The Carolina Antenna SPRING 2004 VOLUME #10 ISSUE #1

CAROLINAS CHAPTER OF THE ANTIQUE ASSOCIATION

ISSUE # 10 SPRING 2004 VOLUME #1

the main topics to be discussed is PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE updating our bylaws. Our original bylaws were written in 1994. In 1999 when we were incorporated our lawyer took those bylaws and reworked them to fit the require- ments for incorporation. I feel that after ten years we know a lot more about what it takes to run our club and it’s time to give the bylaws another look. I don’t anticipate any By Ron Lawrence, KC4YOY radical changes, we will submit the CC-AWA President proposed changes to the membership for their input. The Spring Meet in the Carolinas is just around the corner. By now all of As always, ALL club meetings you should have received your including Board of Directors conference brochure in the mail. If meetings are open to all members. If you did not, please let me know and you’re interested I highly encourage I’ll get one to you. Last week I you to attend this meeting. mailed almost 650 brochures to club members and past conference To help me keep up with all the attendees. I hope by now everyone things going on in the club I decided has their reservations made and to appoint a club calendar secretary. their days off approved by their Stephen Brown has offered to take employers. on this job. It will be his job to keep a running club calendar at least two We have some great programs again years ahead and to send reminders this year along with all the normal to all concerned about upcoming good stuff that goes on at the club events, etc. Charlotte Conference. We had a great time again at the CC- We will schedule a CC-AWA Board AWA Winter Swap Meet in of Directors meeting soon. One of Columbia SC. As expected with it 2 being in January, it was a little cool, Be a early bird!! but not bad at all. I would guess that there were between 25 and 30  Be sure to check the CC-AWA web vendors and 50-75 shoppers. page (www.cc-awa.org) for driving instructions and meet updates. I saw a lot of interesting goodies for 28th Annual Conference sale. I picked up a Riders/RCA Chanalyst form Gerald Cromer in March 25 - 27 anticipation of the program on them Sheraton Charlotte Airport Hotel planned for the Spring Meet by Dr. located on I-85, Exit 33 Dennis Osbourn. Charlotte NC Meet Chairman: Ron Lawrence Richard Owens our VP brought me Meet brochure is available on-line about 8 boxes full of old issues of on the club web page QST and CQ magazine going back Spring Swap Meet into the late 50’s. A real nice addition to my library. May 8th NC Transportation Museum A good friend Mike Yarborough Salisbury NC W4JMY is sitting up a new PA Summer Swap Meet system for the Charlotte Conference. Several years ago Gerald Cromer July 31 sold the club a 100 watt Bogan PA McGalliard Falls Park amp, at the WBT basement clean Valdese NC out we picked up 4 nice large PA Meet Chairman: Richard Owens horns. Mike has taken all this and a Fall Swap Meet couple of rolls of cable I had, and is putting it all together so it will be October 23 ready in time for Charlotte. City Lake Park Hopefully no one will have any Jamestown NC problem hearing announcements Meet Chairman: Brad Jones this year.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the Sheraton in March. FUTURE CHAROLTTE CONFERENCE DATES 2004 CC-AWA 2005 CALENDAR OF EVENTS March 24-26, 2005  Free admission  8 am till Noon. These events start 2006 early and end early. If you don’t show up until 11 am all you will March 25-27, 2006 see is everyone loading the ‘goodies’ that they bought earlier that morning. 3 primary publisher has been real CAROLINA ANTENNA sick and unable to work on the SUBMISSION SCHEDULE newsletter. She recently spent eleven days in the hospital, seven in Quarterly issues will be mailed ICU, with pneumonia. Being during the first week of: diabetic, the medicines that she had to take threw her diabetes out of January, April, July, and October. control. I am glad to say that she is home now and things are slowly The deadline for submission of returning to normal. We will try in material for each issue is the first the next few months to return to the day of month preceding the publica- published submission schedule. So, tion month, for the January issue if you have an article for the next the deadline is the first week of issue please go ahead and mail it to December, April issue, the first the appropriate person. Thanks in week of March, for the July issue, advance. the first week of June and for October, the first week of PARMAK RADIO September. By Robert Lozier

PLEASE, try Not to wait until A nice radio I don’t know much the deadline to send stuff in. about….

Written articles should be sent to (But it does provide an intro to Laura Carter; photos & Want Ads a bit of radio history.) go to Barker Edwards; Tidbits & News for the "With the Collectors" Parmak Radio was a mid-west column go to Ron Lawrence. You (Kansas City, MO) manufacturer - can find contact information for Parker-McCrory these people on the inside front Manufacturing cover of each issue of the Carolina Company. I have Antenna. been told that they had a pretty good reputation in the mid and late 1930's for making rather By Barker Edwards high performance 6 & 32 Volt farm . I have a fine 1936 example of their 6 Volt storage battery set Well, if you looked at the previous (no model number given on the article on submission and publish- labels). It has an unusual ing schedule for the Carolina combination of a small pin driver Antenna, you will notice that this loudspeaker for the high issue is real late in getting frequencies and a moving coil published. Judy, my wife and the speaker for the bass. The schematic 4 pasted inside the cabinet appears to I have only two broadcast radios be dated 4-5-36 (printing is kind of that use just one screen grid tube. sloppy in that corner). It has a 1C6 One is a 1929 vintage Trav-Ler pentagrid converter, two 34’s in the portable that uses one Type 22 tube. IF’s, a 30 detector/AVC and then it This makes sense for a portable set gets a little strange with push-pull of the period because the circuit 30’s driving the 19 would have had more dual triode in push- than twice the voltage pull mode. gain of two stages of RF using Type 99 It uses a synchronous tubes while providing vibrator so a separate a good savings in rectifier is not filament current. required. Filtering is very extensive. The The other set I have is field coil of the a Freshman Model Q dynamic speaker measures only 8.5 of 1928 vintage. I acquired this set Ohms and is in series with all the from Bob VanSleen, of Shelby, NC tube filaments that are all just before his death. At that time I connected in parallel! This thought it a little strange that this schematic does not show the pin metal box AC set would have had driver speaker but it is certainly only one double tuned TRF stage part of the original design. using a Type 22 (I don’t think the 24-A had been released yet.). It has I'm sure that I have seen Parmak a Type 27 in the detector, Type 26 radios that go back to the mid as a first audio and a Type 71-A in 1920's at various radio meets over the output stage. He reminded me the last 30+ years. However I don't a little bit about what was going on have any literature or schematics in the American radio business at for their older products. Riders that time ... published schematics only for 1937 through 1939 models. From 1922 to 1925 manufacturers could hardly turn out enough parts I was started on this and sets to meet the line of thinking seemingly bottomless because a guy in Italy consumer demand for just obtained a radios. But into 1925, Parmak Radio for the economy went soft restoration. He and was in recession reports that the set by 1926. Manufactur- has just one Type 24 ers continued to build followed by four Type at a frantic pace but 27’s and a pair of Type sales were drying up. 45’s plus a Type 80 A large number of rectifier. companies failed in 1926 & 27 and their 5 inventories were liquidated. The surviving companies had an FROM THE GOOD IDEA abundance of parts to build the AC DEPARTMENT sets using the Type 26 & 27 tubes. Hello fellow collectors and As you may know, the radio enthusiasts: Hearken back to the technology was changing in the 2003 CC-AWA conference in 1920’s as fast as the personal Charlotte. It was during our computer business is changing requisite club meeting that we were today (who wants a 4 year old discussing how to bolster the computer today?) So the classic declining coffers of our club’s three tube regenerative set of 1922 treasury. My suggestion, and the was hopelessly out of date by 1925. reason for this reminder, was to The advent of the screen grid tube invite people to donate items to the eliminated the use of triodes in top- auction for the sole benefit of the of-the-line sets by 1929. So…. Bob club. I made a donation myself in speculated that putting one screen the recent past. This donation had grid tube in the radio design made it no benefit to me whatsoever other possible for these manufacturers to than the good feeling of supporting make some sort of claim like “New the organization I love and the Outstanding 1928 Screen Grid extreme relief of alleviating myself Performance!” while still using up of something that was taking up these supplies of cheap excess precious limited space. I also lacked inventory. I think he was right! the resolve to resell the piece on my own as it was a large console radio requiring more time and resources

than I felt would redeem this investment. The console radio was given to me in trade and I don’t generally collect consoles.

I say that there are many similar situations out there among our compliment. My donation was

small. This console only netted $22 for the club. But, as they say, every little bit helps. And perhaps with some encouragement others would consider this gesture and relieve themselves of some of their burdens to the benefit of the club and interested collectors.

Matt Countess Durham, NC [email protected] 6 UX-201A embossed their logo on the plates By Robert Lozier but I don't think they are particularly difficult to locate. While cleaning in preparation for the Open House at my place back on December 20th., I picked up a UX- 201-A with the standard black Bakelite base. What was odd is that the tip-less envelope is crystal clear. (Most of us know that the original UV-201's had clear glass but they also a tit top envelope and a brass base.)

The nice feature of this tube is that the RCA logo is embossed directly on the plates! What's the story here? Without a getter the tube would have to spend more time on the pump (i.e. more cost). It seems like this must have been a promotional item. Do you have any specific info on this little collectible?

A few years later Raytheon

FROM THE MAILBOX!

NO WONDER WE CAN’T ‘EAR NOTHING --- MUVVER’S GONE AN’ PUT THE WASHIN’ ON THE ARIEL.!

7 ARMSTRONG 1943 Dr. Armstrong: The invention SENATE TESTIMONY PART 2 Mr. Chairman, is 10 years old. There are still no channels assigned for Testimony by Major Armstrong relaying programs of FM about the before Senate Interstate Commerce country. It is one of the great Committee developments which is surely coming, and that will be the relaying Reviews Early Struggles of FM for of FM broadcasting around the Recognition country without the use of connecting wires. On December 6, 1943, Major Edwin H. Armstrong appeared before the The Chairman: How did the Senate Interstate Commerce Commission hold it up? Committee, which under the chairmanship of Senator Burton K. Dr. Armstrong: The Wheeler, was charged with Commission has never allocated a investigating the need for new band of frequencies for that legislation to amend the purpose, although the bands which Communications Act of 1934. could be utilized for relaying might Part 2 of 3 be anywhere in a region as far up as 300 megacycles or more. They have Taking part in this hearing, in had it under consideration, and addition to the Chairman, were perhaps if it had not been for the Senators White, McFarland, Moore, war there would have been and Hawkes. After the customary something done about it, but preliminaries, Major Armstrong was nothing yet has been done. asked: Senator Hawkes: Dr. The Chairman: You m ay Armstrong, do you mean by that to resume your statement. say that they could have made these available to FM without interfering Dr. Armstrong: At this point I with the established channels at all? want to make this statement, that I have heard the chairman of the Dr. Armstrong: Yes, Senator Commission has been accused of Hawkes. There are vast spaces up in holding up FM. At this point he the upper frequencies where, prior certainly did not hold up FM. to the war, no stations whatsoever Another chairman might well have were operating. done so, but at this point Mr. Fly gave FM its greatest boost. Later on Senator Hawkes: What have regulations by the Commission did they given as a reason for not hold up FM, and they are still doing extending that privilege, or that so. license, to you for FM?

The Chairman: In what way? Dr. Armstrong: Inform ally that the existing allocations system 8 provides for the allocation of these where you could take a receiver and frequencies to television and listen from morning until night and Government, and that there is no never hear a station. There was space available. plenty of room to put relays in. There was another reason why the Now, that reason was given a good relay broadcasting should have been many years ago, when allocations put into use. It would have been were based on the theory that years before any demand would everything about radio was known have arisen for these channels for for all time; that there was a certain the purpose to which they were limited amount of spectrum, and allocated, and by that time we would that it had to be allocated among the have learned how, through using different services. But I think the these channels, to have moved the engineering department of the relay stations on up into the higher Commission has gained wisdom part of the spectrum, out of the way since that time. of the demands of some new service.

Senator Hawkes: Has gained As this art develops you see more what? and more the impossibility of making progress under the rigid Dr. Armstrong: I think the allocations of the past, for they were engineering department of the made on the theory that there is a Commission since that time has limited quantity or number of acquired much wisdom. channels. That is the lesson I am trying to get across, by relating the Senator Hawkes: It is to be experience of FM, of getting it hoped so. underway; and while at the present time FM has escaped that danger, Dr. Armstrong: And I believe the danger of being blocked off, I that we will in the future have much want to assure the committee that I more sympathetic treatment of that as an inventor am not anxious to particular request for relay run the risks again that I ran in channels. undertaking to put this thing into use. Senator Hawkes: But their position was at that time, when this The Chairman: As Senator hoped-for wisdom you are speaking White has just suggested to me, at about had not been acquired, was that time no one knew much about that they could not make those these ultra high frequencies, I take assignments without interfering it. with other assignments already made; is that correct? Dr. Armstrong: Yes, that is true, Mr. Chairman. A few of us Dr. Armstrong: Yes. That is, knew, but it was not possible by the assignments which had been made use of the English language to over large areas of the spectrum, convert people to your point of view. 9 I haven't that power of speech. The Dr. Armstrong: Invention is only way that it could ever be done going ahead in the face of was to build a station, set it up, and established rules of scientific wipe out by the demonstration of knowledge, and in showing that it the things that people knew that either does not apply or is being were not so. (Laughter.) wrongly applied. As Josh Billings has said: "It isn't ignorance that Senator Moore: If that could causes the trouble in this world; it is be applied to other activities of the the things that folks know that ain't Government, it would be very so." (Laughter.) desirable. Senator Hawkes: You will Dr. Armstrong: I do not know remember that at the end of the of any other way of making progress Civil War somebody suggested we in the radio art. I have been in the ought to close the field of inventing since 1912. patent Office because there was nothing new to be discovered. Senator Hawkes: Your experience in proving what you Dr. Armstrong: Yes, Senator, I knew yourself is very similar to the remember that very well. I have a experience of anyone who has made few copies of another chart here a brand-new discovery in the which will illustrate the situation as mythical field; isn't that correct? it is at the present time, in the same frequency range as the chart I have Dr. Armstrong: Yes; that is already given you. I only have two true. But in the ordinary type of or three copies of this chart. human endeavor you are usually able to go ahead without being Senator White: Will you state blocked in any way. Now, here was again what this is. the case where if the engineering department of the Commission Dr. Armstrong: That is the made a mistake, you never would existing allocation between 40 get the opportunity to prove that megacycles and 129 megacycles, as you were right. That is the lesson of it stands today. the development of FM. The history of all inventions is that most The Chairman: And it is your engineers are wrong. So that if you thought that that is not sufficient. prevent him from developing what his idea is, he will never have the Dr. Armstrong: FM has opportunity of making any developed so much more rapidly converts. It is a tough problem. than the majority of people believed it could develop, that additional The Chairman: The inventor space will be required. has to prove that the other fellows were wrong. 40.0 - 42.0 mcs Government 84.0 - 90.0 mcs Television 10 42.0 - 50.0 mcs FM Broadcasting 66.0 - 72.0 mcs Television 90.0 - 96.0 mcs Government 112.0 - 116.0 mcs Amateur

50.0 - 56.0 mcs Television 72.0 - 78.0 mcs Government 96.0 - 102.0 mcs Television 116.0 - 119.0 mcs Experimental

56.0 - 60.0 mcs Amateur 78.0 - 84.0 mcs Television 102.0 - 108.0 mcs Television 119.0 - 129.0 mcs Government

60.0 - 66.0 mcs Television 84.0 - 90.0 mcs Television 108.0 - 112.0 mcs Government "Frequency allocations between 40 66.0 - 72.0 mcs Television and 129 megacycles (with 112.0 - 116.0 mcs Amateur modification proposed by F.M.B.I.)"

72.0 - 78.0 mcs Government Senator Hawkes: You may 116.0 - 119.0 mcs Experimental have stated it before I came into the room, but how many FM 78.0 - 84.0 mcs Television broadcasting stations are there in 119.0 - 129.0 mcs Government the United States now?

"Frequency allocations between 40 Dr. Armstrong: Around 50, and 129 megacycles, May 1940 to Senator. I do not know the exact date" number but it is of that order.

Dr. Armstrong: I have here a ======end quote ======chart which indicates what additional space is now being asked Part three of Dr. Armstrong for by the Association of FM testimony will appear in the next Broadcasters. It is just the same as issue of the Carolina Antenna. the charts which I have given you with the exception that the No. 1 television band is shown as allocated to FM broadcasting.

40.0 - 42.0 mcs Government 90.0 - 96.0 mcs Government

42.0 - 56.0 mcs FM Broadcasting 96.0 - 102.0 mcs Television

56.0 - 60.0 mcs Amateur 1947 - Armstrong visits his 102.0 - 108.0 mcs Television boyhood bedroom in Yonkers, where, in 1912, he made his first 60.0 - 66.0 mcs Television great discovery, regeneration. 108.0 - 112.0 mcs Government 11 A STORY OF INTRIGUE and engineering people in the U. S. and other countries. By Fred Crews After I began looking into all this, Recently I wrote this article which and with the help of our Museum’s was subsequently printed in the webmaster, Richard Post, and a December 2003 newsletter of the ham radio friend and electronics Museum of Radio and Technology. engineer, Gary Anderson, a real Additional information has been story surfaced. found which is included here. American Co., in 1910, A friend recently sent me a book was selling new German built entitled “LEHRBUCH DER quenched wireless telegraph sets. DRAHTLOSEN TELEGRAPHIE” These units outdid and irritated the written completely in German. The British who had an inferior unit on author is Von J. Zenneck. The only the market. By 1913, had English in the book is the publishing in the U.S., long-wave CW stations year of 1916 and under illustrations, in Tuckerton, NJ and in Sayville, the figure numbers. My friend re- NY. In 1915 two German ex- quested that I find a good museum professors (one of them Jonathan for the book. Oddly enough, the Zenneck, now a captain in the book was translated from the German army) were sent to the U.S. German by A. E. Seelig, E. E. The to man the Sayville site and exploit English title is “Wireless the German unit. Keep in mind that Telegraphy”, published by McGraw- was in progress, but Hill in 1915.( I can only assume that the U.S. had not entered it at this it was translated from the German time. manuscript since the translation date is one year before the German Zenneck, in charge of the station, publication.) and his friend entered the U.S. by being dropped offshore by a German Dr. Jonathan Zenneck ((1871-1959), submarine and not at a port! This was a brilliant German with PhDs in was necessary because the British several physics and electronic type blockade of US ports would not have fields. He was a college professor otherwise permitted them passage. and also served as director of the They promptly attended a dinner famous Museum. A com- session for the members of the puter search by either his name or fledgling Institute of Radio his name and book title turns up all Engineers. Later Zenneck became sorts of references, many written in the first fellow of the IRE. It became German with accompanying transla- evident to the equivalent of the U.S. tions. His work was highly technical Secret Service Bureau that and theoretical and seemed to be transmissions to Germany from the last word on many wireless these two stations might not be telegraphy subjects. He was ac- entirely neutral. They seemed to be cepted and respected by technical broadcasting from about 11 PM at 12 night until 1:30 AM the next morn- two books, I find the translation to ing. The Bureau asked a nearby ham be precise and as far as I can tell whose name was Charles Apgar to Seelig did a super job. Chapters, help them. Apgar developed a paragraphs, and illustrations are remarkably sensitive receiver and arranged the same in each book. In because of his interest developed a keeping with my promise, I will recorder which took the output of a soon donate the book to the Antique telephone receiver and cut Wireless Association Museum in phonograph type disks of radio Rochester, New York. transmissions. So he set up and during the transmissions made This is one of those stories that records which were promptly deliv- make radio history so fascinating. ered to the local Secret Service In July 1915, the tale of Agpar’s Office the next morning to be assistance was released to the press, analyzed. and his efforts were described as “the most valuable service ever This lasted for only 3 days at which rendered by a radio operator to his time the Secret Service closed the country”. stations, confiscating all their equip- ment, because under Zenneck’s direction they were transmitting References positions of Allied and neutral ships VON J. ZENNECK, “LEHRBUCH sailing the East Coast of the U.S. to DER DRAHTLOSEN German submarines nearby as well TELEGRAPHIE” I can’t ascertain as other transmissions to Germany. the publisher, but the date is 1916 DR. J. ZENNECK, “WIRELESS Both Zenneck and his coworker TELEGRAPHIE”, translation by A. were detained and initially sent to E. SEELIG, McGraw- Hill Book Co., Ellis Island. Remember they had not 239 West 39th Street, New York really performed covert acts because the U. S. at that time had still not , “Early German declared war on Germany. Wireless”, Letter from Old Timers Eventually, they spent most of their Bulletin, Antique Wireless incarceration in Fort Oglethorpe, Association (AWA), Winter 1967 GA, and at the end of the war were freed to return to Germany. Clinton DeSoto, “200 Meters and Down”, Story of Ham Radio from Back to the book for a moment. The beginning to 1936 pages 44,45, English translation of this book sells American Radio Relay League for $175 at internet listed book (ARRL) stores. I can’t afford that, but through the help of some of the staff Search for J. Zenneck, numerous of the National Radio Astronomy Internet Web Sites Observatory I was able to borrow a copy from the Smithsonian Museum for 2 weeks. Wow! In comparing the 13 FIND THE PARTS AND/OR TUBES YOU NEED TO FIX THAT RADIO AT THE 28TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE CC-AWA CHARLOTTE NORTH CAROLINA MARCH 25-27, 2004!

Registration for the conference is free to all members. Have you paid your 2004 dues yet? Membership information may be found on the inside front cover or on the CC-AWA web page.

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