Evening star., 1925-07-26
SEASON Of STATIC
FINE FOR REPAIRS
Radio Fan Will Find Summer
Ideal Time for Improv-
ing Set.
BY CARL III. BUTMAN.

Now that we are in the midst of the
static season, when radio reception,
particularly distant reception, is at its
worst, it is a good time to overhaul
and improve the set. If your receiver
Is one of those ultra perfect sets,
which forms an artistic piece OF furni-
ture. you may not want to do any
thing to it.
But the writer's set is or was a
hodgepodge affair, including a two
tube receiver and a two-stage audio
amplifier. This apparatus, with its
accessories of batteries and phones on
a small table, and an adjacent phono-
graph used as a loud speaker, took up
considerable room. At best 1t was a
messy sort of layout and brought con-
slant criticism from the orderly house
wife. So one afternoon the writer.
laying aside his typewriter, took his
plyers, screwdriver and other tools in
hand and completely reassembled his
set. Now it forms a single and not
unattractive unit of the home furnish
ings.
have read and written so much
about the activities of other fans that
I am disposed, for a change, to record
my own accomplishments. with hope
that it may aid some readers to gain
a better standing in their own homes.
Found Home for Set.
Our talking machine, although a
good one, set in a mahogany case,
hasn't been used for over a year: nei-
ther has the old mahogany music cabi.
net on which it sits, except for the
storage of clippings, paper, pencils and
other junk. Taking all this stuff out,
l measured up the radio receiver case
to find it was a quarter OF an inch
wider than the inside of the cabinet.
1t had to be taken out. Removing the
top shelf and third shelves of the cabi-
net, two holes were bored In the back
for ground, aerial and loud speaker
connections. At the back Of the sec.
ond shelf the dry A and B batteries
for the receiver were installed. In
front of them the receiver on its panel
was placed and secured by four small
screws to the edges of the cabinet. BY
reversing the shelf the curved front
edge left plenty of room in the back
for the connecting wires, leads, etc.
On the fourth shelf from the top the
amplifier unit was installed in a SINH.
lar manner, except that, as it's case
was smaller, it did not have to be re-
moved. This unit was connected with
its batteries, all located on the rear of
the shelf out of sight.
l used different colored wires to
future trouble. For example, the A
batteries are connected by red wires,
the BIS by blue and the input wires
from the receiver to the amplifier are
white. The ground, running to an
adjacent radiator, is a piece of slate
covered wire. while the aerial connec-
ton is heavily insulated wire. 1t
made for use under a window sash.
incidentally, the window is close by
and scarcely any wiring is visible.
Set Out of Sight.
From the amplifer the cord to the
loud-speaking attachment runs out
one Of the holes in the back of the
cabinet to the phonograph above The
whole outfit is fairly decent looking.
When closed it is nothing but phono-
graph sitting on a cabinet, yet the
radio outfit ready for instant use is
inside. It is out of the way, and
clean. No more broken wires or dis
connections due to busting or moving
are anticipated. To operate, open the
cabinet door and tune in. Open the
doors to the phonograph sound box
when you get a station. BY discon-
Meeting the leads of the loud speaker
and connecting in a pair of phones,
kept in the cabinet drawer, one can
operate without disturbing the rest
of the family.
Fortunately, didn't injure the cab
met and, of course, the phonograph
can still be used-the oud-speaking
attachment is disconnected and the
reproducing diaphram of the phono.
graph attached in about three seconds.
Some fans, who have anything suit.
able, should try combining your ap-
paratus, if for no other reason than
to see what a hit it will make with
the family to get unsightly, un-
matched apparatus, vari-colcred bat
teries, etc, in one place and out of
sight.
One of my friends installed his
equipment on a shelf of a sectional
bookcase, which is equally neat and
keeps his set clean; his loud speaker
stands on the top shelf. others, more
skilled in cabinet making than I, have
built cabinets or fitted their apparatus
and accessories into standard cabinets.
All methods tend to improve the liv.
ing room, release tables and other
pieces of furniture for other uses and
make for happiness in the home. A
ne1ghbor, who uses wet batteries
bored hole in his porch floor and ran
wires below to shelf where he keeps
his batteries without endangering his
furniture, carpet or floor.
While working on my set I elevated
and tightened my aerial and tested