P R E S T O-T I M E S
16
R A D I O
THE INFLUENCE OF
ROOM ACOUSTICS
Avoid Having Piano or Other Stringed
Instrument in Room with Radio.
The acoustics of the room in which the receiver
is placed influences to some extent the fidelity of the
sound of the instrument. Dead spots, or places where
waves from different directions meet and neutralize
each other, must be avoided. Also echo, due to the
bouncing back and forth from wall to wall, or from
ceiling to floor, of sound waves. If you do not believe
these acoustical faults exist, try talking or playing a
musical instrument in an unfurnished house or room
The echo is due to the fact that there are no objects,
furniture, draperies, rugs, or curtains to absorb the
sound.
According to Clifford E. Stevens, chief engineer of
the Stevens Manufacturing Corporation, of Newark,
N. J., a room, to assure the absence of echo, should
be well furnished. Rugs, draperies, curtains, and
table covers help. Paper or cloth walls are best.
Otherwise, a rough-coated wall is better than a
smooth one, and a dull dark finish better than a
glossy light one. Beamed ceilings and brick fire-
places are assets. Tile is a liability.
There should be no piano or stringed instrument
in the same room as the radio. The strings of such
instruments, representing the frequencies of the
sounds emanating from the loud speaker, will vibrate,
distorting the sound from the radio.
If the loud-speaker is placed near a piano and the
radio suddenly turned off, one may hear the piano
strings quite clearly. If a piano must be in the same
room, its soft pedal should be pressed down.
The loud-speaker should face a curtain or other
absorbing material. And since waves go out from
the back of the speaker as well, it would do no harm
to have a tapestry on the wall behind the cone. But
pictures that are liable to rattle in answer to their
natural frequencies, should be avoided.
Since radio manufacturers cannot cater to the
individual characteristics of each home, home acoustics
must be met by the owner.
GRIGSBY-GRUNOW NEW BUILDINGS.
Work is progressing on two big plant additions for
the Grigsby-Grunow Company, makers of the Majes-
tic radio, each of which will cost a reported $800,000.
A three-story concrete structure is getting under w T ay
as an annex to the company's factory at the north-
west corner of Kolmar and Armitage avenues, Chi-
cago. The addition will be just north of the present
plant and will have a frontage on Kolmar of 260 feet,
with a depth of 300 feet. It will have foundations for
an additional story. It will be completed by next
April and will be used for the manufacture of chassis
and power packs. The second big unit in the com-
pany's expansion program is an $800,000 addition to
the company's tube plant at the southwest corner
of Austin and Dickens avenues on land it owns. When
completed the Grigsby-Grunow company will increase
its present daily tube output from 65,000 to 150,000.
Completion is set for April 1, 1930.
NO OVER-PRODUCTION OF MAJESTICS.
In the advertising of The Harry Alter Company,
distributors for Chicago of the Majestic radio, the
following appears: "Majestic has no 'over-produc-
tion' because, manufacturing from raw materials,
there is no occasion for guesswork; no heavy advance
buying of parts, which the average manufacturer
must contract for and store, perhaps only to 'junk'
later on as unused surplus. For the same economic
reasons Majestic is never confronted with the spectre
of 'left-over' models. Majestic plants are operating
daily, and Majestic dealers are receiving daily new
Majesties of the same high standard of perfection
that Majestic lias always maintained, and always will
maintain."
POWER WITHOUT DISTORTION.
The Radio-Victor Corporation of America, adver-
tising in the New York Times, speaking of the RCA
Radiola, says: "When you buy a screen-grid Radiola
you buy an instrument that was designed and built
by the acknowledged leader in the radio industry, by
the pioneers in screen-grid, by the creators of the
screen-grid Radiotrons and the screen-grid radio
circuit. Here are sensitivity and selectivity that will
meet every broadcasting demand, with freedom from
distorting noises and electrical hum, tone realism that
brings you to the edge of your chair in wonderment,
and tremendous power without distortion."
PHOTORADIO FOR CHINESE.
Because the Chinese language—using picture writ-
ing with thousands of characters—cannot be trans-
mitted directly by Morse code, China always has been
handicapped in its use of telegraphy. Telegraph users
have been forced to send messages in a code of their
own or in some language foreign to them. For that
reason keen interest is being shown in China in the
transmission of written and printed matter by the
photoradio device of R. C. A. Communications, Inc.
By this system the actual Chinese writing or printing
could be transmitted by reproduction of the page at a
distant point in the same way that a photograph is
transmitted by photoradio.
INCOME OF RADIO CORP. OF AMERICA.
The Radio Corporation of America on November
15 reported a net income of $13,725,876 for the nine
months ended Sept. 30, 1929, equivalent after dividend
requirements on the class A and class B preferred
stocks to $1.47 a share earned on 6,584,400 common
shares, including 54.090 shares reserved for conver-
sion of old '"original" common shares still outstand-
ing. Gross income from all sources amounted to
$63,272,926 for the third quarter, against $28,796,766
for the second quarter, and $31,642,827 for the first
quarter.
LEE MORSE ON MAJESTIC HOUR.
Miss Lee Morse is to be heard on the program of
the Majestic Hour on the evening of December 1.
She and her accompanist, Bob Downey, cancelled a
three-months' booking in Germany to stay in New
York city for the Majestic Hour and also to make a
Paramount picture. Another feature of the same
program is William S. Hart in person as a cowboy
telling a tale of woe.
McCORMACK ON VICTOR HOUR.
After nearly three years' absence from the air,
John McCormack, world-famous Irish tenor, sang
for a nation-wide radio audience as the featured artist
of the Victor Hour, which was broadcast from Station
WEAF over the NBC System, at 10 o'clock Thanks-
giving night, November 28. The concert also marked
the return of Victor to regular radio programs of
full hour length.
ZENITH AT DAVEGA STORES.
Zenith radio is advertised in New York in these
words: "Every new improvement known to radio is
utilized in the new Zenith plus the many features
that Zenith alone can give you. See and hear the
Zenith at your nearest Davega store today. You'll
know it's the radio you've always wanted and you'll
know, too, that you want it with the many advantages
that only Davega can give you."
THE AMRAD IN NEW YORK.
W'althal's eighteen stores in greater New York ad-
vertise the Amrad radio with ten per cent down and
52 weeks to pay the balance. Of the Amrad it says:
"Amrad—the fulfilled promise in radio. You'll never
know honest-to-goodness radio enjoyment until you
attune your ears to this receiver. Pure-clear tone that
really knows no equal."
AS FROM A CANARY'S THROAT.
The Stromberg-Carlson radio, manufactured at
Rochester, N. Y., is advertised as follows: "Notes
of limpid clarity. As full and round as from a
canary's throat. On a Stromberg-Carlson, the higher
frequencies blend with basso concertante and still
retain their natural timbre."
RADIO STORE FOR SOUTH BEND.
Incorporation papers were filed at Indianapolis on
November 18 for the Kruse Connell Co., of South
Bend, of which J. E. Davidson is president and J.
Z. Willner is secretary. The company will deal in
radios and will issue 100 shares of preferred stock.
MAJESTIC SHOP AT SANDUSKY.
The Farnham Majestic Shop of Sandusky, Ohio,
has been incorporated by Ray T. and Elizabeth Farn-
ham and Attorney J. F. Hertlein. The incorpora-
tion papers call for 100 shares of no par value stock
and capital of $1,000. The concern deals in radios,
washing machines and electrical refrigeration.
December 1, 1929
RADIO RECEIVING SETS
RADIO PARTS
RADIO—PHONOGRAPHS
S. F. PATCHIN VISITS
GREAT EDISON PLANT
Chicago Edison Manager Impressed by Its Extent
and He Orders Many More Sets,
S. F. Patchin, manager of the Chicago branch of
the Edison Distributing Corporation, distributors of
Ed'son radios, paid his first visit recently to the
Thomas A. Edison, Inc., plant at West Orange, N. J.
Mr. Patchin was greatly impressed with the vastness
of the Edison Industries, especially the extensive
facilities that are now engaged in the manufacture of
Edison radios and radio-phonograph combinations.
The Chicago Edison manager spent several days at
the plant conferring with the various Edison offi-
cials on matters concerning the activities of the Chi-
cago branch. During the conferences, Mr. Patchin
commented on the rad'o outlook for the Chicago sec-
tion. He reported that the Edison radio business was
continuing in so excellent a volume, that although the
daily outgoing shipments had reached record figures
for liis branch, the number of unfilled orders for Edi-
son Light-o-Matic radios at Chicago were still large
enough to warrant his insisting that the quotas
allotted to the Chicago trade be further increased.
FILES BANKRUPTCY SCHEDULE.
The Lager Rad : o Cabinet Company, Inc., 175
Washington street, New York, has filed a schedule
for bankruptcy proceedings. Its reported liabilities
are $8,426: assets, $745.
RADIO FOR MINE RESCUE.
Experiments in the value of radio for mine rescue
work are being made at tlie Michigan College of Min-
ing and Technology, following the granting of a con-
struction permit.
USE A NEW PIANO.
Educators and musicians agree that piano study for
children becomes easier and pleasanter and true music
appreciation possible, only if a well-toned satisfac-
tory instrument is theirs to practice upon. Whether
your child studies the piano in school or with a pri-
vate teacher it is your duty to give her—or him—a
new piano upon which to play—especially if the
instrument you now have is antiquated.
THE STRAUBE AT MARION.
Answering a question by Good Housekeeping
Magazine about the qualities of the Straube piano and
its manufacturers, the following letter speaks for
itself:
"Marion, Ohio.
"This acknowledges your letter of inquiry recently
received, relative to the Straube Piano Company, o!
Hammond, Indiana.
"We have sold their line of grands, uprights and
player pianos for many years, and have no criticism
to offer as'to the quality of their product.
"Straube pianos are high-grade instruments and
give the best of satisfaction to all who purchase them.
Their grand piano is of unique construction and is
a very line instrument. They also make a very
artistic small upright of excellent tone quality.
"We, of course, approve of their national advertis-
ing campaign and their national price policy.
"H. Ackerman Piano Co.,
"IJy O. H. Boyd, Pres.
SOURCES OF GOOD WALNUT.
Walnut comes from the entire Mississippi Valley,
the best coming from the northern sections. While
there is considerable walnut left in the country, it is
true that it is becoming more difficult to get good
walnut. The fine figured "butt walnut" veneer, as it
is called, is cut from the stump of the tree where the
roots branch off. This fancy figured walnut is some-
times incorrectly called "burl" walnut. Burl walnut
is entirely different, and is seldom found except in
small pieces. Real burl walnut rather resembles
bird's-eye maple in figure. Lately an increasing
amount of long walnut is coming into use. This is
cut from the log of the tree and usually has a fine
striped figure. The best oak comes from Indiana and
is quarter-sawed for practically all veneer work.
The great-great-grandfather of the grand piano re-
cently made its broadcasting bow on the Home Circle
Concert of station WENR, Chicago. The instrument
is known as the cymbalom.
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