White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1930-01-24
RADIO IMPROVEMENTS

That the many improvements and
the technical terms used to describe
these improvements make the selec-
ton Of a new radio more difficult
this season than at any previous time,
is the opinion of Orren E. Osburne,
assistant professor of electrical
engineering at the State College OF
Washington.
In a recent talk on the subject.
How to select your new radio"
Professor Osburne explained num-
Der of these points and emphasized
those to be observed in purchasing
one of the newer type sets.
"The buying of new radio is
somewhat like buying new car;
they are all good, but fall into diff
ferent price classes so there will be
radio for every purse. Radio re-
ceivers are being standardized some
what like cars" Mr.. Osburne de-
clares.
'The radios this year are more
sensitive, more selective, and give
better tone quality than last years
models. The Improvement is probably
more noticeable in the low priced
sets because there was more room
for Improvement. Good tone quality
means just one thing-the ability
of the receiver to reproduce, as
perfectly as possible, the tone pro-
duced in the broadcast studio. That
in turn means that all the tones are
treated alike; none being overempl1as-
lied, suppressed or distorted. Many
meaningless terms are used to des-
cribe these qualities to the utter con-
fusion Of the purchasing public.
These high sounding names do not
improve the results.
We hear the phrase, 'screen-grid
tube great deal nowadays. This
theoretically, is a very efficient radio
frequency amplifier, which when
used in properly designed circuit
Will give greater amplification than
the older type tubes. The screen
grid tube in itself does not give i'm
proved tone quality. If the purchaser
is located where it is impossible to
put up good antenna and local
reception conditions are very un-
favorable then set using screen
grid tubes will help him to bring in
stations he might not otherwise re-
ceive.
+. Power detection another term fast
becoming common means the use of
power detector instead of the con-
ventional grid leak grid condenser
method. Power detection gives better
tone quality, but the difference is
hardly noticeable and it is relatively
unimportant to the purchaser for the
designer has taken it into consider
alton when designing the set.
Push pull amplification is featured
IN large number of the latest sets.
The pushpull circuit reduces distor-
ton and therefore improves tone
quality. The power tubes when used
singly cause some distortion, but
when used in the push pull circuit
the distortion produced in one tube
is balanced out by the distortion
produced in the other tube.'
Professor Osburne sees little
change for radical Improvement in
the latest radio receivers, and believes
purchasers today will be able to use
their sets for many years to come.
Ielevision is too far in the offing to
worry about, he says, and great
Improvement along the line Of sensi-
tivity and selectivity is almost i'm
possible because the static or noise
level is the ultimate limit, and that
is very little beyond the range of our
present sets. The sharpening of
selectivity under these conditions,
will spoil tone quality, he concludes.