Short Cut

Every right-fingered, mechanical-minded American knows that ordinary Amplitude Modulation (AM) radio was a vast improvement over the early crystal and cat's whisker variety. Not so many know that Frequency Modulation (FM) radio is almost as big an improvement over AM. Comparatively few, in fact, have actually enjoyed FM's nearly staticless, high-fidelity charms. A new gadget, marketed last week, may change all that--even though the radio revolution which would make FM broadcasting commercially sound may still be a long way off.

It is no secret that AM receivers can be hooked into the FM band, but the converters that do this trick have sold for $50 & up, mostly up over $100. Last week Pilot Radio Corp. offered the public its Pilotuner, by far the cheapest converter yet marketed. Cost: $29.95. Said a top FM engineer: "It's the best value for the money so far. It makes a striking improvement in an AM set, though it still isn't up to a regular FM receiver."

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