RADIO NOTES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 406, 15 December 1932, Page 2

RADIO NOTES

Kathode)

(Ry

The past week has heen a good one for reception of the YA stations. Signal strerigth from 2YA has been exceptional on many occasions, and it has frequently been necessary to throttle down a four valve set to hring ' volume to a comfortable level. 3YA has heen good after 8 p.m. and 4YA has heen stronger than usual. 1YA to say the least of it is a complete "washout" as ■ far as Rotorua is concerned, Weak signal istrength, fadirig and distortion may always be expected from Auckland'^ transmitter. Local listeriers have not been satisfied with programmes from 2YA, One can hear too much of relays of Orchestral Societies, Dramatic Clubs Chorai Societies and iscreeching sopranos. Last week, we h'ad more than our fair share. Notwithstanding the fact that there is an occasional demand for relays of this kind it is certain that the great majority of listener3 prefer light musical fare for radio entertainment. Band items and instrumental isolos are always popular, and vocal items too, providing a first class singer is engaged or recordings used. Yet one hears singers every evening, who are not even medioere. At -an occasional drawing room party, where atmospbere plays a big part, many of the singers. may be a success, but over th'e air, every flaw is laid bare and every fault emphasized. One wonders how many of them were first diseovered and introduced to the microphon'e. Many receivers, especially those of the home madq type have aluminum panels. If those panels have not been treated, finger marks show easily and spoil the appearance of the set. One method of giving the panel a permanent finish and prevent it from showing finger prints is as follows: Take a 4 inch piece of 1 inch dowel and place it in a drill, using fine emery powder, dip the dowel iand rotate it on the . panel. A circular mark, will be left ' and hy covering the panel with over lapping circles a heautiful and permanent finish is the result. Short wave reception >of overseas ' stations is rapidly improving. 2LO, London was heard at good volume over the week-end, and several foreign , station3 have been arriving at good volume. Kathode uses a two tube, a.c. receiver and loud speaker volume is frequently possibla from the antipodas. A screen grid detector iand pentode audio gives plenty of volume, : especially for headphone work. ; Ome frequently sees, the word pollarity used in radio jottings yet no doubt many listeners have a hazy : idea of what the word actually means. ; Polarity is the relative value of elj ectrical pressure when the earth is 1 taken as zero. Points of higher presi sure than earth' are referred to as ! positive and points; of lower pressure ! are referred to as negative. I During the last decade broadcast- ■ ing has made rapid strides. The quality put over the air seven or eight , years ago and the quality heard toj day are as different as the first cinematograph and modern talkies. The writer recalls using ;a two valve set with a panel over a yard long and tuned with long rods to prevent body capacity. The only istation heard with anv strene-th was

a small transmitter situated in Scotts Hall, Auckland. Modulation methods were crude, iand the microphone was simply placed in front of an ordinary gramophone. The distortion of the gramophone, plus the microphone, P'lus transmitter and receiver was terrific when compared with modern reproduction, yet no one complained in those days. Radio was a novelty and even if music could not be received an hour or so of static solo was endured with something approaching awe. Ships morse was desired rather than otherwise jmd interference was interesting. Listeners were dubbed "cranks" and broadcasting was considered a failure. The layman p referred a gramophone and laughed at the idea that radio would someday displace the gramophone. The writer remembers inviting a few intsrested i friends round to his place for a radio evening in 1923 or 1924. After lalmost : an hour of twiddling a few ashmatical notes were heard from Farmers, Syd- I ney, and later, what was taken to be a human voice was heard from Melbourne. Loud bursts of istatic and some ships morse completed the entertainment, but what the programme lacked in quality it certainly made up for in variety. It is possible that some listeners are receiving Australian and American stations, but as far as. Kathode is concerned, the Yanks, including KFI have not been heard for a week or more. Interference is bad in Rotorua, but judging from a conversation the writer had with a Wellington listener during the week, conditions in parts j of the "Windy City" are far worsia. In this locality, it was only possible to use an aerial six feet long and outside stations were never heard at all. j As the informant wa3 a technical i man, one may be sure that all reas- | onahle steps had heen taken to find a remedy. I