NEWS AND NOTES

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 16, 4 November 1927, Page 8

NEWS AND NOTES

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Orditiary three-ply veneer wood makes good panels for receiving or wansimitting sets, Veneer is cheap and easy to obtain; it is thin and will not "warp.. A panel made of thin veneer svood is almost as good as a_ bakelite or hard rubber panel, if the wood is thoroughly dry and seasoned. It would be a good plan to.bake the veneer panel in a watm oven for a half-hour to make sure that there’ is no moisture left in ‘the’ wood. . ‘Why is an indoor loop aerial directional? If the. ’*plane of the loop is at. right angles to the direction of the transmitter, the waves from the transmitting station will reach both sides of the loop simultaneously, ‘The curtents, induced in every part of the winding under these conditions, will cancel out exactly and no difference of potential will set up across the ends of the winding. If the plane of the Joop.is not at right angles to the direction of the transmitting station, the waves will reach one side of the frame before the other, The currents produced in each side of the loop will then be out of phase with each other, and therefore cannot cance] out, ‘The more Nearly the plane of the loop winding is made to coincide with the direction of the transmitting station, the greater the phase difference and, of course, the greater the potential differences set up across the ends of the winding. The more-than-enterprising manager of a movie theatre ‘up York State" advertised that pictures of the DempseySharkey fight would be received by radio. The broadcast of the fight was received in the usual manner; but, in lien of television apparatus, the wily manager showed bits of old films of the Dempsey-Gibhons encounter. It does riot appear from the report how snany of the audience detected the trick. Valve transmission by ships has more than justified the fondest expectations. With the vast increase in distances spanned, ships are now keeping in touch with the land stations on the transAtlantic course, even beyond the halfWay mark across the ocean. Coastwise ships have little difficulty in maintaining contact with Tuckerton even to the Carribbean and heyond. The staticinfested Gulf of Mexico finds valve transmitters getting. through hundreds of miles of space in broad daylight, with rrecision and certainty.

A suggested standard for future design covering the colour of valve sockets; which has been adopted by the Kadio Division of the U.S.A. National Wlectrical Manufacturers’ Association reads: ‘The colours’ for yacuum-tube sockets in receiving sets shall be as jolows:-For general-purpose tubesdark red; for special detector tubesgteen; for audio power tubes-orange."’ This proposal is to enable rapid identification of sockets in all sets. Interference from passing trams is sometimes very difficult to overcome, especially if one is located near the tram line. Much depends upon the kind of set one is using, and it would be better to use as little audio-frequency amplification as possible, since a distyrbance of this type is usnally amplified more than the incoming signals. The use of a counterpoise in place of the earth will greatly help by getting rid of any interference due to earth currents; but, if the trouble is very persistent it may be necessary to resort to the use of a loop aerial, with a resulting decrease in signal strength It may even be necessary to shield the entire receiver to completely remove the annoyance. ; It is hardly necessary to suggest that sick patients or invalids of any age should have radio receivers of their own. Radio has proven itself to be not only a source of entertainment to persons confined to their beds, but also a potent therapeutic agent, keeping the mind in condition to speed tecovery. It is not enough to have another person bring in a programme and let it run, What a sick person needs is the knowledge that there is at least one thing that he can do for himself. There is scarcely any exertion in operating a radio receiver, Even a very weak invalid can turn the dials for himself if they are placed in a convenient position, for example, on a swinging table overhanging a bed.

} ---__-- ™ = An American writer says: "Old folks sometimes like to get away where it is quiet and listen in for the old songs and the serious-minded lecturers. ‘They, like sermons better than young people do, because much to which they look ahead lies in that realm of mystery. which only religion attempts to explain. No high-power horn loudspeaker or cone is needed to satisfy their longings. If their hearing is dulled, a pair of light phones that do not press too heavily. upon the head may be better than a more expensive device, One to three valves, one dial, a place and a set to call their own is what many of them want." A British tadio club, the Golders Green and Hendon Radio Society, recently conducted a very successful hide« and-seek competition for its memberse The club’s short-wave transmitter was operated on 150 metres in a concealed location; and ten parties of members, each in a motor-car with a loop receiver, a map and compass, started from as many points a few miles apart and en« deavoured to find the transmitter. Only one was successful; though a second came very close.

a ia Cos Why not "broadcasted" instead of ‘broadcast’ ?> The New York ‘Radio News" says: In many cases the English language offers alternative forms, and authorities differ as to which should be preferred; "practise" or "‘practice,’"? for instance, At one time the past tense of "cast" was "casted’’s and, while this is ow quite obsolete, the American Standard Dictionar , shows "broadcasted"? as correct, thoug not preferred. It is the belief of ‘Raa dio News" that, as a general proposi~ tion, the shorter form is to be pre« ferred; as this is in harmony with the genius of the English language, which is discarding as fast as possible all signs of inflection. For that reason also, though many cling to the ex« pression ‘broadcasting station,’ we helieve that ‘broadcast station" is sims pler and conveys the idea accurately, Observers in England during this year’s eclipse of the sun noted, as wag the case in America two years ago, that signals received became stronger, just before totality, and lessened with the return of light. With short waves, ' however, marked fading in reception of the 30-metre station PCJJ in Holland was observed; this phenomenon is ats tributed to the effect of the shadow. of the moon on the Heaviside layer, altering suddenly the angle of reflection of these short waves, and thereby, changing their skip-distance. With direte tional Joops, a marked sudden changé in the apparent bearing of stations bea ing received was noted; an effect simia lar to a much slower one noticed duta ing normal twilight, Those interested in reception off American broadcast stations will. b@ interested to know that "summer¢ time" terminated in the United States, on September 25. Daylight saving will resume exactly six months afte that date,