Amongst the Listeners

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 11, 30 September 1927, Page 12

Amongst the Listeners

This is the Listener’s Corner. It is available for reports of receptions from individuals; the correspondence of Leagues of Listeners and reports of their proceedings; constructive criticism or suggestions for the betterment of radio in general and the consistent improvement of the service that broadcasting can render in our community life. . _ We wish this. page to be the meeting-place of listeners and officials for the better under-. standing of points of view and the problems of others.. It is a "Service" page, and we invite you to make use of it. Address all communications: Editor, "Radio Record,’ P.O. Box 1032, Wellington.

(ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. SEP. (Pairton, Canterbury).-Com-aunicate with Ié. Sime and Co., Indent Agents, Wakefield Street, WelHugton, and state model of your set. A.D.W. (Dargavillc)-Send 3s, in a_ money-order to the Citizens’ RadioService Bureau, 508 South Dearborn Streef, Chicago, Ill, U.S.A., and ask them to mail you their latest* Citizens’ Radio Call Book." © B.E.M. (Wairarapa).-The only Adelaide station on about 300 metres is BDN (The 5DN Proprietary, Ltd., Nv 2 Montpelier Street, Parkside, South Australia), which operates on O13 tmiires. There can be no 3fN Sydney, as the "3" denotes Victoria, 2" is allotted to all New South Wales stations. No record can _ be found of any 8'N in Australia. It may be a new lighthouse station on the Victorian coast, interference irom Dynamos, Instructious have been asked for regarding the elimination of interference from local power plants. ‘The use of a counterpoise in place of the usual earth connection has already been, advised in this column. Where a _ couuterpoise under the aerial is impracticable it may consist of a couple of wires, well insulated, run round the sides of the garden. If it is possible to get the cooperation of the authority ruuning the ower-house, sparking at the generator rushes can be minimised and the interference almost, if not entirely, eliminated. This method consists in contiecting a fixed condenser of large capacity through a fuse, to each brush. The other side of each condenser is ‘then earthed to the frame of the machine. The capacity of condensers must be. suitable to the amount of current being generated, and a transmitting type should be used. The fuses are to prevent tronble in case of a condenser breaking down. In the case of an ordinary electric motor or small generator, as low a value as two snicrofarads for*each condenser miay be effective.

tions. We have six weck days to enjoy many forms of music, but only one in which the sacred music, combined with the church service, does so much for the uplift of the soul, I would suggest that from 6 p.m. to 6.45 p.m. be reserved for children’s services, with appropriate ministers; for children, 6.45 p.m. to 7 p.m., sacred organ music; and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., the ordinary church service, prolonged with music rendered by individual or combined choirs, Closing down at 9 p.m. would aliow of hearing Australian services, ‘if required, . Sydney Satisfied. G.D. (Coogee, Sydney): This reception was obtained on an eight-valve super-heterodyne, using a loop, and situated 250 yards from station 2BL’s aerial, so I think this is a very good performance. ‘There is every reason fer me to tune into your station more often, as the items are quite up io any other station I have heard. The Gramophone aud Wireless. B. ‘It. Watkinson (Christchurch) : You are aware that I ani very deaf, as the "Radio Record’? published some weeks ago gave an account of what wireless has done for me.* Now, I have a cabinet gramophone, a first-class instrument, atid piles of records that have been taken great care of-most of them better than new, for records improve with use, if a new needle is used every time the récord is used. It has been mo use to me for years, as I have gradually got more deaf. I could not hear the gramophone with my head in the loud-speaker. Now, thanks to wireless and later in- | ventions, I cdn hear it ten or twenty times louder than ever I did before, and the tone is greatly improved. ‘Khe little adaptor that has done this is called the electric tru-tone for n.odernis-

ing gramophones, and consists of a microphone with needle attachment to fit the arm of the loud-speaker. of the gramophone. This is connected by flexible cords to the volume amplifier or regulator, and from this by two cords to an ebonite plug to fit in place of the valve. It can be chatiged over from the air to the gramophone in a few seconds, My grandson brought me it a few days ago, thinking it would. give me pleasure-he knows I’ye a good gramophone aud have to sit dummy while other peopie enjoy it, 1 am telling

you this so that other sons and grandsons who have friends and relatives inflicted by deafness can take the hint rand give them pleasure, and at the same time get entertainment, should Wireless fail you, or you want a bit of music when radio is not on the air, or when your local station is closed down, and the small fry are making night hideous end making it impossible for a well-behaved, respectable set to get any,other station. I should have told you that the electric tru-tona can be used by either a three, five, or seven valve set, but I find it better to work on 4-volt instead of 5-volt. on the A battery, when using a seven-valve set. ‘The only advyantage I can see in it to people of normal hearing is as T have stated, but to any-

one deaf it is a wonderful discovery and should be taken advantage of wherever possible, A Warning. II. F, Cook (Hastings).---Recently I have read about people receiving electric shocks through handling electrical appliances while wearing leadphones, Althongh not wearing headphones I had a similar experience a few days ago which may serve as a warning to those of your readers who use electric soldering irons, Getting very poor results on my set [ inspected the wiring and found a faulty joint. I then turned off the batteries, leaving the aerial and ¢arth wires attached, and heated my electric soldering iron. Holding this by its insulated handle, 1 grasped the wire I intended to solder. Immediately I received a sharp shock. f[ do not know whether this occurred before I applied the point of the iron to the joint or after, as it all happened so quickly. Remembering the caution about disconnecting the earth lead I did so, and had no more trouble, so I am inclined to believe that the shock came before the soldering iron touched the joint. It seems that it is not wise to rely upon the insulating properties of the handle of an electric soldering iron. Experience of Fading. Robt. Davidson, Tauraroa.-A subject of interest to many listeners-in would be an investigation of the areas round the main broadcasting stations within which reception is distorted and weak. I give particulars of my own case. Previous to the change in wavelengths 1YA was received here (65 miles north of YA) at splendid strength aud without any distortion on a four-valve set. 3YA was received at about half the volume of 1YA, and was subject to fading. Siuce the

1 a change, 1YA comes through at about , one-third of its previous strength, and Is so subject to distortion and fading that it 1s pamful to listen to. ‘The ‘change in wave-length did not alter the strength or clearness of 8YA. From the foregoing it would appear that (unless something is radically wrong with 1YA) at a certain critical distance from a broadcasting station, distortion and weak reception occur, and that this critical distance varies with the warve-length uscd. 1 would like to hear the opinions of other listeners-in on this matter, especially those at a distance between 50 and 70 miles of tlie + IK.W. stations I would like to express my appreciation of the improvement in programmes of 2YA and 3YA lately. YA I cannot vouch for, not being able to listen to them. Mr, McAvoy from 2YA last Thursday sang remarkably well, and his voice evidently suits the microphone, as it came over very well, I hope we shall hear him again. tO Humorous Items, R.M.O. (Remuera).-In = looking through the various programmes. in" your issue of the 16th inst., the al-: most total absence of humorous itenis is again noticeable. Might the atten-' lion- of the various programme orgauisers be drawn to this omission, as it should not be a difficult matter to pro-° cure talent in the above line, and thereby further improve otherwise ex-, cellent programmes.-[As a matter of* fact, humorous items are difficult ‘to precure for broadcasting purposes: Nothing varies so much as the personal standard of humour. Vaudeville items with somewhat broad humour are not’ always suitable. Humour that depends for results upon double mean-' ings is obviously barred. The cosmopolitan nature of the radio audience’ limits the scope of the humorous items that may be broadcast. Ulumour that is quite in keeping, say, at a footballers’ smoke concert may not, sound so nice in a suburban drawing room per medium of the loudspeaker. The subject is not so easy as it may seem at first glance, but the organisers are always ready to welcome suggestions as to items or performers, and would be glad of your help.-Iid.]

Mr. Alex. Dey, one of the * droifest of humorists and thought by many te be the chief of radio comedians in Christchurch, will "do his bit’’ to aggravate the cheerfulness of Saturday night's entertainment at ‘bYA. . 1 cememennnnnsantneranaae em a= 10 0 nv ne «4 rere enmnees + eevee