IMPROVE RADIO RECEPTION

In Cassiar here our TV-radio selection,
or variety, is mostly very limited, as we
have only one station of each. The tele-
vision is unfortunately set - no signal can
possibly get in here from any other tran-
smitter, except in the case of a fluke too
fantastic to imagine.

However, radio is by far a different
bundle of wire. With a good antenna, virt-
ually any A.M, radio can, at night, receive
most Alberta or North-Western North America
stations. A reasonable short-wave receiver

will get you stations from most of the world.

The better the radio, the better it will
work, of course. But, the antenna is the
critical thing, and setting up a good one
is so simple its worth any one's time to
set one up, if you really want more
reception,

First, we'll outline hew an antenna
works; this will srovide you with the know-
ledge necessary to install one on various
equipment wich suitable results.

Radio waves travel through the air as
electro-magnetic energy. When these e-m
waves intercept a conductor providing a
low-resistance (lower than resistance of
air) path to ground, the electromagnetic
wave will set up an alternating current
in the conductor. This A-C will flow
through the wire to and from ground, at
the frequencies of the intercepted c-m
wave. In other words, the wire, or ant-
enna, converts electromagnetic energy of
a@ transmitted radio wave to an alternating
electrical current.

So - if you string up a wire ard connect
it to a good ground a current will flow
in it. The current will contain the garb-

-olbed mess that: the radio circuitry dec
iphers into music, news, sports, and
weather. If you get this currant into the
radio so it. can be deciphered, you'll
have entertainment. Here's how to do it,

Start with the antenna. It's so simple
we don't even need a diagram. Acquire
50-60 feet bare copper wire, strong
enough to withstand the tension applied
by suspending it. straight horizontally,
and put on insulator «t each end. Add
enough cord or rope to reach the supports
you plan to hang it up on, whether trees,
house, poles, or whatever. Next, about 6
inches to a foot from one end, attach a
lead-in wire, This should be an insulated .«
copper wire, long enough to reach from the
antenna (once up in the air) to your radio
set, following the path you choose. ‘The
lead-in should be attached by removing an

1l

inch or so of insulation from the lead,
lay the bared end across the antenna wire,
and simply wrap the lead-in around the
antenna wire, 4 or 5 turns. Solder it, and
its finished.

If your radio has an antenna terminal
on the back, attach the lead in to it.
If it has an antenna jack, plug the wire
in there, using a nail pushed in to
secure it, if you haven't got the right
plug. Then find a ground ~ a terminal
marked "gnd" or a screw, or the negative
(-) battery terminal, Run a wire from this
ground to a water pipe - this completes
the antenna circuit to ground, and is
very important to successful operation of

the antenna.
If your radio has no connections on it,

wrap several tens of turns of small
insulated wire onto a small wooden dowel
or pencil, about 6" long, with the wire
spread evenly along it. Connect one end
of this coil to the antenna lead-in, and
the other end to a wire leading to the
water pipe. Place this coil behind or on
top of the radio, and secure there -
whichever way it works best.

That's simply how its done - its in-
expensive, and guarenteed to work, The
last thing to mention is a list of points
to remember when working.

1. Don't fiddle with an A-C operated radio
unless its UNPLUGGED. Far more people
in Canada are killed this way than by
charging elephants! Seriouslv, good

, Old 110. house hold current claims many .

“more lives than industrial voltages do Ai

maintivy because most veople working with
high voltaze respect it more and take
proper precautions.

2. Where possible, the higher the antenna,

“sy the better it will work, soe. ies,

3. Keep the antenna away from power lines
as best as possible. Power lines
produce static and noise, two things
that can make entertainment verv
unentertaining.

“, If vou have many flourescent lights
along where vour lead-in or ground
wires go, you will notice the noise..
Replacing the lead-in wire with co-
axial lead usually helps.

5. Insulators can be successfully made
from scraps of plexiglass. Just drill
holes for wires.

6. Wherever vou make connections, remember
that the current you're dealing with
is onlv driven hy a few micro-volts,
A poor connection to voltages like
this is -n open circuit.

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