations it is necessary to turn the set off on account of ‘nterference caused by the telegraph instruments. Although a few railroads in the United States also carry .adio-equip-ped cars, none of the companies have gone into the system, in the same manner as -the Canadian National Railways Trains operating into the United States from Canada are now being equipped.