RADIO AND ITS RECEIVERS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 421, 1 August 1928, Page 6

RADIO AND ITS RECEIVERS

Conducted for THE SUN by

MR. R. F. HAYCOCK.

Big Fight and Radio

I.Y.A. MISSES A CHANCE

The Sun to the Rescue

MANY were greatly disappointed over the apparent failure of radio to give them a good description of the TunneyIfeeney tight, and in view of the great interest in the bout the disappointment was only natural. The public had been told of the elaborate arrangements made by the broadcasting company to provide New Zealand listeners with a radio description of the fight, and when this description was not up to what was expected, naturally there was something approaching a feeling of resentment against the broadcasting company.

In a way the broadcasting company was not to blame. Conditions, as reported by all short-wave amateurs, were not favourable to reception of America, and very few amateurs with short-wave sets were able to pick up a passably good account of the fight. This being the case, it could hardly be expected that IYA, relying on Auckland amateurs for reception to rebroadcast, could give Auckland listeners a good description if its source of supply, namely, amateurs in the suburbs, were not getting one to hand on to 1 NA-

So far, the broadcasting company could not reasonably be blamed for unfavourable receiving conditions. But what was the position in Wellington? The Southern station, with its shortwave set, was apparently picking up the ringside broadcast fairly well—well enough at any rate to re-broadcast on its regular wave-length, and which was heard by many Auckland ama-

teurs with good strength, clarity and volume. Yet what do we find? Auckland could not get a good direct short-wave account to rebroadcast, yet for some unknown reason when it was found the short-wave had failed it, the station neglected to pick up 2YA, Wellington, on the regular wave-length, and to rebroadcast the Wellington super-sta-tion. If Auckland fans could pick up Wellington, IYA should have been able to do so, and, if it had done so, to have let Auckland people with crystal sets hear what those with larger sets could hear—Wellington’s rebroadcast of what it was picking up on short wave. Instead of that, when IYA found it could not get a satisfactory short-wave reception to send out, it contented itself with gramophone selections. Tli» station certainly did show one flash of enterprise when one of its officials looked out and seeing the American flag flying on The Sun building, told anxious listeners that Tunney had won. The flag on The Sun building was the first news that an eager public had that the New Zealand challenger had had to accept defeat.