MAY 1922 Price 200

CRYSTAL DETECTOR

COUPLER

PHONE CO140E45E14
VARIABLE
CONDENSER

SWITCH

;
COLO WATER 1t11.4711

SPIGOT PHONES
VELLA DRY CELL

All instructions are given with simple pictures like

this. No confusing electrical diagrams.

(Py Wenry WI..Weely

E Z Publishing Co.
614 Arch St. Philadelphia
 ;_-:\z 7., =, 7:,. _,-:ZA
1;1

E -Z RADIO BY
[dJ
HENRY M. NEELY

The Real
RADIO PRIMER
For Beginners

COPYRIGHT 1922
By E -Z PUBLISHING CO.

The E -Z PUBLISHING CO.

614 ARCH STREET PHILADELPHIA

* ../cZ `s, 3
E -Z RADIO

HENRY M. NEELY
 E -Z RADIO 3

THIS BOOK AND ITS AUTHOR

"E -Z RADIO" is designed to be a monthly publication for the
BEGINNER in Radio. It does not attempt to interest the experienced
amateur. But, if he is not too experienced, even he will find much of
value, taken from the actual operating knowledge of a man whose
commercial first grade licenses prove his actual, first-hand intimacy
with conditions as well as theories.
Each one of these monthly volumes will contain many articles of
general interest, instructions for making and using simple apparatus
and at least one crystal and one audion "hook-up."
There will be nothing very technical and the hook-ups (like the
one on the front cover) will be given in pictures, on the assumption
that few people know-and fewer want to know-the symbols used
in electrical diagrams.
We have been planning this service for some time, but there was
only one man capable of writing it in the simple, direct and almost
childishly clear style which we wanted. That man is Henry M. Neely,
well known as a writer both of fiction and on popular scientific
subjects, and for years a leader in both amateur and commercial radio
work in the East.
Mr. Neely's radio experience goes back to the very earliest days.
In 1910 he founded the Wireless Association of Pennsylvania, and in
recognition of his work, has been elected an Honorary Member of
that influential body.
He has for a number cf years been the holder of commercial first -
grade licenses and to get material for stories, has spent several years
at sea as a regular ship operator for the Marconi Company. His last
trip, which ended less than two years ago was aboard a Norwegian
whale -hunting ship and the eight months' voyage took him nearer
the South Pole than any. Lying American has been.
In the early days of the war, Mr. Neely acted as an instructor in
radio until he was able to get an assignment overseas in another
branch of service. He was offered a lieutenant commander's commis-
sion to stay on this side and help organize the radio service of the
Fourth Naval District, but he preferred service on the other side.
These radio articles are so simple that the most unscientific man
or woman cannot fail to understand them. They are not going into
the complicated details of the whys and wherefores of radio. They
are designed to ANSWER THE NATURAL QUESTIONS THAT EV-
ERY LAYMAN ASKS WHEN RADIO IS MENTIONED TO HIM.

Back numbers can always be secured from

E -Z PUBLISHING CO., 614 Arch St., Philadelphia
4 E -Z RADIO
I. WHAT'S ALL THIS CRAZE ABOUT?

Radio is an actual home entertainment today. Here we have

a typical family seated listening to music from several
hundred miles away. We have the long box which contains
the first part of the receiving apparatus and then the small
box which builds up the strength of the signals so that
they can be transferred to the loud speaking horn. Every-
body in the room can then hear them as plainly as they
would hear a phonograph.
What is this radio craze all If you buy a standard set de-
about? signed to receive a broadcasting
station, you simply put on the
What is there in the air to in- head phones, turn a couple of
terest people who don't know knobs until they get the best re-
anything about radio? sults and then sit back and enjoy
Don't you have to know a dot - such an evening of instruction
and -dash code or something to get and entertainment as no other in-
anything out of it? vention has yet offered to us.
There is, of course, a lot of
Nine men out of ten who read broadcasting done in the dot -and -
every day about the wonders of dash code. But there is nothing
radio broadcasting ask themselves in this to interest the average lay-
and their friends these questions. man. For him, when his phones
And unless they can get satisfac- are on and his set adjusted, there
tory answers, they go on about is the sound of the human voice
their daily routine convinced that telling what station it is sending.
radio is beyond them - one of The voice comes in even more
those deep and involved sciences clearly and distinctly than it does
that require a lot of special study over his house or office telephone.
and complicated apparatus that Then comes, perhaps, a vocal
only an expert can keep in work-
ing order. solo-a soprano, we will say,
singing a beloved air and the
But they are wrong. You don't music is received in the phones
have to know anything about almost as purely and distinctly as
radio to get the enjoyment out of
this broadcasting. You don't have though the listener were in the
to know any dot -and -dash code. same room with the singer.
 E -Z RADIO 5

There are orchestral concerts, self invited to his house some eve-
lectures, speeches, market reports ning and you will come away
for the day, general and sporting chortling about radio to yourself
news, all the results of the day's and your family and your friends
games or the night's fights; there just as irrepressibly as the rest of
are dance music programs which, us chortle to you now.
with proper apparatus, can be put There isn't a spot in the whole
on a loud -speaking horn, or, with area of the United States or Can-
an ingenious and cheap little at- ada which can't get at least one
tachment, transferred directly to of these radio concerts. The mail
the tone arm of the phonograph of the big broadcasting stations,
and a roomful of people can even in the extreme East, brings
dance to the music of an expens- almost daily an account of some
ive orchestra perhaps three or one in the wilds of the Far North
four hundred miles away. woods or the mountains of Mex-
On Sundays there are special ico who is finding life less dreary
sermons in the afternoons and, in since the ether waves have start-
the mornings and evenings, actual ed bringing home and art and
services held in real churches and news and civilization to his lum-
sent broadcast on the radio waves ber camp or his ranch or his mine
over the country by means of or oil well.
transmitters installed in the There is one thing about it, of
churches. So clearly do these course-the farther you are away
services come in under favorable
conditions that you can hear re- from a broadcasting station, the
sponsive readings of the congre- more expensive a set you will
gations, the sermon and prayers, have to have. But the result can
the organ and the choir and al- be achieved by any one anywhere
most the coins dropping while the between the Atlantic and Pacific.
collection is being taken up. And it's all so well worth while
This all sounds like a madman's that you will find the money for
ravings to one who has not act- it somewhere once you have had
ually done it, but if you know an a taste of what is in store for the
amateur who has a set, get your- owner of a set.

II. HOW MUCH RADIO DO I HAVE TO KNOW?

If there is one thing more than of electricity. They approach the
another that keeps the average subject of radio as they would
layman from going into the fas- approach the purchase of a mo-
cinating game of radio, it is the torcar. They know what result
belief that he has to know a good they want. They don't care
deal about electricity in order to about the technical details of how
manipulate a set and hear the this result is obtained.
concerts, news and lectures that On a car, they want a self-start-
are being broadcasted day and er and a wheel and a gear -shift
night all over the country. mechanism-they'd prefer to get
Most non-scientific men do not along without the last if they
want to be bothered with the ne- could-but they don't want to
cessity of studying the intricacies have to raise the hood and rear-
 6 E -Z RADIO
range all those mysterious and
technical -looking gewgaws inside.
Radio doesn't have to be any
more technical than the running
of the best fool -proof car. It is
much more fun if you do know
something about the science, just
as the man who tinkers with the
mechanism of his own car usually
has more fun with it than the
man who doesn't.
But the similarity goes further.
Speaking of the average amateur,
the man who doesn't tinker with
his car usually gets more use out
of it than the man who does. So
the man who buys a standard
radio set and doesn't even inquire
what is inside it will probably
hear more of the broadcasting
than the man who takes it apart
and tries every new hook-up that
he sees in the latest fan maga-
zine.
But, in ninety-nine cases out of
a hundred in the radio game, it is
safe to make the prediction that
the man who hates the thought of A radio set might be likened to a
studying electricity and using house plumbing supply. The
technical terms will, within six pump is the sending station. The
months of the installation of his tank is our aerial which receives
first set, be talking glibly and the water. We guide it by means
arguing forcibly about variable of pipes (wires) to the places
condensers and series and shunt where we can use it. We have
inductances and microfarads and various apparatus like tubs and
milhenries and milliamps. Right spigots and stoppers where the
now, he would bet his last cent water (current) is made useful.
that he won't. But the fascina- Then we let it go on down into
tion of it gets hold of him and he the drain or sewer (the ground).
finds himself, in spite of himself,
quickly drifting into the real start wind the machine and how to
"nut" class. And it is one phase and stop it.
of life in which it truly is "great So with any of the standard
to be crazy." radio sets. You have a switch for
turning on the electricity for
Working a radiophone set in lighting the little incandescent
the home doesn't require any lamp through which the receiving
more knowledge of radio than is done; you have a knob to turn
working a phonograph requires to let in more or less current ac-
of acoustics and mechanics. You cording as the signals grow better
get your phonograph furnished or worse with the operation and
complete so that all you have to you have from two to four other
learn is how to insert the needle, knobs the turning of which
how to put on the record, how to affects the clearness with which
 E -Z RADIO 7

the signals come in. Well say you have a tank or an

You don't have to be a scientist incoming supply of water up un-
to judge this. The result in your der the roof; it is piped down
phones tells you when you are through the house, led into cer-
getting the best adjustment. tain rooms, turned on or off with
And, unlike your phonograph, spigots, stored in tubs or other
you don't have to wind her up receptacles by means of stoppers
again and change the records and and, when used, is allowed to es-
be careful to stop it when the rec- cape through the drains into the
ord is through. You simply find sewer under the house.
your best signals, leave the appa- Exactly the same thing happens
ratus set that way and sit back in a wireless set, using electricity
and enjoy it for the rest of the instead of water.
evening. We are not going to become
The fundamental electricity ne- technical in these articles, but we
necessary for understanding the are going to show now and then
installation and working of a ra- how extremely simple the basic
dio set is no more involved than principles of radio are and we will
the knowledge necessary to un- probably use that house -plumbing
derstand how your house plumb-; idea to teach it all the way
ing system works. through.
III. DON'T THE SIGNALS GET ALL MIXED UP?

The ether is like a still pond. The transmitting station is

the boy throwing a stone into it. The waves go out in all
directions. They will rock the small stick of wood but not
the big log. But the log would rock if the waves were the
size of the ocean waves. Here the stick is "tuned" to this
wave length, but the log isn't. Same way with radio
receiving sets.
Talk to almost any non -radio keep them from doing it."
man about these broadcast con- The answer is-on a well -de-
certs and entertainments, and signed set, they do not interfere.
among the first half -dozen ques- With proper adjustment of the
tions he will ask will be. "But knobs, one station can be "tuned
don't the different stations get all out" and another "tuned in," or
mixed up? Don't they interfere the first can be heard and the sec-
with each other and make just a ond silenced.
jumble? I don't see how you can "But I don't see how that is
8 E -Z RADIO
possible." You said that yourself, X or Y or one of those funny -
didn't you? looking Greek letters that scien-
All right. Let's forget radio tists love.
for a moment and talk about It is in this ether that radio
something so simple that you waves are made. And the ether is
have noticed it yourself a dozen everywhere - between the atoms
times. of bricks and stones and wood
Let's suppose we are on oppo- and mortar and glass, and that is
site sides of a pond. On your side why we can set up aerials inside
there is a fair-sized log floating. our tightly closed houses and re-
On my side there is a little chip. ceive wireless signals. They tra-
You throw a stone into the wa- vel on the ether that is distrib-
ter. It makes a splash and sends uted all through these materials.
out little waves which spread out The sending station sends out a
in circles all over the pond. signal-which is the stone that
Those waves pass the log but do makes the splash in this ether.
not rock it enough to be percept- The waves travel everywhere at
ible. The log is too big. But the tremendous rate of more than
when the waves reach my chip, 186,000 miles a second - nearly
they bob it up and down as long eight times around the earth
as the waves last. Suppose I chop while your watch ticks four
down a tree on my side and it times.
falls squarely into the water. It Our receiving sets are "tuned"
will make a tremendous splash to receive only the waves of the
and will send out waves so big station we want to hear. You
that your log will rock up and see in every wireless program the
down on them. announcement of the "wave
That is a very rough illustra- length" on which it is to be sent.
tion. Your log is "tuned" to the If we only spoke of this length in
big waves, but it isn't tuned to feet and inches it wouldn't sound
the little ones. so mysterious. But it means the
That's how radio works. You same thing.
hear radio carelessly spoken of as You will hear of ocean waves
"air waves." It isn't. Sound tra- which are thirty-three feet from
vels on air waves. But the air, or crest to crest. That is ten meters.
atmosphere, as we know it ex- Our radio waves are much bigger
tends only some hundred miles than that. We can produce them
above the surface of the earth. that small, but they are not of
Beyond that is utter silence so far much use. Amateurs use 200 me-
as human ears are concerned. ters-about 6600 feet. The con-
There is no air to carry an audible certs are broadcast on 360 meters.
sound wave. That is, the waves made in the
But all that vast expanse of ether are about 1200 feet from
space between us and the sun and crest to crest. And so we go on
planets and stars is filled with an up to 25,000 or 30,000 meters for
extremely tenuous, intangible some of the biggest trans -oceanic
something to which scientists stations.
have given the name of ether. Now, with all the concerts be-
We don't know what ether is but ing sent on 360 -meter waves, you
we know there is something there will say that the illustration of
because we know some of the the waves in the pond and the log
things it does, and we call it ether is bad, for the log would respond
just as we might have called it to all waves of the same length.
 E -Z RADIO 9

Did you ever notice the differ- and our receiving instruments can
ence in the shapes of the waves be tuned to receive waves of any
on water? With a high wind length and any shape, and do it
blowing you will find the waves so sharply that they will give
almost straight up and down, or greatest response only to the
even quite concave on one side, shape we want to hear and almost
and rounded on the other. You ignore the others, even though
will see some waves with sharp they be of exactly the same
peaks and others with easy curves length.
on the crests. The waves break-
ing on the beach are different It is adjusting the receiving set
from the rollers out at sea. It all to get the waves we want that
depends on what affects the we call tuning, and by being able
waves. to do that we are able, under or-
So it is in the ether. And we dinary circumstances and with
have sufficiently developed the good instruments, to prevent
art of radio that our sending in- what would otherwise be simply
struments can be made to send an unintelligible jumble of con-
out waves of a particular shape, flicting sounds in the phones.
V. WHAT WILL IT COST FOR A SET?

9 9e

Typical receiving outfits.

2
On left - apparatus used to
"tune" signals. On right-tuner hooked up to audion bulb
detector unit which makes signals plainly audible and two
amplifying bulbs which make them a great many times as
strong as the detector.
Perhaps the question of finances stand that there are two great
should have been the first one dis- general divisions among receiving
cussed in this series on radio. sets. There is the type of set that
What, then, will it cost to install uses a piece of mineral, or crystal,
a radio set to receive these radio to receive through. There is the
broadcasts? type of set that uses a specially
The answer is necessarily indef- designed incandescent light,
inite. Anywhere from $5 to $250. known as an audion valve, or
It will depend entirely on what bulb, to receive through.
you want to get and your loca- The bulb is by all odds the more
tion. efficient-from thirty to several
First, you will have to under- hundred times as efficient. That
10 E -Z RADIO
is to say, insert first a crystal and enough to know that you have to
then a bulb in the same station have them so as to get a general
and the bulb will make the idea of the cost. This set is for
phones give out signals so much the best "hook up" to receive the
louder that there can be no com- majority of broadcasting stations
parison. And the bulb will en- which send on a 360 -meter wave
able you to hear stations that length. It is known as the "re-
would not make the slightest generative set" and is by all
sound through the piece of min- means the most efficient for short
eral. waves, from 200 to 500 meters.
There is another aspect of this. Your aerial apparatus will
Most people who install a radio cost about $5.
set want one that will do away Vario-coupler, $6.50.
with the phones and give the Two variometers, $10.
music and speech through a horn, Variable condenser, $5.
known as a "loud speaker," or Grid condenser, fifty cents.
one of those phonograph attach- Phones, $6.
ments which make your standard Six -volt storage battery to
box serve as loud speaker. light the bulb, $15.
It is to be understood in the Dry cells for "B" battery,
first place that any one who $2.50.
wants such results must positive- Bulb socket, $1.
ly use the bulb type of receiver. Bulb, $5.
The crystal type cannot be used Rheostat, $1.50.
with a loud speaker with any sat- There's $58 right there. But, re-
isfaction. member that when you
ask, bother about the crystal type and it is hooked up and you get
at all? that first thrilling, awe-inspil ing
Well, the crystal set has its sound of a human voice coming
uses. If you are within about five from four or five hundred miles
miles of a powerful broadcasting away, your $58 will seem like a
station and want the music and mighty small price to pay for one
speech for yourself alone, a sim- of the most wonderful sensations
ple crystal set will answer as an that modern science has given us.
amusement. If you are more Each Sunday night, with a set
than five miles away from the like this, I have listened to the
sending station, you might as actual services in a church 370
well give up all thoughts of using miles away, with four or five
a crystal detector. phones connected in the circuit.
Turning to the bulb type we To operate a loud speaking
strike the expense. For the sim- horn or phonograph, you will
plest type of set, with only one need what is known as "amplifi-
bulb, you will have to spend quite cation." That means that you
a tidy sum, even if you buy the must attach apparatus to build up
parts separately and assemble the and increase the strength of the
set yourself. There are certain signals received.
things that are essential and they There are audion bulbs made
all cost money. for this special purpose and if
Here is just a list of the necessi- you use one of them you have
ties with approximate prices. what is called "one step of ampli-
Pardon the technical names of fication." If you use two ampli-
the things; you needn't bother yet fying bulbs, you have two steps,
to learn what they mean; it is and so forth. Few amateurs go
 E -Z RADIO 11

beyond two steps and this is always sold without bulb, aerial
usually sufficient to operate a outfit, storage battery, "B" bat-
horn or phonograph. teries or phones. Get the prices
The amplification will cost you of these articles from this list and
add to the price of the set to esti-
about $20 for each step. .mate total cost. And, if you buy
Just one word of caution. In amplifiers already made up in
pricing standard receiving outfits, neat panels, add $6.50 for the bulb
remember that they are almost for each step.
V. CAN I ALWAYS GET THE BROADCASTS?

Different sized waves i a pond will .1 itect umeient hi/x(1

sticks. The ether is like a pond. Lightning and "static" or
`atmospherics" are like a cartload of different sized rock
dumped into a pond. They make all sizes of waves and rock
all sizes of sticks. In other words, static interferes with
receiving, no matter what wave length your set is tuned to.
There's one thing about a pho- the present stage of development,
nograph that is decidedly in its radio has not reached this point
favor. It's a dependable machine. of dependability. But, for that
You know that, if the weather is precise reason, its status today
bad outdoors and you decide to gives it that element of a game
spend a comfortable evening at of skill or chance that promotes
home, all you will have to do is the keenest kind of rivalry and
wind up the machine, put on a makes for an enthusiasm that is
record, start it and the music will half the fun of it.
come forth. And it will do it not Get two radio fiends together
once in a while, but 365 days and and you'll hear, "You ought to.
nights in a year. have heard me bring in BVD last
And, from that very fact, it night. Got him like a ton of
leaves nothing to the imagina- bricks. And after he was through
tion, there is no element of gam- I monkeyed around a bit, and
bling, of skill, of your machine what do you think?"
accomplishing something that And the second fiend will ask
Jim Smith's couldn't do. There's somewhat grudgingly, "Dunno;
nothing in it for yot, to be par- what?"
ticularly proud of and enthuse "There was RSVP clear as a
over. bell. What d'ya know about
It must be confessed that, at that? One thousand two hundred
 12 E -Z RADIO
and fifty miles away and you tuned, there is a wave of the size
might have thought he was in the and shape to cause it to respond.
next room. That's a great little So that, if the receiver happened
hook up I'm using. You ought to to be getting an intended series
try it." of waves, the similar waves com-
This undependability is due to ing from the carload would inter-
many different reasons, not one fere and make it impossible to
of which is sufficiently well un- tell which was which.
derstood yet to permit of a solu- That will give you a rough idea
tion of the problem. of what static is.
First there is that bugbear of Static is usually of little
all radio men, static-atmospher- trouble in winter in the northern
ics - strays. These are three hemisphere and becomes more
names for the same thing. They and more troublesome as summer
refer to the discharge of electri- advances. And, though there
city in the air or the clouds. have been several so-called "static
Lightning is a violent and con- eliminators" invented, static is
centrated form of static. But still a nuisance and only smiles at
there can be most annoying static our present methods of opposi-
without the least sign of weather tion.
trouble. Down in tropic waters, T1 -en there is the phenomenon
from March on through the sum- of "fading signals." You will
mer months, I have frequently tune in to get the concert from
been unable to read a message be- PDQ and he will start in very
cause of the continual crashing QSA, as the wireless bugs say
and sizzling and "frying" in my when they mean "strong and
phones. And this with the sky clear." Then, without any change
guiltless of a cloud and the moon in the adjustment of your instru-
and stars fairly blazing in crystal ment, he will fade away until you
brilliancy. have lost him entirely, and no
We have already referred, in matter how much readjusting you
these articles, to the radio waves may do, you will not get him
in the ether being like ordinary back. And later, perhaps, he will
waves in a pond of water. There gradually come in again until he
are waves of different sizes and is as QSA as any one would wish.
shapes and we can tune our re- Nobody knows why and nobody
ceiving instruments to respond to knows what to do about it.
only one size and shape. The Monday night you may get the
ether may be likened to a placid concert from KYW as though you
pond. Our transmitting instru- were under the shadow of his
ment is the means by which we aerial. You will make notes of
throw a pebble into the pond and the exact adjustment of your set,
start a series of waves out in all and when you sit in Tuesday
directions. night you will turn every knob
A discharge of static might be and dial to the place it was the
likened to dumping a carload of night before. And you may hear
quarry refuse into the pond. just a whisper. You try other
There are pieces of stone of all adjustments but it is of no use.
sizes-big and little and medium You hear him and that is all.
and tiny and huge. The result is Again nobody knows why and no-
a great splash which sends out body knows what to do about it.
waves of all sizes, and no matter And Wednesday night he may be
how the receiving instrument is louder and clearer than he was
 E -Z RADIO 13

Monday. among radio fans, just as the golf

I am speaking now of distant bug or the baseball fan or the
stations. If you are located only motorcar enthusiast can talk en-
five or ten miles from a powerful joyably for hours and say nothing
broadcaster, you won't be trou- of any importance.
bled so much. You can pretty
nearly depend on getting it satis- This isn't intended to be dis-
factorily-if static isn't in season couraging. Nine nights out of
and working overtime. ten you will get satisfactory re-
But that is really half the fun sults on your receiver, but if you
of the game. It gives never end- don't, you can compare notes next
ing subject of conversation day with your friends.
VI. WHAT'S ALL THIS ABOUT A "DETECTOR"?

These pictures show the two types of detectors. On the left'

a crystal-the "catwhisker" kind, with a bit of mineral in a
clamp and a thin wire just touching it. On the right, an
audion bulb, the modern "Aladdin's Lamp" of science.
We have already spoken of the tacks."
great difference between the two
kinds of radio receiving sets. One But it's so easy to understand
kind, we said, uses a piece of min- the functions of a detector and
eral called a crystal for a detec- it's so much better to know about
tor; the other kind uses a special- it that a few minutes spent consid-
ly designed incandescent electric ering the subject will repay any
light for a detector. one.
The very word "detector" It really shouldn't be called a
sounds technical and the average detector. It doesn't really do the
layman, not particularly interest- detecting. It simply straightens
ed in electricity, will say impa- out the currents in the receiving
tiently. "Oh, cut out these fancy set so that the telephones and the
names and let's get down to brass human ears can detect them.
14 E -Z RADIO
Radio sets might be likened to er on the telephone and the ear
the broad main street of a great and we get 1000 pulsations a sec-
city. Stand on the pavement and ond, which is just what we want.
watch the automobiles on the The detector is the traffic cop
street. There are thousands of on this one-way street. It is like
them going in both directions- a water or air or steam valve in
speeding up and down so fast and its action. It passes current in
in such great numbers that it al- one direction, but blocks the cur-
most makes you dizzy to watch rent coming in the opposite di-
them. rection.
That's the way with the electric Using again the simile of the
currents in a radio set. The cur- one-way street, the mineral de-
rent is what is called "alternat- tector is a narrow, badly paved
ing"-that is, it swings from one and hilly one-way street. It lets
direction to the other and it does traffic through, but the vehicles
it so rapidly as to be almost in- can't speed up very much.
conceivable. When an amateur
set is working, the current alter- The electric light known as the
nates at the tremendous rate of audion bulb or valve is a one-way
3,000,000 times each second. street that is wide and smooth
No telephone diaphragm in the and well paved. In fact, it might
world will respond to such incon- be said to slope down hill and as-
ceivable rapidity. Mechanically, sist traffic, for it not only
it's impossible. And the human straightens out the electric cur-
ear, being much like a telephone rents, but by means of its own
diaphragm, also refuses to func- batteries, boosts them along
tion so fast. sends them on their way some
So the clever radio engineers thirty or more times stronger
put in their sets a little gadget than they were when they entered
called a condenser which stores the bulb.
up a lot of these rapid pulsations Just as the audion bulb is about
and, every so often, releases a thirty times as strong as the
bunch of them all at once. The crystal, so it is about thirty times
ear and the telephone respond as expensive and as complicated.
best to something like 1000 pulsa- If you are within about five
tions a second. They will work miles of a big broadcasting sta-
up to 10,000, but we'll assume 1000 tion, you can hear the concerts on
as best. So we have our condens- a crystal-but you can never am-
er chop up the incoming currents plify the signals or put them on
into 1000 bunches, much like sau- a loud speaking horn. The best
sages strung on a long link. you can do is to put four or five
But the pulsations in each sets of telephones in the circuit
bunch are still first one way and and thus let your friends hear.
then the other. They still go so With the audion bulb, under fa-
fast that they would neutralize vorable conditions, you can hear
each other's effects on the dia- the concerts for three or four
phragm. So we have to find hundred miles and, by adding
something to make them all go what is known as amplifiers, you
the same direction - in other can make the signals just about
words, to eliminate those in one as loud as you want to-and put
direction and use only those in them on a horn or phonograph so
the other. Then the bunch of that everybody in the room can
one -direction currents act togeth- hear them.
 E -Z RADIO 15

VII. BE CAREFUL HOW YOU CONNECT YOUR WIRES.

Be careful of the connections. No. 1-Cut around the insu-

lation with a circular movement of the knife blade: pull
insulation off end; scrape wire clean and bright. No. 2-
Bend a loop with a pair of pliers and fit it around screw of
binding post. No. 4-Bend ends closely together so it will
not slip off and then screw down tight on it. No. 3-With
some types of binding posts simply insert bare end of wire
in the hole and screw down tight.
Even if you buy your radio re- insulation from the end, leaving
ceiving set complete in a neat the wire exposed.
polished cabinet, you will have to When you are ready to make
hook it up to your aerial and the connection, scrape this wire
ground and your storage and "B" absolutely clean, so that it is
batteries. And there is no cause bright and shiny. And, in making
of failure in sets quite so com- the connection, it is best not to
mon as bad connections in these handle the clean wire much, for
hook-ups. the skin has a certain amount of
The electric currents that flow body oil in it (some skin may
in a radio set are so extremely even have dirt on it, but not
weak that the least bit of resist- yours, of course) and any greasy
ance will interfere with them, matter will interfere with the
even to the extent of stopping smooth flowing of the weak cur-
them entirely. rents.
Loose connections between If you are using the kind of
wires or between wire and bind- binding posts that have a top that
ing post will give all sorts of an- screws down on the wire, scrape
noyance. And any dirt or grease, both the base and the lower side
even the grease of the skin, will of the top until they are shiny
interfere with perfect reception. and bright.
To prepare the end of a wire for Then, with a small pair of wire
connection, take the wire be- pliers, bend the end of the wire
tween the blade of a penknife into a loop that fits neatly over
and the thumb and, with a circu- the binding post and screw down
lar movement, cut through the in- hard and firm on it.
sulation all around. Then cut the If you are joining two ends of
 16 E -Z RADIO
wire together, there is nothing possible to have these connections
for it but solder. Merely twist- too good. And, if you ever want
ing them together is all right if to disconnect later, it is a simple
you are using them from your matter to heat the binding post
storage battery or your. "B" bat- with a little blow torch until the
tery, for the currents there are so solder melts and then remove the
strong that perfect connections wire.
are not essential. But if tiae wires It is surprising how many peo-
ae in any other part of your set ple have never learned to solder
you must twist them together and and how widespread is the belief
then solder so as to make a flaw- that it is a great deal of trouble.
less joint. It isn't at all; with an outfit cost-
As a matter of fact, it is well ing less than $2 it's fun, and you'll
worth while to solder the wire be surprised to find how mighty
from your aerial to your set and handy it is to have such equip-
the one from your set to the ment around the house for other
ground. Even after you have purposes.
made the careful connection just Later we will give an illustrat-
recommended, it is a mighty good ed talk on soldering and prove
thing to solder them, for it is im- how easy it is.
VIII. THAT BUGBEAR OF RADIO-THE AERIAL.
N.1/L FORS .

MOSUL...TOR

BAG[ Wilt
WOUND
wRO O B
TIM [Sy OWL
INIJI StnatIN
.D.NG

Here are some hints on outfitting the aerial to illustrate the

instructions given in the accompanying article. The draw-
ings are self-explanatory.
You don't want an outdoor expert who can use staggering
aerial, of course. Nobody does. looking mathematical formulae
Everybody is dreaming of the and figure out every little detail
time when a radio receiving set according to his own peculiar
will all be contained in a talking conditions. And it takes an ex-
machine cabinet-aerial and all. pert to get the best results out of
There are such sets now. But them.
they are not for the man of lim- We might as well, face the bru-
ited means or of limited know- tal truth at once. For really sat-
ledge of radio. They are for the isfactory results (if you are a be-
 E -Z RADIO 17

ginner) you will have to have an them together as near the leading -
outdoor aerial. You can get re- in insulator as possible and then
sults with an indoor aerial, but solder. This is one place where
they won't compare with the out- solder is absolutely essential. No
door one. twisted connections will do.
And how big an aerial will you If you positively must use an
need? The longest and highest indoor aerial, string four wires in
you can put up-within reason, of this same way under the ceiling
course. You don't want one 500 of a garret if you can get a
feet long. You don't want one stretch of twenty-five or thirty
500 feet high. feet. If you can't you can run a
The ideal aerial for the amateur wire
of a
around the picture molding
room, spiral fashion, with
is a single wire about 125 to 150 each turn about
I feet long and thirty feet high if others, using aan inch from the
total length of
possible. If you can get only 100 about 200 to 250 feet. Or you can
feet in length and twenty-five use what is known as a "loop"
feet in height, a single wire will aerial or one made of two sec-
still give you mighty good rt. tions of fine mesh mosquito wire,
sults. If your space is limited so though this latter type is not yet
that you cannot get a stretch of widely adopted.
100 feet, you had better use a
two -wire aerial. If you are con- But remember that, with any of
fined to fifty feet or so, use a these indoor aerials, you are re-
four -wire. And, whatever you ducing the strength of the receiv-
use, get it .as high as you conve- ed signals so that you will need
niently can and, if it is much less several stages of amplifying
than 100 feet long, bring the lead- bulbs to work a loud -speaking
ing -in wires from the far end. horn, and these amplifiers are ex-
If you put up an aerial ten feet pensive
best
and require some skill for
adjustment. If you are with-
above the tin roof of an eight-
story house, the height of the in twenty miles or so of a broad-
aerial isn't much more than ten casting station you will get fairly
feet, for radio purposes. Try to good results in phones only, even
rig it up so that it is well above with a loop. We will describe
roofs and trees, for the branches these different aerials soon.
of trees are great absorbers of Aerial wire may be either bare
radio energy. or insulated - it doesn't make
If you use a one -wire aerial, much difference. And, if it is
make it fast to the insulator at solid wire, the bigger the better.
the far end, pass it through the The very best aerial wire for or-
ring or hole of the near insulator dinary use is the kind sold for the
I
and tie it without cutting it, and purpose by the electrical stores.
bring the free end straight to It is made of seven twisted
your wall insulator. That will strands of bare wire, is easy to
avoid the trouble of soldering on handle, not expensive and much
another wire for a lead-in. If you
more efficient as a gatherer of
use two or four wires, string up radio signals than even a very
each of them the same way. Bring heavy solid wire.
 E -Z RADIO
IX. HOW TO RIG UP YOUR AERIAL

Insulation is the important thing in rigging up your aerial.

No. 1 is a "leading -in" insulator and No. 3 shows how it is
ased sore a hole in window frame or in the board recom
mended in the article, unscrew the cap shown in No. 1, push
insulator through hole, screw on cap tight, attach wires as
shown and it's done. No. 2 shows an ordinary porcelain
cleat used as an insulator for the aerial wire and for the
guy wires.
The main secret of success for other substances. Consequently
an aerial is good insulation. In- we use one of these substances
sulating means preventing the wherever a wire comes near an-
weak electric currents from go- other object through which it
ing anywhere except through the might waste its energy.
wires intended for them. An in- In rigging up your aerial these
sulator is a substance through insulators must receive the strict-
which electricity will not flow. est attention. On each aerial
When you are putting a plumb- mast or pole you will have a pul-
ing system in your house you see ley through which you run the
to it that the water has an easy rope or clothesline that hauls up
flow through the pipes and that the aerial. This rope ties to one
there are no bad joints or leaks end of a good insulator, and the
through which it can escape. aerial wire is made fast to the
Wires are the pipes for the ra- other end.
dio plumbing supply. Bad joints If you have a two, three or four
are bad connections between wire aerial, you *ill have sticks
wires. Leaks are where the insu- of wood called "spreaders" to
lation is poor and the electric cur- hold the wires the proper distance
rent manages to escape from the apart. You will have to have a
wire and waste its energy some- rope tied to each end of each
where where it can not be used. spreader so as to tie the spreaders
So good connections and good down horizontal. Each one of
insulation are the prime requisites these "guy ropes," as they are
of an aerial and a receiving set. called, must have an insulator
Porcelain is a good insulator; where it joins the spreader. This
so are hard rubber, bakelite, sul- may seem a useless precaution,
phur, parafine, glass and a dozen but remember that on a damp or
 E. Z RADIO 19

rainy day rope becomes saturated Good insulation is also impor-

with water, and water is an ex- tant at the place where your wire
cellent conductor of electricity. from your aerial comes through
The currents received in your the wall or window to your re-
aerial wire would enjoy running ceiving set. There are insulators
down the water in the ropes and built especially for this purpose,
laughing at your attempts to too, and a good one will cost
force them into your receiving about $2. They are called "lead-
set. in" insulators.
If you want the best, you can But you can rig one up your-
buy these insulators made in a self. Cut a board about two
form especially adapted for aerial inches broad and long enough to
work. They are from three to fit snugly into your window
twelve inches long and are made frame. This will enable you to
of the best insulating material close your window down on it
and formed with deep corruga- tightly when it rains. Bore a hole
tions to make the leakage path in this board just big enough to
of the surface as long as possible. pass through a short length of
But if you can't afford these heavily insulated wire-about No.
luxuries, get some of those porce- 10. Solder the lead from the
lain cleats that are made to hold aerial to the- outside end and
electric wires along the ceilings bring the inside end to your re-
of buildings. They will answer ceiving set. Or set one of these
the purpose very well for the re- porcelain cleats snugly over the
ceiving set. It is best to give hole and pass the lead-in wire
them a good coating of grease through, but if you do this you
every once in a while so that rain must wrap all that is inside with
water will run off of them and insulating tape, for there must be
not collect in such a way as to in-
vite the electricity to leak odt of no danger of anything touching
the wire. the bare wire of the lead-in.
X. SOME HINTS ON PUTTING UP AERIALS.

son. on

Mt 11.11.11 a .14
11.=
11140cw .0.10 NS. MTN.
TO rOOPMC,

Here are some useful suggestions for rigging up the aerial.

The one showing the pole against the chimney is especially
useful. Be sure to set the pole on the board shown at the
bottom or else it will soon wear a hole in your roofing.
20 E -Z RADIO
It may seem that we are de- have to get our ingenuity at
voting a good deal of attention work. You can lash a pole be-
to the aerial in these articles. hind each of two chimneys if they
"Oh, hurry up," the average im- are fifty or more feet apart. Lash
patient fan will say. "Never four solid pieces of wood to the
mind all that aerial stuff. We'll chimney first and bolt or spike
the pole to two of them-the
put up the aerial later. Tell us
how to hook up all this radio poles to be in back of the chim-
junk we have bought." neys when you're looking from
Anybody who feels that way is between them, so that the chim-
working backward. The very neys will support them against
first thing to decide is just how the pull of the aerial.
big an aerial you can place, where You can string your wire from
you can place it and the construc- under the eaves of the house and
tion details of how you are going run it to a tree or pole or even a
to rig it up. First, the aerial; back fence.
later the hook-ups and all about If you have no right on the
them. roof and have no back fence, you
What's the use of buying a can put two flagpoles out of the
crystal detector set and then find- two windows farthest apart and
ing that you've got to use an in- string the wires between them,
door aerial, after all? You will being careful to keep them at
never get satisfactory results least six feet away from the wall
with it. If an examination of of the house. You can even run
your premises proves to you that it in this way from the top story
you must use an indoor aerial or right-hand window to the first
a very short outdoor one, you'll floor left-hand window and take
have to arrange to finance an au- your lead in from the end far-
dion bulb receiver with its stor- thest away from your set.
age and dry batteries and prob- A °short aerial ought to have a
ably at least one stage of ampli- long leading -in wire, but an
fication. aerial 100 feet long or over does-
Remember this: the less effi- n't need so much.
cient the aerial is, the more ex- A single wire will be sufficient
pensive and complicated the re- if you can put one up at least
ceiving apparatus necessary. Or, seventy-five feet long. If your
worse, the less efficient the aerial, aerial is shorter, use a two -wire
the less satisfactory the results in aerial, taking the leading -in wire
the phones. from the far end. If the aerial is
So determine right now where to be only fifty feet or less over
you are going to put your aerial all, make it a four -wire one and
and make up your mind about again take the leading -in wires
every nail and bolt and screw from the far end.
that it will need. Everything about the aerial
The best aerial for getting the must be as strong as you can
broadcasts is an outdoor one, make it. An aerial offers a lot of
with two poles high enough to resistance to the wind and, if it
lift the single aerial wire thirty isn't well put up, the first blow
feet from the ground and with as will flatten it.
close to 150 feet between the In putting up an aerial mast
poles as you can get it. But not against a chimney by the method
one man in a thousand in a city shown here, be very sure that the
can put up such an aerial. So we chimney is in perfect conditicn,
 E -Z RADIO 21

with no loose bricks or weakness- 2x3 inches and the mast should
es of any kind. If there is any have another guy wire to take as
doubt about its strength, it must much strain off the chimney as
be braced with timber at least possible.
X1. THE BEST WAY TO HOOK UP THAT CRYSTAL SET.
CAYSTAL OE T E C TOR

COLO WATER
SPIGOT
DRY Cat;
The simplest hook-up for a crystal detector. Full instruc-
tions are given in the accompanying article.
There are undoubtedly a great in the reach of any pocketbook-
many new enthusiasts who think which the bulb set is not.
that this article should have come And we have warned enthusi-
as the very first one of the series. asts not to expect results from a
They've bought a lot of junk or crystal more than five miles from
had it given to them, or they've a broadcasting station. Right
seen it in the stores and made up here, let it be admitted that there
their minds they are going to buy are a lot of amateurs who are
it, and they have been impatient getting fun out of a crystal
to know how to wire it together twenty-five miles from the trans-
to get the magic sounds of the mitter. And a friend of mine
broadcasts. recently listened to a band con-
I only want to say, for the ben- cert from nearly a hundred miles
efit of these fans, that if they away with an ordinary telephone
have on this account skipped the receiver.
articles which have preceded this These things do happen some-
one, they had better go back and times. I once sat listening to a
read them first. There's no use concert from 200 miles away,
hooking up your set until you and, as my eyes glanced over the
have some idea what you're go- set, I found that the aerial con-
ing to do with it and the diffi- nection had broken and I was
culties you are likely to encount- hearing the music with no aerial
er. whatever.
We are going to start with the These are the freak happenings
regular crystal detector set. We of radio. They will occur once,
have already learned that it isn't but, try as you will, you can
nearly so efficient or satisfactory never duplicate them. So five
as the audion bulb, but it is with- miles is a conservative estimate
22 E -Z RADIO
f( a crystal, and any one within cuit. That is to "tune" the set to
tnat distance can be fairly certain the wave length of the sending
or getting results night after station. The variable condenser
night. it you are within twenty- shown in the illustration does the
tive miles it is worth trying a tuning for the part of the circuit
crystal, tor a great deal depends that includes the crystal and the
on local conditions. Places. with telephones. This part is called
in a few miles of each other will the "secondary." The "primary"
get vastly different results in circuit is the aerial, the part of
wireless. the coupler to which it is connect-
The accompanying hook-up is ed and the ground (with the ex-
self-explanatory, and is the best tra variable condenser if you use
for crystal work. It employs sev- one).
eral instruments which you can You can use any of the stan-
use later when you install an dard crystals in this circuit, but
audion bulb. you will get best satisfaction
For purposes of illustration, I from the old-fashioned "catwhis-
have used a loose -coupler, but its ker" with a good piece of a min-
place can be taken by a vario- eral that they call galena. You
coupler, tapped home -wound bas- ought to be able to buy the cat -
ket or spider -web coils, or small whisker and stand for fifty or
honeycomb coils. If your honey- seventy-five cents and the piece
comb coils are not tapped, how- of galena for a quarter.
ever, you will have to use another You will notice a buzzer and
variable condenser and put it in push-button in this
the line between where your aer- diagram. That is a very essential
ial comes in from outside and part of the hook-up and is used as
where it joins the set or else be- a tester to make sure that the fine
tween the set and the ground.
Tapped coils are coils that have wire of your catwhisker is on a
a switch on a knob with a blade sensitive spot on the galena.
On the next article we will ex-
that can be slid from one switch
point to another, each point being plain this test and also the pro-
so connected that it includes ex- cess of tuning in signals with this
tra turns of the wire in the cir- hook-up.
TO ACFRIAL
XII. THE TEST BUZZER IS IMPORTANT.
COVPLER

COLD WATER
PICOT DRY CELL.
Here is the way to hook up a test buzzer. The details of
operation are given fully in the accompanying article.
Any man who uses a crystal re- Without a buzzer to assure you
ceiver without a test buzzer is that your catwhisker is on a sen-
like the dog who sat on a tack sitive spot on the crystal, you
and just sat there and howled be- might turn your knobs all night
cause he was too lazy to get up. and not get the faintest breath of
 E -Z RADIO 23

a signal. And you would blame The process is this:

the set and say that radio is a Put on the phones and press the
fake anyway and the man who button to make the buzzer buzz,
sold you the apparatus was a You will probably not hear it in
swindler. your phones at first. The sound
will come obviously from the
It is, of course, possible to work buzzer. Keep the buzzer buzzing
a crystal set without a buzzer. It and feel around on the face of the
is possible to do almost anything crystal with the catwhisker wire
in radio. The great thing about and soon you will strike a sensi-
the buzzer is that it assures you tive spot. This will be indicated
that your contact with your de- by the sound of the buzzer com-
tector is all right. Then, if you ing unmistakably in the phones.
don't get signals, you are justified
in looking to the set for the Even when you are receiving
trouble. signals, you should press the but-
ton once in a while to make sure
Neat little buzzers are made that your contact is still good.
especially for this purpose, but it
isn't necessary to buy one. An With a good spot found on the
ordinary buzzer such as the boss crystal, you are ready to "tune
uses to call the office boy or such in." First move the switch blade
as are put on some front doors or else the slider of the part of
instead of bells will do excellent- your coupler marked "pt imary"
ly. And, if you have an old elec- and set it to include about twenty
tric bell, just take off the bell, turns of wire.
break off the clapper arm and you Then, with the primary left
are all fixed. that way, change your "coupling"
On all such buzzers, there are (pulling inner coil in and out
two binding posts with screw tops with loose coupler; revolving in-
for the wires from the battery. side coil with variocoupler or
You wire one of these posts to opening apart and closing with
your switch or push button and flat coils) at the same time, with
the other to one pole of an ordin- the other hand, turning the knob
ary dry cell-not the kind used of the variable condenser around
for pocket flash lamps, but one of first one way and then the other.
the old-fashioned cylindrical ones. If you don't get a signal, alter
Run another wire from the other the primary switch or slider to
post of the dry cell to the other include about six or eight more
screw of the switch or button. turns of wire and repeat the pro-
You will notice that the little cess with the other apparatus.
vibrating arm that does the buzz- Keep on this way, giving yourself
ing vibrates between two coils all possible combinations, and
and a metal upright. Fasten a you will soon hear a signal.
wire to this little upright, prefer- When you do, vary your pri-
ably by solder, but a good tight
twist will do, and run the other mary by single turns until the
end of the wire to any part of signal is loudest. Then move the
your ground wire. It is usually coupling a trifle and also the vari-
best to fasten it directly to 'the able condenser to see if you can
ground binding post on your re- improve it. If not, you've .got it
ceiving set. at its best.
 24 E -Z RADIO
XIII. THE SIMPLEST "REGENERATIVE" HOOK-UP.

COLO
tRAGt `BAT
w*TI SPIGOT
Here is the easiest hook-up for what is known as a "single
circuit regenerative" set. It is fully explained in the accom-
panying article. You will see the letters "F -F -P -G" on any
socket you buy. The two Fs mean filament, the G grid and
the P plate.
All radio fans talk about "re- aerial. The result is a signal built
generative circuits." In every ra- up considerably beyond the
dio magazine, you will see it strength it would have had if it
stated over and over again that hadn't been tickled. The tickling
the regenerative circuit is the best seems to make it laugh louder in
circuit for the reception of sig- joy.
nals sent out on such short wave You needn't be worried if you
lengths as are used by the broad- cannot quite see how this is done.
casting stations.
I've promised not to be too You can operate a set successfully
without a clear idea of it.
technical in these articles so we Any kind of a coupling coil, if
won't go into the details of regen- hooked up properly, can be used
eration too deeply. Whenever in the form of a regenerative cir-
you see a diagram of a hook-up cuit by the diagram shown here.
stating it is employing this prin- All coupling coils have two bind-
cipal, you can go ahead safely and ing posts marked "aerial" and
use it whether you understand "ground," (which are simply the
why it is good or not. And any two ends of one coil known as
diagram which shows a coil the "primary") and another pair
marked "tickler" is a regenerative of binding posts for the coil
circuit. So is one using vario- known as the "secondary."
meters.
Briefly, the tickler is a coil of orIfhoneycomb
you are using a loose coupler
coils or home-made
any kind used to take the current spider web coils, simply substitute
from the dry cell, or "B" battery, them for the
"variocoupler
and "feed it back" to the original, shown in the diagram.
or primary, coil that the aerial
hooks to-the "feed back" being The secondary coil then ceases
done in such a way that the bat- to be a secondary and becomes a
tery current, by its own strength, tickler and the circuit becomes a
gives added strength to the weak regenerative circuit.
currents coming in through the There is one interesting point
 E -Z RADIO 25

about this, though. If two fel- That hook-up requires twoto"vari-the

lows are using the same aerial, ometers" in addition
the fellow in one house using one coupler and in that case the extra
wire and the fellow in the other coil of the coupler is used as a
house using the other, neither one secondary.
must use this circuit. Any circuit The hook-up given here is more
which eliminates the secondary complicated in wiring than the
coil becomes what is known as a usual one but is much simpler in
single circuit hook-up and the odd operation. The standard one is
part of a single circuit hook-up simpler in wiring bLt much more
is that, all the time you are using difficult to operate successfully,
it to receive on, you are, un- because it has more adjustments.
known to yourself, sending out a This one is easier to find signals
steady stream of oscillations with but is not so "selective"-
which will cause a loud hum in that is, if there are other stations
any nearby aerial and interfere sending on the same wave length,
with your neighbor's reception of it may be impossible to "tune
the broadcasts. them out" with this hook-up
If you and your neighbor are whereas, if you know how to use
using the different wires of the the standard regenerative circuit,
same aerial or if your neighbor's you can tune out almost any-
aerial is very near to your own, thing you don't want to hear.
you had better sign a truce, both But this circuit is by all odds
agreeing to use one of the regen- the best for the beginner and its
erative hook-ups which provide great advantage is that it is
for a secondary coil. Then you cheaper than the other and that
won't interfere with each other. all the instruments used here will
This circuit is not the standard also be used in the standard hook-
regenerative hook-up which is up when you buy your two vari-
usually meant by that term. ometers and try it.
XIV. HOW TO OPERA -FE THE R EGENERATIVE SINGLE CIRCUIT

Here are two typical pieces of apparatus. To the left is a

cabinet containing the "single circuit" hook-up explained in
the accompanying article. At the upper left of the panel is
the knob which turns the "tickler" coil inside the vario-
coupler; below that is the knob turning the variable con-
denser; the four -point switch varies the wave length and
the knob with the arrow controls the brilliancy of the
audion bulb. At the right is a cabinet for bulb control.
The brilliancy control, or "rheostat" is the knob at the left-
hand side, and the switch points at the right vary the
amount of current used from the "B" battery.
 26
E -Z RADIO
The hook-up given in the last
article is not a difficult one to the same thing with the rotor or
operate. In fact, it is so much the movement of the inside coil
simpler than most that the major- in and out and then very slowly
ity of the sets you buy assembled and carefully try just a tiny bit
in small cabinets use it or some- more current in your bulb by
thing very like it. And its effi- moving the knob of the rheostat.
ciency is remarkable. Do this with the utmost care and,
If you are using a loose coupler the moment you detect a sound
or a variocoupler, you will have of distortion or clicking or moan-
some means of varying the num- ing or howling, turn the knob
ber of turns of wire you employ back a bit for that sound is a
on the primary coil. It will be warning that you are putting a
by means of a slider or a switch dangerous amount of current into
blade which rotates over a semi- your bulb.
circle of brass or nickle points, It is always best to use the
each one of which connects up an least amount of filament current
extra section of the coil. that will give you satisfactory
With the average amateur signals. Never push a bulb to
aerial, it is best to begin the limit. It will shot ten its life
about twenty turns of wire witha if, indeed, it doesn't burn it out
four inch diameter coil if on you
completely.
want to receive the broadcasting If you are using honeycomb
stations. coils in this circuit, you will find
You have two adjustments then withthe best results for 600 meters
to make-turning the knob of the as "Lthe coil known in the trade
variable condenser slowly all the "L 400750" as the primary and
way around the scale and back shorter waves tickler
as the and, for the
"L 400" as the prig
two or three times, at the same
time performing the same mary and "L 200 as the tickler.
tion with the "rotor," if opera-
it's a
With the home-made spider web
variocoupler, or drawing the inner or basket woven coils, the pri-
coil out all the way and pushing mary for the broadcasting sta-
it back. In this way you "feel" tions should have ,about 60 or 70
around for all possible combina- turnsaerial
with the usual amateur
and, oddly enough, I have
tions of adjustments. If you are
using the usual loose -coupler, you found that the tickler that gives
will also have vary the switch best results is one with between
point on that, toordinarily 100 and 110 turns. These are coils
using wound around a hub
about two-thirds as many turns two inches
of wire on the inner coil as on in diameter. No definite number
the primary. This inner coil, as can be given, however, as condi-
we have explained, is usually tions will vary greatly with dif-
used
as the "secondary" but, with this ferent localities.
particular hook-up, it becomes If you are going to use these
the "tickler." spider web coils (and they are
very efficient and lots
If this brings you no signals,
move the primary switch over to make) I strongly adviseofmaking
fun to
the next point and repeat the pro- both of 110 turns, tapping each
cess until you finally hear single turn of the inside ten and
nal you are searching for. theThen
sig- each ten of the rest. This will
slightly move the condenser knob give you a variocoupler that is
until it comes in strongest, then good for nearly 1000 meters with
a 100 -foot single wire aerial at
 E -Z RADIO 27

the average height. used. But don't attempt to tap

Later we will show how these them until you have learned to
coils are made and tapped and solder and have an cutfit.
XV. WHAT D'YA MEAN VARIOMETER AND VARIOCOUPLER?

VARIO - COUPLER VARIOMETER

c, oo .4Q
OE
The difference between a variocoupler and a variometer. In
a variocoupler the wire on the outside winding has no con-
nection with the wire on the inside winding. In a vario-
meter they form one continuous winding, the inner winding
being laid around the ball so that it can be turned about
inside the outer winding.
It sounds like a mean trick to coil.
start out on these radio articles You can take an oatmeal box,
with a promise not to be tech- which is cylindrical in shape, or
nical and then begin to talk an ordinary mailing tube or a
about variometers and variocoup- round curtain pole and, if you
lers and all that sort of thing. wind a long piece of wire around
But it's simply because the words and around and around it, you
are new that they sound formid- have made a coil. A spool of
able. They are very easy to ex- thread is a coil. A ball of twine
plain. is a coil, wound criss-cross like
When the automobile first came the "honeycomb" coils of radio.
out, every one was staggered by If you take one coil of wire and
such words as ignition and car- place it quite near another coil
buretion and transmission. Now and make and break a current of
we eat 'em for breakfast and electricity in the first, it will in-
don't even have indigestion. Ra- duce a current of electricity in
dio is the same way. the second, even though the two
Everybody already knows what coils of wire are not joined. The
a coil is. When you buy wire or electricity in the first coil sends
rope in a store the salesman out magnetic impulses and, when
winds it around his hand and his these invisible waves of magnet-
elbow until he has cut off the ism cut through the wires of the
hundred feet you ordered. You second coil they "induce" a weak-
and he may call it a hank of rope, er current of electricity in them.
but in electrical parlance it is a That is what we call "induction"
 28 E -Z RADIO
and a pair of coils mounted for apart and close together
this purpose are known as an "in- like the
duction" coil. pages of a book, or draw apart
like an opening fan, they vary
When two coils have no elec- their induction just as a vario-
trical connection-that is, when coupler does.
the wire of one does not actually But the illustration
join the wire of the other-but type of coupler that shows is
the
always
one induces a current in the other meant when radio fans talk of
by magnetism, we say that they variocouplers.
are "coupled." The two are then The variometer consists of two
called a coupling coil. And when coils, too, one revolving
the first of these coils is wound other, but in this case theinside the
two not
around a tube like an oatmeal or only act on each other through
salt box and the is wound inducing electric currents, but
around a small second
tube or a ball they are actually physically con-
which is made to turn on a shaft nected. The electric
inside one end into and all, aroundcurrent
the apparatusof athe first, we call coil and the wire
goes
the outside
The turning of the ballvariocoupler. where it comes
or smaller out is directly connected to the
coil inside changes or varies the wire going into
amount of electric current in- and the electricitythegoes inside coil
around
duced in the second by the first. that one, too. It is like taking
In other words a
it varies
duction. It also varies the in- long piece of wire and winding
things which we won't other two coils of it and then putting
just yet. talk about one coil inside the other without
cutting them apart.
So that's a variocoupler. Other If you took the variocoupler
kinds of coils are really vario- and made a wire connection from
couplers in their results, but we the coming-out wire of the first
have different names to indicate coil into the going-in wire of the
and identify the different kinds. second, you would turn it into a
When the second coil is around variometer.
a smaller tube and draws out of And, if you reversed the process
and pushes inside of the first, we and cut the connection between
call it a loose coupler. the two coils of a variometer, you
Two honeycomb
basket or spider-webcoils or two would So
make it a variocoupler.
don't forget the cardinal
coils
used as a coupler and whencan be fact-the coupler has no actual
are hinged at one side and they connection between the coils, the
open variometer has.
XVI. WHAT DO WE ME AN BY "TAPPED" COILS?
It is always a surprise to
a doesn't
"hard-boiled ham," as they call coil is really know it. But a tapped
an old-time radio operator, to of apparatus and, a very simple piece
talk to a layman, using the most as it is used in
familiar terms of wireless and virtually every receiving set, let's
then suddenly find his listener spend a few minutes examining
doesn't know what he means. one.
"You don't know what 'tapped But first let's forget wireless
coil' is? Why, a tapped acoil and
is-is You've think of ordinary plumbing.
a coil that is tapped. Everybody all seen those coils of
knows that." water pipe that go into modern
But he finds that everybody heating systems for the rapid
heating of water. The more pipe
 E -Z RADIO 29
surface you expose to the flames, in radio is. The electricity is the
the more hot water you will get. water, the wire is the piping and,
Our illustration shows such a instead of getting heat from the
heating coil as it might have been coil, we get certain electrical
built by a man with the night- effects which give us greater or
mare. Suppose we have such a less wave length. The more turns
coil, with flames all about it but of coil we use in the pipes, the
with different pipes running from greater the heat; the more turns
the supply tank to different turns of wire we include in the radio
of the coil and different other coil, the greater the wave length
pipes taking the water from dif- we tune to.
ferent other turns of the pipe and
delivering it to the receiving .5 UPPLY
tank, which may be considered TANK
(.tRIA.L)
the rest of the heating system. 0 23 4 5
Remember that there are flames I

all around the whole coil and ev- 6Ctd)

ery square inch of its surface is
heated.
You see spigots on all the pipes
from the supply tank and all
emptying into the receiving tank.
Now, suppose we open spigot
marked "0" from the supply tank
and the spigot marked "0" to the
receiving tank. Obviously, we
aren't going to get any hot water,
for the water is going to run
straight from the upper tank to
the lower because the two "0"
spigots are directly connected by
pipe.
But (assuming the coil pipe is
always full of water), suppose we
open supply spigot No. 0 and re-
ceiving spigot No. 10. Then, fol-
lowing the pipe connections, we
find that the water will run
through ten turns of the hot coil
and be heated as much as those
44
0 10 20 30 40
ten turns can heat it. If we want RECEIVING
it a little hotter, we can use sup- TAN K
ply spigot No. 5 and then we
will get the heating effect from 0R.OVNC
fifteen turns of the coil. This diagram represents a coil
If we have ten supply spigots of pipe in a water heating
numbered from 0 to 9, and eleven apparatus. There are sup-
receiving spigots, numbered from posed to be spigots on each
0 by tens to 100, with the two 0 pipe at the supply tank and
pipes connected, we can get any also on each pipe at the re-
heating effect from zero to 109 ceiving tank. And there are
turns. supposed to be a great many
Now, that's all a "tapped coil" more turns in the coil than
are shown here.
30 E -Z RADIO
The supply tank in the illustra- height, number of wires, length of
tion is the leading -in wire from lead-in and ground and local coni
your aerial. The supply spigots ditions vary the natural wavo
are the "unit" switch points num- length of any adjustment. But
bered from 0 to 9. The receiving it will give you an idea of what
tank is your ground wire and the to expect.
receiving spigots are your "tens" Moving the "tens" switch will
switch -points numbered from 0 to usually let you hear the signal
100 by tens. more or less faintly. You tune
On an ordinary amateur aerial your secondary by changing coup-
with an ordinary cylindrical coil, ling and condenser until you get
you will use something like best response and then try mov-
twenty or thirty turns to get 200 ing the unit switch of the tapped
meters and the whole 109 turns coil to see if you can still further
ought to give you close to 1000 improve it.
meters. The broadcast concerts
ought to come in somewhere In the next article, we'll see
around fifty or sixty. Of course, how easy it is to wind and tap
this is only guesswork, as length, such coils as this.
XVII. HOW TO WIND AND TAP A COIL.

I' I 1 1111111111 iil ill Ili.

SO

100

TDALDIAL ro GROUND
UNIT 5 TENS
This shows how a coil is "tapped" by single turns of wire
and by tens. Its operation is explained in the accompanying
article.
There are many instruments is not one of these. Almost any
used in radio which cannot possi- boy can make a loose coupler, a
bly be made by the beginner to vario-coupler or spider -web coil
be nearly as efficient as the coupler to give just as good re-
bought article. But the coupler sults as the fanciest and most
 F. -Z RADIO 31
elaborate looking article in the Get someone to sit down at the
stores, though the home-made far end of the room and hold the
product will probably not have spool of thread. Take the coil
the spick and span, machine -fin- yourself and walk away to the
ished appearance of the manufac- most distant wall. Then have
tured one. your friend hold the spool firmly
The best size tube around and you, while keeping a good
which to wind the outer coil for strain
smooth
on the wire to insure tight,
winding, come slowly to-
loose coupler or vario-coupler is
one having an inside diameter of ward him, turning the oats box
about four inches. Of course, a all the time and winding the wire
regular formica tube made espe- onWhen
it as close together as possible.
cially for the purpose is by all turns on, you have about four
it is time to do the per-
odds the best. But an oatmeal
box or a salt box will give the fecting work. No careless, sloppy
winding will do.
same results. From then on, use the thumb
It is first necessary to give the nail of the right hand as a guide
box a good coating, inside and and. as you wind, keep it con-
outside, with shellac or melted stantly pushing the fresh turns in
parafine or varnish. If you don't,
the pasteboard will later warp close
the
against the turns already on
box. You will soon get the
with the changes in the weather knack of using the thumb nail so
and one day, your beautifully that the wires will
smooth layer of wire will bulge each other perfectlylie
and
up against
make al-
up and get so loose as to be al- most as good a job as though
most useless.
If you use shellac or varnish wound
When
on a lathe.
you have wound up en-
(and they are the best) put the ough to bring you close to your
coil in the oven over night with a friend, let him loosen his grip on
temperature of something around the spool, you hold the wire firm-
125 degrees. That will warp it ly on the coil and walk back
all it is likely to warp. again to the far wall to start all
To wind the coil, borrow moth-over again.
er's hat pin and punch a hole But there's one thing that will
through half an inch from the make this operation less smooth
open end. Use No. 22 double or than it sounds. You must pro-
single coated cotton wire. vide means of tapping the coil.
Double is better. Pass the free Each one of the first ten turns
end of the wire through the hole, must be tapped and then each ten
pull about a foot of it inside and of the remainder. The best way
tie a knot so that it will not pull is to get a small sheet of very
out again while you are winding. thin brass or copper, about the
There are various methods of thickness of a good piece of writ-
handling the wire during this ing paper. Cut, with scissors,
process. Some people mount the about twenty little pieces about
coil on some sort of spindle ar- an eighth of an inch wide and
rangement, hold the spool of wire a quarter of an inch long. Bend
and turn the spindle. It all de- each of these in half in the form
pends on how flexible your fingers of a V.
are and how much you have Now, when you come to a place
trained them. in the wire where you want to
I find the most convenient make a tap, slip one of these little
method as follows: pieces under and go on winding.
 32 E -Z RADIO
After the coil is all done, you will of solder, hold coil -wire, V strip
take a sharp knife, insert the and tap wire together in a perma-
point into each of these, scrape nent and perfectly good joint.
the insulation from the wire
The diagram fully explains taps
inside, slip in the end of the tap- and switches.
ping wire and, by dropping a drop

THE JUNE "E -Z RADIO."

As you will see by this issue, "E -Z RADIO"
appeal to experts nor to those who have had is not intended to
extended amateur
experience in this new science. It is intended primarily
sively for those who know NOTHING WHATEVER and exclu-
about electricity.
The June issue will be of special value to these beginners. It will
give complete instructions for building and
and most efficient receiving set, for either assembling the simplest
receiver, that the novice can make. crys'al or audion bulb

This set uses the famous "spider -web" coils and

in making and connecting them is shown clearly BYevery single step
by confusing diagrams. Any boy can construct PICTURES, not
and operate it from these instructions. the entire apparatus

In addition there will be articles of general interest, giving valu-

able advice to those who buy their sets complete but have trouble
operating them.
BE SURE TO GET THE JUNE ISSUE OF "E -Z RADIO."

Mercantile Press, Inc.

Modern Printers
Philadelphia