Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-10-25
WHITE HOUSE RAD|O'
PROBLEM IS SOLVED
Battery Trouble Bothered
Experts, Who Installed Set
for the President.
By CARL III. BUTMAN.

ABOUT 70 per cent OF the trouble
fans have with reception is due to
their power supply, according to
Comdr. Elmer Langworthy, L. S. N.
who designed and assembled set for
the White House. When called upon
to diagnose reception troubles, he
usually finds one of the following
causes: Dead or low = batteries, de-
funct G batteries and broken or loose
battery leads. Nearly every one knows
enough 70 see that their A batteries
are operating. Comdr. Langworthy be-
lieves, SO he doesn't mention that as
a difficult problem. He insists, how
ever. that too many fans regard the
filament or A batteries as their sole
source OF receiver power, and there
fore the source of all a sets possible
ills.
OF course the battery-less set is a
great boon to the unskilled fan, who
can at least screw q plug into
socket. If the plug is provided, but as
battery eliminators are fairly new and
not yet in general use, this authority
gives the fans the benefit of his ex-
periments with alkaline storage b
batteries.
White House Set Baked.
Soon after the Navy placed an
elaborate loop set in the White House
for the use of the President, 1t de-
veloped trouble. Comdr Langworthy
says the reception was bad and the
quality of reproduction most unsatis-
factory to those who installed it. So
the set was removed and tested. A
defective ''C' battery was discovered
in the amplifier. When this was re-
placed the set functioned perfectly.
1t Is nothing unusual now to pick up
over 90 stations in one evening with
he says. Head phones have never
been used on this set to assist in
tuning in stations.
Exactly the same thing happened
III my set, which is like the White
House SET" the commander pointed
out. THE only other trouble l have
experienced has come from my 3 bat
teries.'
So, with the above in mind. Comdr.
Langworthy and his assistant, James
Parker, undertook the design of a set
which would eliminate all battery
trouble and be "foolproof," require
ments which at first Stumped them,
but We're eventually accomplished,
thanks to fate. While they were pom
dering over the power question a rep
resentative of a we'll known battery
concern came in with a new type Of
signed for use as a source of plate po-
tential up to As volts. and also an A
battery unit with an alternating cur
rent battery charger which could be
plugged in on the house lighting cir
cult to charge either unit.
A receiver. amplifier and loud speak
er We're assembled, using three of the
new 3 batteries in series to supply
power for the receiver and amplifier.
The filanent current was derived from
a 5-cell alkaline battery. 1t was in
closed in an attractive mahogany cab.
met which contained noiseless
charging device.
The three b battery units were con.
cealed behind the receiving equipment
This could be done with safety, be-
cause these cells give off no objection
able or injurious fumes.
Batteries "Foolproof."
Their circuits are unique in that no
damage can be done when an irexperi-
enced person operates the equipment
or charges the batteries. Energy Is con-
served and the life of the vacuum
tubes heightened by means which au-
tomatically shut off the current when
the radio set is not in use. These bat
terieS are literally "foolproof" and very
long lived. Three additional sets 70
similar type were assembled. In these
special sets a c storage battery was
considered as essential as A and B
storage batteries.
Comdr. Langworthy strongly in
dorses the use Of a storage c battery
similar in general to this type of stor.
age b battery, one which can be
charged along with the 3 batteries
The unique features incorporated in
these sets. including the adoption of
the alkaline batteries as a source of
power, insure uninterrupted reception
and eliminate considerable trouble,
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