1930-09-04 — Page 2

HONG KONG DAILY PRESS. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1930.

TAB 4

FEATURES

THE HEAVISIDE LAYER.

AN EXPLANATION OF AN INTERESTING THEORY.

It may be remembered that on this page a week or two ago ap- peared an interesting account of an eminent scientists challenge to the existing theory of the Heavi side Layer.

[Br COHERERT"

them, this theory has much in sup- port,

Imagining a belt of atmosphere some fifty miles above the earth's surface, of a conductivity equal to that of earch, it is easy to see that Although the hypothesis has been wireless waves would be reflected referred to from time to time from one conductor to another and Fur- throughout these articles, it is so enclosed between the two. highly probable that to the majority ther support is given to the theory of readers the "Heaviside Layer" presents merely "a term requiring, presumably, deep and highly tech- nical knowledge for it's principle

when considering the conductive properties in the vacuum of the ordinary valve. It is well known that at a certain stage of exhaus tion the residual air in a tube

H.T. BATTERIES.

ARE YOU TAKING TOO MUCH FROM YOURS?

A. common pomplaint about the cost of radio-day is on account of H. consumption. Many listen- One of the strongest supports to ets wonder why their H.T. batteries the study of the earth's magnetism do not last longer. They also in is the theory that the sun in the quire: How can the H.T. bat upper regions is continually emittery be made to give longer life ting free electrons and here again we have conductive agents.

Existing" Doubts, Although the Heaviside Layer has been useful to scientists in so far as it has maintained the qualities attributed to it when applied to other theories, it has never been con-

sidered as complete and the recent account already referred to is in-

j

outpat filter to isolate, the loud- speaker leads from the H.T. cur- rent. If the leak is in the set itself it may not be due to the current being taken by the valves, but may be caused by a leaky by-pass con denser or other unsuspected path- way between H.T. negative and H.T. positive. All wiring should be tested carefully if this fault is suspected,

particular attention

being paid to switches, etc., where area and where H.T. positive is insulation is necessarily small in close to a negative lead.

If you have been trying to run a three valve set with a power valve

A milliameter in the H.T. nega- of small flash-lamp batteries, the

tive lead is of great nasistance in answer is that you need large stopping trouble of this nature, for capacity batteries; and, if you

if the valves are pulled out of their have a four-valver with a super-sockets one by one, the plate con- power valve faking up to 20 mil

sumption can be checked and the lamps, double-capacity batteries

fault located are not sufficient, and you need one of the extra large-capacity type

to be followed. Such is far from under test becomes conducting, the dicative of the element of doubt that capable of standing up to such

being the case, and a mere thought as to the action of wireless waves as understood by the veriest novice

will reveal the nature of this theory and it's usefulness to radio engi neers for years past..

Origination of the Theory. The fact that the wireless waves travel around the earth's surface instead of travelling outward as in the case of light waves has en- gaged the attention of scientists for a number of years and a number of theories have been put forward.

conductivity increasing with the de- gree of vacuum reached.

Applying this fact to the atmos. pliere, it is a proved fact that the higher the altitude reached the less the atmospheric pressure. Conse quently, there must be a point at which the atmosphere will possess the qualities of a perfect conductor.

Support of the Theory. This fact alone would be insuf- fcient to wholly support Oliver Heaviside's theory as, the state of conductivity being extremely gra The generally accepted one is that dual, it could hardly be considered of Mr. Oliver Heaviside who attri- the ideal conducting surface that is buted the phenomenon to a heavy required. At this point of the at belt or conducting layer in the atmosphere, however, many agents masahere many miles above the towards conductivity are known to earth's surface. It heing an estab-exist. The solar rays in this region lished fact that, whereas electrical are considered to be analogous to conductors cannot be penetrated by X-rays which are, of course, conduc- wireless waves, they can reflect tive.

EVERYTHING

still exists in scientific circles.

Referring again to that account it is noticed that the scientist who challenges the present Heaviside theory is of the opinion that the wireless waves do not reach the actual Heaviside Layer at all (which, in this account is stated to be about 400 miles above the earth's surface) but that they are reflected by a subsidiary layer that is only about seventy miles above the sur face. On the fact of it, very little would appear to have been gained by this new theory as the distance between the earth and the layer has always been subject to considerable. controversy, accounts varying in the supposed distance from 50 to 400 miles.

Importance of the Theory." The suggestion that the accept- ance of this new theory will mean good-bye to all hopes of com- munication with Mars" (to quote from the account under discussion), is apt to leave one guessing as of course, the possibility of wireless ets has always been a contradiction of the original Heaviside Layer Theory.

9.&.C. ELECTRICAL communication with the other plan-

your guarantee.

TENACIOUS COATING

KEEPS YOUR SET

AT PEAK PERFORMANCE

It's not the filament but the coating on it that

MADE IN

ENGLAND

Sold by call Wireless Dealers.

counts

Valve

Osram

Osram Valves

With the "TENACIOUS

WRITE for

#DES (7979

The subject of long distance wire less communication is a deep and interesting one and whether or not the useful Heaviside theory is to be disproved, the fact remains that a refecting agent of some sort, com- pletely encompassing the globe at some distance from its surface, would appear to be in existance to enable the curvaturein, "wireless waves necessary for a transmission from, say, England to Australia.

QUERY CORNER.

..Q.EL.S.

(1) Anode bend rectification would be most suitable with your set..

Leavy load.

Correct Grid Bias.

The most important way of en- saring that a valve is not unduly If your battery has been cor- draining the H.T. battery is to rectly chosen and the complaint provide it with the correct nega- still arises, the first thing to do is tive grid bias. The relative post- to decide whether the trouble Hestion of the grid inside the valve is inside or outside the set.

Valves are often blamed for the extravagance when the real trouble is long loud-speaker leads, which in some instances wander all over the house and invite H.T. to leak through damp, poor insulation, and every other conductive path to earth. The obvious remedy is an

such that there is a kind of lever effect, enabling 1-volt negative on the stid to counterbalance say 10-volts positive on the plate. The neglect of grid bias voltage is a sure way of losing anode current, and where super-power valves or pentodes are employed, the correct ous but is vital from the point of rid hias is not merely advantage. view of economy.

HAVE YOU HEARD THESE?

Here are Hats cf long-wave and short-wave stations which should be picked up by anyone in Hong Kong who has a moda- ately good sot suitable for re- ceiving such signals. Success in picking up these stations also depends very largely upon tav. ourable atmospheric conditions. Readers are invited to add to "this list should they succeed la picking up any station not in- cluded in either of these lista:

LONG-WAVE STATIONS.

Call Eilo Sign cycle K.Z.I.B. 1,163 K.S.M.9. 1,085 C.R.C. 1,070

967 N

Wave length (Metres) Station

260-Manila 277 Shanghai 220 Tientsin 310 Shanghai ⠀ K.R.C... 320 Peping C.O.P.K. 945 345 Tokyo J.O.A.K, 870 353 Hiroshima J.O.F.K 850 335 Hong Kong Z.B.W. $48. 357 Bombay V.U.B. 361 Sapporo J.O.LE 366 Keijo 370 Nagoya 370.4 Calcutta 380 Eumamoto

300 Sendai 305 Dairen 398 Rangoon 400 Osaka 410 Canton 413: Manila

SHORT-WAVE STATIONS.

Како

836. Стськи

840

820 1.0,D.I. 820 JO.C.K. 810 V.U.C 800.8 J.O.G.K. 790 J.O.H.K. 770 J.D.A.K. 760 V.U.R. 764 J.O.B.K 750

C.M.B. ·732" K.Z.R.M. 723

Tra (Fone Zone)

от Политие

4,434 Mon, Wed & Fri, 8 pan. & 2.a.m

4,990 6-10.p.m.

5,291 Not regular

6.000 Tues, Thurs, Sat, 8p.m.

STATION

CALL SIGN

(2) Make R.1, 25,000 and R.2, 30,000.

67.85 Dobintz (Germany) 60.12 Khabarovsk (Russia) 66.72) Nauen

A.F.K.

A.97.

A.G.J.

to. Moscow

RF.N.

43.55

Roman

1.MA.

$2.

Perth

6.A.G.

(1) Your first question cannot "be answered as you failed to en-

41.3

Singapore

V.S.1.A.B.

7,310

38.8

Kootwijk (Holland)

37.

Bangkok (Biam)

32.1

8.230 B,503

bourne.

31.48 Schenectady

Not regular Daily 11

p.m. & Fri Not regalar Not regular 8,530 Daily?

9p.m.-la.m.

N.V.A.

close the cutting referred to.

2) With long wave reception it

is a matter of indifference provid ing precautions are taken to pre- vent earthing

(3) Yes

(4) You cannot. There is some error here regarding your tuning calculations.

(b) I have not yet found any, potent serial to equal ordinary harddrawn phospher bronze wire: 7 stranded, 22 gange,

Novice:

Your trouble savours of insufi." elent grid bisa. li a readjustment of the plugs do not free your set from whiste try a new gb. battery,

ATWATER KENT RADIO.

NEW ARRIVAL AT SINCERE COMPANY.

this page announces the arrival of the celebrated Atwater Kent Radio, the sole agents for which in South China are the Sincere Co., Ltd. The Atwater Kent is the latest in modern screen grid radio, and is

Sunday midnight

7,112 Daily 6.30 p.m. & 11 'p.m.

8,108 Tues, H.S.AP.J 2.B.L. B.L.O." W.2.L.A.F.

31.20 Eindhoven (Holland) P.C.J. 31.25 Sydney

9,020 FL 3, Sat, 3 am. & 10 a.m7)

9,500 Not regular

12.240 Nightly

Fri, Sat 12,850 m. Wed 18,102 Daily 5.30 p.m. ∙18,304] Daily 7 pans

to midnight

2.F.C.

31, Nairobi (Kanys)

7.10.

9,677|| Midnight daily

28.6

Bydney:

2.ME.

10,528 Not regular

27.8

Bandoeng

PLE

11,020 Midnight daily

26.55 24.5

Chelmsford (England) Manila

G.S.W

K.1.X.E.

11,751 7.80 p.m. & 3 am, daily, except

Saturday and Sunday

23.35 Bobenectady

18.88 Bandoong .18.4. Kootwijk (Holland)

P.L.G.

17.4 Enadeeng

Bangkok

E.S.1.P.

10.88 Huizen (Holland)

16.3

Kootwijk (Holland)

AZI. P.C.K

16.74 Bandoeng

F.LE.

15.5

Nancy (France)

19.90

Pittsburg

8.XK.

19,220 Daily 5,807. 19,301 Daily 8 in. 21,840 Not regular

summer-time

in most Euro

16.9

17.280 Daily 8 pm to midnight 17,751 Sundays 7 p.m. & midnight.

17,769 Dzály 10

10p.m. 19,40% Each afternoon

[Allowance must be made for "

pean countrics, which is one hour ahead of true time.]

BUY BRITISH & BE PROUD We have just packed a Shipment of ALUMINIUM BASE-BOARD & PANELS.

OTHER RADIO & WIRELESS PARTS Guaranteed British Madi),

distinguished by its simplicity and ORIENTAL COMMERCIAL & Co., LTD.

tonal perfection. The agents are inviting inspection of the new ap paratus which has just arrived.

BANK OF CANTON BUILDING,

*24405

Announcing the Arrival of

FIRST SHIPMENT

OF

ATWATER KENT

RADIO

The Very Latest in Modern Screen Grid Radio; Distinguished by

COMPACTNESS, SIMPLICITY AND TONAL PERFECTION.

Every Set Carries a Warranty from Manufacturers.

You have known the Name of Atwäter Kent, But have You seen the Famous Apparatus ?

Come and Then Inspect It.

THE SINCERE Co., LTD.

SOUTH CHINA SOLE AGENTS.

A RADIO

THE

LOEWE FE 63

9 t

tube

A new shipment, just arrived set.

one of the most sensitive" instruments for long distance and reception with six stages of high frequency-

This set is fitted with new Barium tubes and requires a Frams Aerial only. Can also be used with LOEWE short wave. attachment,

Just arrived-New Shipment of

R533 A.C. SETS.

LOEWE

$126 without Loud Speaker. $150 with Loud Speaker

Newly arrived

Loud Speakers of various types..

Pertrix Batteries 150, 100 r. and Grid Bias Batteries, Gramophone pick ups of best quality.

Gramophone Electric Motors

BEliminators a speciality to fit any

Demonstration Hours— 11-11.30 am, 12.30-1.30 pm.

5-5.30 p.m.

Daring demonstration hours expert European advice is given on all Wireless matters

THE

ICANTON TRADING ASSOCIATION LTD.

CARL SCHROTER, Manager-

5TH FLOOR, CHINA BLDG.

TELEPHONE 24610-