Evening star., 1925-08-04
FIFTEEN MINUTES OF
RADIO EACH DAY
BY JOSEPH CALCATERRA.
al Rights Reserved. Repro. Prohibited
THE ACCESSORIES YOU WILL
NEED WITH YOUR SET. PART /.

Whether you are buying a car or
a radio set, it is we'll to consider and
know something about the accessories
you will need to operate the set after
you have bought the essential mech
anism.
Many dealers and manufacturers
make a practice of quoting the price
on the bare set without accessories.
This need not be considered bad busi-
ness practice because the range Of ac-
cessories in matter Of number and
price makes it impossible to specify
what these additional items will cost.
Some accessories, too, are absolutely
necessary, while others are not, and
then again, accessories to perform
the same task vary considerably in
price. In buying them you will have
to consult your tastes, requirements
and poCketbook.
Needs for Radio.
The first thing you will need to
operate your set are tubes. The cost
in this case will depend on the num-
Der and the locality in which you buy
your goods. You should figure about
SO per tube.
The next item is the "A" battery.
The type and cost depends on the
tubes you are using and the size of
battery you will need. Any dealer
types. If you have lighting current
in your home it will pay you to get a
storage battery and recharge it by
means of a charger. While the first
cost is greater the upkeep cost is
much less.
If all you need is one 11h-volt dry
cell, as is the case when using a WD-
IL, VIDE or C12 tube. the cost will
be only 35 cents. For UV199 and
{r,hn H.
least three / II volt dry cells, at a cost
of about S1.05. For use with more
than one tube of the UV199 or c.
299 type six y volt dry cells con-
nected in series parallel should be
used, and they will cost about S2.10.
If you buy a storage battery the cost
will run from about SO to S25, de-
pending on quality and size of the
battery. 1t is best to get a battery
of high ampere-hour capacity, on the
order of so to 100 ampere-hour ca
pacity, so as to reduce the trouble of
constant attention and recharging to
a minimum. If you will have to get
your battery charged at a service sta
ton you should by all means get the
larger size.
If you are going to buy a storage
battery and have lighting current in
your home you should by all means
get d DdlleTy Charger Inc cost OF
these chargers varies from about $40
TO $50. Here again the first cost is
rather high, but the saving over even
a short period of time Is great enough
to warrant its use. The charger will
actually pay for itself in a very short
time.
The next item is that of B bat
teries. One tube sets rarely require
mere than a 45-volt block The cost
q one of these 45-volt units ranges
from about 81 to $5 each, depending
IN size and quality. II you use three
Or more tubes you will have to have
90 volts of B batteries, and two As
volt units will cost you from 81 to $40.
Some sets require AZ volt c bat
terry, costing from 35 to so cents.
To make sure that your batteries
are in good condition 1t Is necessary
to use some testing instruments to
test them occasionally. For your stor-
age A Battery you will need a
hydrometer. These range from about
25 cents to 81. You will need a volt
meter reading up to about so volts to
test your B battery units. Small
volunteers for that purpose can be
obtained for from Sc to $40.