New Britain herald., 1929-12-10
Squeals, Squealls, Static and Stutter and Yen for Long Distance While the Thing Wouldn't Work, Made Tuning in Thrill ing Adventure.

If your introduction 10 radio WAS marked bS the coming Of Inc mod etn so-eallcd "aIl electric" set. you
 missed the thrills enjoyed by inc rionccr broadcast listeners. The good old days Of radio started when KDKA was the only station on the air and continued through the tune when most Of the broad casting was done on &G0 or 400 meters.
 Even with the handicaps which n1arrca reception then. it seems as f there WAS q romantic appeal in air entertainment which is lacking now. The marvel Of hearing. faintly. WOR sIN years ago on a single tube set. equipped with head phones, surpasses in appeal to the lmagina- lion present reception Of WTIC on u loud speaker
 Now that radio has arrived at the stage demanded by the mass Of 1,scrs of any mechanical product the fool proof stagc-and sets are as practical as automobiles they are found in about every home. The present listener cares no moro about knowing the mechanical make | mp Of his radio than he does about the detailed construction of his car ! He is satisfied if it operates. It it {. does not ne calls for service.
 Back a few years you had to roll Nour own' or get Il friend to make ] YOU a set if you desired to enroll in | the fraternity of BCL'5. One started . with "onc-tubcr' and worked up iQ the loud speaker stage via three ! and five tube receivers.
 A set never stayed "ael" Con- . Struction was always under way. Improvement were frequent and the | owner spent as much time tinker ing with his apparatus as he spent listening-in. Radio sets then were rot the magnificent pieces oF fur niture they are now. Enjoyment of them was mostly confined to the owner, To the family the contrap- lion was more CT less of a nu- Sancc.
 "DN' Hounds TlOurishcd
 When it was in working order, the operator searched for different and distant stations and only listen tl long enough at any dial setting tp catch the call letters. He was first "nd last d "DN' hound and that night was regarded most successful which logged the most stations or ne most distant ones. Forty or 50 |, l'roadcasters brought in during a s tting was net unusual after sta lions became numerous
 It was common to hear Cuba on or Saturday evenings. sicNico City was heard less ire ' ,ucntlN and Porto Rico came in oc- 1sionallN but reception from Cali 1rnia was the cherished ambition Of 1 very fan. Until he had heard the { 'acif1c coast, direct, he did not give { s set the okay. Ono local radio l n tried every night for q year. { ten sitting up into the wee hours {
 the morning before he was re- ( arded with the call letters KGO. (
 Many of the homemade sets cov-
 
 nt commercial receivers and the ans f1shed on the lower waves for 2 e. amateurs who operated on v phoncs.' There was quite q kick in :, caring lad in Michigan talk to an ,7 ir pal in Texas even if he lacked originality in his conversation, u i; as the custom to send them both ! card and receive q pIea1ed reply y return mail.
 Al, That Dear Static
 Once the obstacles of assembling set which would work were sur ,ounted there were plenty of other lndicapH tC overcome on the rc- elvtnG end. All kinds of electrical 1terterencc vas encountered. Arti- .cial static, produced by power lres and telephone apparatus add l it's curse 10 natural static. No. lie least of radio trouble was pro- .dcod by the receiving sets them yes.
 In some parts Of tho business "ction and even in certain rcsidcn- tU districts jt N&S impossible to i@kc set "crn. Ii took time to amody this situation anG credit for .aclng out lrHEs often went to alateur radio men.
 Regeneration ~as employed in lost receivers and, Improperly tuu- Il as most of them Werc, they not nly acted us receivers but also nctonod as broodcastin2 stations 1 their own hook, Tuned 10 the me Wave. tro friends in nearby ~ishborhoods could amuso tucm- Ives by exchanging signals. much the annoyauc' nf rvc1y other lis. ner in this districts.
 At the evening broadcastInG hour
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