Views in Our Mail Bag

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 36, 23 March 1928, Page 11

Views in Our Mail Bag

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. C.G., Wanganui: No. country anywhere to our knowledge finds it posSible to differentiate in license fee between crystal and vaive owners. , Valye cwnhers contend that if it were not for crystat owners their fees would be smaller as one station would serve the Dominion. It is to carry the music to the crystal owners and give them the same local service as valve owners get that local stations. are needed. The fee is fixed by the Postal authorities and thot by the company. A Listener’s Comment, "There are two kinds of radio correspondents,’? writes ‘‘Ferro"’ (Lyall Bay). ‘One writes to the papers with constructive criticism. and the other is a mere empty-headed agitator, who for business purposes writes to the) Press with the sole object of getting publicity. Why don’t the editors sort out the wasters from the genuine fans and refuse space to these self-adver-tisers? Radio is going to get a smackup if these notoriety-seekers are permitted to voice their stupid and unwartanted criticism. Some of us know these goats by their ‘ba-as,? but what abont those who are new at the game? I suggest administering the waste-paper basket act to these bleaters’"* The Norwegian Whalers. $.J.R. (Brooklyn): In yonr issue dated March 9, a correspondent, "WW .J.P.,"> wrote under the heading ‘The C. A. Larsen on the air," describing a concert somewhat imperfectly received. ‘his concert, however, orixinated from the ship station AQE, which is the Sir James Clark Ross, now homeward-hbound to Norway. ‘The waveJength was in the vicinity’ of 480 metres (between 2¥A and 2FC). 1 first picked up this station on Thursday, March }, | at about 10.30 p.m. Volume was good, but the speech was unintelligible-pos-sibly in Norwegian. No call sign was heard. On Friday, Mareh 2, this station was tuned in about 10,10 p.m., just in time to hear the operator say ".... will call vou up again in a few minutes," after which he shut down. At 10.20 pm, fall times were then, of course, ‘Sider time), he started up egain with "Allo, allo, allo, C. A. Larsen, C. A. Larsen, C. A. Larsen,’ followed by a few personal messages. A musical programme was then broadcast, the items being as follow :-Orchestral selection, the orchestra apparently consisting mainly of guitars and flutes; accordeon solo, by ‘Bell’; orchestral item, "If You Knew Susie." At this stage (10.45 p.m.) the operator requested that reports on reception he sent to the C, A. Larsen, at Stewart Island, or to the radio station, Awarua, who would commnnicate with AQE on short

wave. Ships were asked to report direct to AQE. The programme ‘concluded with the orchestral item, "Show me the way to go home," followed by a further ‘tequest for reports and a resume of the following (Saturday) night’s programe, which was to commence after 2YA closed down. Items to be included were Songs by the choir and solos on a hand ‘saw (some of these being heard on Saturday night). The station elosed down at 10.55 p.m Volume throughout was good, with no fading, londspeaker ‘Strength being slightly better than that of the chief Australian stations. Trusting that this report may be of interest. C. Nicholson (Bluff}: I notice a" correspondent in this week's "Record" heard a voice speaking in a foreign language on neatly 2YA. wave-length. Will you inform him per medium of your paper, that the voice was the Norwegian whaler "Sir James Clark Ross" speaking to the "C, A, Larsen," her sister ship, now wrecked. The voice was speaking in Norwegian. ‘The ship was at its base in Paterson Inlet, Stewart Island, 21 miles by water from here. On the night that the whaler: "CG, A. Larsen" was wrecked the operator was speaking very rapidly in Norwegian and occasionally in. Morse, His Wavelength is approximately 426 metres. . Various Sta‘tons, S. R. Ellis (Taranaki): In connection with Dr. Zieles’ article in "Our Mail Bag’ columns on the different stations he picks up on his set, the station he heard on 2YA wave-length was the C. A. Larsen, now stranded on Stewart Island. I picked him up the same night after 2YA had closed down, and they were broadcasting gramophone items. It came through very well, too, about as loud as 4YA vomies through here, which is a very fair station just now. Re 2UW, it is 9 o'clock Friday night, 8th inst, and they were on gramophone items, and it came through as Jond as 2YA, I would also like to know about this Yankee station. What wave-length is he on, KON. (242 metres-Kid.). All Aussie stations come through at present very loud and clear, hardly any static of any sort; quite nice to listen to. I would like to know how may valyes Dr, Ziele is working on. Later: I was working well down on the dials Sunday night at 8.30, and picked up a station on 230 metres. Could not get the eall; static was too bed. They were broadcasting hand music, and it faded badly at times. Could anyone tell me who this station is. I also went up a bit higher on 480 metres and picked up a_ station, 1 Sydney station. I picked it up at call 221, also. What station is this? Static was very bad at the time. ‘They were OW grainophone music, and came

_------- through clearly only for static bursting im at times, Could it be Palmer-| ston North? "2UW, Sydney, was coming through well at 9 p.m. on 260 metres. *"Carry On.’ _ Disgusted (Patea): I have just read in the daily Press the report of the Imeeting of the ‘aranaki society on broadcasting, and am reminded of a poem I once read, and cut out, The first two verses run:My Dad and I long years ago were walking down the street When suddenly a little dog came yelping round our feet, He snapped and snarled so -viciouslythat angry little pup Appeared to me, as though he thought that he could eat us up; I turned and threw some stones at him which always missed the mark, | And when I tried to drive him off, the londer he would bark. Now, son, my father said to me, just plod along your way Don’t turn your head for yelping dogs, Remember what I say. You'll notice if you pay no heed to him and hold your peace, That little dog will soon grow tired and all his noise will cease; 1 But everytime you stamp your foot and shout to him Begone 1 You show that he’s annoying you and ; keep him folfowing on. There are two more verses, but as I know your space is valuable, I won’t trouble writing them ont, more especially as they may be a bit too pointed. But what I want to say is this: I, for one, appreciate that the company is |doing its very best and is turning on good programmes. I don’t agree with the Taranaki society one bit and a few more here think they’re not playing the game. So I’d like to tell the company not to worry, but to carry on the | } good work and keep improving things. Most listeners are out to help and not smash things up. But were ate some who waut the limelight, and it’s surprising how the papers swallow any criticism. It wonld simost appear they don’t like broadcasting. I’ve heard it said that the newspapers were | behind getting the clubs to demand a fee for relaying the races, but 1 am glad to see the company has managed to get that fixed. Racing Broadcasis. Sport (Wellington): May I say, on behalf of a number of my friends how pleased we are that the broadcasting of races has been resumed. We would like to thank the Wellington and Christchurch Clubs for extending permission, and I, for one, hope that there will be no more efforts to hold back broadcasting. As 1 listener I think | the company was perfectly right in taking the stand it did. I take two yapers a week and they get their rac-_ ing news free. Ll pay the same money | -nine vence a week for my broadcast-_ ing, and I don’t see that the broadcasting should be paid for. I am certain: that the racing clubs will benefit by the races being broadcast. I know for a fact that two people (listeners) who never went to races before have begun going since they had wireless on. Why? Simply beeanse thev heard the descriptions aud got excited and wanted to be there. However, as one who can’t always get to the races, I thought Td like te thank the clubs for fixing things up. Hospital (Wellington): I’d like to say how glad I am that the races were broadeast last week. It was real good to be able to hear all that was going on. I always go when I can but, being Jaid up, hearing abont them was the next best thing. ‘the Gentleman With a Hobby. , W. Brown (Auckland): To say that I was istenished on reading in this week’s "Record" of the "hobby" adopted by a certain gentleman is to put it mildly. I have long been surprised and puzzled by the persistent nudereurrent of antipathy displayed by_ some writers in the Aucklind Press t)_ broadcasting. That is now very largely explained. Isxperienced listeners, of course, who ure in the game and have been in it for a number of years like myself, never have taken much. notice of these Press writers-who_ mostly seem to suffer from bile, and_ who if they ever had to wield anything more useful than a pen, would certainly make a complete mess of it but the difficulty is that it creates a bad atmosphere and is calculated to prevent new listeners entering the fold and so adding to our strength and building up the service. I notice that while the papers are busy backbiting broadcasting at every opportunity, they are not averse to reaching out their hands for advirtisements from dealers who want to sell scts to the public. If I were a deader I would give up trying to sell radio sets through advertising in papers that won’t give broadcasting fair treatment. I think if listeners could be given the opportunity of tarring and feathering thie "gentleman with a hobby’ he might see fit to Gnd a less despicable pas-time--for to me it is despicable and ineredible that such sabctage should be deliberately perpetrated. For it is sabotage. JI remember when broadeasting first started and the improvement on our programmes since then has Leen immense. Our Auckland prozyrammes to-day so far as the talent emploved is covcerned, is top-top, and there is no room for complaint. We are getting the very best the city can give us, and unless some of these critics have better voices and want to try them on us, I don’t know that we can expect any better than we are getting. Some time back you had an article sympathetic to strengthening listeners’ leagues, etc, On reading that I thought I would take it up and join, but if Auckland is going to be merely the sercen for a small clique of hobbyists desirous of destroying, then it is no good to the stcady listener like myself, I am afraid that the old. law that froth comes to the top sti)l holds goo

rr ee | hobby horse I for one will know how) to treat his effusions with contempt. I appreciate the work the company is doing under great difficulties, and I firmly believe so do the great body of listeners. One always hears more of the "discontents’ than the ‘‘contents," and it is a great pity that the Press’ should be so one-sided.