Evening Star Newspaper, February 15, 1925, Page 33

RADID AS VOCATION DELLINGER'S TOPL Lahoratory Chief Says It 0f- fers No “Short Cut to Wealth.” Discoursing on radlo as a voeation, Or. J. H. Dellinger, chief of the radio laboratory of the Bureau of Stand- ards, recently said: “The idea that radio offers a short cut to wealth with little work, can be dismissed at once.” “There need be no ‘forty- niners’ rush to the ‘gold fields,'" he continued, explaining some of the kes which prospective engi- salesmen and inventors may make, unless they pause before they leap into this world-wide industr Dr. Dellinger went on in part as follows: “Radio in its various phases has become a large and expanding indus- try. At the present moment there may be a slightly greater return for those engaged in constructing, engi- neering, selling and otherwise creat- ing radio goods, than in other flelds. But it by no means follows that the| eame 1 or initiative, or brains, or | personality, or work put into radio will yield more money than in any- thing else during the next ten years. Relatively Same Opportunity. “It has been said that the oppor- tunities in radio are a thousandfold greater today than ten years ago. Yes, but if there are a thousand times as many people in it, the opportunity for each one is now exactly what jt was then. The laws of supply and demand work rather fast. I am some- what Inclined to think that at the present moment people are going over into radlo a little faster than the total number of existing oppor- tunities warrants. This opinion may be wrong; a similar opinion might have been held of the automobile in- dustry 5 or 10 years ago, and yet the automobile industry is by no means today strewn with the wrecks of blighted careers. “Considered as an opportunity to do satisfying work and to give Serv- ice, radio has great attractions. Bear in mind that radio as a vocation is very different from radio as an avo- cation. As an avocation or diversion radio has its greatest hold at the present time. Indeed, one disadvan- tage of radio as a vocation is that You are thus denied it as an avoca- tion. I know some people won't agree with me on this. They think they can work at radio all day and get their diversion from it in the small hours of the night, too. But, of course, a person’s interests and thought are bound t6 become one- sided when he denies himself the relief that a true avocation supplies. In its many phases radio as a voca- tion supplies as good opportunities for real hard work and investment of all the powers of mind and body a8 any other. Rated as “Probably the chief satisfaction that the worker in radio derives is the certainty that he is in a growing, a valuable and an appreciative service. Only a few years now until world- wide telephony will be a reality. By a4 combination of wire and radio peo- ple will converse across the oceans, and regular means will be provided to broadcast important speeches that will be heard simultaneously in every country on the globe. What further achievements there will be only the 'magination can suggest. Whether a worker be engaged in radio science, enginsering, selling, publishing, oper- ating or programing, he can ffecl that his contribution to those con- Quests is an essentfal one. | Another fine thing about work in radio is that it leads Inevitably to & widenitig of the horizon and a| viewpoint not iimited by national or| &ny other boundaries. As the radio waves themselves spread out into all lands, so must the thoughts and plans of the worker in any of the branches of radio. “It is only when we consider the several branches of radio that we come really to think definitely about radio as a vocation. You can't very well just go into radio. It must be| radio operating, research, engineer- Ing, broadcasting, manufacturing, selling or publishing. The interest in radio is so great that an unlimited amount of information has become available—in magaszines, in books, in schools—to all who wish to become learners. What a person can learn] In any of the fields of radio work, frst from these sources, and second, from his actual experience in the Job, is limited solely by his capacity for_absorbing information. | “Formal training s a great help| to the worker in any of the fields mentioned. Not that the college or | school course of itself makes the| man or brings greater rewards. It| simply gives a greater knowledge of | the subject and a broader grip on the Implications of the subject and its| rowing Service.” blace in the whole scheme of life, | R 80 that the trained man can more | readily profit by new developments | and perform services of real value |\ In unforeseen circumstances and lhu!i take advantage of opportunities. 'J'he\ particular branch of radio that one “In radlo research and engineering a college education 1is practically necessary. Some graduate work in engineering also will help to pave the way to the higher positions. The radio engineer designs apparatus, in- stalls and conducts transmitting sta- tions, ‘“-ts apparatus and supervises manufacturing processes. A good college course in electrical engineer- ing is perhaps his best preparation. His services are in demand In most organizations producing or operating radio apparatus. The research man has fewer opportunities, as scientific research In radio is conducted only by the larger companies and in a few other places. He must have spe- clalized In physics and mathematics in his college work. Dixcusses “Engineering.” “I have not listed ‘invention’ the various branches of radio. The more fruitful kind of invention is that which I would include under engineering. In a sense, engineering is organized invention. The isolated and untrained experimenter occa- slonally produces an invention of value, but, taken altogether, those who proceed without the guldance of science and engineering do not con- tribute greatly to progress nor are their efforts remunerative to them- selves. I am told that only one in e thousand of the radio patents that are filed are of any value to radio, and only a fraction of that fraction bring returns to the inventors. “A person of mechanical aptitude will probably be most successful in the manufacturing side of radio. The quali- ties that will bring success in this fleld are no different than in any other manu- facturing. Successful management re- quires knowledge of'the public's wants, executive ability, business sense. On the part of an empioye, care, skill, ability to work with others are sure to bring ad- vancement. “‘Selling ability is useful and neces- sary either in merchandlsing or broad- casting. The organizing and announcing of programs s perhaps the most dis- tinctive vocation which radio has creat- ed. The indefinable quality called pe: eonality is essential here, as in the vari- ous branches of selling. There is always an opening for an announcer who is “human,” yet dignified. While the num- ber of broadcasting positions at any one time is limited, there are alwaye open- ings in the selling field. Radio Users Multiply. “The circle of radio users is widening S0 steadily that there will continue to be plenty of opportunity for the eervice of selling radio goods. There is no limit on the classes of retailers that can sell radio material. Since only one home in six in the United States now has radio equipment, and radio is spreading rapid- Iy over the rest of the world, the selling field still remains to be cuitivated. The general opinion is that this year will see a particular increase in sales of com- plete receiving sets as distinguished from parts. “Radio is an established industry, or set of industries, and its future growth is inevitable. The person who seriously considers it as a vocation must weigh both the service which he can render it and the satisfaction it can return to him.” in One Way to Keep Wife Home. Manuel McGee of Knoxville, Tenn., adopted a novel way of making his wife stay at home. He seized her entire wardrobe and set fire to it. He was sentenced to jail for the act, but he gleefully informed the ar- resting office, “She will stay at home a while an: Phone us before 10 a.m. and we will call for, fully charge and return your Radio Battery the same evening for $1.50.. L ’ Smith’s North 9928 North 4896 Battery and Radio Service 2119 18th St. N.W. Distributors of Exide Au- tomobile and Radio Bat- terfes. Experience: utomo- tive electricians engineers. should enter depends on his natural bent. For clear, There is now an ALL-AMERICAN Trensformer suit- ablc for every radio need. Audio and R. F.—Power Amplifying (Push- Pull)-Intermediate All-Amax Receiv- ers—the famous Reescommcaly —com mounted with, full wiring directions. g;lioru tube) $22. ior (3tubes)$42. full-toned loudspeaker re- ! cegln'on from those distant stations which you now hear only in the head phones, add a stage of ArL- Amer1caN Power (Push-Pull) Amplification. A®-AMERICAN pre- cision manufacture results in per- fect balancing of Input and Out- put Transformers. Input and Qutput Per Pair, $12t?00 -AMERICAN Largest Selling Transformers in the World -THE- SUNDAY fiTAR, WASHINGTON, D. Oy FEBRUARY 15, >1925-PART T, == - I 83 o e i ST s e ey S o 00 ety o L g DR Eo el S BN Do o o D B AR RS P SO U Bl Do S LR RN (ot et o e it S Iy etk s et S e RADIO GOSSIP AND NEWS Radlo has given ¢ e~ and ea vessels heretofore ~Inded and deaf- ened by blankets of fog, aocording to John S. Conway, deputy commis- sloner of lighthouses, in a “Research Narrative,” prepared for the ngl- neering Foundation. = For the first time in marine history, he point# out, the navigator has a means of ob- taining accurate bearings on in- visible objects. “When fog blankets the sen.” Mr. Conway says, “visibility is gone and sound is deficlent in directive prop- erties. Development of radio has overcome the perils. The directive property of the loop, or coll, antenna dates back to Hertz, who made suc- cessful experiments in 1888, based on Faraday's fundamental discovery in 1831 of electro-magnetic induction. Studies of other physicists have pro- duced the radiogoniometer, radio di- rection finder, or radio compass, the term most frequently used in this country. It Is not self-setting, but must be adjusted by trial. “Several types of radio compass have been perfected, differing in ap- pearance, but depending upon the same principles. One has an outside coll mounted vertically on & spindle, rotatable in a horizontal plave, con- trolled by a hand wheel and fitted with a pointer. “Another consists of two large fixed loops at right angles to each other, connected to @, small rotating coil on the operating panel. Each is provided with the usual radio re- celving, detecting, adjusting and tuning apparatus. The pointer may be placed over the ship's magnetic compass, thus giving a glance the bearing of the radio algnal station. “As the coll and pointer are ro- tated, the maximum intensity of sound is heard when the plane of the coll colncides with the direction to a radio signal, and the intensity gradually diminishes, reaching a minimum, when the plane of the coil is at right angles. Radio waves are sccompanied by a magnetic force, whiich is horizontal and at right angles to the direction in which the waves are traveling. “Hence, when the coil is on edge to the wave, it is threaded by the maxi- mul number of . magnetic lines of force, and the amplified signal is heard, at a maximum. Conversely, when the coil is broadside to the di- rection of the transmitting station, no magnetic lines of force thread the coil and therefore no current is in- duced in it and no sound is heard in the recelvers. At intermediate po- sitlons the current induced in the T 0 S coil varies in proportion to the angle between the plane of the-cofl and the wave front. “In the United States L' .house Service, Important lighthou s and lightships are selected for equipment with automatic radto apparatus send ing signals of definite characteristics during fog or thick weather. The mechanism has a timing switch driven by a small motor producing the signal at regular intervals. The antennas are the same as for ordi- nary radio communication. “The frequency is 300,000 cycles per second, the international standard for such signals, giving a wave length of 1,000 meters. The range of use- fulness is from 30 to 100 miles, de- pending upon atmospherics and the sensitiveness of the receiving appa- ratus. Each station is assigned an Identifying signal, a brief combina- tion of dots or dashes repeated rap- 1dly for & period, followed by a silent interval. “To determine the position of a vessel, the navigator rotates the coll of his radio compass until the maxi- mum signal is heard, establishing the identity of the station. He then turns the coil until the minimum intensity is reached, which {s generally used for determining direction because of its more accurate definition, the coil being at right angles to the direction from which the signal comes. The pointer shows the bearing within one degree of arc. The navigator needs no knowledge of radio teleg- Vessels need no longer grope about in futile attempts to find each other or to locate lighthouses, Mr. Conway asserts in explaining the use of the radio fog signal. “The ralio fog signal i{s valuable as a leading mark to enable a vessel to make a lighthouse or lightship at the approach to & harbor. When two or more sending stations are within range of audibility the intersection of the bearings may be laid down on a chart and the position of the vessel thus fixed. This system, for the firat time in marine history, affords a practical means by which a navigator may obtain accurate bearings on in- visible objects. It will enable vessels to locate each other In fog when approaching or needing assistance.” ‘We Pay as We Enter. The big corporations kgep up agita- tion as to how they are to be repaid for their radio broadcasting, mply- ing that this service is purely philan- thropic, according to a communication D your have it. i addressed to Herbert Hoover follow- ing the erroneous statement that the Commerce head recommended a tax on radio sales. the writer says, “that the radio set buyer pald for this service when he - bought his . set, principally ‘ because they told him there. wotld be something in the air for him to listen to, and he ‘paid through the nose’ at that” = Calling attention to the constantly reducing price of tubes as patents owned by the “combine” .approach expiration dates, he says, they sold for $6.50 only a little while ago, when the actual cost has been below €3 cents each. “Assuming that the profit on “each tube has been $5, and that only 20,- 000,000 tubes haye been made,” he con- tinues, “I think the half-dozen broad- casting stations maintained by the two big interlocking corporations can struggle along a little while on this hundred-million-dollar profit” One company, he states, admits that it made nearly a fourth of that amount last year. Newspapers, colleges and other in- dependent broadcasting stations are not agitating for license fees on re- celving sets to be collected by the Government and pald the corporation- owned stations, he avers. When a man buys & set it is with the dls- tinct understanding that he is buying broadcasting service also. The rea- son the Radio Corperation and inter- locking companies continue broad- casting 1s to sell sets, tubes and parts, which would not be bought if they stopped broadcasting, he be- leves. The set owner paid as he entered the radio listeners’ circle, and when he buys next year's improved set he will do it again, the correspondent concludes. Radio Fog Interference. Radio fog 18 the latest form of inter- ference, and strangely enough it is satd to be more prevalent at night than in the daytime. A report to the radio sec- tion of the Department of Commerce from S. L. Steele of Chicago states that following observations with a nine-tube heterodyne and a four-tuber during the past month he has marveled at the power, clarity and tonal quality of many broadcast stations, both distant and local, in the afternoon. At night, he ad- vises, the eame stations are weaker and the quality changes for the worse. There seems to exist a kind of interference he has never heard mentioned, which can- not be tuned out, musical selections lose thelr true character and speech becomes harsh and graty. Citing a simile, the writer says that we do not eee the sun in its true char- acter in a fog, and at night, when the t0o numerous stations are operating, a “radio fog” of side bands and harmonics seems to weaken the signals of certain i it Tofigue of Snake _ Described as First Radio Antenna By the Associated Press. LOS ANGELES, February 14.—The, original antenna for radio, accord- ing to Jack Allman, Los Angeles curator of reptiies, was the rattie- snake's tongue. “When a rattlesnake is dormant or sleeping,” Mr. Allman sald recent- ly, “its tongue is idle. But when aroused it starts shooting that forked tongue from its mouth and seems to both feel and hear through it. I have seen rattlesnakes appear as though uninformed of my ap- proach when their tongues were not moving back and forth from their mouths, but the moment. they b came consclous of it the tongues started. Rattlesnakes have no ears, but those little tentacles on the end of the tongue serve the purpose.” B e ———— stations and distort them. Between 5 and 6 p.m., Central time, he states, the Eastern stations come in with their dinner concerts and are re- ceived louder and in better tonal qual- ity than later in the evening. At about 0 p.m. he picks up KSD or WCX, finding the tone of these stations “well night perfect.” They come in with greater signal strength than at night, he coneludes. * The Department has expressed and asked for further details. ‘WOC Changes SMent Night. WOC, Davenport, has changed its silent night from Tuesday to Monday night s a result of a new arrangement with WSUI, the Ohio State University station. The change will become effec- tive February 2 Upholds Radio Regulations. A Federal judge of Tennessce fined an unlicensed amateur radi opera- tor for fllegal operation of a radio transmitter with maliclous intent. Although the fine was light, com- pared with the maximum penalty, $500 or a year's imprisonment, it is believed by officials of the radio sec- tion of the Department of Com- merce that this case will serve as a warning to others who try to obtain their “fun” by spolling the pleasure of regular radio fans. Radio Supervisor Deiler had been recelving numerous complaints from Knoxville radio fans that gome one Wwas jamming the atmosphere regu- | 1arly ‘when broadcast programs were {on the air. One public-spirited <jti- e e zen offered a reward of $100 to any | jone who discovered the owner of the imposition of the fine. offensive transmitter. Another fan located the illegal set, reported it to Inspector J. N. du Trell, who called on the alleged amateur. He found him operating a spark coll transmit- ter and without recefving equipment. Later he filed a complaint with the United States attorney, to the effect that section 1 of the act of August 13, 1912, regarding the illegal use of a radio’ transmitter to create wiliful interference, was violated. The cul- prit_confessed that he operated the set solely to interfers with the broad- cast reception of a neighhar, and the case went to court, resultiug in the This case is an example, cited to show that radio laws and regulations are rigldly enforced throughout the country in an effort to keep the air channels clear for all kinds of radio traffic, including broadcast reception. Listeners and amateurs should re- port all violations of the radio laws and regulations, co-operating with the Department of Commerce. WRC and WCAP Stick to Wave. Washington's two class B broad- cagters, WRC and WCAP, have been cited by the Bureau of Standards as two of the 13 stations that have kept thelr transmissions 8o close to the assigned frequency as to be available for radio frequency standards. WCAP was measured 77 times since Decem- ber 20 and was not found a fraction of a per cent of its wave. During this same period WRC was measured 49 times and was found to have a perfect record. Other stations in_the standard fre- quency class are: WQL, Coram Hill, N. Y.; NSS, Annapolis, Md.; WGH Tuckerton, N. J.; WII, New Bruns wick, N. J.; WSO, Marion, Mass.; WWJ, Detroit; WEAF, New York; WSB, At- lanta; WGY, Schenectady; WBZ, Springfield, and KDKA, Pittsburgh. Foreign Radio Items. Lack of contact with modern broad- casting and a local fear of static are holding back radlo developments in Curacao, Dutch West Indies, ac- cording to a report from R. A. Lund- quist, chief of the Department of Commerce Electrical Division, who is now traveling in Central and South America. The cost of equip- ment also is reported a factor. Radlo apparatus imported, however, is only taxed 3 per cent and may be operated without” governmental restriction. Nevertheless, there are not more than a half dozen sets in service, most of them American made. Two set operators interviewed by Mr. Lund- quist stated that with a good five- tube set satisfactory loud-speaker re- ception of the better known Amer- ican stations east of the Mississippi was pogsible. It was believed that some of the higher-powered Western stations might also be brought in if | (T WLS CREW TO TRAVEL. “Solemn 0ld Judge’“ and “Lullaby Boys” to Make Tour. George Dewey Hay, the “Solemn 014 Judge,” chief announcer of WLS. Chicago, with.Ford Rush and Glenn Rowell, the “Lullaby Boys with their bag full of popular songs and all the traps which enter the sound production of “WLS Unlimited,” are going to take a long trip. The week of February 23 the “Solemn Old Judge” and the “Lullaby Boys” will be in Dallas, Tex., where they will turnish the radio programs for the Dallas News station, WFAA, every evening except Wednesday, which is silent night in Dalla All the features ch have mads this trio_popular over WLS will be- inciuded in the Dallas prosra cluding the “transcontinental other trips of “WLS Unlimited.” Hay will take his locomotive whistle, Ford will be the “engine bell” and Glenn will handle the sound traps which “make the wheels go round.” While in Dallas they will appear also at the: Majestic Theater. On the way back to Chicago the “Solemn Old Judge® will be the guest-announcer at the Kansas City Star station, WDAF, March 2 and 3. —_—— = local fans tried for them a little later in the evening, but most of the residents of Cuaracao, however, retire too early for our Far Western broadcasters. Some of the fans havh difficulty in understanding American enunelation, and so musical programs are sought after. -A local fan, 75 years old, who listens regularly 1o church services from Pittsburgh and._ Schenectady, reports that the sermonsg are too long. - The colonlal government of Hong-_ kong, China, plans to erect a 1.3 kilowatt radiophone broadcasting station for the purpose of transmit- ting typhoon and police warnings and matters of public interest in “plain language,” according to consular ad- vices to the Department of Com- merce. It is hoped that the station will start operation by Auguet, and that entertainment programe, includ- ing ‘phonograph and instrumental music, will follow the regular an- nouncements. Owing to the apparent high cost of private operation ths local government plans to operate the station itself.’ It is planned that this broadcaster will transmit on a wave length of 350 or 360 meters. Ama- teurs. in the district will probably be permitted to operate on the 90- meter wave with 10-watt power, the low wave length preventing inter- ference with the government station. Courtesy and Service 10% to 409 reductions on our stocks of fine furn ture enable you to furnish home as you would Colonial Poster Twin Beds With broad arched head Neatly turned posts els. pau- and rails, in mahogany finish. Special sale Special sale price .. i Combination End Table $22.50 Each Heywood-Wakefield Reed Chair A genuine reed chair. ronial. brown -finish; seat and back upholstered in cretonne. Ba- i and Book Rack A necessity for the living room. 24 inches long and in brown mahogany. Special sale price .... $16.50 - 10-Piece Dining Room Suite - February Sale Price, $245 =~ . R e e b sty Crmet i Bk “ table, china cabinet, and enclosed server, five side and one armchair up- holstered in'tapestry. Truly a beautiful suite. Poter Grogen & Sors Ca. GROGAN'S Ol7-82% ‘Seventh St N.W, i “Homefurnishers Since 1866” - February Furniture Sale 3-Piece Living Room Suites February Sale Price, $325 A very distinctive suite of brown and old rose mohair, includes fireside chair, rocker and long settee with reversible cushions covered with mohair and French tapestry resting on a deep spring foundation. > l : i o Mgy |1 Wit o | iR $23 Compare Our Values Our usual easy paymen terms prevail. during- this February Furniture Sale. Good reductions and easy terms — means conserva- tive buying. 6-Piece Including 4 chairs, table and server, in gray enamel outlined in blue. Spe- cial sale price. . loe Mahogany Wing Chairs A beautiful chair in antique mahogany finish with cane seat and back. sale price in mahogany. “Spinet Desks - Colonial style, beautifully finished ing the sale makes the priceaslowas....... Breakfast Set $42.50 Special $16. Special reduction dur- $19.50