Evening star., 1924-09-12
Don't Worry About Fading.

The term fading" as used in radio.
has absolutely no relation to the
term as employed in the gentle in
door pastime of african GOLF
Many fans, especially as good
weather for distance reception draws
nigh, will experience an effect. in
listening to distant stations. which
can be likened only to the childhood
game of hide -and-seek, now-you-see-
me-and- now
Fading Is a phenomenon which has
long been known to exist by men who
have had any experience whatever
with radio. During the past year
many fans were troubled by the fact
that in receiving a station located at
some distance from the receiving out
fit they could not seem to make the
receiver behave. One moment the
station would come in with a bang
SO loudly and clearly. in fact. that it
would be mistaken for a local sta
tion. and the next second the stem
torian voice which only moment
ago was making the walls tremble
would die away to husky whisper
that was just barely audible and in
some cases die away altogether, only
to come back again just as strongly
as ever.
Now, it is possible to get a similar
effect, due to the faulty aerial system,
in which the aerial span and lead in
are SO loose that they touch some part
of the building as they swing to and
fro, but in the majority of cases such
an effect is due to a cause over which
neither the broadcaster nor the re-
ceiver has any control.
Fading n Mystery.
The effect is known as fading"
The cause is-well, to be frank with
you, neither | nor anybody else knows
what the cause it. although many
red-hot theories have been advanced
to explain II.
The funny part of it is that the ef-
feet occurs only in certain sections.
] n New York City. fer instance. WGY
in Schenectady shows this charac-
teristic to a very marked extent.
Fading is very seldom encountered
in receiving from local or nearby sta
tions.
According 10 Government experts
who have made tests on the subject.
fading is usually observed over dis
tances Of from 10 to 20 per cent of
the normal transmitting range of the
station. 1t is especially noticeable
on short wave lengths, the longer
wavelength channels being COM
Such effects usually make their ap-
pearance at nighttime and on trans
mission over land
Such variations may be of few
seconds duration, or they may be
noticed over much longer periods
one of the expla anations of this phe- :
nomenon. aimed TO show why FADING
phenomena is more noticeable during
the nighttime than it is during the
daytime. is that which points to the
heaviside layer as the solution to the
problem.
4 Fading Theory.
The theory advanced is that during
the daytime the electrified particles :
in the atmosphere which combine to
form the heaviside layer. which, by
nlain the transmission of radio waves.
are scattered by the sun. so that
there is practically no rejecting sur
face for the radio waves. AT night
time the scattered particles arc sup
posed to recombine TO form the layer
or rejecting surface. 1t is the varia =
tion in the condition OF this layer or
rejecting surface which causes the
variation in intensity of the signals.
This is not a proven fact. but d
theory, and as such YOU are welcome
to accept II or reject it.
But whatever YOU do. don't blame
fading on your set or the transmit :
ting station, unless YOU have in