The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1926-12-30
RADIO PROGRESS DURING 1926

The beginning of a new year is al
ways a fitting time to take stock of
ourselves, to make survey of the
past, an examination of the present
and an estimate of the future. Such
an inventory is necessary to deter
mine what progress has been made
and is being made, and this is no less
true of the art of radio than Of bus
mess organization.
AS has been steadfastly predicted,
the last year of radio has not produc-
ed any radical or sensational depart
ures from standard practices. But
this does not mean that there have
not been many useful and valuable i'm
provements.
The principal radio progress of the
last year has manifested itself in both
electrical and mechanical refinements
nearly all of which tend to simplify
the operation and care. of the radio
receiver. The electrical refnements
of this group have been principally in
the widespread adoption of the A and
B battery eliminators and the devel-
opment of the trickle charger.
The battery eliminators, Of course,
had made their appearance before
1926, but it was during this last year
that they became perfected enough to
be so generally adopted. In removing
the dirtiest, ugliest and most uncer-
tain parts of the radio receiver these
eliminators have done more than any
other single recent development to
put sets into the homes Of new radio
fans.
More Perfect Reproduction
The eliminators have done all Of
this and more, for at the same time
they have provided more power and
more perfect reproduction than was
practical before their adoption. The
trickle chargers, while they do not re-
move the batteries, have made them
require much less attention, and nave
thus produced results similar 20 those
from the eliminators and at much
lower cost.
The mechanical improv- nents Of
the last year have almost equalled
the eliminators in making radio re-
ceivers more attractive to new radio
fans. These have been so effective in
the tuning and other con-
trolls on receivers that at present
there are but a very few sets using
over two main tuning controls, and
some which use but one. Smooth run
ming verniers and large electrically
lighted dials and drums with widely
separated, easily read division marks
are some Of last years mechanical
developments which stand out promi-
nently.
Still another development was the
appearance and adoption of the new
power tubes which made possible the
greater application Of strong sig.
nails without danger of distortion
from overlooking. These were accom-
panied by return to resistance and
mpedance coupled audio frequency
amplifers which brought about still
better signal reproduction.
Confused Broadcasting
General radio conditions during 1925
nave not gone through the favorable
development that the radio apparatus
las enjoyed. The number of trans
hitting stations increased far beyond c
he number which the existing wave 8
lands could accommodate without in I
preference. The resulting confusion
vas made still worse by the increased
,ower which many stations adopted. k
Short wave broadcasting did not
meet with the development which was t
for it, and super-power
'roadcasting cannot yet be called sue /
essful. The one most encouraging il
hing about the 1926 broadcasting con- {
itions was the great increase in the
.reat increase in the number of crys-
transmitters. |
On the whole, radio at the start of
927 may be considered well in ad- \
ance Of radio at the beginning Of
926. For, radio, after Ill, the present 81