The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-10-26

college, started little radio plant in rooms over dopghnut factory in Cam bridge, Mass. The rent for their en- tire factory was SIS a month. New these young transformer engineers and their products and slogan are na- tionaIly known and their business ex- ceeds a million dollars a year.
 One of the most important aspects of the development of the past few years has been the elimination of losses in energy in radio Apparatus. In the pio- neer days, apparatus permitted as many losses of current as a leaky hose does leakage of water. Perhaps the largest single factor in making possible. the present-day efficiency of radio receiving sets has been the lessening of these losses due to leakage, resistance, and dielectric absorption. Hand in hand with progress in obtaining amplitiea- ticn without distortion, has gone the minimizing of losses through the con- srruction of low-loss apparatus.
 Quality Apparatus
 In the days before broadcasting be- came general; and quality apparatus was generally obtainable, people dld not realize how big a part high losses
  played in reception, and the poor re- sults due to the waisting of energy from ihe station were often blamed on the weather or something of that sort. Few ] fans even had tubes for set (that was the golden age of the crystal set) be- cause generally the cost was beyond their pocketboOks, and they were also very hard to get. Today no one thinks anything of having three or four tubes in his set, but a dozen years ago, one tube would cost more than the four tubes he now has, Furthermore If a fan burned out or broke tube, he couId not walk in to a radio store (there weren't any such animals) and buy another. It was necessary to sen'l the burned tube or the broken pieces 10 manufacturer for replacement. And the cost was high. The Old-time ian did not dream that some day radlo stores would be as plentiful as the old corner saloon.
 Aside from the development of the circuit itself, nothing has contributed more to radio as we now know 1t, than the elimination of losses of electrical energy in the various parts that go to make a set. There are certain ear marks of low-loss cOndensers which are convincing and clear. First they have covers to exclude dust and moisture. Second, the plates are brass, soldered to- gether, and silver plated to prevent building up high resistance, which otherwise results through Oxidization. Metal ends, with hard rubber insula- tion separates them. reduce leakage to a minimum. Pig tail connections fur ther help in reducing losses.
 "Practice makes perfect" In no field of human endeavor and accom- plishment is this more true than in radio. Present-day receiving apparatus is due not only to the progress made 0y engineers and manufacturers, but by the eager, keen-minded amateurs of a few years ago. When the history of radio is written it will not be alone the his tory of inventors and engineers, but of the amateurs and ''bugs" whose con stant experimentation, zeal in building and rebuilding their sets, and the chance discoveries they made, gave tre- nendous impetus to the improvements of the new art.
 They have helped turn "the good old days" into better new days.