History of wireless telegraphy and broadcasting in Australia/Topical/Publications/Australasian Radio World/Issues/1951 09

Front Cover

Australian Radio and Electronics

incorporating

Australasian Radio World

Registered at G.P.O., Sydney, for transmission by post as a periodical.

SEPTEMBER, 1951 - Vol. 16., No. 2.

1/6

P.01 - Contents Banner

AUSTRALIAN RADIO AND ELECTRONICS

and incorporating

(AUSTRALASIAN RADIO WORLD)

A MONTHLY PUBLICATION

Providing National Coverage for the Advancement of Radio and Electronic Knowledge.

Vol. 16. - SEPTEMBER, 1951 - No. 2.

P.01 - Contents

CONTENTS

Our Cover . . . . 1

Editorial . . . . 2

A Simple and Inexpensive Vacuum Tube Voltmeter (Part 2) . . . . 4

The R. & E. T/V. Project (Part 6) . . . . 8

In Tune with the Trade . . . . 10

Novice Set Building (a Section for the Beginner). The All Wave One — Part 2 . . . . 12

International Broadcasting and Shortwave Review (a Special Section for Old and New Australians) . . . . 15

Amateur Radio Section — Eliminate that Hum . . . . 23

"Ham" Activities . . . . 26

Our Cover

OUR COVER

RADIOTRON VALVES UNDER FINAL TESTING. The scene on this month's front cover depicts Radiotron Converter type valves undergoing a series of routine tests, some of which must be carried out in the screen room in the background.

P.01 - Publication Notes

Subscription Rates: 12 Issues 18/- Post Free

Published by the Proprietors: Radio & Electronics (Aust.) Pty. Ltd. 17 Bond Street, Sydney, N.S.W. Telephones: BU3879 - BW7746 Telegrams and Cables: "Cranlay," Sydney

When making purchases or enquiries please mention Aust. Radio & Electronics. IT HELPS US BOTH

Managing Editor: LAY. W. CRANCH, AMIRE (Aust.), M.W.I.A., VK2XC

Short-wave Editor: L. J. KEAST, 7 Fitzgerald Rd., Ermington, N.S.W. Phone: WL1101.

"Ham" Activities: J. A HAMPEL, 503 Radium Street, Broken Hill, N.S.W.

Advertising Representative for Victoria: David Robertson, C/o Duplications, 175 William St., Melbourne, C.1. Phone: MU4571.

Sole Wholesale Distributors - Gordon & Gotch (A/asia) Ltd.

Printed by ACACIA PRESS, 171 Parramatta Road, Annandale (Footnote P.40)

P.02 - Editorial

EDITORIAL . . .

THE AMATEUR EXPERIMENTER

In these days of high scientific achievement is there anything the amateur can do that is likely to be of lasting value to radio? There have always been amateur experimenters in many branches of pure and applied science, and no doubt there always will be. In days gone by, when the universities and learned societies knew no more about some phenomena than did the man in the street, scientific discovery was open to anyone with the inclination, time and disposition to study such phenomena in a logical and scientific manner. In fact, many important discoveries were made by men who today would certainly be classed as amateurs. Now, however, the situation is different. The sum of human knowledge is so vast that no single brain can compass it. Not only must scientists or engineers specialise in a particular subject, but in a branch or even sub-branch of that subject, in order that new fields may be explored. On the face of things, the day has gone when the amateur with limited resources in equipment and scientific training, can pursue a line of experiment and produce results that will ever interest the expert scientist or engineer.

The face of things, however, is no more a reliable guide to truth than ever it has been; human knowledge may be vast, but what remains to know is always vaster.

The day of the amateur experimenter is not past, and never will be — we trust. There are doubtless many experimenters who would like nothing better than to feel that, by their own efforts, they were advancing in some measure our knowledge of radio. For them will be a real incentive to apply the knowledge they have gained in creating more. In our next issue is a short article describing a co-ordinated series of practical constructional articles which are to be presented in these pages under the collective title of the A.R. & E.-V.H.F. Programme. This scheme is a new departure, not only for this journal, but also, it is thought, for any technical periodical. The idea behind the series, and the scope of the articles will be described in the article referred to above. On the receiver side, it is thought that our own ideas will in all probability be quite adequate, but apart from this, there is a great deal of room for difference of opinion and, in particular, for different requirements. This applies more particularly to transmitting circuits. In addition to straight-out receiving and transmitting gear, there is the interesting problem of ancillary equipment. For V.H.F. bands, it is no less necessary than at lower frequencies to have available absorption frequency meters, modulation monitors, and the other small but invaluable pieces of equipment that enable one to work with so much more sureness, speed, and satisfaction. In fact, it is really more necessary to have these things on the V.H.F. bands than at lower frequencies. The main idea behind the V.H.F. programme, is to assist those amateur transmitters who feel that with a little help in the way of suitable published articles, they could make a start in this new and intriguing territory. They will also, we hope, be of some value to those who have been put off by the difficulties, imagined, or real, of V.H.F. gear; from this it should not be inferred that the articles, or the equipment described in them , are elementary only. It is our theory that the amateur can build just as good transmitters and receivers for very high frequencies as he often does for the lower ones, and, what is more important, that the one is no more difficult than the other. To this end, we would hereby invite any of our readers who expect to be taking an interest in the V.H.F. Programme, to send us their suggestion for any V.H.F. equipment they would like to see incorporated. We cannot, of course, guarantee to fall in with all suggestions, but will do our best to make the series as interesting and useful as possible to the greatest number of V.H.F. enthusiasts. In this way we too can play our small part in the advancement of Radio and Electronic knowledge.