Evening star., 1924-07-29
RADIO SET SALES
BEST ON RECORD
Quality of Production Also
Much Improved-Heavy
Demand by Campers.
BY j. G. ROYLE.
special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispa tch to The Star.
NEW YORK, July 2s-The radio
equipment manufacturers are now in
the midst of what is expected to be
the best year in the brief history
of the industry. More sets have been
sold in the last months than in any
rect effect on producers Of non-fer-
rous metals and manufacturers of
wire and other materials.
Manufacturers of receiving equip
ment declare the increase in sales
has been especially marked in the
more expensive sets They account
for this by the awakened interest
OF those who had previously deter
mined to allow others to do the ex-
perimenting before they invested in
expensive equipment. the desire of
those who had become fans" to OBJ
tain better results, and to the grow
ing belief that developments in radio
science will not involve marked
which might render present sets out
of date.
High Quality Production.
The latter conclusion has been re-
assuring both to manufacturers and
the public. The former now are en-
gagged in many instances on quantity
production. which would be thrown
out of gear by frequent changes in
models, with consequent increase in
production costs. The majority of the
makers seem to feel that, for the
present, at least, changes will be of
minor character not involving radical
alterations in design.
An executive>of one of the largest
radio manufacturing companies point
ed out today that since 1918 only two
ri
vented, the basic principles of both
of which were well known before the
advent Of popular broadcastlnS. The
two radio inventions he referred 10
were the super-regeneratiVe system
and the neutrodyne, the one based on
the phenomenon of regeneration and
the latter removing difficulties to ap-
plication of radio frequency amplih-
cation through elimination OF raola-
ton and sQueals.
Very Few New Systems.
"AnaIysis shows" the manufacturer
concluded, that in the last six years
only three new systems nave peen
evolved: the super-hetrodyne In 1913:
the super-re generative IN ls22. anu
the neutrodyne in 1923. No radical
invention is in sight. There will be
some improvements on the existing
systems occasionally, but 1t is always
some considerable time before these
improvements can be placed before
the public, owing to limitations I'M.
posed by manufacturing conditions"
Experimenters in Pittsburgh are
devoting considerable attention to
perfecting contrivanceS for using cur
rent direct from house lighting sys-
TENS for both filament and plate bat
teries The perfection of such syS-
TEN, it is believed. will do much to
popularize sets using the large num-
Der of tubes.
Experts employed by Pittsburgh
radio manufacturers are OF the opln-
ion that the principal changes In
broadcasting will be move toward
linking stations, an increase in power
for local stations and tendency to-
ward master programs" by which
small stations will broadcast pro-
grams of the larger stations Offering
more varied programs.
Pittsburgh Holds Set Record.
Station WCAE at Pittsburgh is al
ready radiocaSting the program OF
WEAF of New York one night week,
and experts say radio fans may expect
seven large stations in various cities,
each furnishing one super-program once
a week which will be broadcast by the
other six linked to the first overland
wires.
Pittsburgh has been givenscredit for
having more radio sets per capita than
any other city, and as a result the at
mosphere at times is filled with meo-
ley of squeals. A general move has
been begun to eliminate this nuisance.
The volume of inquiries as to methods
for preventing this annoyance indi-
Gates the campaign is having consid-
erable effect.
The usual Summer slump in radio
equipment sales has not made its ap-
pearance in spite Of the warm wealth
er. Sales totals have been built up by
the large number Of camping sets
bought and the thousands Of parts or
dered by fans who are buildings their
own.