Reception on Short Wave

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 31, 17 February 1928, Page 13

Reception on Short Wave

INTERESTING NOTES ON WEEK’S PROGRAMMES '

Mr. F. W. Sellens (Northland) writes :-=+Since -wrifing last, PCJJ has been heard at ‘something like its oldtime strength. This is. probably on account of the. days getting shorter again. The schedule of JHBB, Japan, has been heard "over the air," particulars of which I will give later on in my notes. . . On Saturday afternoon, February 4, KDKA was heard at quite good volume, with talks, music, weather reports, etc. Modulation was not good, or else conditions were not favourable, as speech, although Joud enongh, was not clear enough to be readable. As PCJJ was ‘on the air’ early on Sunday morning, I got up for a short time--4 a.m. till 4.45 a.m.-and heard some organ music at splendid yolume and modulation, They were transmitting from 2.30 till 5.80, our time, which is too early for most of us. On Sunday afternoon Q2XAF were heard relaying the evening programme of WGY, Schenectady, and WMAK, Buffalo, signing off at 11.57 and 15 seconds, E.S.’l. {time more exact than ever), KDKA was very weak 8L0 started at 7 a.m. on Monday morning on 82 metres with the ‘‘Washington Post March,’ which was splendid strength and modulation. 2LG, Goulburn, N.S.W., was testing in the evening. At 10.45 p.m. JHBB, Japan, commenced their evening test with ‘Hullo, Hullo. Here is JFIBB. . . Here is Radio Laboratory, Japan. Wavelength, 37} metres." ~ The hours of transmission were given as "Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 06.00 till 07.00, 10.00 till 18.00, and 22.00 till 23.00, Greenwich mean time.’? (This is Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6.80 till 7.30 p.m., 10.30 p.m. till 1.30 a m., and Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, 10.30 till 11,80 am., New Zealand summertime.) After these particulars, which were heard perfectly clear on the speaker in good English, the call, etc., was given in other languages. Then a_ long talk followed in another voice till 11.88 p.m., when JOAK was announced, At 11.40 p.m. JOAK was called by another voice, followed by a few words, evidently the name of the musical item, which followed, a string instrument and mian singing. They appear to be verv fond of this class of music. Modulation was very good and steady, but static was troublesome. | On Tuesday morning the 40-metre stranger was heard, 2XAD was tuned in at 5.45 a.m., when a piano with man singing was faintly heard. At 5.50 ~a.m, 5SW was calling: "Hullo, AXAD It is still half daylight; we will soon be saying good afternoon." Reports of reception were read, first by 55W and later 2XAD was heard reading reports of reception of 5S\W by him. This was just strong enough to understand the nature of the talk, but not enough to follow properly. PCJJ was tuned in at 630 a.m. on Wednesday, when they started their programme with two band items, This was followed by their usual call, "Tullo! Hullo! Here ts PCJJ, shortwave trans‘mitter of Philips ~Radio Laboratory, Kindhoven, Holland, on wavelength of 30.2 metres. The next item will be, ete." The volume was very good at first, Lut gradually decreased till 7.80, when I left them, when it was faint ’phone strength. Big Ben was heard at 7.380 a.m. threngh 5SW. ‘The talk following was not readable except for an odd word or two. At 10.38 p.m. JHBB started their test. Volume was good, and signals readable, but reception was spoilt by jerky, rushing noises. On Thursday morning the 40-metre was heard. Conld only make out "Hullo! Hullo!’ Less volume and better modulation would be an improvement. At 10.40 p.m. I tuned in 2MK, Sydney (I understand this station started earlier, hut was not listening before this). ‘They were relaying the programme of 2FC. Reception was excellent. A short wave friend has heard 2ME from 7.80 a.m. on two miormings recently. The 40-metr2 station again heard on Triday morning, PCJJ started at 6.34 a.m. with music on bells; this continued with short intervals till 7.30 a.m., when I closed down. Volume at first was quite good speaker strength, but decreased to weak ’phone at 7.80 a.m. JHBB was heard in the evening, but reception was spoilt by static and morse interference. On Saturday morning music was heard faintly from 2XAD about 6 a.m. 5SW was not heard till 6.15 a.m., when "Hullo! 2SAD, &SW calling. We are sotry we are late, but we had a storm here and lightniug aerial. We are going to send you gramophone records b1l 6 o’clock." Several records were then put on. At 6.83 a.m. he again called 2XAD, and repeated the message re storm and closed down without any chat as usual. Signals were fairly strong, but unsteady,

A MYSTERY STATION

SOLUTION SUGGESTED. A. P. Morrison (Brooklyn) writes :- The past few weeks SW _ reception has been good with me. On Sunday, January 29, I received an excellent SW programme from Station WLW, Cincinnatti, Ohio, their programme heing an anniversary programme. I first logged him at 7.15 p.m, and their

programme continued on till 12.15 a.m. | Monday morning, and right throughout was good loudspeaker strength, between 8 p.m. and 10 his music was quite &udible on one valve with phones. Items heard were selections (musical) by the Stone family, vocal items by Madrigal Quartet, one item ("I Left my Girl Standing in the Rain"), and a talk in regard to a radio competition to be held. ‘The latter part of the programme was made up by Wirlitzer items, two items being ("Rocked in the Cradle’) and (Valencia’’). On January 27, Friday, I received the Japanese SW station JHBB operating on a_ wavelength of 37.7 metres at 10.45 p.m., and he was still going at 12 p.m. when I closed down. I also received this station on Friday, February 3. When first receiving this station his transmission was not too good, but he seems to be improving at each transmission because to-night his modulation is perfect good loudspeaker reception on three valves. This | musical item reminds you of the Chin- | ese records you sometinies hear-very funny to listen to. Perhaps I am like your weekly SW correspondent in last week’s ‘"‘Radio Record,’? no ear for that class of music. The Mystery Station. I have often listened to the strange stations on 40 metres between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., and I be= lieve this station to be a Swedish one, his call sign being SAJ. Last night, Thursday, February 9, at 11 p.m., I received 2FC, Sydney, SW station 2 ME, operating on 28.5 retres, and had perfect reception. This station has improved somewhat, some of the items heard were studio orchestra, some items being (Pandora) vocal (Flow Winds Blow), (I Hear You Calling Me), a speech relayed from f‘anberra, I think (given by an engineering presivent). "vhen this speech finished I heard the announcer say very softly ("Haye you finished’), and the reply was (‘‘Yes’’}. In one part of the transmission they called America and Canada, and thanked those who had sent them letters in regard to above transmissions. PCJJ comes in at good loudspeaker strength. Last Saturday afternoon 1 listened to KDKA for a short time, but with me his strength was not too good. He closed down at 4.50 p.m.

8LO ON 36 METRES

EVERY MONDAY MORNING HEARD IN NEW ZEALAND. Some New Zealand listeners on slhiortwave are making the practice of having 8LO musie at Monday morning’s breakfast! A Melbourne wtiter says:-‘In spite of pessimistic comments in misinformed papers, the long-distance broadcasts on 36 metres every Mouday morning from 4.30 to 6.380 (7 a.m. till 9 am. New Zealand time) are proving the progressiveness of 8L0 Melbourne, and exhibiting consistently good results. Reports coutinue to arrive almost every mail as to the distance covered and the clarity of the’ reception in almost every part of the world. If only the average suburban and country listener could properly appreciate the possibilities of short-wave reception, there would be less debating about the utility of these tests. As it is, to get down below 200 metres or so is foolishly regarded as extremely complicated. NOT A FAD. ‘On the contrary, the essential beauty of short-wave, long-distance work is, undoubtedly, that you can’t tinker with your set, and so your faculties are set free to ‘listen-in.’ ‘The adjustments necessary are actually fewer than many medium and long wave sets demand, but for sonre reason the ordinary mortal ‘funks’ short-wave reception, and regards it as the fad or perquisite of the inner few. ‘This is an entirely wrong attitude to take up, and if more listeners, even though local, were to tune down to 86 metres on Monday mornings, they would undoubtedly be helping along the progress of this newest development. "Perhaps some day 3L0 Melbourne will broadcast a secret programme on 86 metres and offer a prize or so for those who correctly place the items. Meanwhile, it’s not too cold these mornings at 4.30 to 6.30 to get up and practice on this new wave-length, and 3L0 Melbourne would welcome reports even from nearby listeners on every aspect of its reception." THE PUBLIC NOT PLEASED. A Melbourne correspondent writes :- "Any comprehensive alteration of the wave-lengths such as is apparently contemplated is a serious matter, The listeners have been subjected to the

annoyance of changes before, and the radio trade is likewise embarrassed. The change from the long to the short wave-lengths a year or so ago was the cause of considerable complaint, When 31,0 started on 1730 metres people purchased sets with a wave-rauge suitable for that wave-length. . he lome-as-sembled sets-and there were many of them-were put together on the same understanding that there would be no need for any drastic alteration in the tuning elements of the receivers. "Whatever was the cause of it, the ‘long’ wave-length did not last long, and the agitation for and against the alteration was widespread, but the effect’ of the alteration was generally Satisfactory.

INTERESTING TESTS

--- RECEPTION STRENGTH. _ Interesting experiments and tests on the strength of reception of 83L0, Melbourne, were recently carried ont by Mr. R. O, Cherry, a bachelor of science. in a report on his work Mr. Cherry | writes — "One new and important fact that has come out, of the work so far completed is the peculiar effect that hills have on the field strength distribution. From a number of observations it appears that at the top of a hill the field strength is much greater than it is on the level ground at the base of a hill. In one case the ratio was nearly 2.1 on a hill 800ft. high, and effects of the same order of magnitude have been observed elsewhere, The theory of this effect is far from complete, and more observations will be necessary before the full details have been examined, HILL POSITIONS GOOD. "This hill effect, as we may call it, plays an important part in determining the nature of the service given to the listeners-in, since the ground rises steadily to the west, north and east of Melbourne, causing a natural increase in field strength over that normally expected. From the observations already taken it appears that it is not merely the height of a hill that determines the increase in field strength, but also its outlook in the direction from which the wireless signals are coming, ‘Ihus, at Studley Park (a suburb of Melbourne), at the top of a steep slope facing in the direction of Braybrook (where 3L0’s transmitting aerial is located), the field strength is proportionately 25 per cent. stronger than it is at the top of Queen’s College tower, 100ft. high, standing ou ground higher itself than Studley Park."

AUSTRALIAN WAVELENGTHS

ALTERATIONS PROPOSED. The idea that the Commonwealth Government proposes to alter the wavelengths of the Australian broadcast stations persists in well: informed circles in Melbourne. It is not expected, however, that any of the new wavelengths ‘will be above 500 metres, although it is possible that some of the second grade stations will be pJaced below 250 metres.

Any reader contemplating the installation of a transmitter should secure a copy of "The Radio Amateur’s Handbook,’? a valuable book dealing with the whole subject from A to Z. Copies ofthis publication have been difficult to obtain, but a supply has been received by the Te Aro Book Depot, Courtenay Place, Wellington, where the book may be procured for 5s., plus postage. Quite an amount of info-ma-tion of value to the ordinary expeiimenter is included.