AMAZING RADIO DEVICES

Taranaki Daily News, 11 October 1928, Page 7

AMAZING RADIO DEVICES

FURTHER SURPRISES IN STORE. London, Sept. 23. Magic boxes, working witch-like, bringing Australian and American broadcasts to the Londoner as clearly as 2LO, the leading London station, are among the novelties at the radio exhibition at the Olympia. A set costs £l4 10s. It has a wave length ranging from 10 to 5000 metres, A child can manipulate it, indicating the advance on last year when an expert was required to work a shortrange set. The exhibition generally demonstrates the greater simplicity of control, combined with greater efficiency, achieved in wireless. One of the newest sets, also the smallest three-valve device, measures 7i inches by 9i by five. It has a range of 300 to 5000 metres. The smallest portable one-valve set measures six inches by eight inches, including the frame aerial, and has a range of 10 miles. Progress in other directions indicates that batteries are becoming obsolete, many sets incorporating battery eliminators, besides numerous eliminators which can be attached to existing sets. Another notable feature is new consumption valves, amplifying signals 120 times. Other improvements are shown m methods of control, of which the drum system is the latest. This has variable condensers, and is operated like a wheel, enabling one-finger tuning. Sets and equipment generally are 25 per cent, cheaper, owing to the reduction of Marconi royalties. Makers promise a further cheapening when they being mass production. Among the combined gramophonewireless sets, the most notable is one specially made 'to meet the wishes of listeners who become, tired. When a i button is pressed the cabinet closes and | a whisky decanter and soda-water I syphon apnear. I Senator® Marconi, speaking at the Radio .Manufacturers’ dinner, said the future of wireless was full of promise. Be thought 'it would also be full of surprises. Senatore Marconi said later that he could not at present indicate what the surprises would be, but he I predicted cheaper and better wireless, and also great television developments. He had just returned from a cruise in which he was most successful with his experiments in direction finding and in narrow beams. Marconi said he hoped in the near future to achieve absolute secrecy. Sir Alfred Butt, M.P., who presided at the dinner, said that more than 2,500,000 families in Great Britain had taken out wireless licenses—one home 'in three had a wireless receiver. In America the proportion was one to five.