Our Mail Bag

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 42, 4 May 1928, Page 14

Our Mail Bag

Good Music Appreciated, "A Ljistener-in’" (Hataitai)-I would like to express my appreciation of the good music performed week by week, by fhe Symons-Ellwood-Short ‘rio, including the solo works of these artists, and: also the strong quartet. Our visits from artists abroad, who delight us with this class of music, are so rare, that I feel we cannot get too much from the Studio Trio. Personally, I would like one evening a weck, solely devoted:to their instrumental numbers, which I consider the cream of the programme. It is a great privilege to haye music of the high standard given to us by these artists, over the wireless, and I would ask that we be favoured with at least our share of the ites we look forward to. A Query, B. Wenlock (Waitati)-Could any "Radio" reader tell me of any station giving the call OXF, as I picked up one last Sunday (April 15) at 10.20 p.m. giving the above call. I thought ihe amnonuncer said Itinois, but the static was rather bad, so would not be pusitive. Identity Wanted. EK. Green, Mount Biggs, Feilding.In the last issue of your ‘Record," I read a request by Mr. Crabbe, of Napier, for information regarding a station, apparently American, ott about 810 metres. think this station might be station KSL, Salt Lake City, Utah. Ive had them very clearly on loudspeaker many times sotne inonths ago, but have not fieard them lately, Another station is KNX, California, who used to be spoiled by 1YA. Conld any listener please explain what station this was? Operating on the same wave-length as 2ZI, Palmerston North, tuned in on my 5-valve set at about 6.30 p.m., but thinking it was @Z¥, I switched off, again until after tea. When I switched on again after tea, the speaker was flooded witl music (orchestral). A little later a voice, easily distinguishable for an American, antlounced what I thonght to be IX-, something, testing. He acknowledged a report from a Mr. Stapleton in Detroit. Many reports were acknowledged from California, who all said volume was enormous and tone good. The next item was not announced, but was a quartet of ukulele playets singing the song ‘Lucky Days," quite clearly. The fhext annouticement was 9X, something, testing on 60,000 watts. I’m quite positive he said 60.000 watts, and then said something about "here i New York,"’ and then another vocal solo, a woman singing. By this time 2Z1' had_ started up, and were drowning this station out, but during a pause in 2ZF transmission, I distinctly head someone sav, "from California," and saving ‘Volume good and a little fading.’? Dear sirs, 1 trnst that some listener in New Zeaiand has been more fortunate than I was to log this station properly., Sta-_ tions T have logged after the main ‘Aussies have closed down are 3NDB, Melbourne, 5DN, Adelaide, KZRM. Manila, and CYA, Mexico, and 2UK, Sydnc3. | Society Wanted in Dunedin. St. Kilda (Dunedin): Might I be allowed to suggest through your columns that the time has arrived when we sllould have a Listeners’ League, although I do not like the name, in Dunuedin. I do not mean a complaining body, because, in common with all my wireless friends, I am perfectly satisfied with the service supplied by the. N.Z. Broadcasting Company, but I think that perhaps such a society might he of | tse both to the company and to ourselves. We note with sorrow that the southert province is far behind in the matter of the number of licenses, but this is in n great measure due, in my opi1on, to the benefits of radio not being so well advertised as they are up north. We have a splendid service at a cheap rate, and I am sure that in Mr. Webb_ atid his assistants the company is well tepresented, but unless some action 15 taken the number of licenses will not tapidiy increase. In the little corner where I live fully one-fifth of the residents have wireless sets, and we oftel meet, sometimes at each other’s house, Or more often in the street, and discuss our little problems to our mutual anlvantage. ‘To give one example. Most of us now have discarded the dry B batteries for the wet batteries imported from America, and I and at least one other have adopted the series of copper pipes for earthing. ‘These and_ similar questions could be well threshed out ©

at periodical meetings of a listeners’ league, and would help, in my opinion, to further the cause, I would be pleased to take an active part in helping to form such a society, and you are at liberty to disclose my name if necessary." Melody Wanted. A.W.L,. (Khandallah) : I note with interest the comments of G.C.C. (Nelson) in this week’s issue of the ‘Radio Record’"’ relative to the items given by the string trios of the respective broadcasting stations. As a’constant listenerin I should like to express my appreciation for the excellent programmes which QYA has recently bene putting on the air-programimes which can bring nothing but credit to those responsible for them. I agree with G.C.C. in this, however, that the 2¥A trio confine themsedycs too closely to "‘movements," etc., anid I feel that the majority of listeners would much prefer to hear something containing more of a melody, while it should not be necessary to depart from the "classics" in | order to do this. Your editorial suggestion that a vote upon the subject be taken seems an admirable way of testing the true attitude of the public. [The nightly selection by the public of items to be played by the new orchestra will, we believe, be appreciated and will give opportunity for close contact with listeners’ tastes.--Fd.] | ) Who's the Stranger? — C. J. Nordstrand (Onerahi): Could you or any other listener-in who may have had the same experience as we had, kindly enlighten us? On Saturday night, April 14, we were listening-in to station 2BI,, Sydney, thr time here being just on 12 o’clock. The Sydney station was at the time broadcasting dance music. Suddenly and without warning, over the top of 2B we heard a loud, clear, but very deep voice, announcing. We listened very attentively, and at a pause between the dance music again we heard it. It sounded very like a "Native war chant" to us more than an announcement. A man was talking in foreign lingo, then presently this lond announcement, or wart-cry, as we called it, and a woman sang a peculiar chanting song in a foreign tongue. 2BL started up again, and covered it. Ail we could hear while the Sydney station was cn the air was the Ioud voice, I suppose, announcing, but, of course, could not understand the "foreign language.’ However, iu time the Sydney station closed down and we heard this foreign programme through. We had it on good loudspeaker strength all the time, but could not understand a word of it Could you please tell me what station it would be? We are very curious tc know. The same morning we pick ed up accidentally again a programme from ‘Albert Street, Newport, South Africa"? on loudspeaker strength about 2.30. Has any other listener-in received these stations? We should be pleased to hear of any who have. Our set is a five valve. We use a donbk aerial, or, at least, two aerials, and a good ground. As the metres are not marked on our set, we have ne idea as to what number in metres these two stations operate on. Could you also please tell ine if there is atty other small station in Christchurch? We got a call sign recently, though there being a lot of static, we could only hear what sounded like this 2ZC, Christchurch. Thanking you in anticipation. Best of luck to yow worthy paper, ‘‘Radio Record." {The Christchurch station is 3ZC, on 250 metres.-Kd.J A Suggestion. Englishman (Christchurch): The first part of the ‘Record’? I turn ty -after ronuing through the programmes is your ‘Mail Bag," with its everchanging collection of views from dif, ferent listencrs. [ is most interest ing and entertaining to see what 1s being experienced and thought by others, and I congratulate you on the success of your policy of giving the public an opportunity of freely expressing their views. I am writing now to pass on an item from the ‘‘Morning Post" for the benefit of our ‘Taranaki friend who blames 2YA’s_ transmission because, in his locality, it is not received perfectly, while other stations come in well. According to the "Morning Post,’ Brighton, on the Sus sex Coast, is in exactly the same position in relation to 2L0. Although only

a few miles away from London, as Wireless goes, the South Coast town never has been able to get 2.0 well, allegedly because of the close proximity of the South Coast downs, and in point of fact now gets London bess throngh relays from the Bournemouth station. The paper adds: ‘Curiously enough, the best reception of all 1s from the far-distant Continental stations in Germany and Austria, which can usually be heard far more plainly than English stations." I pass this on, sir, in case it might be of interest to Taranaki as suggesting some locali ty or directional fault under which they are suffering. It is uot suggested in Brighton that 2I,O’s transmission is wrong because they do not recef¥e it well, As I am a retiring soul, I advance this information to’ you under shelter of the white flag of anonymity, as I do not wish to be assailed by any fierce ‘Taratiaki champions. Taranaki Reception. Seafarer (Wellington): My_ experience, extending cver since 2¥Y.\ has been operating, may prove of interest to our Taranaki friends, who say that QVA is to blame for faulty reception suffered by them. My vessel has a good set---and needless to say it is a great boon which we wouldn’t be withoutand there is always someone listening. Reception in the New Plymouth area of QVA is always bad, buf as soon as we get out east or west sufficiently it clears up. Why? Get a map and see. Ouce we get away from the shielding effect of the big mountain it clears up altogether. and the station comes roaring in ‘The explanation of why New Plymouth people can get other stations while they can’t get 2Y.\ well, is simply that the sound waves come from different directions. I know the ‘Taranaki folk won’t have a word said about their mountain, but--well, facts are facts. All I know is that once we are out of the line of the big hill reception is good, and that being so, why blame tlie station ? A Satisfactory Set. Selector: Having constructed the R.R, selective crystal receiver by ‘"Megohm," Iam writing to let you know that it does all it is claimed to do. ‘The fitst night I tried it I received 2¥.A\ on the phones clearly. Since then [ have had (OYA every night, I cannot get them in daylight until abont 4.30 p.m., when ‘they are only just audible. From the children’s hour at 6 o’clock onwards the station comes in at good ’phone strength. I can get 2YA when 4YA is on, but not very loud, as the tuning is too sharp, that is, with earth in 6, aerial in 5, and crystal in 4, But when 4¥A is not on the air T use crystal in 1, aerial in 2, and earth in 8. I can get 4ZM, Dunedin, very loud, and also 4ZB, Dunedin. The Shakespeare night from 2YA was very good; every item was heard quite -plainly in the ’phones. "What is the air-line distance from We + | lingtoen to Dunedin ? ~ I wound 80 turns of wire on the coil, and I took another tap off at the 60th turn, with crystal plugged into the top of the coil and acrial in the extra tap and earth at the bottom of the coil. There was an improvement of nearly 50 per cent. in 4YA’s volume, but the tuning is, of course, very broad. I wound my wite on a bottle, which was 8 inches in diameter, atid then smashed the bottle out. This is better than in 4, the dial setting for the condenser | for 4YA is 108 degrees, and a movement of 3 degrees either way cuts the station | out, yet on goiug down the scale to | about 58 degrees 4Y¥.\ comes in nearly as loud as at 108. TI now wish to make | an amplifier so as to bring in 2YA on the speaker. WHI such'an amplifier be | deseribed in the N.Z. Radio Listeners’ Guide? TI use a Neutron crystal, with | a copper catswhisker.--fYes, the Guide | will describe an amplifier.-Ed.] | | winding on cardboard as you are not. liable to stretch the wire or widen the | spaces With Foin 6. A in 5, and C_