Europe Lags

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 49, 29 June 1928, Page 2

Europe Lags

BEHIND U.S.A. RADIO -_--. A CONTINENTAL LUXURY N a recent interview with Alfre Marchey, president of Temrle, Ine., Chicaguo, some very interesting conditions about the radio situation in the European countries were broug’':. to light. The facts that are presented are all the more important, because 1n the three months that Mr Marchey Just spent in Europe, his investigations were made, not in the superfici:l way in which the average manufacturer sees conditions there, but as a former European knowing European eonditions not only on the surface, but beneath, Myr Marchey’s remarks come from below the surface, and can be taken as picturing true conditions, h> haying actually lived within the sphere where his remarks have their basis. Europe is still four years bebind America in radio. In other words, -f we go back four years and think of the American receivers with many ¢ntrols and do-dads, to the era of the dial twister, then we have a picture of tue average set in operation in the European countries to-day. Those employ ing valves form only about 30 per cent. of the receivers in operation, 70 per eent being crystal sets with an average range of about twenty-five miles. (COMPARING the number of receivers in Europe, crystal sets and yalve sets, with the sets in the United States, numbers are about equal. Leaying Russia out of the picture, the population of Europe is 350,000,000. ‘This brings about a per capita ratio of three and one-half sets in the United States against one in Europe. The countries with the greatest number of receivers are England, Holland, Denmark, and Sweden, and the countries of less radio activity are France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Austria. Radio a Mystery. TPHERE seems to be a popular misconception in the United States that many European nations, particularly Germany, are countries of mechanics, where radio is not only thoroughly understood, but where conditions in the United States are closely approached. This is wrong. In Germany, for instance, radio is a mystery. The principles are not generally understood, nor is any attempt made by the owner of receiving apparatus to correct any difficulties with the set himself, nor does he ever attempt to service it. If anything is wrong, the set is taken to the store from which it was purchased. This igs carried so far that even when batteries need recharging this same procedure is gone through with. Why this condition should be so different from conditions in the United States is probably because the American has learned to help himself, while the European has grown to depend upon specialists, each in his respective line. In America a man will repair his own motor-car if minor difficulties develop, he will paint his own front fence, he may even paper the diningroom if he has the time-but these things are not only unheard of in Europe, they are never even thought of, In Burope, not only is radio a mystery, but the man who drives his own car is

an exception-chanuffeuring is a profession. With this as a background, it is easy to realise why European radio conditions are as Mr. Marchevy found them. In Europe there are three principal classes. The rich, the middle class, and the poor-a class distinction that America does not readily understand. The first class considers radio a luxury, the middle class hardly considers it at all, and the third class is entirely out of the picture. Radio in the United States, like the automobile, in its beginning was a luxury, then a pleasure, now a convenience, and like the automobile to-day, soon a _ necessity. Americans depend on it now for weather reports, market reports, news items, first aid calls and many other things. For the farmer, radio in America to-day is already a necessity. In Europe it is still a luxury, and it was but rarely in his travels that Mr. Marchey saw any kind of an aerial from the window of the train. » Use Mechanical Reproduction. . ABoUr the broadcasting situation, stations are located in the principal centres, and the chain idea also is used, but not as in our case to transmit exceptional programmes to all sections of the country, but rather to save expense on the talent. Talking machine record broadcasts are much in evidence, as are also talks along educational lines. Moscow has the best broadcasting station in Europe, Its concert orchestra broadeasts are far famed. As a matter of fact this station is looked upon in the same way that station KFI, Los Angeles, California, is thought of from eastern and middle sections of the United States. In other words, if the receiver will bring in Moscow it surely is a real receiver. From the standpoint of the sets that are in use Europe is about four years behind the United States. That does not mean that inside of four years conditions there will closely approach the conditions in America to-day, because progress in Europe is much slower than it is in the United States. If it will take the United States five years to approach the saturation point in radio in America, it will take twenty years in Europe. The valve sets are nearly all regenerative circuits-sometimes trick circuits, The popular radio-fre-quency receivers of the United States are seldom found, Because of the broadest range of from 400 to 2000 metres sets must be made with interchangeable coils. Receivers, therefore, are sold without valves and without coils, the latter two items being extra equipment. Germany, in particular, contains TINUE YA. SjoS AOI} AoyY}VI suros stage valves. One particular set takes eare of two stages of radio-frequency by the first valve, detection and the entire audio system, which consists of a two-stage resistance coupled amplifier, is all contained in the second valve, and this is not a very large tube, either. It is about the size of a 280 valve, [The above type of set is on the market in New Zealand. ] A. C. Not Used. ‘\OMPLETE A. C, operation of receivers in Europe is a thing that is in the very dim and distant future, mainly because there is nothing that approaches a standardisation of available current. We are liable to find 110, 220, and probably a half-dozen other voltages used to a considerable extent in any one country on the Continent. As a result of this condition all electrical apparatus is comparatively high in cost. This will prove a considerable handicap to the ultimate A, C. operated receiver in England and on the European Continent. From the standpoint of the sale of

radio equipment in Europe conditions are very much like they are in the ‘United States, and in the sale programme the jobber and dealers are to be found. ‘The discounts granted by the manufacturer to the jobber vary, and may be anywhere from 40 per cent, to 50 per cent. and 10 per cent. off the list price. However, these discounts are never allowed on small orders as they are in the United States, A jobber, in order to be entitled to them, must take practically his entire: season’s allotment, or at least enter into & noneancelable contract for same, The dealer will buy radio equipment from his jobber anywhere from 25 to 83 per cent, off the list price. No standard discounts prevail. As a general thing stores handling radio sets and accessories are exclusively radio stores. Radio is not to be found in department stores, furniture houses, or music stores as in the United States (and New Zealand),