Evening Star Newspaper, February 28, 1926, Page 45

RADIO GOSSIP AND NEWS Fading and weakened radio signals are not wholly the result of atmos- pheric conditions, but are attributed largely to the broadcasting station itself, according to Reeve O. Strock, chief engineer of WHT in Chicago, ‘Wwho has just completed a long experi- ment, alded by weekly reports from 11,080 radio listeners, scattered from coast to coast and in Canada and Mexico. By correlating the changes made in the transmitter design with the re- ception reports, Mr. Strock sald he found he could shift “‘dead areas” by changing constants in the transmitter. He also found from these reports that atmospheric conditions had only a minor effect on the fading of signals. “This was proven,” according to the engineer's report, “by taking baro- metric readings at the station and tabulating these with the weather re- ports of various sections of the coun- try. In this, as in the mater of ‘dead areas,’ we found that we could affect the situation by changes in the trans- mitter design.” WHT is now making permanent changes in its transmitter with a view to eliminating such annoyances as fading and weakened signals. Form “Radio Drama League.” Sixteen broadcasting stations, in- cluding WRC, are co-operating in the development of a special technique for radio play writing. The first pro- duction attempted is Robert J. Casey's A Step on the Stairs,” which has been dramatized by Fred Smith, managing director of the United States Radio So- clety, who has been experimenting and producing radio drama for the <t fou! to Mr. Smith, “A Step on the Stairs” is the supreme achieve- ment in the new cult of writing. The story is of the mystery tjpe. It be- gins with action and susperise. A steady run of colloquy between the characters conveys descriptions and reveals the personalities. Besides WRC, the stations allied in the Radio Drama League WLW, WOR, WHAR, WGY, WNAC WEAN WMAQ, WCCO, WOC, WHO, WBAP, WOAW, KOA, KGO and KGW. London String Quartet Featured. For the first time since the Atwater Kent radio hours were inaugurated last October 4, the radio audience of WCAP and 14 other connected sta- tions will hear tonight an instrumen- tal quarter, the London String Quar- tet, one of the most famous chamber musical organizations in the world, which is now making its fifth tour through the United States. The quartet has been playing for 16 years, and consists of James Levey, first violin; Thomas Petre, second vio- lin; H. Waldo Warner, viola, and C. ‘Warwick-Evans, cello. Standardization of Radio Parts. The need for universal standardiza- tion of radio parts is brought forcibly to the mind of the energetic construc- tor every time he tackles a new re- ceiver. ~Since broadcasting started much progress has been made toward this end, but there is yet plenty of room for further development. Radio engineers have recommended especlally that uniformity in mount- ing of the condensers be observed. Some of the other things which they :nve in mind lo be standardized fol low 1. Should rheos(nt;, condensers, ete., be of the one-hole mounting type, or mounted by means of screws? 2. Should dials and condensers be so designed that when the dial f¢ turned to the right the numbers on the dial increase, or should the num THE SUNDAY bers increase when the dial is turned to the left? 3. Should all gials and knobs have the same size holes, and if so, what size should be adopted? 4. How far should condenser shafts project through the panel? Inasmuch as rheostats turn left to right, the engineers believe the other controls should turn in the same di rection. There are many sets and condensers on the market on which the dials turn from right to left. There also seems to' be no standard length of condenser shaft, which re sults in much annoyance, due to thic fact that dials do not fit proprly. Such items as cords, cord tips, plugs, jacks, rheostat shafts and a color code for wiring sets already have been standardized. (‘ongruslonnl Forum Popular, The radio congressional forum that was inaugurated at statlon WRC, ir January, has proved to be an excel- lent method of introducing the mem- bers of Congress to the citizens of al parts of the United States. Letters expressing interest in the talks of the Representatives and Senators who have spoken through the forum have far exceeded those received in appre clation of many of the outstanding musical events broadcast by the ‘Washington station. The national scope of the forum is made possible through the simulta- neous broadcasting of the weekly dis- cussions of the work of Congres: through the Bound Brook transmitter of station WJZ. The forum was inaugurated with addresses by Representative Tilson of Connecticut and Garrett of Ten nessee, respectively the Republicar and Democratic leaders in the House who outlined the work of Congres: and the issues that confront that body. This form of address with both a Republican and Democratic leade: giving their views of the questions be fore the House, has been followed ir all of the subsequent broadcasts of the forum. On the one occasion when Senators {EBRUARY 28, 1926—PART 1. STAR, WASHINGTO . G, were introduced to the radio audience in a discussion of ‘“Prohibition,” Sen ators Dill of Washington and Edge of New Jersey were rewarded for their debate by thousands of letters from listeners in all parts of the United States. Other congressional leaders who have addressed the radlo audience through the forum are Representa- tives Madden of Illinols, Rainey of Illinois, Schallenberg of Nebraska, Merritt of Connecticut, Byrnes of Tennessee and Chindblom of Illinois The forum is conducted every Satur- day night and is bmndun by stations. WRC and \VJ e WOULD TAX OLD WORKS OF ART TO AID LIVING | ras French Deputy’s Plan Proposes As- sistance to Authors, Artists and Scientific Men. By the Associated Press. PARIS, February 27.—Deputy Pierre Ramell 'has proposed & scheme which he says will prodvce from 30 to 40 million francs (§1,200,000 to $1,500,000) a year to benefit French rtists and scientific men gen- tions. A crusade in their favor has been started and Deputy Rameil's pro- posal is one result. He proposes that a 2 per cent roy- alty be collected on the sale of all works on which the copyright has ex- pired. In France copyrights expire 50 years after the author's death, at which time, in the case of the popular writer, like Guy de Maupassant, for example, the markets are flooded with editions of his works. Deputy Ramefl would extend his scheme to the production of plays, re- production of pictures and other works of art, or use of any form of scientific discovery on which the crea- flory Is of the mystery tjpe. Tt be[the dial increase, or should the num | On the one occasion when Senators|tor's right have lapsed. |week afterward. JAZZ BANDS’ MOANS IRK BERLIN CHURCH MEMBERS Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Institu- tion Amid Resorts of Great White Way of German Capital. By the Associated Press. . BERLIN, February 27.—Older mem- bers of Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, which is being surrounded by an ever-increasing number of cab- arets, gambling resorts, cafes and mo- tion picture theaters, are sorry that 85 years ago they chose the center of Auguste Victoria Square, then the fashionable west end residential dis- trict, as the site for the church in memory of Kaiser Wilhelm. The square is the hub of the aris- tocratic night life. Just as Trinity Church, in New York, is almost hid- den by the towering skyscrapers about it, the four-spired Romanesque Memorial Church stands over-awed by the glare of lights of Berlin's Great ‘White Way, the Kurfuerstendamm. Though allowed to worship in peace Sunday mornings before revellers of the night are awake, the congregation complains that the attendance at ves- per and evening services s falling off - | because of the counter attractions on all sides. The heavy stone walls of the church, parisioners say, fall to shut out the moaning of jazz bands during week-day religious concerts. And at night the bright lights fiicker through the stained glass windows and distract attention from the service, i B T S, A Charming Compliment. From the Edinburgh Scotsman. ““The prettiest thing in hats,” Mrs. Bromley the other day, “is— “Your face, Mrs. Brnmley '* sald her husband gallantly; and Mrs. Bromley carried around a 9-inch smile for a week afterward. said S HANDKISSING UNDER BAN. Foreign Buyers Object to Feature in German Films. BERLIN, February 27 (#).—Hand- kissing scenes In the grand manor have cost many a German motion picture producer the chance to sell his fllm abrcad. Passionate kisses on the lips are universally liked by the movie patrons, but the courtesy kiss on the hand, accom- panied by sweeping gestures, is appre. ciated only in Austria and Germany, eays Arthur Lansberg. ‘When in a dramatic moment the’ hero suddenly gra the heroine’s hand and kisses it, Dr. Lansberg de- clares, a foreign audience, instead of being moved to tears, usually strug- gles to ieep from laughing out loud. The discussion over the question of eliminating the hand kiss from mo- tion pictures has caused many people to advocate the abandonment of the practice in real life. They say it Is a relic of the mdidle ages. Endurance The Indian runner of Leather- stocking fame was endowed with no special gift of speed or en- durance. ‘That strength of limb, of wind, of heart, that power which carried him over mountain trail and 3 e through forest glade—these were - s g the result of rigorous training, of Also See Pages 8, 9 and 10—TFirst Section. y infinite practice, of self-discipline LANSBURGH & BRO. - 7th to 8th to E—~FAMOUS FOR QUALITY SINCE 1860—Franklin 7400 s Members of American Retailers’ Association, Inc. Soitigwntb' A hidden yet ever-present Integrity, ten years of constant striving for a better and still better product, and always the ideal of “Quality First”— these combine to create a value, an assurance of trouble-free radio reception, which is of vital importance. No wonder that an ever-growing army of radio enthusiasts has come to find in these tubes alone the character, the quality, which has been in-built—since 1915. There's No Better Way To Show Our “ARA” Visitors How to Get Maximum Business, Than By Contmumg’ This Sale of Natlonally Known 5-TUBE RADIO SETS Companys Commg Tomorrow And our three pages elsewhere in this paper tells you that we want maximum business throughout the store. We simply must be busy—and the best business-getter we can think of is this wonderful offer of high-grade radio sets. And the best of the whole propo- sition, you will see if you glance ]ust below the price, which is plenty low enough in itself. By making a reasonable down payment, you can get your set at once; and pay $2.00 a week thereafter. COMPLETE WITH ALL EQUIPMENT All Types C-8CX = In the Orange and Blue Carton T il . CHICAGO ~ SAN FRANCISCO ~ NEW YORK Or Without Accessories $29.75 BUY ON THE PART- PAYMENT PLAN Reasonable Cash Payment and $2 a Week Thereafter. @Weflyour’recezber into A LIGHT SOCKET SET % with Balkite Radio Power Units Balkite Radio Power Units enable you to make a light “socket set of your present receiver. The Balkite Trickle Charger converts your “A” battery into an automatic “A" power unit that furnishes “A” current from the light socket. Balkite “B” replaces “B” batteries entirely and furnishes “B” current from the light socket. As an added convenience you may purchase from your dealer an automatic switch that cuts out the charger and turns on Balkite “B” during operation. This popular lightsocket installation is the last word in radio convenience — simple to install, economical, compact and composed entirely of units that have demonstrated their success over a long period of time. Noiseless—No bulbs—Permanent All Balkite Radio Power Units are permanent pieces of equipment, entirely noiseless, have no bulbs, no moving parts, nothing to break or get out of order. Their current consumption is very low. All operate from 110-120 volt AC current, with models for 50, 60 and other cycles. All are tested and listed as stand ~4 by the Underwriters’ Laboratories. All are sold by leading radio dealers everywhere. Factory Representative The John P. Rainbault Company 1336 New York Ave. Phone Main 4662 Washington, D. . Balkite Radiio Power Units MANUFACTURED BY FANSTEEL PRODUCTS COMPAN" Balkite Trickle Charger " battery of 30 ampere hourt into an automatic power unit that furnishes “A” current from the light socket. With 4-volt and smaller 6-voltbatteries may be used either as an intermittent or trickle charger. $10. The Why and Wherefore Of T]’llS Sale We created a furore several months ago when we sold the public of D. C. several hundreds of these fine sets with the straight front panel. Here is the newest model of the same set, with a sloping front panel, a decided improvement. Fifteen famous department stores, by purchasing 12,500 of these sets, make the absurdly low price possible. Because of this low price, the manufacturer will not allow the publica- tion of the name of the set, but the radiowise of Wuinngton will recognize the set as one of Radio's topnotchers. Easy to Operate The three-dial control makes it remarkably easy to operate. Tune out—tune in—any station as you wish, under favorable condxnons. Remember. tl'us 1s a brfl‘nd-new. up-to-date, this year's model, made by a famous manufacturer. Very little space for laudatory description here. But this set is a five-tube tuned radio-frequency receiver, with two stages of radio frequency, detector and two stages of audio ets, low-loss condensers, low-loas coils, formica panel, l\xg}:ly- polished dials, and if it wasn't for lack of space, we could e toll the features of this set indefinitely! Balkite Battery Charger The popular rapid charger for 6= volt “A” batteries. Noiseless. Can be used while the set is in opera- tion. Special model for 2540 cydes. $19.50. The Musette HORN Termed as the “Stra- divarius of Radio,” with its clear, mellow, resonant tone, was awarded the trophy at the radio world’s fair Sept., 1924, It usually sells for $12.50—but you get it as part of the equipment of this set. The Equipment These are the high-grade Accessories which you get with this set for $64.98 complete! 1 U. S. L. 100-Ampere-hour Storage A Battery, rubber case, or Westinghouse. 5 Cunningham 301-A Tubes. 2 Large Size 45-volt Beacon B Batteries. 1 Complete Antenna Equipment. 1 Musette Bakelite Bell Loud Speaker. Service Features INSTALLATION—We will install this set if you wish for a very small additional cost. SIX MONTHS’ SERVICE—We guarantee you free serv- ice on your set for six months, if we install it for you. CONVENIENT PAYMENTS—A reasonable sum at the time of purchase and two dollars a week thereafter until the set is paid for. PROMPT DELIVERY~—The prompt service of our credit department will make lt possible for you to have your set delivered within a few days. Every Set Guaranteed by Lansburgh & Bro. socket. Has no bulbs. For sets of 6 tubes or less. $35. Balkite *B” II Supplies plate current from the light socket. Will serve any stand- ard set. Especially adapted to sets ©of 6 tubes or more. $55. NORTH CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 715 12th St. N.W. 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