Value of a Good Earth

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 51, 6 July 1928, Page 16

Value of a Good Earth

GREAT IMPROVEMENT EFFECTED IN RECEPTION USEFUL HINTS RECORDED BY LISTENERS N our issue of March 30 lost we described the phenomenal results secured by an American youth through establishing a "super" eprth in the form of twelve pipes sunk in the ground and the ground kept moist by means of a leaky radiator placed adjacent. Later, in May 18 issue, we offered a half-guinen for the best record of good results secured through adaptation of Mr. Pierce’s earth, or any other specially good earthing device thet had effected particularly marked improvement in reception. This competition has brought in a number of interesting letters viving the experiences of those who haye improved their earths on the lead given by Mr. Pierce. The competition has served to demonstrate the yery important part that 3a really good earth plays in securing Zood reception, particularly good long-distance reception. . "THe prize is awarded to Mr. Speneer R. Ellis, Okato, Taranaki, for his record of improved results on Mr. Pierce’s system, but a further award is made to My. W. W. Markland, Normandale, Lower Hutt. for his account of the errth found most satisfactory in a articularly dry spot, ‘

The Prize-wiuner, I AM writing this letter in reference to Mr. Pierce’s earth." Well, the earth system is just great. I have instulted it for the last two months, and the improvement is beyond anybody to believe: with selectivity it improves it wonderfully. 3efore I adopied this earth and had just .one pipe into the ground, reeeption was as usual. Then I saw Mr. Pierve's story on March 380, so I thought I would try this earth, so I put one pipe a week into the ground and found it increased selectivity wonderfully. Before I adopted this earth ZI could only get 2&C’s carrier wave at tnidday, and now I ean bring them in on ’phones quite clearly. I could not get an American station till I adopted this earth, and now they come marching in one after the other when conditions are good. he list of stations before I adupied "Mr. Pierce’s earth is as follows :-TIY. "OY, sYA, 4VA, 2ZF, 2BL, 2EC, 26GB, QUE, 2UW, 3LO, 8AR, SCL, TZ, -4QG. With Mr. Pieree’s earth the list is ax follows:-2AQ, 38ZC, TZU, 1ZQ, 2QKY, 3UZ, 3DB. 5DN, 2BE, 4ZB, 42M. American: KFON, KDKA, KCO, WCY, KS, KOMO, 9XF. Japan: JOAK, SOBK, t!, R. Larson; 21 pieces earth, I can log 2FC any afternoon, 4.36 our time, offering up their afternoon session (3 p.m.}, on speaker, Also bring in 3YA on speaker any afternoon gud 4¥A on ’phones. ’ T added a benzine tin to the earth the other day, and found a big improve- _ ment in it, The down-pipe off the roof runs into the trench. I believe in pleniy of water. The aerial I have got 4x 140 to set, and 160ft. high, and tinned copper aerial wire with two poreelain insulators each end. The set

XK use is a 5-valve-

Spencer R.

Ellis

Okato Taranaki:

An Alternative Harth. Here is the description of a simple earthing device that is superior to anything I have yet tried, and you will notice that my experience has been different to that of Mr. Pierce. My previous earth was four two-inch steel tubes, six feet long, buried in 4 trench, which gave plenty of volume from 2YA when kept wet. ' ZL live on the top of a hill, and areuni ‘ the house is only a few inches of ¢cliy soil, and then rock, which dries out in ’ suminer, and makes any earthing ays tem inefficient. My set is a universal home-made set oF three valves and erystal, which can be used as a crystal set; a crystal set and one valve for local reception; also a two or three-valve set for long and short waves. To find the best earth for universal reception was the object of experiment. ond the result is as follows:-A length of half-inch (#in.) galvanised- water pipe, three feet long, was welded to a point at one end, then five quarter-inch (fin.) holes were drilled about two finches (2in.) apart and spaced around the pipe at right angles. The pipe was then driven into the rock with a maul until the top was nearly level with the ground, and the earth wire was fastened on with a brass clip. The pipe was then filled with bluestone (sulphate of copper), which was also sprinkled on the ground around the pipe, and boiling water was poured down and around the pipe. The boiling water will dissolve the sulphate of copper, and the action of electrolysis will deposit the copper on the ground around the pipe. This earth has only been in use a short time and improves with age. Up to now it has given greater clarity and volume in distance work, and the only disadvantage so far noticed was a slight decrease in volume from the locil station, but even this improves as time goes on. Short wave signals are sharper and clearer, also minor broadcast stations in Australia can now be heard on two valves, while under favourable comlitions LYA and 3YA are received on two valvgs on loudspeaker. In my experience bigger earths give larger volume ani wider tuning from local station, owing to increased capacity, but for clarity, distance, and short wave the earth should be kept small enouga to provide only sufficient contact with earth; this contact is provided for with sulphate of copper dissolyed in boiling water, percolating through the holes in the bottom end of the pipe, and being deposited on the surrounding ground by the action of electrolysis produced by the electrical oscillations from the aerial. The pipe could be ‘made longer for yoft ground, and should

‘be plaeed as elose as‘ possible to the set.-W. W. Murkland, Normandale, Lower’ Tutt, Improved €rystal Reception. Iz might interest readers to know how Mr. Pierce's earth affects crystal ‘reception. I am 27 miles from the local station, 1YA,. The ticking of the studio clock can be heard with a good click, from the time it is switched on until it is switched off. Also the hiss of the spring unwinding after the trigger has released it, just before the chimes. At times I hear the hum of the generator. The announcer's voice rings in the microphone. When speakers are before the microphone their breathing and the smacking of their lips can be heard. I have heard 1YA six feet from the ’phones. These results can be obtuined with three sets of ‘phones. No ainplifier is used. Just the ordinary crystal and ecat’s whisker. Distance with a erystal is not reliivle. For 2. month I haye been able to get 2Y¥.A at + pan, and fair strength from 4.30 until 5 p.m.; 3YA from 6 p.m., 2rC from about 7.10 p.m, From 2BY. I have heard the Sydney P.O. clock chime and strike, but the bell sounded erucked. The clock. at 2G comes through with a good ring. 83AR, Melbourne, comes here at quite good) strength, but 2L0 is very wexk; 406! I get quite loud at times. I have heard three other stations, but too weak to get the announcement. *Q, Laihape, is another station I have had at fair strength. 2"C comes through very loud at times, One night they were relaying a band in the open, and between the items I could hear the onlookers chatting to one another, quiing out, and whist.ing. ‘The whispering stunts put om in the 2¢C studio cvomdd be heard quite clearly, and every \ .d understvod. One Monday night I heard the whole programme from 2Y¥A. From the time the clock was switched on at 8 p.m. until closing down, the only time the rush of the output could not be heard was for ten minutes from 9.20 to 9.30 pm. ‘The hum of the generator could be heard for a while. The "earth" I amusing is a tengallon copper tank buried into the ground; also six pipes driven into the : cund. I took all the wires up to the set und tried them ont, and the results" were convincing. I keep the tank full. of water, Small holes are in sides and hottem. The aerial has 552 feet of Wire... The flat tep is 154fr. long and Guft, high one end and 45ft. the other. I was using a T aerial, Then added other leads until now I am using six leads-in,. spaced 12ft, apart, on the overhead wire. I have tried all directions. The best results were obtained by running the flat top E.N.E. to W.S.W. right across the local station. The lead-ins are No. 24 enamel wir and run towards the station. : The additional leads did not alter the tuning of the coil for 1YA and other station near the same wave-length, but made a little difference to 2YA and 21°C, ete, The tuning, instead of being broader, is very sharp, One turn of the coil makes a big difference. If 2YA or 2FC is coming through at: any strength, they cut 1YA clean out. While 1YA is on the air I have heard what was being said at 2BL, which is only two turns more on the coil, also tapped into 3YA, which is two turns less than 1YA, and heard what was going on there. The coil is the last thing in low loss, space wound coils. No. 20.D.0.C., wound not too tight on a 42in, former. Then a silk thread is passed under each turn and tied, leaving the desired space between the turns. When that is done on four sides of the coil the wire is slipped from the former, and stretched, being held each end by the four threads, The coil keeps its shape and can be placed at any

; augle, Iuvery turn is tapped.

L. J.

Foster

Rama Rama,

An Auckland Experience, PLE following is my brief experience in regard to Mr. Pierce’s earthing system. I am only the owner of a simple erystal set, with an serial about T5ft. long and .25ft. high, and had the ordinary water-pipe earth. With three sets of phones working from one receiver, the reception was at moderate strength. After reading the article in "Radio Record," «and not belng in a position to obtain the twelve pipes and radiator, I decided to try the next hest available. I sunk only three pipes in the ground, clamped a lead to each, and joined them to the remaining wire going to the set, the fotal length of wire. being about 8ft. I filled the pipes with

water and goaked the ground round them. The result was to more than double the volume, and with one pair of ‘phones only connected, hanging on the wall, music can be distinctly heard on the other side of the room, a distance of about six yards, On Monday (1YA silent, yiight) I got the local station, 1ZB, at comfortable "phone strength. I had previously been unable to get this, During the course of one item, a cornet solo, "The Better Land," I moved my _ tuner, which is a variometer, and picked up the faint strains of an orchestra which was playing something entirely different. Imagine my surprise at the eonclusion of the item when I heard the announcer say "Station 2YA, Wellington," in fact, I tuned back to 1ZB to make sure I wasn’t being deceived. This happened about 9 p.m., so I returned to Wellington and had _ the pleasure of hearing direct the new orchestra at 2YA until close down.-

E.

Wratten

Auckland.

Unsuccessful Exnerience. I WAS very interested in your urticle in the "Record" of "May 18, "What Difference Does a Good Earth. Make?’ Well, I made an earth as per diagram. and my results will not win the prize. My original earth is a piece of 2-inch galyanised pipe driven 5 feet in the ground, with a 2ft. Gin. drain pipe round it, on top, filled with rocksalt, and always kept wet. The new earth T drove nine one-inch pipes 3ft. Gin. in the ground, 5ft. 6in. away from the terminal point. I soldered nine wires (copper) together and fastened to an insulator right at my earth lead-in, then all the wires weye soldered on to the respective pipes. The ground lead-in was soldered on to the terminal point of the nine wires, and the original earth wire left off. The set was tuned-in with the new gadgets only, and given a good go, but results were very disappointing. The reception was not as good as with the old earth. I then soldered the old earth back, and ase on to the terminal point of the new one, giving in all ten pipes. I got the same result with all connected together as I used to get with the originai. It made no difference to tuning-in any wily. My set is a six-valye and reception with same is O.K., getting 1YA, 2YA, and 38YA in the daytime any old time. 1YA not very stron’ some davs.-

K.E.

P.

Murehison.

A Fan of Wires. [" reply to your inquiry concerning the type of earth, similar to Mr. Pierce’s, used by listeners and the results obtained therefrom, I should like to describe the system I have adopted. Five wires each 40 feet long, buried at a distance of 1ft, in the ground, stretch in the form of 2a fan from one point, where all are soldered and a lead taken inte the set. After having tried at least fifteen diferent types, I have finally deG.7ed on this one, due to its selectivity © 1 the increased volume obtained from it. I have found that as leads are disconnected from the common joint reception falls off considerably, and, although not so noticeable on 2YA, there is a very marked difference on the distant stations. My log to date on my one-valve set may help prove what I have said:1¥A, 2YA, SYA, 4YA, IZB, 1ZQ, 22, 38ZC, 3LO, 3A, 3UZ, 2FC, 2BL, 2GB, 20H, 2KY, 2UW, 40G, TZL, 50L, SKA, JOAK, JOBK, JOCK, JOHK (N.B.-The call ‘Signs of the above stations have been heard, while the following stations have been identitied by their ware-lengths and dial readings relative to the logged stations), KFON, KEX, WBBM. BY, 3DB, 5DN, JOIK, JOGK, JOFK, 2ZM (Gisborne?) ; while several Morse, ‘including the Government Morse station and 2BI. My aerial is 40ft. high and 110ft. long. In conclusion I would, as one who has read a good many handbooks, etc., like to congratulate yourself and technical associates upon compiling such an instructive, comprehensive, and compact guide ("N.Z, Listeners’

| Guide’’)

C. W.

Morrison

, Seatoun,

39 Stations On One Valve, ~- — Wit reference to your competition for the best earth, I received the following stations on a one valve homemade receiver ,and the exceptional results which I have obtained I attribute | to the Pierce system which I am using. New Zealand: IYA, 1ZQ, 2AQ, 2ZF, 2215 (Wanganui heard last night for first time), 2YA, 3YA, 8ZC, 4¥A, 4ZB, AP, Australia: 2FC, 2BL, 2GB, 2U5, 2KY, 2UW, 2BE, 8L0O,, 8AR, 8UZ, 3DB, 40G, 50L, SDN, 5KA, 72.1 Japan: JOAK, JOBK, JOCK, JOGK, JOHK, JOIK. Philippine Islands: KZRM. America: OXF, KFON, KFI, KPO, KNX.---Total, 39. All the above stations have been distinctly heard on a one valve receiver.H, A. Sissons (Miramar).