Radio Licenses.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 August 1922, Page 1

Radio Licenses.

DR JACK’S VIEWS. DUNEDIN, Aug. 23. Dr Jack, of Otago University, gave his opinions this morning on the conditions upon which radio licenses arc to be issued. He noted in the first place thjt they do not limit the size of the aerial. Hitherto it had been limited to 100 ft. Li Britain that was also the original limitation. Now the aerial in England is not restricted as to size and our Postmaster-General seems to have followed the Old Country in abolishing the restriction. Tho aerial is not, an some of thp unlearned may imagine, the mast. It is the wire from its extreme end in the air to the point at which it goes into the earth. At land stations tlie aerial is mostly in the shapp of an inverted L. Steamers generally use the T aerial as the wire is stretched bet\yeeil two of the masts. In such cages thp 100 ft is from the end to the centre qnd the downward bit as far as the hull.

Dr Jack notes also with approval that the new regulations do not demand the keeping of a log book by amateurs, ft was a nuisance for them to have to writp dowp pverything received, and it unnecessarily burdened their study. Thp imposition of a graduafpd scale of fees for licenses is regarded as fair in principle, seeing that benefits are to be bestowed, but Dr Jack would like to know how much the fees are. He claims that they should not be so great as to discourage students. It is set down in thp conditions that a band of >vave length will lio reserved fpr amateur transmissions extending from 12 to 15 metres. This, remarks the Doctor, limits amateurs to short wave transmissions. He thinks it desirable to give them also permission to send on long distance waves, such as 1000 metres. Certain difficulties comp In with tlie short length. He wpglf) favour the amateurs having an alternative or short or long waves. Jt would tend to tlie improvement of their powers as radio experimenters-to he able to use both short and long waves. Dr Jack thinks-that a chance is missed ju the conditions regarding broadcasting in that there is no differentiatiop in favour of British or New Zea-land-made apparatus as against apparatus made in other countries. America is turning out apparatus at an enormous rate, and the probabilities are that quantities of apparatus from that cquiltry will lie dumped into New Zealand, this being tlie more to be apprehended in view of tlie fact that for reasons not disclosed, but which may he guessed, importers do not seem to want to import the British-ipsde apparatus. Til apparatus he says, can quite easily he made in New Zealand. As to the power grading, UK) watts is ample and Dr Jack feels quite pleased that it is not proposed to limit the power oT the stations to a smaller figure. The allocation of a hand of wave lengths from 185 to 255 metres to Grade II and of the hands of 255 to 270 metros and 330 to 375 metres to Grade T. will be under stood hv experts, since it quite properly reserves the wave length of 300 metres for naval and Governmental purposes, a very wise precaution. For experimental stations, such as Universities and other recognised scientific institutions, a band of wave lengths between 380 and 410 metres is reserved. Dr Jack hopes that greater wave lengths will be allowed each institution. Much investigation is needed as to the relative wants of different wave lengths for the purposes of wireless telephony, and Universities ought not to he prevented from carrying on investigations. At the Otago Universities he has been sending on 475 metres.