TROUBLES ALPHABET

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XLVI, Issue 3232, 29 June 1928, Page 6

TROUBLES ALPHABET

A GENERAL OUTLINE

A.—A BATTERY

1. Bad connexions.—Examine lead wires and connexions carefully. 2. Discharged.—After testing connexions and lead wires insert a tube that you know to be good in the socket and see if it lights to proper brilliancy without turning the rheostat on full. If you must turn the rheostat on full to get proper brilliancy, the chances are that the battery is too far discharged for good results. 3. Reversed A battery leads some-, times cause a good deal of trouble. This is mostly caused through, connecting the set up in a great hurry. B.—B BATTERY. 1. Bad connexions.—-Examine connexions and lead- wires to see if all is well and that no wires are broken. 2. Discharged. —Touch the phone tips lightly on the cell terminals, one cell at a time. If no click is heard in tile phones the batteries are dead and must be replaced if of the dry cell type, or recharged if of the accumulator type. 3. Too Great Voltage.—Too great B battery voltage often causes local oscillations in the receiving set, interfering with, clear reception. C—VACUUM TUBE OR VALVE. 1. Burn out. —If you know the A battery to be O.K. and the wiring and connexions to be without fault, the chances are that the valve filament is burnt out and only a valve replacement will remedy the trouble. 2. Microphonic Action —Try mounting the set- in a steadier position, and if this fails to remedy the trouble, try other valve in detector socket. D— AERIAL. 1. Bad lead in connexion. 2. Swinging aerial. —If aerial is hanging with considerable slack tighten up and cure this annoying fault. X—GROUND. 1. Bad ground connexion.—This ia often the seat of many troubles and should be-carefully examined. I ¥.— RHEOSTATS. ! 1. Burnt out. —This may be tested by placing it in series with a pair of headphones across the terminals of a single dry cell. Just make the connexion for an instant. Unless a click is heard in the phones when the connexion is made and broken, the rheostat is burjit out. 2. Improperly adjusted—Sometimes the signals from a nearby station are so.strong as to overload the headphones and cause distortion. This may 'be often overcome by reducing the filament current. Often, local oscillations in the tube circuit may be .overcome in this Avay. ' < G.—SOCKETS. Bad contacts. —This may be, deter- i mined by examination and remedied. lI.—JACKS. Examine especially filaiftent control makes, for poor contacts, and adjust them if found necessary. I>_TICKLER COIL. 1. ,Burn out.—This is not very liable to occur, but test with single cell and phones. 2. Wrong adjustment. —Excessive regeneration effects which interfere with reception and cause distortion. If the coupling is too tight, loosen and enjoy distortionless reception. j J.—LOUD SPEAKER. Some loud speakers considerably distort ths sound waves because of faults in the design and construction of their ■ various parts.' If your loud speaker is_ of a reliable make, you are not liable ito experience trouble of this sort. However, there is always a possibility that this is the seat of distortion. It is always best to use of good loud speaker. X —PHONES. 1. Burnt out.—Phones are not liable to burn out unless they arc accidentally connected to some source of high voltage, high amperage electric current. They may be tested with the over-useful dry cell and pair of phones. 2. Adjustment.—Lightening or releasing the ear-cup sometimes clears up

distortion due to improper tension on the receiver diaphragm.

3. Cords broken.—These may be tested (when disconnected from the headpieces) with the usual phones and dry cell. If no click is heard, the wire or cord is broken and wants replacing.

Next week the continuation of this alphabet of troubles and their remedies will be given, and it is hoped that when the list is completed it will be of help to many amateurs in making the receiving of broadcast programmes much more enjoyable, and be the means of cutting out a great deal of distortion that is now dished up with otherwise excellent radio fare.