The Monmouth inquirer., 1925-07-16

Radio waves do not cease to travel
through space just because the first
slgns Of warm weather are at hand.
Nor do broadcasters cease their eff
forts TO entertain just because the
enticing air of the great outdoors
alters into their studio. Nor, again,
does your receiving set, which has
done SO we'll during the long and
dreary winter months, cease to obey
the command of its user with the
advent Of the outdoor season.
Radio broadcasting continues to
pursue its useful end in summer as
well as winter. And granted that
winter conditions are, in some meas
uTe, more ideally suited to radio
transmission and reception, recent
progress in radio has been SO far
reaching as to go long way toward
offsetting the original radio handi-
caps of the good old summer time.
A Condition Of The Mind
Unannounced, atmospheric electric
ity has put In an appearances some
what earlier this year than last, with
apparently NO serious effect; at least,
radio listeners have failed to register
complaints about the early arrival OF
static. This pleasing state Of affairs
would seem to indicate one of two
things-or both, for that matter:
first, ways and means have been in
troduced to reduce the heretofore an
noying effects Of the muck Of space"
ON radio broadcasting, and secondly.
the Fans Indifference to the. delights
Of summer-time radio has been large
" q condition of the mind and not
altogether the fault Of radio itself or,
again. of the ether-that intangible
medium which supplies the unlimited
paths for the radio waves.
A number of broadcasting stations
today are operating on an antenna
rating greatly In excess OF the power
used last year. The. power In many
instances. has increased ten-fold.
This implies ten-fold increase in
the signal strength at the receiving
end. The majority Of these high
power stations are located In the
outskirts of the city with which they
are individually identifled-miles
from the congested metropolitan
areas with their masses Of steel
framed buildings. In consequence
their energy may radiate to better
advantage. Today no part OF the
United States remains unserved by
one or more broadcasting stations
which, due to their proximity, may
be considered practically as locals"
as distinguished from "DX" or dis
tant stations.
~Not How Far But How Well"
In receiving from local stations dur
ing the summertime the radio listen
or has the advantage of a high signal
level as compared with the relatively
low signal level from distant sta
lions. 1t is to be expected, therefore,
that the program originating at dis
tant points during exceptionally
warm. unsettled weather. when the
atmosphere is surcharged with cleo
tricity win prove less desirable from
the standpoint of clearness and free
dom from mutilation than the local
program
It Is good rule, during the sum-
mer-time, to be satisfied with local
programs. The wintertime offers an
opportunity to test ones skill in tun-
ing In far OF stations, but once warm
weather is here, the radio enthusiast
should aim to get clean signals with
a minimum OF interference from local
stations. Not how far, but how well,
should be the summertime slogan, OF
the radio fan.
"Super-Reception" for Summer
The development of the Super
Heterodyne receiver is proving real
boom TO summertime radio. This
receiver. operating in conjunction
with loop wave-interceptor. Is re-
markably free relatively from local
static disturbances. The loop is di-
rectional, and since stray interference
originates from definite sources on
most occasions, the rotation OF the
icOp will disclose a better signal
static ratio than Is possible with the
usual form OF non-directional anten-
mn system. Furthermore. the Super
Heterodyne receiver is highly selec-
tive. incorporating series OF tuned
circuits, which +weed-out" undesired
discharges to considerable extent
Not alone In radio receivers. but In
oud-speaker design as well, have
radio engineers endeavored to meet
the demand for better summer re-
ception. The early "tinny" horn
type OF loud speaker had a tendency
10 ring under the influence Of the
whip-crack impulse of static, thus ag-
gravating the disturbances. The
trend in loud-speaker design Of late
has been towards the elimination OF
sharp tuning peaks.
The Question OF The Most Suitable
Antenna
interesting results may be OBJ
tanned with small, indoor antennae
during the summer season. In fact,
the veteran radio listener generally
makes use OF an indoor antenna dur