Evening star., 1926-05-07
SLUMP is UNLIKELY
|NRAD|O BUSINESS
Unusually Interesting World
News Factor in Good
Demand Now.


NEW YORK. May THE radio
industry, which heretofore has al
ways felt a slump during the Sum-
mer months, seems less likely to be
adversely affected this year than
ever before. Prospects for profits In
the next three months. according to-
dealers and manufacturers, are ex-
cellent. Heavy stocks of receiving
sets have been pretty we'll worked off
and demand has proved unexpected
ly constant.
The Summer slump of previous
years has been attributed to the call
of the outdoors, which cut down
listeners to radio programs, and to
the air conditions obtaining in June.
July and August. the worst months
for air communication because OF
static. the aurora borea.is and even
less known influences.
The boost in sales of sets ana
parts which is counted on TO over
come this depression this Summer Is
expected to result from the unusual
ly interesting character of world
news developments. improvement III
receiving and broadcasting equip
class of amateur eXperimenters.
Amateurs Are Active.
Amateurs are now extremely
active in building short wave lenetn
receiving sets. The manufactured
sets also are beginning to come on
the market, and manufa cturers,
broa dcaSterS and engineers are an
huSily engaged in experiments IN the
wave lengths between one-haf ana
40 meters. The Westinghouse en-
gineers have worked with Australla
on a low wave length and the Radio
CORPORATION of America and the
General Electric Co. are working on
low wave length broadcasting pro-
grams.
The amateurs have performed real
services in long distance communica-
ton in this field The only communl-
cations received direct from the
steamship Chantier, part OF the Arctic
exposition of Comdr. Byrd. have been
received on a 40meter wave length.
In some instances when these mes
sages have been lost by these stations
to which they We're directed in New
York they have been picked up com
pletely by amateurs in Chicago.
VIII Build Transmitters.
Radio experts say that once anna
teurs get accustomed TO picking up
these low wave length communica-
tions from all over the world, many
of them will not be content until they
/, take out an amateurs s License ana
built transmitting set, 1t Is esti-
mated a l0W-waVe receiving set can
now be built for about $35 by an
amateur.
Amateurs have found additional in
terest by stepping up their ordinary
receiving sets with honeycomb coil.
The ordinary set is adapted to re-
ceiying communications In the zoo t.
500 meter field. while all commercial
wireless is supposed 10 be above 500
meters but amateurs are now able to
intercept ship and commercial mes
sages on the higher wave lengths.
The tremendous importance OF
radio i'm the transmission OF news
has been fully emphasized hy the Brit
ieh strike, With the newspapers un'
able TO publish. progress Of events has
depended almost entirely on radio
hroadcasting Since the strike started
more than A million sets have been
installed in the vicinity Of London and
other large cities.
Felt in America.
The American manufacturers nave
already begun to feel the effect since
large part of the radio equipment
used in Europe is the product OF
American factories. The news broad
casts, however have only seemed to
whet the appetite Of the public for
newspapers 1t appears that the ra-
dio and tho newspaper can supplement
each other without injury to either.
The transmission Of pictures ana
documents by radio has done its part
to give a fllip to public interest, as
have the experiments in a radio teleph-
onv. 1t is unlikely that CONNER
cial radio telephone service across the
Atlantic will be established TINS NeaFt
although it's feasibility has been dem
onstrated. Engineers Of the America II
Telephone & Telegraph Co, and the
necessary arrangements and refine
ments will postpone Inauguration un'