Evening star., 1935-01-13
Radio Begins to Look
For Its Own Art Form
Survey Discloses Artists in Various Lines See
Possibility of Divorcine,
Infant" Props.

ing no little concern among set man
ufacturers. Observes r. H. Langley Of
New York, prominent consulting en-
gineer on receivers:
1T seems safe to conclude that the
underlying cause is our failure to de-
termine, even after IA years Of broad
casting, just what a broadcast re-
ceiver should be. We are still chang
ing the device in its basic specifica-
tions, and If with this has come re-
finement in electrical and mechanical
design, these have been the necessary
results of the changes we have made,
rather than the principal accom-
plishment of our plans and policies.
Some day we shall look back upon
these years and see clearly our pres
ent lack of decision on the funda-
mental aspects of our products"
1884 Boom Year.
The past year has been the first
boom period for set manufacturers
since 1929. Conservative estimates are
that 100000 new sets were sold. This
occurred in spite of higher unit prices.
From best figures available, according
to Langley, unit sales were about is
per cent in excess of the preceding
year. Measured in dollars, the aver
age price of all types of sets rose from
$4828 in 1888 to $3.50 in 1884, an
increase Of more than % per cent.
The average of the lowest prices has
increased very slightly, the major por-
ton of the advance having taken
place in the medium and better-grade
models. The average of the highest
prices in all lines was S110.40. as
against $76.52 in 1888, or an increase
of nearly As per cent.
Models that cover only the broad
cast range, as distinguished from all
wave receivers, really decreased in
average price, selling about 10 per cent
below the 1888 figure. The great gain
was in multiple band receivers and in
the table models of the midget type,
although so-called "chest" types also
showed a healthy increase. Average
prices for console models, on the
other hand, increased only slightly
over 6 per cent, while automobile re-
ceivers increased about per cent.
1dulC VAOuCAS OpALoAs
Despite the great number of differ
ent models, there is an unmistakable
trend toward the table model, even
though its acoustic properties are ad-
mittedly not as good as the larger
consoles. In 1882, console models were
e. per cent of all offerings. In 1888
they had fallen to SIS per cent and
last year the figure was about 36 per
cent. Public response and their lower
prices naturally are aScribed as the
reasons for the swing toward table
models.
The phonograph combination, and,
strangely enough, battery models, are
| coming back briskly. The former are
increasingly of the automatic type, and
about one-fourth of the manufacturers
included them in their lines last year.
as against IA per cent in 1882 and
19 per cent in 1888. The new cam
paigns of phonograph companies to
sell records is seen as responsible for
the revival of the combination units.
The outstanding technical advance
in radio in 1884 was the all-Wave re-
ceiver-even though such a receiver
was built as early as 1925. It did not
take hold until last year, however, be-
cause of the lack of good international
programs and also because it almost
demanded young radio engineer to
operate one Of the sets. Operation,
however, was greatly simplified, and
the boom followed.