Radio Trivia Challenge: SLC, SLW and SLF--just curious....

[Old1625]

How many of you know the meanings and significance of these acronyms?

[mhardy6647]

Super Long Wavelengthand Super Low Frequency for the latter two, I'd reckon.
Dunno about SLC; sounds like a Mercedes :-)

[Old1625]

I have an SD meself, but a buddy of mine has an SDL. I hope his cylinder head holds out for him; the 6 cylinder of the SDL is not as durable a motor as the old OM617 5 cylinder in my SD.

SLC does sound like a car badge, but I'm looking for something else here....

I'm gonna keep quiet to see what comes forth....

[Sandy G]

Y'all got me. I'm stumped.

[mhardy6647]

actually, the M-B Gullwing was type 300 SLC, come to think of it (wasn't it?). I am too lazy to check.

I'm out, now.

[Old1625]

These are quite germane to radio. And to the way a dial's frequencies are read. Y'all that delve into antique radio have seen differences in design in working components, and have noticed them, as have I. SLW seems to be predominant in my obs.

[Sandy G]

Th' gawdam Germans ain't got nothin' to do with it...(grin)

[toxcrusadr]

I'll take a guess from old1625's hint. Dials are sometimes marked so the stations are space out evenly, sometimes they're smooshed up at one end. I'm gonna say LC = linear capacitance, LF = linear frequency, LW = linear wavelength...no idea what the S stands for.

[Old1625]

Originally Posted by toxcrusadr

I'll take a guess from old1625's hint. Dials are sometimes marked so the stations are space out evenly, sometimes they're smooshed up at one end. I'm gonna say LC = linear capacitance, LF = linear frequency, LW = linear wavelength...no idea what the S stands for.

OOOOhhhhh! You're close!

And more or less on the beam! Go to the head of the class!

The terms are

Straight-Line-Capacity
Straight-Line-Wavelength (What you're apt to find most common)
Straight-Line-Frequency

The first type describes a variable capacitor where the rotors are of a constant radius, and such was found in earlier radio sets--and less expensive sets later on. The second was most commonly found in more "modern" sets of higher quality. The third was most commonly found in UHF tuners--unless the shape was even more weird.

The first looks in profile like a half-moon shape, the second sort of helmet shaped, the third resembling the profile of a scallop shell.

Such reshaping of the rotors facilitated tuneability on the upper end of the dial, where theSLC configuration tended to make tuning critical and difficult at that end of the sweep.

[toxcrusadr]

I've been inside a lot of radios and seen those rotor styles, but never knew the names. Thanks for that history.