Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-03-12
Two Simple Rules
TO Aid in Tuning
Methods Which Will Pro-
duce Signals That Are
Clear and Louder.

There are two simple rules in tun-
ing which IL observed carefully win
produce surprisingly good results.
Not only will you hear more stations
stations you never heard before
but those you usually hear will come
In clearer and louder.
In the first place the object in tun-
ing is to get the circuit Cor circuits)
of your set In resonance at some fire.
Quency Cor wave lengthy. When you
have done this, signal should be
heard If station is broadcasting on
that wave length. If one is not, then
you should hear faint artificial or at
mospheric noises. When searching for
stations, try to maintain this cOndi-
ton OF resonance while you shift your
tuning controls throughout the range
Of your set This ia Tuning Rule l.
Signals from distant stations are
usually so weak at 6rst that they are
difficult to distinguish from the ever
present resonance noises" AS a re-
suit great many distant stations are
passed By undetected. If you want
to hear these stations, 1t Is of para
mount Importance, says Tuning Rule
2, that resonance positions In tune
with the wave length of distant sta
ttOn be approached very slowly and
carefully.
Attachments Being Discarded.
When variometers, cOuplers, con-
densers, potentiometers, or other
tuning instruments are controlled
merely by an ordinary knob or dial,
1t Is practically impossible to do this.
In trying to obtain proper tuning con-
troll, radio engineers first replaced the
original small knob with large dials
because Of the greater mechanical ad-
vantage derived To Increase this ad-
vantage a small knob with a rubber
disk was then placed tangent to the
edge Of the dial. Imperfect contact
producing uncertain control is causing
these attachments to be discarded.
The next step toward improved
tuning control was the addition Of
vernier plates to condensers The
limited range Of the vernier plates
however, practically forces you to tune
with the coarse adjustment. With the
latter it Is almost impossible to fulfrl
the conditions Of Tuning Rule 2. As
a result many distant stations are
missed.
Contact losses and the inconvenient
two-knob arrangement have further
proven vernier condensers unsatisfac-
tory. Besides, the so-called vernier
attachment Is invariably controlled by
a very small knob. Because of it's
small size such q knob almost totally
cOunteracts the ratio intended by tine
vernier.
Solution 10 Offered.
With these problems in mind, there
has recently been designed tuning
dial which offers a practical solution.
BY means Of simple geared mechan-
ism contained within the knob the
conditions demanded by Tuning Rules
l and lsee abOve) are easily satis-
ned. Such dial has these additional
advantages:
It may be attached readily to any
tuning unit, such as variomet ers, con-
densers, etc, by simply substituting
1t for the ordinary dial. It's single
knob gives continuous vernier or
rapid control throughout the entire
range of the unit and eliminates the
Inconvenience OF the usual double AZ
rangement. There are no contact
losses through additional vernier at
tachments. Besides, a standard knob
such as this improves the appearance
OF = receiving set by emitting un-
slightly additional kncDs which are
generally scattered unsymmetrically
about the panel.
II you are building 4 set, or wish
to improve your present one, you win
find 1t both economical and highly ad-
yantageous to buy good plain instru-
monts and equip them with q single
knob vernier dial such as that de-
scRibed above. With such tuning con-
trolls 1t will be easy to keep your set
in resonance and approach resonance
positions In tune with certain stations
slowly and carefully. Distant and
local stations will then be tuned in
with almost equal ease.