Short Wave Craft Magazine, January 1935
"Xmas Dream of a Short-Wave Fiend"
Wow, take a look at the gifts on that tree! The January 1936
cover of Short Wave Craft magazine shows a young radio
fan blissfully dreaming of a tree loaded with presents—tubes,
coils, transformers, test equipment, a speaker, world globe, a
telegraph key, microphone, shortwave manual, meters, and more.
His imagination is sparked by whatever he's hearing on his
bedside radio, a modest shortwave set. If his wishes come
true, he may be listening to something more elaborate before long.
In addition to the usual construction articles and lists of
shortwave stations, this issue includes a feature article
entitled, "They Are TELEVISING in Berlin!"
The article frankly admits that Germany was well ahead of
the US in TV technology:
While practical public television is fast asleep in the country,
the German and other European television experimenters have been forging
ahead, and the accompanying illustrations and discussions give new
light on what we "might have done!"
The article describes in some detail a new German system
for mobile TV transmission from remote locations. Inside an
enormous truck was a complete television studio. The image
was captured with a conventional film camera, whose film
was developed in a mere 60 seconds with special onboard equipment.
The processed film (complete with sound) was then scanned and
transmitted via shortwave to a television central station.
From there, it was broadcast to television receivers in
theaters or homes.
As cumbersome as it sounds nowadays, a similar film-based
fast-development system was also used in England around this time.
The article goes on to describe contemporary German TV
receivers: a home model with a screen as large as 10 inches,
and a theater projection with a screen measuring 10 by 12 feet.
In the United states, television was actively under
development, but nothing comparable had been displayed
in public.
Midwest 16-tube All-Wave Receiver
The back cover of this issue contains an ad from the Midwest
Radio Corporation, touting its new 16-tube receiver at the
amazing low price of $57.50.
I happen to own a Midwest
DD-18 from the following
year, so this ad is interesting to me. Long gone are the days
when you could buy so much radio for so little money!
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