(What is a dull emitter valve?)
accomplished by a variometer, and the natural wave length of the
aerial being shortened by a large condenser in series with same.
Interesting that no crystal was involved!
Mr. Basebe. the engineer in charge, explained the workings fully, and
after a further vote of thanks by Mr. Gelsthorpe. the party dispersed
to finish the evening according to their own desires.
Sounds like a fun day!
I came across this whilst looking for something else on the BNA.
Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal - Friday 11 January 1924
Image © Reach PLC. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.
WIRELESS NOTES.
People are asking, will there lie enough radio to round? There is no
wonder at this query when one looks about even in own town, at the
large numlier of aerials which keep springing up, but can assure all
enthusiasts that there is heaps more than enough to satisfy all. fact, >broadcast concerts, etc., are like the widow's cruse, and never reem to
get any less nor any fainter. There is undoubtedly a good lot of
wireless fever about, and dealers appear to be very busy. Now for the
doings of one of our local societies!
The Midland Institute Radio people and lady friends, to the number of >sixty-eight, paid visit last Saturday to the British Broadcasting
studio and transmitting station at Birmingham. After our arrival
New-street. and having climbed lots and lots of stairs, found ourselves
the fourth storey above Lorelles Picture House. At the end of a small
lobby we halted before a dark and mystic door which, being opened to
us, revealed narrow passage leading into the studio. The party entered >without a sound on account of the padded floor, and in sympathy spoke
only in whispers! It was bit like going into a cemetery chape! or tomb,
until we got used to the strange atmosphere. The first impression of
the studio was rather a mixture photography and "behind the scenes" at
a theatre. The room was about thirty feet square and nine feet high,
with a flat ceiling. It was lighted on one side only by three windows,
which fortunately opened as it was rlather stuffy. When broadcasting,
even daytime, are closed and thickly curtained to keep out all
extraneous sounds. With the exception of the floor, which was thickly >carpeted, the walls and ceiling were covered with a single layer of
coarse dark drapery, this by experiment having been found most suitable
and is sufficient deadening effect to ensure direct sound waves being
picked up. yet with just enough reflection to give brilliance to the >transmission. It took six months to bring the studio to its present
state of perfection. Round the room there are numbers of chairs, and in >certain positions, grand piano, cabinet gramophone, pianola player
piano, and all the impedimenta of jazz band and tympani. "Uncle" Vernon
was busy with fluxite and soldering iron making a portable transmitter
for use at Bournemouth when we arrived, and soon after "Uncle Jack”
Cooper appeared.He is still in the army reserve, and quickly had us all >marshalled for his address, which proved to be very interesting. He
explained the whole broadcasting process and showed how by brass nails
in the carpet each performer knew exactly where to stand or sit. and
also how by signals from a row of little coloured lights instructions
were given without speaking a sound to the performers. lights were the
cause of the studio being christened "Rugby Station" by Uncle Joe. who >declared they looked like that station on a wet night. They each
illuminate small labels which read - speak - wait - re-arrange — move
back - come closer and all correct. Close to the lights is a small
window through which the engineer his ante-room listens in, watches,
and controls the whole show. He is in direct telephonic communication
with London, all other B.B.C. studios, also the transmitting station
mile away, and fills in his spare time with the "national" as well. The
most important instrument, the microphone, hangs on insulated springs
from three-legged iron stand atiout five feet high. It is round, about
five inches in diameter, and an inch and a half thick, and is connected
to the apparatus (which is not on show) by ordinary flex. This circuit
is joined to the transmission station at Lowe’- Loveday-streel by
ordinary land line, where it amplified and fed into the aerial. Uncle
Jack was particularly anxious to aasuie us that all concerts, etc.,
were ‘sent out from the studio clear and clean cut. If listeners-in
did not get good he said, it was undoubtedly the fault of their sets, >especially transformers, and warned all again.st the folly of buying
cheap rubbish.
Mr. Wallis, on behalf of the party, thanked the officers of the B.B.C.
for their kindness in allowing the visit to be made, also for their
trouble taken to make it so interesting.
We all walked to the power station at Summer lane, and eventually got
inside. The great feature is the fine aerial of cage or sausage type, >suspended vertically between two huge chimneys nearly two hundred feet
high. undoubtedly a very fine piece of engineering work, and we should
have liked to have seen it put up. Inside the small transmitting
station were found motor generators by Newton Brothers. Ltd.. Derby,
which fed current to four huge dull emitter power valves, tuning being
accomplished by a variometer, and the natural wave length of the aerial
being shortened by a large condenser in series with same.
Mr. Basebe. the engineer in charge, explained the workings fully, and
after a further vote of thanks by Mr. Gelsthorpe. the party dispersed
to finish the evening according to their own desires.
On 09/11/2023 08:23, J. P. Gilliver wrote:
(What is a dull emitter valve?)At the time, bright emitter valves were common, with a tungsten wire
cathode running as hot as a light bulb. We used one at school in the
1060s in our physics lessons to help us understand how electronics
worked. I'd been playing with the by then normal dull emitter valves at
home for a while at the time, and was worried about them burning the
heater out.
Dull emitter valves either had a special coating on the filament
(Directly heated) or a coated cathode surrounded the filament (Indirect >heating) The cathode in these valves ran at a temperature hot enough to
emit a dull red glow, hence the name.
I wonder what they did about sound leakage through the open windows
mentioned as the only ventilation in the studio?
JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> wrote:
[...]
After our arrival New-street.
and having climbed lots and lots of stairs, found ourselves on the
fourth storey above Lorelles Picture House.
It was the Lozells Picture House, named after the district of Birmingham where it was located. It had a well known cinema organ and recordings
were issued of Frank Newman (a famous cinema organist of the time)
playing it. My sleeve notes on the CD re-issue read:
~~~~~~~~~~
Lozells Wurlitzer: originally a Model 160 recovered from a cinema in Hamilton, Ohio, USA. The company rebuilt it as a Model B Special with a two-manual console, six ranks of pipes and extra effects.
It was then resold and installed in Lozells Picture House, Birmingham in January 1927. The cinema and organ were destroyed by enemy action in
1942.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After our arrival New-street.
and having climbed lots and lots of stairs, found ourselves on the
fourth storey above Lorelles Picture House.
The Midland Institute Radio people and lady friends, to the number of >sixty-eight, paid visit last Saturday to the British Broadcasting
studio and transmitting station at Birmingham. After our arrival >New-street. and having climbed lots and lots of stairs, found ourselves
the fourth storey above Lorelles Picture House. At the end of a small
So it was above a cinema!
Round the room there are numbers of chairs, and in
certain positions, grand piano, cabinet gramophone, pianola player
Acoustic gramophone perhaps in 1924?
The
most important instrument, the microphone, hangs on insulated springs
from three-legged iron stand atiout five feet high. It is round, about
A "meat-safe" one? Interesting that - by the sound of it - there was
only one microphone for the whole studio.
station were found motor generators by Newton Brothers. Ltd.. Derby,
which fed current to four huge dull emitter power valves, tuning being
(What is a dull emitter valve?)
[...]
accomplished by a variometer, and the natural wave length of the aerial >being shortened by a large condenser in series with same.
Interesting that no crystal was involved!
In message <uihuai$22vmm$1@dont-email.me> at Thu, 9 Nov 2023 06:30:41,
JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> writes
Mr. Wallis, on behalf of the party, thanked the officers of the B.B.C.
for their kindness in allowing the visit to be made, also for their
trouble taken to make it so interesting.
We all walked to the power station at Summer lane, and eventually got >inside. The great feature is the fine aerial of cage or sausage type, >suspended vertically between two huge chimneys nearly two hundred feet >high. undoubtedly a very fine piece of engineering work, and we should
have liked to have seen it put up. Inside the small transmitting
Interesting that it used - presumably - chimneys that were already
there.
which used its chimneys for a radio transmitter for early commercial radio, from 1973 to 2001.
J. P. Gilliver <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
In message <uihuai$22vmm$1@dont-email.me> at Thu, 9 Nov 2023 06:30:41, JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> writes
Mr. Wallis, on behalf of the party, thanked the officers of the B.B.C. >for their kindness in allowing the visit to be made, also for their >trouble taken to make it so interesting.
We all walked to the power station at Summer lane, and eventually got >inside. The great feature is the fine aerial of cage or sausage type, >suspended vertically between two huge chimneys nearly two hundred feet >high. undoubtedly a very fine piece of engineering work, and we should >have liked to have seen it put up. Inside the small transmitting
Interesting that it used - presumably - chimneys that were already
there.
I am reminded of:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lots_Road_Power_Station
which used its chimneys for a radio transmitter for early commercial
radio, from 1973 to 2001.
On 09/11/2023 16:44, Theo wrote:
which used its chimneys for a radio transmitter for early commercial
radio, from 1973 to 2001.
Seems to have been common for some of the first transmitter site and
then many Group H sites used chimneys and some went on to be DF sites.
Why build a tower / mast when there was already a nice big chimney and
of course it did not draw attention to the site during the war.
A BBC engineer died in an air raid whilst he was working at the Hughes Biscuit factory Bordesley, I suspect that must have been at a Group H
site and it probably used the chimneys.
J. P. Gilliver <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
In message <uihuai$22vmm$1@dont-email.me> at Thu, 9 Nov 2023 06:30:41,
JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> writes
Mr. Wallis, on behalf of the party, thanked the officers of the B.B.C.
for their kindness in allowing the visit to be made, also for their
trouble taken to make it so interesting.
We all walked to the power station at Summer lane, and eventually got
inside. The great feature is the fine aerial of cage or sausage type,
suspended vertically between two huge chimneys nearly two hundred feet
high. undoubtedly a very fine piece of engineering work, and we should
have liked to have seen it put up. Inside the small transmitting
Interesting that it used - presumably - chimneys that were already
there.
I am reminded of:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lots_Road_Power_Station
which used its chimneys for a radio transmitter for early commercial radio, from 1973 to 2001.
On Thu 09/11/2023 16:44, Theo wrote:
J. P. Gilliver <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
In message <uihuai$22vmm$1@dont-email.me> at Thu, 9 Nov 2023 06:30:41,
JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> writes
Mr. Wallis, on behalf of the party, thanked the officers of the
B.B.C. for their kindness in allowing the visit to be made, also for
their trouble taken to make it so interesting.
We all walked to the power station at Summer lane, and eventually got
inside. The great feature is the fine aerial of cage or sausage type,
suspended vertically between two huge chimneys nearly two hundred
feet high. undoubtedly a very fine piece of engineering work, and we
should have liked to have seen it put up. Inside the small
transmitting
Interesting that it used - presumably - chimneys that were already
there.
I am reminded of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lots_Road_Power_Station
which used its chimneys for a radio transmitter for early commercial
radio, from 1973 to 2001.
BBC Radio Sheffield transmitted MW on 1035Khz using the chimney of
Heeley swimming baths on Broadfield Road. ISTR it was an inverted L with
the long arm extending from the top of the chimney to a pole at the top
of a bank across the yard. It was closed down in May 2021.
Dull emitters were more efficient, as the power was used to heat the cathode and not produce light, which was a waste of power.
Brian
Dull emitters were indeed more efficient, but before they invented the >technology to make them, valve designers didn't have the choice.
On 30/11/2023 11:15, Brian Gaff wrote:
Dull emitters were more efficient, as the power was used to heat the cathode >> and not produce light, which was a waste of power.
Brian
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