Screen Grid Radio

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 21, 6 December 1929, Page 4

Screen Grid Radio

Favoured by Many T raders SHORT time ago we published an, account from an American publication concerning the application of the screen grid to a well-known make of receiver, This paragraph has created a great deal of interest as the following communication from members of the radio trade indicate, © The N.Z. manager of Amalgamated Wireless, Mr. G. Robertson, writes :- Referring to the paragraph on screen grid radio in your issue of the 22nd

aaa Ge ap i TD instant, we would like to give our os perience with the screen gird valve and sereen grid circuit. During the comparatively short space of time that receivers embodying the screen grid valves, have been on the market in New Zealand, our turnover has been exceptionally high and our customers without exception are, delighted with the results achieved, Trouble with screen grid receivers has been practically non-existent. It is common knowledge that A.C. valves are now as consistent in their operation as any of the battery types. Our records show that although the percentage of fuulty A.C. valves is. abnormally low, the UY-224 screen grid is the least troublesome of all. Our dealers have been unanimous in their praise of our screen grid receivey's and of the performance of the screewggrid valve. ° In view of the fact that other dealers handling screen grid receivers have had exactly similar experience; we tan only suggest that the manufacturers who have had trouble with screen grid must have been experimenting with a valve less reliable than Radiotron UY22 [Ts addition to the foregoing, the New Zealand agents for the well-known Stewart-Warner Radio, Hope Gibbons Limited, advise that they have complete confidence in the new screen grid principle, and have had less’ valve trouble with this type of valve than with any other. The Stewart-Warner Corporation is turning its entire radio division over to the manufacture: of screen grid sets, This clearly indicates their favourable attitude towards screen grid, especially at a time when radio is commencing its annual winter sale. season in America. ME. ¢. W. RICKARD, of Odlins Ltd., New Zealand distributors for the Atwater Kent, has sent along a newspaper which reads: ‘Determined to tind out for themselves how good the Atwater Kent sereen-grid set was, two American distributors put a model 55 on test. The valves were selected from random from the regular stock and carefully tested. The set was then tuned fo a local station. All controls were turned on full and the set left to its fate. It was not: touched for an entire month, and when examined was. still functioning perfectly. The valves were again’ tested, 1 a all rendered a good account of ‘@hemselves. Somé tested better than when new. The screen-grid valves were best of all. ‘Five weeks-thirty-four days-eight hundred and sixteen hours of continuous operation-without a single fault showing up,’ was the comment of the dealers. A_ length of operation equivalent to eight or ten months of normal operation, not taking into account the fact that it was operating continuously, a circumstance that at least triples the strain. Here is conerete proof of a most definite sort that the model 55 Atwater Kent receiver is built to endure as well as perform." Mr. Rickard adds'that the sales from the Atwater Kent have increased enormously, and his records show that the sereén-grid receiving set represents fully 90. per cent. of the total sales. He adds that they have had less trouble with the screen-grid valve than they did with the earlier types of A.C. valves over a similar period.