RADIO HETERODYNE NOISES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 112, 28 May 1937, Page 6

RADIO HETERODYNE NOISES

Australian Statiocs Crowding Wave-Lengths . LISTENERS ANNOYED . Interference with the reception of New Zealand radio stations because many Australian broadcasting stations ara operating on the same wave-length and signal strength has caused socne annoyance for several weeks. It is' stated by a Hawke's Bay radio authority that a month ago there were 97 Australian stations on the air, and that the rate of increase was about four a month. The fact that there is little or uo restraint on the opening of both advertising and non-commercial radio stations in Australia has led to the opening of a large number, mainly in New South Wales and Victoria, and the position in regard to advertising is that they are actually driving one another out of business. The large number of stations also means * tliat the broadcast dial is. completely covered with stations, and many of these, having a power equal to or greater than that of many New Zealand stations, distort programmes to a large extent, and. are rapidly becoming a menace to good reception in the Dominion. All wave-lengths for radio stations throughout the world are, in theory at least, fixed and allocated by the Interuational Eadio Convention in Geneva, continued ihe informant of the HeraldTribune, and each country is alloted certam wave-lengths so arranged as to interfere as. little as possible with those of other countries. If the number of stations exceeds the number of wavelength positions allocated, application may be made for more, but the work of the convention has not been carriod out fully of recent years. "Many of the New Zealand stations are badly heterodyned by Australians and, in a few cases, Americans," he continued, "and there seems no prospect of outside restriction alleviating the position. What is happening,.however, is that so many radio stations are in Australia undertaking advertising broadcasts that they are cutting each other 's throats. It seems . quite possible, therefore, that many of the radio stations will be ultimately forced out of business by the stern competition, which, has reached unlimited bounds."