The Monmouth inquirer., 1925-07-16

Of thunder, yet these same tinaid
folks fail to tear down telephone and
lighting wires, plumbing fixtures, rain
cutters and drain pipes. Tie prop
erly erected antenna, suitably pro
tected, is a highly efficient protec-
| ton and not a hazard as some be-
lieve. Perhaps 1t is the lightning
like symbol employed In radio litera-
ture or the very mystery of radio that
causes such apprehensions. How
ever, now that popularized radio Is
in its fifth year and lightning has
failed to work widespread havoc
among the forests Of antennae
throughout the width and length of
this country, it is time that this
lightning fable should be forgotten.
| What is the radio antenna? First, it
is an excellent conductor Of electric
ity, swinging high and clear, of sur
rounding objects Secondly, it is con-
nected to the ground through a tiny
air gap or vacuum gap Of the lightning
arrester. Many will recall the old
| time lightning rods. with their barbed
! spikes surmounting the roof Of the
house. their heavy cables kept clear
of the building, and their positive
! ground connections. The modern
! radio antennae is nothing more than
a modified lightning rod. And in &C
tual practice it serves in much the
/ same capacity. A radio antenna
! properly installed-which means that
lightning arrester of approved type
should be used-will protect sur
rounding property.
Summertime Programs for Summer
Time Folks
And don't think for moment that
you can do without the radio during
the summer. No matter whether you
are doomed to stay in the city or are
fortunate enough to spend your time
in the mountains or at the seashore,
you cannot afford to dispense with
radio this summer of all summers.
Radio broadcasters have the inter-
ests of their audience more at heart
than is generally supposed Thus
for the past month or two studio
managers have been planning their
summer programs so as to adapt
them to the needs and interests of
the listener in the summertime.
Among this summers programs there
will be the leading sporting events,
play by play, which we cannot afford
to miss. There are to be timely
talks on tennis, swimming, basketball
and other games. There are to be
talks on fishing and hunting. There
are to be talks on automobiles and
touring. And music! Imagine try
ing to get along without dance music
and the latest songs and a little OPP
era thrown In for good measure!
Even the home builder, whose
thoughts gently turn to shingles and
cement and plumbing with the ap-
proach of warm weather, win get
some real advice via radio.
The summertime programs Of this
year are to be just as Indispensable
as those Of last winter. So, as far
as programs are concerned, summer
time radio is here.
Let Radio Be Your Mary's Lamb
Let's take a leaf from the little
story about Mary's lamb. Now that
vacuum tubes operate on dry bat
teries. which means reduction in
weight, radio can go anywhere. In
fact, summertime radio has decided
advantages over winter radio In this
direction. During winter-time, the
radio set must be confined to the
home, in the living room, or den, as
the case may be. It is more or less
fixed in this location. But with the
advent of warm weather. the radio
set may be moved about. It will
prove a decided novelty to listen to
radio in an outdoor setting, even
though It may be no farther
from home than the porch or the gar
den. The reverberation or blurring
echo which is present in a closed
room will not be present when the set
is taken outdoors, and the general
background of the signals will be
pieasingly modified
OF course the entire radio set need
not be carried out on the porch or
into the garden. The set may be left
where it is, and a long double
conductor cord run out to the porch
or garden where the loud-speaker is
located. For that matter. the idea of
wiring home for radio is. gaining
more and more ground; and nothing
prevents the radio enthusiast from
extending the radio wiring to the
porch and the garden, so that the
loud-speaker may be used wherever
the family gathers.
This far we have dealt only with
home conditions. But radio today is
ready to follow the radio enthusiast
to the summer resort, the mountain
camp, on the canoe trip, in the auto
mobile during long tour every
where. in short. The portable receiv-
ing set is coming into it's own. and