THE MAIL BAG

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 6, 26 August 1927, Page 12

THE MAIL BAG

‘Received Holland's Broadcast, The new Wellington station comes through pretty well here, although 1 don’t think this is an extra good spot for Wellington, owing, uo doubt, to the intervention of the hills. I a lowway set to listen to PCJJ’s special lowWave station the 24-hour concert they were giving. ‘I managed to get them about R4, although tuning was pretty difficult. . However, I enjoyed about three-quarters of an hour of their concert with very little static. and prac-

tically no fading.

B.E.

M.

‘ora. Mar- |

tinborough,

2YA on Crystal at 400 Miles, Referring to your article in last issuc on crystal reception, page 14, it may be of interest to mention ‘that I receiyed Wellington last Monday on a standurd British-made crystal set (Gecophone), the piano, violin, and fiute being very audible. Once or twice I heard the amntiouncer quile distinctly, but songs and glocutionary numbers were weak. Fading was noticeable. Considering I ain about 400 miles from Wellington 1 think this is particularly good. ‘This is only made possible by | Auckland being silent on Mondays. Personally I think a silent day per week is a good thing for that reason; moreover, an interval in all entertainment is quite refreshing. Half the complaints that arise about programmes is due to being purely surfeited with amusement night after night, making listeners become critical. Before radio came, how many people would go to an entertainment more than once or twice .a weck? If it came to a vote, I would cast in, favour of two silent days for 1, 8, and 4YA. Wellington "being chiefly. for the whole Pacific, one siltent day per week. It would ‘then be inossible to have programmes of very ‘high quality, and give’the staffs more ‘relief from. what must be a very morn-

‘otonous job.-

H. G.

Cave

Papatoetoe:

Palmerston Reception. _. I. am_ very pleased: with the results of 2YA. There is very little fading, and the yariety of cnteytainment is ‘freatly appreciated. Particularly thie ‘Hawaiian ‘music. I believe that etecl ‘enitars .brnadcast clearer’ than any

Cother jnslrumelt,

R. S.

Buchanan

Pal-

merston Norfh.

Spreading ‘"‘The Gospel." "The first concert broadcast from QYA was received to a ‘full house,’ composed of an’ audience cf approximately thirty friends, who fully appreciated the music and items by spontaneous outbursts of applause. Everybody went home fully satisfied(here I might say I thought that thev would never go, aa the questious I had to answer about the ‘mysteries’ of wireless kept me busy till a very Jate hour). The reception was perfect, and it was very gratifying to hear everybody voicing their approval as each item was presented,’’-

C.R.

A.

Wcllington.

Mere Than Satisfied. "May we thank you for the splendid service you give us for our 30s. license, and congratulate you on your achievement of the last twelve months, We are radio enthusiasts, who are more

than . satisfied.’’

C.M.

J.

Waiotahi.

Daytime Broadcasting. "I consider the publishing of this ‘paper as being a great help to listeners, and wish you every success. While appreciating the service given wby the Broadcasting Company, and_ anderstanding some of its difficulties, I would like to point out that dealers at the present time haven’t many opportunities for demonstrating in business hours, as there are yery few broadcasts during. the daytime. [I think if dealers could get their sets Poine in the davtime it would heln

sales considerablv

W.B.

J.

Wain ipa.

wa.

No More Grumbling? "We are well pleased with the paper, Wellington is very strong here, and Christchurch pretty strong when the weather is suitable. ‘The programines’ are very good. T hope there will be uo more grumblingthere has. been enough, I think-pbut there are people who will never be

satisfied_ "}

E.J.

F.

Papakura,

Dickens Enjoyed, "IT woald like you to know how thoroughly we enjoy the new @YA station concerts, especially Mr. Clement. May’s studies of Dickens and Shakespeare. I feel that it would be an asset to us listeners if it were possible to have more of that class of entertainment from our New Zealand stations.’’-

A.D.

B.

Motueka. .

The Style of Announcing, "TY also wish to express my Satisfaction with the splendid efforts your company are making in order to supply the very excellent programmes to the New Zealand listeners, and consider’ that same are quite up to the standard of the average good class concert one would expect to hear in any New Zealand city. | . "I mote that. your announcers have be@n subjected ta, criticism, from time to time, and some suggestions have been offered that the Australian or America styles should be: copied. I certainly consider this would be a preat mistake, and must congratulate the company on the splendid ond dignified manner ‘the announcers do their work. The cheap, flippant manner of the American and. sométimes. Australian ati nouncers is not wanted by the better

class of New Zealand listencr-it is a pleasure to listen to announcements here, this particularly applying to Auckland aud Christchurch. Re -sta-: tions: The Christchurch station is the best New Zealand station weceived here, and the programmes presented by this station are often much superior to any of the other Australian stations. Kindly accept my best wishes for the success of your company.’’-

T.H.

J.

Okato,

Otago Central to. 2YA. M.B. (EKarnscleugh).-‘‘Just a few words to show my appreciation of QYA. We set the machine going every night, and I have no trouble. Every item comes clear and distinct. I read in the ‘Radio Record’ where one lis-tener-in stated that the piano did not come clear. I think it js the fault of the listener-in or his machine. I have a Browning-Drake five-valve set, and I put the dials right a few moments before time, and the next time I touch them is when you have finished. I have each number of the ‘Radio Record,’ except number one. I send my thanks to Mr. Billing for his speech on wireless sets, aud I am pleased to say that mine is fitted up ‘just as he said it should be. The Rev. Mr. Weeks was listened to with great interest on Sunday night by the party of friends who were present at my house." Dunedin Gets 2YA on Crystal. "Tt may interest you to know that station 2YA is heard here’ in Dunedin by a number of owners of crystal sets. On Mondays and Saturdays, when station 4YA is silent, I get about twothirds of the programme, the rest be-~ ing lost owing to fading. At best it is a little louder than the local station 42B, which is two miles from here, I mav state that I have a T aerial, 40 feet high, and including lead-in, is 100 feet long. I use Brandes ’phones. The set is home-made, wound with No. 12 D.C.C. wire. The crystal is ‘Shaw’s Hertzite,’ and a silver cat-

J) whisker is used.

Crystal

Reception Puzzles, E.G (Waikato).-"I look forward eagerly to each copy of the ‘Record,’ not only for particulars of programmes, but for the many excellent articles on various subjects in connection with radio. The map in No. 4 has settled many heated arguments as to distances from the various stations. Very many puzzling experiences arise in connection with reception. For instance, the 3YA relay of 2YA on Saturday night was perfect on four valves, but I had to use, at times, five to get it direct from Wellington. ‘Though only about 67 miles from 1YA, we do not get it good. QYA and 38YA are our best stations, with preference for 3YA. The football relay yesterday, Wellington v. Southland, was perfect," F. H. Pearce, Bluff-"I would welcome some information as to why 2YA is often not received as loiid as 1YA, 38YA, 2BL, 2NC, etc., when it is so close to us. I speak for at least five listeners here in Bluff. Also why, since, the Jast change of wave-lengths, 4YA is so.bad that one cannot even listen to one item. -On the previous | wave-length (in thé vicinity of 2FC), Dunedin was received fairly well, bet-' ter than at the original wave.’ : [We don’t know that, . & present, your question can really be satisfactorily answered. It hag been notice. able that, with the change in wavelength, some localities have not beet receiving so well as ‘before, On the: other hand, some places report better. reception.] — , "A Braw Nicht.’"’. "Sandie and I had.a braw time last night, listening in to yer wee bit Séotch concert, Ah, mon! it was grand, We are just asking you to give Sandie and Ta repeat concert of the same. stuff."-Was that signed by a ‘Mac’?

Amongst: the Listeners

The Human Side of Radio. 7} "Being an interested listener-in last Wednesday, I heard Mr. -- singing," writes a listener, ‘I saw his name in the ‘Radio Record,’ and wondered if he was the Mr. --- I knew. When I heard the yoice I knew it must be. I have very often wondered where he was. I knew him to be in Christchurch somewhere, but wondered why fT hadn’t heard him over the air before. I have listened intently to "the programmes given sometimes. by a Welsh Society in Christchurch, also from the Cathedral, and I have fancied the voices have been familiar, but as no names were announced my curiosity wasn’t satsified. Being Welsh and coming from about four miles away from the ‘satne place, also being associated with him and his sister on the West Coast, you can imagine I was interested." .A Distant Listener’s View. Sir,-Just' a word cotficerning your paper, and the discussion going on about the newspapers copying the programmes. Now, if some of those people wonld like to change places with me for a month they would understand the need and value of such a paper. We get the daily paper two days old, so what good is it to me? I hope that the paper is taken by every lis-tener-in. I have a. Browning-Drake | five-valve set, and 2YA comes in like @ peal of thunder, although I am nearly 375 miles away. I must say we enjoy every item, except one, and that is the piano and organ. The organ spoils it. When plaved _ separate nothing could be nicer. ‘The announcer’s words come perfectly clear, and I hear the motors sounding their horns in the streets. I must wish you atid all the artists who entertain us so nicely the very best of luck,Yours, etc., C. F. Bennett, Earnsclengh. Query About Fading. Sir,-Will you kindly advise me why it was, on Monday evening, August 15, portion of 2YA’s programme, the Christchurch station was at least 50 per cent. louder than we received Wellington direct. This is very strange, considering that Christchurch is considerably farther away from here, also with a power of 500 watts against Wellington with 5000 watts. This was noted by several listeners up here who are curious to kuow why this should be so. 8¥A is always received here considerably louder and with better modulation than Wellington; there is also less fading. Programmes ate very much improved, but 8YA is our only consistently reliable station. Why this is so is best known to those behind the scenes. I certainly think the Broadcasting Co. should leave no stone unturned until both ‘Wellington and Auckland are made as reliable. IYA, at least, should be in working order by now, considering it was installed before Christchurch. There is, perhaps, an excuse for Wellington, although, on the other hand, it is ten times as powerful, therefore should, at its worst, be superior to Christchurch if power counts for anything; yet at present it is far inferior, There must be a considerable amount of power going to waste, and we suggest that this be pointed out to the..expert sent to install same. Wishing vour icurnal every success.-I

am, etc.,

W. M.

PITCHER

[Fading is a phenomenon which even technical experts cannot explain, much less remedy. There is scope for. much research work here. Even an alteration in wavelength affects certain localities. It certainly seems inexplicable that 3YA shonld be received more

loudly in Hamilton than is 2YA, but there it is. It is proposed to conduct a test, or series of tests, to ascertain how the various New Zealand stations are received in the various parts of New Zealand on certain nights. Listeners will be asked to co-operate in this respect. Some places in New Zealand are "black" to some of the stations. Correspondence received by the Broadcasting Company shows that in certain districts of the South Island LYA is received better than is 3YA, while a great area of the North Island receives 3YA better than TYA-the East Coast, Bay of Plenty, Hamilton, etc. Reports .show that while stations are received specially well in certain districts on certain«nights, in .other districts on the same nights the reception has been bad, so bad that listeners have complained, thinking that the transmission was at fault. It can be accepted as a fact that all is well at the transmitting end.: The entertainment goes on-the air in ‘‘good order and condition,’? but the company has no control’ over the: reception. Atmospheric conditions may be unfavourable "and receiving sets may not be above suspicion. In a great many cases it is Te TTTTTTITTITITeTTITITTITTTI@ TTT STTTTEe TTT PerTT THAT TTT ery

a receiving set, in bad order and badly operated, that does more harm to the reputation of radio than do atmospherics. Atmospherics, however, provide a great problem, and a test of the conditions prevailing over the Dominjon at a given time would be particularly interesting. Though the Broadcasting Company receives many letters reporting on reception, these reports have not been made systematically. It must not be assumed for a moment that fading is peculiar to New Zealand stations. Letters from Australia are cotltinually reporting the fine reception of 2YA, IVA, and 8YA, which, the writers say, fade less than their own local stations !-Ed.] Press Writer Corrected. "T notice a patagraph in the Christchurch ‘‘Star" relative to the present wavelength allotment, and the paragraph mentioned will bear quoting if only to demonstrate the appalling ignor--ance of even the fundamentals of radio, shown by some of the writers in the daily Press. The paragraph runs aS follows: ‘‘High-power stations cannot be worked at a closer separation than ten kilocycles (100 metres), and stations which are comparatively close together . . should be separated by fifteen kilocycles or more. Will this convince the P.M.G., New Zealand, that 3YA’s wave is too close to that of 1YA?" . " Somehow, I do not think this paragraph is going to cause the P.M.G. any concern, for if the relationship between frequency and wavelength had been understood by the ‘‘Star’’ writer he would not have ‘put his foot" in it to the extent of demanding a separation of "at least fifteen kilocycles’’ where already he has nearly eighty kilocycles. Anyway ten kolicycles represents a difference of 100 metres at only one point in the wavelength band, and that is between 1800 and 1900 meters.- Nuf sed.-I am, etc.,

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