Quarter Million American Cars Have Radio

Radio Record, Volume VII, Issue 18, 10 November 1933, Page 16

Quarter Million American Cars Have Radio

To the Editor. Sir,-We enclose a copy of an article which appeared in "Australian Life’ on September 1 of last year, in the hope that it may be of some interest to you in connection with the various articles which have appeared in the "Radio Record" recently dealing with radios in motor-cars. You will note that although this article was written well over a year ago, there were a quarter of a million cars in America equipped with radio, which figure is over twice the total number of cars in New Zealand to-day. -I am, ete.,

G. C.

MOSES

Radio Manager, The Dominion Motors. Limited. Auckland. ° ENCLOSURE "Motor car radio in America definitely has cleared the obstacle of prohibitory Jegislation which threatened it when it first appeared three years ago. At that time a number of motor-vehicle and traffic officials were inclined to regard it with dark forebodings. Radio in motor ears struck them as another potential distraction of the attention of drivers. Some of the more aggressive officials threatened to urge laws absolutely forbidding the use of receivers in motor cars. Nothing came of the threats, however, as time proved that the radio set offered no particular hazard; but, on the contrary, served in some instances to minimise the chance of accidents. This hag been true, in the case of those who drive late at night. Salesmen and taxi-drivers are among the loudest defenders of motor car radio, on the ground that it provides an interest which counteracts the fatigue of long hours behing the wheel. It is not this particular fact, however, which hag ‘contributed most prominently to the popularity of receivers for motor cars, "Two other achievements are tobe eredited with that, . "One of them is the technical progress made in the design of motor-car sets; the other, production advancements which have permitted a reduction in price to one half that which prevailed when radio was beginning to make its first appearance in traffic.: As to ‘the technical improvement, the :motor-car . receiver to-day gives as efficient service as the home set-better, in fact, than many located in apartments where lifts and other electrical equipment offer interference ‘with reception. That motor car manufacturers have fallen in with the idea of radio is indicated by the fact that virtually all cars above the popular price class and some of those in it come wired for the installation of a receiver. As to the others, the wiring is a very simple job and the set can be installed by a mechanie of average qualifications without the slightest lifficulty."