WIRELESS NEWS.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17941, 8 December 1923, Page 10

WIRELESS NEWS.

LESSONS FOR DEALERS.

SOME MISTAKES TO AVOID.

(sjxcuiu warms sob "thu nrasa.") • (By Electra.) The broadcasting of radiophone concerts and lecture has reached a high stage of perfection and popularity in tho United States to-day, despite the fact that both dealers and manufacturers have made mistakes that might have been easily avoided if proper care and though had been given to the matter. Now that these errors are known, it is quite possible to avoid them. It is sincerely hoped that this articlo will be of assistance to tho pioneers in the industry and help them over some of the rough spots in tho road. Lightning Danger Small. The fact that lightning storms have always been more or less of a bugbear to the radio enthusiast, even in certain cases causing genuine fright, has been the cause of enthusiasm rapidly, declining during lightning weather. The actual danger of I'ghtning hitting a radio aerial is very small, and in New Zealand there has been only one case of the kind. Fear Advertising to be Avoided. Now this very element of fear was played up very strongly by certain American advertisers with the result ■that there was a very bad business slump. Such an advertisement would have in very bold letters across the top, "Protect your home against destruction," or something to that effect, and naturally the uninitiated would think that he was up against a very hard gort of proposition, and did not have very much faith in the little "ligbfcnin arrester" advertised in the rest of the announcement. Aerials started to come down on all sides, sales in the shops dropped extremely low, and many of the dealers and manufacturers went completely out of business before the summer was over. Thus the sensational advertising of a few concerns, while trying to make business, was the cause of a serious dropping off, echoes of which are still to be heard.

Such advertising in the past spring was absolutely banned by almost all the radio publications, including even the daily newspapers which run departments devoted to radio, and taking last year sb a criterion, wo may say that the volume of business has dropped off but very little. Intsead, constructive articles have appeared in the various publications telling of the great advantages to be gained by using a radio set at the summer camp, at the beaches, in autos, and many other places. Despite the fact that what might almost be called wilful interference with public interest in the matter is still taking place, radio has prospered, and will prosper. There are always a few dealers or manufacturers who have only the thought of selling their own goods, and not the general

■welfare or tho business at heart, and such concerns will always causo trouble. New Circuits. One of the biggest mistakes in tho United States is the ''new circuit scheme. ... Some company will decide that st is about time that it disposed of a lot of the old material on hand, or will bring out some parte that will be hard to sell. It will devise a circuit of some kind, a little different, it possible, or some old-time circuit resurrected for the occasion. making use of these parts. ._ Salesmen -will then bo loaded up wiui the coils, or whatever tho piece happens to "he, that must be special for the circuit, and those men will quietly Bell all the radio shops m tne eitf. Then a- week or so later startling announcements will be made in the local papers, and magazines also, it possible. The listeners-in will reau these and rush to the shops, -where-tho materials will be all ready for them, and inside a few weeks all Tins old material is unloaded on an unsuspecting public. Of course, it is perfectly legitimate to stimulate a market of this sort, but it happens to liave a- decided bad after effect. __ Imagine the feelings ot a purchaser of one°of these "new circuits." After building; it according to directions with great expectations, he finds that it does not work as well r.s his old set, if it works at all. Of course there are exceptions to this, but it has happened in the majority of cases that tho new is worse than the old. The man who has once been caught in one of these snares is not very apt to r.llow it to .happen again, and. as a rule, he will turn face about and at every opportunity tell his friends Ins experience and advise them to avoid it. A few men such as this in a small town will soon place radio in such a position that p. local dealer might just as -well close up. There is another and far more reaching effect of this same sort of business. It lies with the man who .is interested enough to purchase a receiving set and really wants to do so, but would rather wait until all these new developments are through. He does not want to build or buy a set and just as soon as he gets it home picks up the paper and finds that, it is .completely out of date. Natural pride in his investment will thus keep a willing purchaser from doing what lie is inclined to do, and the dealer has .-.ctually lost money. It is sometimes very difficult -co convince, such a man just what the underlying motives of these new circuits are and to try and convince him that the good old-fashioned regenerative set is still supreme is a big job. Dealers should always remember that news of a "crook" deal, once it is found out, will travel like wireless waves —everywhere. LOCAL ITEMS. Out of our three local amateur transmitting stations 3AF still leads as to quality of modulation, though this last week both 3AM and 3AB have done a lot 1 of testing, especially 3AB. Fading has been very noticeable on 3AG's transmissions, especially when a high -wind is blowing. Nothing is more annoying than fo have to listen to a concert that is very faint one moment and at the next making the 'phones rattle. Speaking of 3AC reminds me that last Tuesday evening the announcer kept saying that they "would now have pj fox-trot or a waltz on the gramophone." I would like to have seen the machine after that particular announcer had done all those fox-trots on it. 3AC will be transmitting to-morrow evening from 8 till 10 p.m., also this evening at tho same time. AMONG THE DEALERS. I have just had on loan from one of our local radio dealers an English variometer to try out. The only thing that could be remedied is of the rotor. This is inclined to be rather stiff, but I understand can be easily loosened off. Tho workmanship is first-class and tho variometer can be had for either panel or table mounting. Some of the products of the Betts and Betts Manufacturing Co., U.S.A., which were shown at the Radio Society some time ago, have arrived in this city. The loud speaker is ideal in tone, size, price and looks, and using two stages of audio-frequency will fill .the average room. Their other articles are very novel in construction, but I cannot say anything definite about results, as I have not yet tried them out. CORRESPONDENCE. h. j. w., cußisTCHuscn. —As far as the connexions are concerned your hook-up is 0.K., but you will need some means of tuning the primary coil, either by taps or a variable condenser connected across it. Also, change the position of the 'phones to that of the crystal detector r.nd vice-versa. j ' rrrr—— "■ ' ' «*—"■»■