The Jersey Broadcaster
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The Jersey Broadcaster NEWSLETTER OF THE NEW JERSEY ANTIQUE RADIO CLUB July 2020 Volume 26 Issue 07 MEETING/ NOTICE ACTIVITY NOTES This issue of the Broadcaster is playing catchup to the meeting that was held on June 12th where circumstances beyond my control prevented its distribu- tion prior to that meeting. Another issue, perhaps somewhat shortened, will be sent out prior to the August meeting Reported by Marv Beeferman Tailgate Swapmeet at InfoAge on July member Alex Magoun notes, "let's credit 25th (see page 8). This event will be one them for adapting and finally catching up The ON-LINE Broadcaster of the few sponsored during the pandem- to what our own Dave Sica has been doing The Jersey Broadcaster is now on-line. ic so a large turnout is expected. Of with NJARC meetings with great skill and Over 190 of your fellow NJARC mem- course, social distancing, use of masks grace…" Some of the scheduled presenta- bers have already subscribed, saving and all other safety precautions will be tions include 126 Years of Amateur Radio the club a significant amount of money insisted on. There will be no coffee and Innovation, The History of the Amateur and your editor extra work. Interest- we haven't quite decided on snacks yet Radio Novice Class, The Influence of ed? Send your e-mail address to (bagels, muffins, etc.), so it is suggested Hiram Percy Maxim on Amateur Radio, [email protected]. Be sure to you bring your own and perhaps some- Pre-1912 Wireless and Electrical, West- include your full name. thing for lunch. Cold drinks will be inghouse Broadcasting and Moonlight available. With regard to the summer Restorations. A virtual People's Choice Thanks so much for the kind words I repair clinic on August 8, an update will Contest for historic equipment will also be received when I notified the club that this be provided in the August Broadcaster. posted. The AWA YouTube channel is as issue of the Broadcaster would not make It has been announced that InfoAge is follows: the July meeting date. I guess it's under- opening August 1st. However, due to the https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX55peBhzeX1qps_VYXdLBA stood by observant readers that "Volume virus, all visitors will be required to wear masks. Hand sanitizers will be available 26" in the masthead indicates that I have been on the job (for the most part) for 26 on site. For the immediate future, social distancing will be required and no years. I have come to expect nothing less Upcoming Events (Tentative) from this great group of talented and car- strollers will be allowed on site. Visitors under ten are not recommended for ing members. July 25 - Summer Tailgate/Hamfest on Our July Zoom meeting was again well health and safety reasons. Visit the In- foAge website at www.infoage.org for InfoAge Grounds attended with over 60 members. Thanks August 8 - Summer Repair Clinic, In- to our presenters for holding member's further information. InfoAge is also sponsoring a Space foAge Bldg. 9032A, 9AM - 4PM interest - Prof. Joseph Jesson for his talk August 14 - Monthly Zoom meeting, Prof. on the RCA AR-88 and Alan Wolke for a Exploration Week beginning August 17th. This is a five-day space science Tom Perera talk on "Phil Weingarten, presentation on 3rd order IMD in radio Master Duplicator" receivers and an introduction to nano program for children 10-15 about the earth, solar system, galaxy, universe, September 11 - Monthly meeting at In- VNA's. Of course, for those members foAge Bldg. 9032A, Larry Rubins audio who still need their NJARC "fix," Tech- rocketry and outer space observation. Each day is divided into two, 3-hour ses- demonstration nical Coordinator Al Klase continues to September 18-19 - Kutztown Radio Show hold recurring Zoom meetings every sions of fun-filled model making, rocket launching, demonstrations and games. October 9 - Monthly meeting at Prince- Tuesday and Thursday until the beginning ton's Bowen Hall, talk by Mike Molnar of September with numerous topics under On the final day, everyone will have a video of themselves sending a signal to (topic TBA) discussion. The credentials for these November 13 - Monthly meeting at In- meetings are posted on the Communica- the moon with their voice and hearing their own voice bounce off the moon and foAge Bldg. 9032A, (topic TBA) tor. November 20 - Fall Repair Clinic at In- As evidence of the NJARC remaining return to earth. For more information, call: 732-322-4823, 732-280-3000 or E- foAge Bldg. 9032A, 9AM - 4PM an "active" club even during difficult December (date TBA) - Holiday Party at times, a very successful 2020 Field Day mail [email protected] for a regis- tration form. West Lake Golf and CC was held from June 27th through June January 8 - Monthly meeting at InfoAge 28th. Thanks to members Robert Forte Instead of an "in-person" conference, the AWA (Antique Wireless Association) Bldg. 9032A, Members Only Auction, and John Ruccolo for the article and pho- dues collection tos in this month's Broadcaster and all is arranging video presentations on the participating members who contributed to club's YouTube channel on August 11th. a wonderful weekend. There have been a lot of negatives as of Among upcoming activities is our late pointed at the AWA but as NJARC July 2020 Volume 26 Issue 07 Page 2 spark and arc machines was the require- WHEN BRUTE FORCE ment for a strong magnetic field across the THE JERSEY BROADCASTER is the newsletter of the New Jersey Antique TRANSMITTERS arc chamber and also a steady source of Radio Club (NJARC) which is dedicated to RULED THE AIR hydrogen during operation. As mentioned, preserving the history and enhancing the this magnetic field was necessary for ex- knowledge of radio and related dis- tinguishing or “blowing out” the arc dur- ciplines. Dues are $25 per year and meetings are held the second Friday of Part III ing the RF oscillation cycle. each month at InfoAge or Princeton Uni- Hydrogen, the lightest and most mobile versity. The Editor or NJARC is not liable By element, was used during these RF cycle for any other use of the contents of this “down times” to help clear the space be- publication other than information. James E. O'Neal tween electrodes of residual ions generat- PRESIDENT: ed by the intense arc plasma. The phenom- NJARC member James O'Neal (K4XAR) Richard Lee (732)-927-1459 ena of arc “blowout” may be familiar to has been involved in broadcasting for [email protected] those who have done DC arc welding on, nearly 60 years including a 37-year-long or close to, a steel structure. The arc plas- VICE PRESIDENT: career in television engineering. This Sal Brisindi (732)-308-1748 ma constitutes a conductor, and the mag- included more than 30 years with the [email protected] netic field induced into the ferrous materi- television side of the Voice of America. al tends to push the arc aside, sometimes SECRETARY/NEWSLETTER In 2005, he launched a second career in making it tricky to control the weld. EDITOR: journalism including editing "TV Tech- Marv Beeferman (609)-693-9430 Early in the evolution of the arc con- [email protected] nology" and writing for "Radio World," verter, the effect of the external magnetic and other periodicals, concentrating field on arc performance was not well TREASURER: largely on radio's colorful history and the understood (leading to some major prob- Harry Klancer (732)-238-1083 individuals who helped make it possible. [email protected] lems when it was desired to construct Mr. O'Neal is the editor of "IEEE Broad- transmitters with increased power out- SERGEANT-AT-ARMS (WEST): cast Technology and serves on the Darren Hoffman (732)-928-0594 puts). However, experimenters were aware boards of two radio and television muse- that such a field greatly affected the per- [email protected] ums. The complete article, with Part I formance and efficiency of the converter. SERGEANT-AT-ARMS (EAST): printed in the May 'Broadcaster' and One experimenter noted that without a Rotating Part II printed in June, was first pub- magnetic field, the maximum RF current lished in the April 26th issue of "Radio that could be delivered to the transmitting TRUSTEES: World" and is carried here with the kind Ray Chase (908)-757-9741 antenna was eight amps or so, but with the [email protected] permission of the author and editor of addition of the field, and everything else "Radio World"...Ed. Phil Vourtsis (732)-208-4284 equal, an antenna current of 100 amps was easily obtainable. [email protected] SIDEBAR: THE PHYSICS OF ARC Federal Telegraph’s Cyril Elwell, the CONVERTER OPERATION Bill Zukowski (732)-833-1224 American arc converter entrepreneur, was [email protected] able for a while to build increasingly more Aside from producing a continuous powerful machines by simply scaling up TECHNICAL COORDINATOR: wave oscillation, an arc transmitter, or Al Klase (908)-892-5465 the mechanical parameters (proportionally converter, is differentiated from a spark [email protected] including the size of the arc electrodes, transmitter in a number of other ways. A chamber, cooling system and electromag- TUBE PROGRAM CHAIRMAN: spark machine can be powered from ei- Al Klase [email protected] netic field). But he hit a major stumbling ther an AC or DC source, while an arc block when trying to go beyond 30 kW. device must have direct current. Spark SCHEMATIC PROGRAM: This difficulty was not resolved until a Aaron Hunter (609)-267-3065 transmitters utilize a fairly wide gap be- young man with a recently-minted electri- [email protected] tween the discharge electrode; those in an cal engineering degree and a strong inter- arc device are relatively close together.