RADIO NOTES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 574, 4 July 1933, Page 7

RADIO NOTES

"Triode.)

... (By

The running of the YA stations has been descrihed by a weekly p'aper as the higgest joke in New Zealand. Most listeners will agree that we are not getting value for our money and although complaints are made through the newspapers from one end of New Zealand to the other, it has had no effect. Tlie Broudcasting Board does not appear to be making any attempt to igive the listeners the type of programnie they require. It is admitted that they have all sorts to cater for, but if the business was being earried on in a proper manner it would he possible for a listener to pick out the proghamme he wished to listen to and enjoy the whole of it. iris hard to try and imagine what tbe programme organiser has had in miind when some of the programmes have heen compiled. Good music can he bright, hut for a long time we have had a surplus of dreary, mournful stuff th'at h'as ea used hundreds of listeners to turn their sets off in disgust. 2YA is the worst offender and if there is such a scarcity of talent in 'Wellington that it is necessary to use records for the major part of their eoncert sessions, it would he betrer if they would eliminate some of the cheaper brands which at present they are so fond of using. » The writer recently had an opportunity of testing out a. set within two miles of 1YA and 1ZR. The latterstation came in p.erfectly clear without any backgrbund and was a pleasure to listen to. At the same setting of the volume control 1YA was much weaker and very mnshy. Although there will eventually be a ;:ew station in Auckland, one would think that the least the board could do would be to tune up the existing station to give decent local reception. The Hitler Government is making extensive use of the broadcast stations and anyone causing inberferenee during a .ministeri'al broadcast is given no option but is imprisoned upon conviction. A Germah listener who was caught deliberately oscillating during a political broadcast was sentenced to one months imprisonment. Many' experimenters may have found that a 280 Valve would not supply sufficient d.c. current for their requirements, especially if they wish to use a 2A3 in the output. A new rectifier is now available and known as a 5Z3. This has a 5-volt filament tak■ing 3 amps. The a.c. volt'age per plate

is 500, and the d.c. load 250 m.a. — practically twice that of a 280. The retail price is 19s. Another new valve of interest is. the 6F7. This is a small triode and a remote cut-off pentode enclosed in the same envelope. The Valve has heen designed to serve as an oscillator and first detector in a super het. It is surprising to note that some English magazines still show the old wooden base board 011 which to construct a set. The modern metal chassis enables the constructor to make 'a far smaller and neater job. Some Milestones in Radio. A new studio opened in May, 1923, at 2LO was described as the most remarkable broadcasting room in the country. It was 40 feet hy 20 feet by 11 feet.

In May, 1923, Mr. Baird had made some progress with' television. In 1925 the first sets With push-pull output were on the market. In October, 1926, Mr. Baird received his first television license, hut in 1927 he prophesied th'at it would be 10 years before we saw such topical events as the Derby and boat race. Early in 1928 details of the now popular pentode valve were puhlished, and during the same year int'erest was taken in the nse of electrolytic condensers. One often hears of a prospeetlive buyer for a radio set who keeps putting off the actual purchas'e because he believes that any day will bring some revolutionary chamges in design. If twenty years ago people had put off purchasing a motor car for the same reason they would possibly still be without one. Thehe will always be improvements, although it is not expected that sets will change as quickly In the next f ew years as they have in the past. The modern radio set as supplied by any firm of repute is a reliabfe piece of equipment, good for many yearg of service, and there seems to be little prospects of a fall in prices of the bettier class of jobs. Recent advice from America was "Buy now," as in sympathy with a general rise in the cost of all raw materi'al, the price of radio parts would sh'ortly have to

be increased. At 7.30 p.m. to-morrow 1YA will broadcast on relay the Governor-Gene-ral's sp'eech at the opening of the Auckland Winter Exhibition. At 8 p.m. on Wednesday, 2YA will present a series of recordings of a speci'a.1 eharity concert given by Mr. Will McEeon and company at the London Colliseum. The usual Rngby matches on Saturday are the only sporting broadcasts during the week. .