RADIO RECEPTION

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 670, 24 October 1933, Page 6

RADIO RECEPTION

IMPROVEMENT IN AERIALS A SOLUTION YERTICAL AERIAL BEST Christchurch, Sia.turday "It is a strange thing that no one has tackied the problem of aerials properly for though we have gone •ahead and built bctter sets and stronigier stations, we still giat noises in our reception that can be elirninated," Mr. F. A. O'Connell, president of the Canterhury Radio Society stated in an address he gave to the mlonthly meeting of the New Zealand DX Riadio Association on Wednesday evening. Mr. O'Connell stated that the vertieal aerial was the best for reception, but it was very difficult t0 secure in most situations. As near to vertical as possihl'e was the best compromise. ■In the old days of crystal sets the longer the aerial was .the bettcr the reception was, but nowadiays the shorter the aerial, and the shorter the lead-in portion of it, the better were the results. Angle was more- important than length and the more s'traight up and down the aerial the more satisfactory it was. Mr. O'Connell discussed the thickness of wire for aerials. Almost anything served for ordinary broadcast reception, but the short-wave rectiving and fransmissioin thick wire was, the hetter. Copper wire was ideal for aerials. He dealt with the problems of ahsorption through tin roofs and fences and the handicap of screening by I trees, buildings and hills. Deiakages ■often occurred in aerials, a common source being the touching of spouting with the aerial wire. Broken or loose wires, or wires loosely bound round insulators, caused craekles in ithe onachinie. Mr. O'Connell expressed the opinion that aerials were capahle of as much improvement as had been made in sets. The ladm was t0 cut out noise witliout interfering with the signals, and very shortly there would he an announcement which would indicate ithat a marked advance had been made with a new system.