NOTES AND COMMENTS

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 29, 3 February 1928, Page 6

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(By

Switch

There is now a new studio orchestra at 2FC, Sydney, which is playing on two nights each week from 2FC, It is hoped by the management that the studio orchestra will mainly play request numbers, and to this end listeners are invited te communicate with the studio, stating what types of music they would like the orchestra to render, Believing that the time has arrived when the star artists from 21°C. should "be accompanied by a full orchestra, the mahagement has now asked Raymond ‘¥Eilis, the British National Opera baritone, and Hubert Carter, the eminent New Zealand tenor, to, arrange a series of programmes in which they are to be accompanied by the orchestra. ‘This series is to be continued at later dates when other 2FC artists will arrange programmes. It is reported form Parkes, N.S.W., that a young man was listening with his receiving set to a Sydney broadcasting station when a centipede seven inches long bit him on the leg. ‘The incident is recorded in the "Lithgow Mercury," which heads the paragraph "Dangers of Listening-in." The "Mercury" does not explain precisely the mature of the danger incurred by the unfortunate listener (who, by the way, is quite well again), but it may be assumed that the risk lies in the radio enthusiast becoming so absorbed in the programme that he does not notice the dangers that surround him. Fortunatejy in this particular case it was only one centipede, and not a herd of wild elephants, that advanced upon the wireYess fiend. °

The huge clock in the tower of the British Houses of Parliament in London, known as "Big Ben," is broadcast from London and ‘all stations at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 7 p.m., and from London and all stations at 9 p.m. whenever possible. When it is not possible to broadcast Ben the Big at 9 p.m., the announcers give the correct time in a dulcet yoice and correct "spoken English," as closely to 9 p.m. as possible. On Sundavs Big Ben booms broadcastwise at 8.30 p.m., if the programme begins then, and at 9 p.m. if possible For soldering connections in a radio set it is. advisable to use resin instead of an acid flux. An acid flux is easier to work with, and for this reason is more commonly used, to the detriment of any connection where fine wires are employed. The acid, besides corroding the wire, has a bad habit of "creeping" which often provides a high resistance leakage path between connections. This is particularly noticeable when soldering connections to jacks. An excellent flux, having resin for its base, may easily be made by the experimenter. It is non-corrosive, does not "creep,’’? and leaves a neat-looking joint. This flux is made by dissolving resin in a small quantity of denatured alcohol. If the resin is powdered it will be dissolved much more quickly. This flux shonld be kept in a corked bottle and when’ used can Lé applied with a toothpick. "The term ‘good’ music is often abused," says Mr, Chapple, a young Sydney pianist who is rapidly coming to the fore. "Much agitated argument has centred on the desirability of excluding jazz from broadcasting programmes, on the ground that it is a low order of harmony. Vet, Gorshwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ is just as much a classic of its kind as the ‘Unfinished Symphony.’ ‘The trouble of it is," he says, "so many people emphasise their preference for the masters because it is considered the correct thing to do, They have probably listened to compostions which bored them unutterably, hut hecanse of their alleged classic origin, so far from | woicine a nrotest. they ewnrece luno.

critical appreciation. | With unsympathetic treatment, good music can degenerate into very bad music. Through interpretation the artist creates an honest response to his audience, despite the formidable obstacles of catholic taste and limited musical education." To which we may add, "It all depends." Personally, "Switch" can appreciate all types of music, down to jazz. But ‘there are some jazz composition which possess neither harmony nor melody, but resemble more a pitched battle between the saxophone and the muted cornet, with the other instruments endeavouring to act as mediators, The natural wavelength of the average aerial can be approximately calculated by multiplying by 4 to 4.5 the total length of the aerial and lead-in. Thus, if an acrial and lead-in total 100 fect: 100ft. x 4.5, equals 450ft., equals 137 metres. A metre is equal to nearly 894 inches. The functions of a broadcast receiving system are (a) to collect the radio wave energy in its antenna, in the form of high-frequency currents; (b) to select, to the exclusion of other channels, the currents lying in the band of frequencies occupied by the station to which it is desired to listen and then, (c) to amplify these currents, and (d) to conyert them into audiofrequency (telephonic) currents, which are in turn amplified and delivered to the telephone receivers or a loudspeaker. F It is good practice to keep a_radio wet battery always well charged. If the owner has a home-charger it would be better for the battery to be recharged after two or three tiichts’ operation. No wet battery should be permitt 7 to become more than two-thirds exhausted. An Iinglish authority says that when a person is spedking through a microphone, good enunciation is of vital importance; every word should be clearly pronounced, and the last syllables must not be slurred ot clipped, nor must the yoice be allowed to drop towards the end of sentences. Jt is not necessary to speak londly-pitch is far more important than volume-nor should the delivery be very tapid. When the performer catinot be seen, tlie hearers require more time 19 grasp the meaning of what is said, or sung, than when they can both sce aud lear the speaker | or singer,

According to modern and presentday views, the cliemical atoms of which material objects are built up are each composed of a nucleus, which is itself a compact of protons, or particles of positive electricity and electrons, which ate particles of negative electricity, and around this nucleus are grouped and revolve a certain family of electrons, like planets around the sun. It will probably be an old story to | hear what dire vesults may come from trying to use the varves in the radio receiver to hight up the room or to illuminate the interior of the cabinet. The modern yalves are made to operate properly with but litile illumination coming from the filaments Nothing is" gained by burning the filaments brightly: on the contrary, much may be lost. Rememoper that when the voliage on the filament of a valve is even as little as 10 per cent. above the veltage it was designed for, the life of the vaive mas be cut in half Much success has been achieved _recently in Australia in the rebroadcasting of transmissions from the British station, 5SW, Chelmsford. Owing to the fact that the British announcer speaks rapidly, and seldom aunounces the call of the station, many listeners have been puzzled to know what sta tion was being rebroadcast. It las been noticed on several occasions that commercial wircless telegraph stations have interfered with reception of the British programmes. As 5SW, England, Jid not go on the air until ] a.m., New Zealaid time, it has not been practicable for that station to be relayed in the Doniinion

About 26 vears ayo a Danish imyentor, Poulsen, devised what is known as the telegraphone He showed that speech and music may be magnetically recorded on a steel wire. Such a record can be almost of any desired length, and the reproduction given is extremely faithful. One of these records’? was broadcast in New Zealagd, when broadcasting was in its infancy, Apparently 7Z1,, Hobart, is not re garded as a "fairly powerful station" in Australia. The Melbourne ‘Aigcus,"’ of January 10, states: "Reports from Tasmania indicate that at least one fairly powerful station will shortly be broadcasting in Hobart. Owing to the small popvlation of Tasmania, and therefore the low revenue that cap be collected from license fees, it has been found difficult to provide an effective service for the State. Reports from Tasmanian listeners received by 8AR state that, in spite of the prospect of an improved local service, the Goings of the stations on the mainland still claim the attention of many ‘Tasmanian listetcrs." Station WSYR, Syracuse, U.S.A., is using with success a new tadio synchronisation plan, which will permit more regional stations per wave without a heterodyne whistle, according to O YI. Calwell, Federal Radio Comunissioner. The new system, he says. has increased the cnverare of transmitter 106 ner cent., according to reports tc ceived from the station. The method used is fo have an operator at Liverpool, N.Y.. about six miles from the station. He tunes ont anv heterodyne how! cansed by (> station The receiving cet is connected by land wire with the WSYR transmitter, and as te tunes he keens the Svraecuse transmitter at a frequeney which will not cause interferences with anv other station. *Reaction" consists of feeding back the energy, or part of the energy, pro. ceeding from the plate of a yalve on to the grid of the same or anothe1 valve, In this wey the original energy applicd to the grid is considerably mag. nified, and signals are correspoudingls increased in yolume,

Radio engineers are continuously ine vestigating. the mysterious causes of the variation of signal strength in broadcast reception, The intensity of radio signals is affected by temperature conditions, according to conclusions reached over a year ago by Dr. L. Wy Austin and Miss Wymore, of the Buy reau of Standards. In order to eliminate as far as possible the influence of meteorological phenomena, stations between 125 and 190 miles distant were chosen for the.experiments. A greater distance would be subject to the influence of other conditions which would complicate the analysis, while a shorter distance, on the other hand, would not show the influence of weather changes to a sufficient degree to make for reli+ able observation. A study of extensive data revealed that, when the tempera-. ture rises along the signal path, there is a tendency for the signal strength. to fall and, conversely, a falling temperature produces a stronger signal. It. should be recognised, however, that this is only one of the many influences which determine signal strength. Radio waves travel through space with the speed of light-300,000.000 metres, or about 186,500 miles per second. Sound travels through the air at the speed of a little less than. 1100 feet a second. "hrough water sound travels four times faster, and through iron or steel nearly fifteen times as quickly.