Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1922-12-13
THINGS THE RADIO
NOVICE WILL NEED
Tools and Materials He Should
Keep on Observation-Disclosures
of Keeping a Log Book.

the theory of radio receivers and get
down TO practical things for today.
There are many nOvices building their
own sets, or making additional parts,
who are in doubt as TO just what tools
and materials they will neeu.
Naturally there are tools and tools.
Some cost more than others. Then,
there are people and people. Some
people need more tools than others.
Some folks are just naturally handy
with tools. and others ind that tools
won't behave and lead the user into
all sorts OF complications.
The tools and materials following
are such as are necessary, and which
viii be useful az all times. No prices
are given for the buyer viii have TO
look to his pocketbook for guidance
In this respect.
Tools that VIII come In handy;
large, medium and small screwdriyers;
fiat. three-cornered and round file;
hack saw, inter saw and box and
cross-cut saw; a small plane, a wise, a
bit and auger. pliers, a square and
yardstick or tape rule, dividers and
hammer, preferably a small one.
Materials that viii be convenient to
have on hand are as follows: Sand
paper, emery paper. wire Of all gauges,
round and flat-headed screws, a sup
ply Of brass nuts and washers, paraf-
fine and sealing wax, bakellte, card
board and fiber board, tinfOil, pOr-
celain insulators. binding posts and
terminals, sheet copper and sheet
brass and adhesive tape.
Tape is possibly the most useful ar
ticle In the whole layout, for II win
be found to have many uses. Ii Is in
short a versatile piece OF material In
the electricians kit.
Those of our readers who are build
ing sets may find that II is good pol
icy to keep all the odds and ends OF
wire, tape, copper, ETC., that they may
have. II seems that uses for these
short bits ore always TO be found just
when IL is discovered that they have
been thrown away. So, therefore,
hoard all small pieces.
one thing we want TO stress I'm build
Ing radio apparatus: Use care in your
work, and put a good finish on your
sets Not only does II greatly add to
the appearance OF the set, but II also
eliminates odd corners and stray ends
OF wire that catch dust or catch on
surrounding objects and will hamper
the efficiency of the set, either by
shorting the circuit or causing II to
be dragged Off a pedestal and thrown
on the floor. Those who have vacuum
tube sets know that usually a fall
means some new tubes.
To those radio novices who desire
to go skipping blIthely through the
ether, picking out station here and
a station there. as fancy directs them.
we recommend a log book. Just any
sort Of book will do, or rather any
book will do In which one can jot
down records Of the evenings broad
casting.
The reason for the log book is that
II prevents a lot OF unnecessary fuss
Ing with the dlals when a certain sta
ton is desired. Say for instance,
KDKA was going nicely, but that
there was a certain concert going on
I'm New York at WIZ or WGY, or
maybe WGI up In Boston. Let US
make the problem even harder and say
that there were two addresses in one
evening. both especially good, and one
Of the addresses In New York was
scheduled to start two minutes after
the one in Pittsburgh was over. AS
soon as the one address Is over. the
enthusiast starts playing with his dials
10 catch New York. Sometimes II
takes two minutes and sometimes IL
takes a great deal more time to catch
the desired signal. and more often
than not, the lecture Is half over be
fore IL is tuned in correctly.
To assist the enthusiast to tune In
quickly on any desired station is the
mission OF the log book. In this book
should be entered the necessary data
about all stations that have been
picked up. Here should be noted
down the exact position of the dials
where the station was tuned in the
best and other pertinent remarks. All
these remarks should be entered, of
course. the first time a new broadcast
Ing station is picked up. With the In
formation before him. the enthusiast
needs but a glance at his book to tell
him how he set his dials the last time
he heard wBZ.
The oft heard remark TO the effect
that RNU was heard last night but
cannot be heard tonight, should be a
thing Of the past II a log book is
about. that is. providing ones set has
range enough for the distance.
No directions are set down here for
making a log book as 1t is thought
that each one Of the radio folk will
have his own Ideas on the subject.
However, space should be left to in
scribe even the minutest data about
signal receptign.