A Remarkable Claim

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 42, 2 May 1930, Page 32

A Remarkable Claim

A New Circuit, dy" HAVE discovered a means for elitninating both valves and‘ crystals and batteries from radio sets (writes R. Cochrane, Ohakune).. This ‘device, when tuned with a condenser and 50-turn-coil, has enough energy to work a speaker on 2BL, Sydney. The volume is like that from an electric gramophone. When it is working and the speaker is uncoupled sparks jump from the speaker wire to the device. It seems that I have tapped the atmosphere. At first I thought it was a freak performance, but a week’s trial: has convinced me that the discovery is a permanent one. I have had all the New Zealand and Australian ay my coil and condenser will tune(;’ Mihe daylight does not-make much ‘aiiference to my device. I will not disclose the construction of the apparatus beeause I am taking out a world’s patent on same, but will state that it is 2ft. square, and has no moving parts. Another inexplicable phenomenon that I cannot discover a reason for is this. When one tunes a crystal set to a station it does not squeal. But with my device, when a station is located, one heares a purring noise similar to that made by a motor-cycle.. This’ disappears when the condenser is altered. I had a torch where I was experimenting, and I flashed the rays from it on the device and could hear clicks in the speaker. At first I thought the device was picking up wave'of spark from torch battery, so I rigged up a candle and allowed its rays to fall on. the device. I could still hear clicks i the speaker. There seems eo be a-tot of power. coming from somewhere, and I am afraid to put my telephones on device. I think that it is a high-frequency detector . and amplifier, but even then it must be amplifying enormously. I overhauled my aerial and earth, and everything was O.K. I ran two wires from my workshop, where I experiment, to my bedroom, and had the device going on Wellington. When this station closed down I went on to the Aussies. There is no need to switch device off because it costs nothing to run. The only way to prevent it working when it is tuned to a station is to take the aerial off. I tried it with two earths, but it would not work, so it seems that the device must have an aerial to work. My aerial is 26 feet high and sixty feet long, including the lead-in. I intend te rig up some shortWave coils, and see how the deview works on high frequency. It is very clear, and for all the time I have ‘tis-tened-in I have never heard static on it-not even on the Australian stations.