QST/April 1916/High Note — Low Note

by W. A. Parks

W. A. Parks, Washington, D. C. Writes:

I noticed in the February issue of “QST” that 1VN states that 75% of the stations that he hears have a high pitch (amateurs), and that on that account they are very much easier to read. I believe that the natural period of the diaphragm of the telephones has a great deal to do with this. I am using mica diaphragm phones and find that amateurs who have a low note, in fact the very ones mentioned by 1VN are much easier to read than those having a high note. I have heard 1VN fairly loud, (using galena detector altogether), and also 8YC, 8YI, and others having a high note, and who come in fine, and I am not blind to the certain well known advantages of the high note, in a properly designed set. Personally, I prefer to read the low musical note, about 120 cycles.

I have made what I think is pretty close to the record for a crystal detector and amateur sending and receiving apparatus. At 11:42 P. M.—February 29, (my time), I copied several sentences from 9OQ, Mr. Charles Coultas. 950 Beach Avenue, St. Louis, Mo. I have written to him and received his verification of the same. He was not loud but easily readable. NAA had their arc going at the time and when an arc set is going in the vicinity of a receiving station the signals from all spark stations are very noticeably weakened.

A picture of 9OQ’s set appears on page 6 of the December “QST” under the title of “One of the best equipped Stations in the League.” He has a 1 KW. Clapp-Eastham set.