CRYSTAL RECEPTION

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 26, 13 January 1928, Page 4

CRYSTAL RECEPTION

AN AUSTRALIAN’S FEAT,

A correspondent of the Melbourne £Tistener-In’’ writes: "I spent a fortnight’s holiday at Port Welshpool, South Gippsland (Victoria), a small fishing village situated on Corner InJet. near Wilson’s Promontory. Port Welshpool is 123 miles from Melbourne by rail. ‘The following is a summary of the work done with the despised crystal :-Aerial: Standard, inverted L, supported on 43{t. masts, 60ft. apart. Earth: 8ft. x lin. galvanised iron pipe,driven in flush with the ground. ‘The circuit was of the single coil condenser tuned variety. A coil of 36 turns of 20 S.W.G., D.C.C., was used, supported on 4 celluloid strips fin. wide. ‘Turns spaced a distance equal to 1} times diam. of wire. Diam. of coil was 4hin. Condenser: Sq. law, ..0005 mfd., without vernier. Detector: Cat whisker, No. 86 S.W.G. Nicrome wire. Crystal: L..5, made by the Brownie’ Wireless Co., London. Phones: Resistance 2400 ohms. Stations logged: 31,0, 8AR, 2FC, 2BI,, 2GB, 40G, 5CL. The only time we could get Brisbane was during cold weather, but on such a night reception was good, every word being understood. During an hour on a cold night all tthe above stations were logged many times, and this offsets the theory that we were helped by a neighbouring valve receiver, the nearest set being situated in a house close on a quarter of a mile away. All stations were subject to fading except 8AR. At times 8LO and 2FC were audible 3ft. from the phones. The reception of 2GB wes the most difficult of all, To get this station we increased the insulation of the aerial, and waited for cold weather. A buzzer was used frequently. ‘All components were well spaced, the coit being placed on two _ porcéluin insulators, 1ft. Gin, from the panel supporting condenser and detector. Set wired with No. 16 S.W.G. timned copper, bare wire. How do these results compare with others you have on record?" The editor of the "Tistener-In" adds: The results are excellent, probably a record, Your position evidently helped | zeception. Such a performance would

be an impossibility in and around the suburbs, as interference from the local transmission would occur.’’ The distance spanned to bring in 40G, Hrisbane, was 890 miles over land all the way. 5CL, Adelaide was 525 miles away, and reception was also over land throughout. Sydney was 425 miles distant.