TRACKED TO ITS LAIR

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 45, 25 May 1928, Page 4

TRACKED TO ITS LAIR

CHRISTCHURCH "ROARER" LOCATED AN INTERESTING SEARCH. frox some time past valye-set users in Christchurch haye endured considerable interference from a. source that no one was able to locate, the locating of such sources being a very difficult matter. The interfer-. ence in question. was dubbed "the. roarer" by the radio editor of the "Star," and as such it became known. But Nemesis was on his track. Three radio sleuth-hounds set out to find him, and they did their work in a systematic manner. The inyestigators were Mr. J. M. Bingham, chief engineer of the Radio Broadcasting Company. Mr. Head, deputy radio in-. spector for Christchurch, and Mr. G. Blogg. , They arranged to take bearings. whenever the "roarer" was in action. These bearings were taken from different parts ofthe city, and when. plotted on a map it was found that. the lines crossed in the vicinity of a large private hospital. It there-| fore seemed evident that it was the. violet ray plant in this hospital that wus responsible for the "roaring." On Tuesday night last the interference was definitely located. The "roarer’ was in his best voice, so the search party at once went to the locality whence they thought the noise came, To make sure they took another bearing on their direction-find-ing apparatus, Yes, it was the hospital, But they thought that they would circle the block to eliminate all doubt. The next bearing. suggesed that it was not the hospital at all! Surely the tramline must be responsible for this change of direction on the part of the apparatus. They would try another corner of the block where there would be no induction from tram lines. : "The roarer!" Without a doubt. But not from the direction of the hospital! A doctor's house in the vicinity was indicated. HE car, the apparatus and the searchers took up their position outside the doctor's gate. There was no doubt now. "The roarer" was still going at full blast, and the direc-tion-ftinder pointed straight to a lighted window in the doctoyr’s residence.

The investigators waited until a patient left, and then they went in to interview Dr. Thacker, to whom they explained matters. Dr. Thacker listened with a sympathetic ear, and undertook to arrange the times for the treatment of his patients so as to keep "the roarer" off the air during broadcasting hours. ° Mr. Bingham was acting in an unofficial capacity, and Canterbury listeners are indebted to him as well as to My. Head and to Mr. Blogg for giying up their time on many also to Dr. Thacker who so promptly offered, once his attention had been drawn to the interference caused, to keep "the roarer" quiet during broadcasting hours. N experience similar to the foregoing has been the lot of listeners in various towns on the South Coast of Ingland, where the violet ray is extensively used for therapeutic purposes. The ‘Morning Post" says :- With the increasing use of the rays the position has become little short of intolerable, for Brighton and Hove contain a vast number of nursing homes and hospitals where the rays are much in use, and broadcasting is turned from a pleasure into torture. One sufferer told a tale typical of many others. ‘Wireless reception has always been difficult here," he said, "because of the close proximity of the South Downs, but fairly high-powered sets had done much to overcome this. Now, however, the extensive use of violet rays for medical treatment is spoiling our pleasure entirely. ‘We know that the rays are far more important than wireless music, but is there not some way by which condensers or earths may be applied to obviate the interruption. The noise is horrible-just like a circular saw in motion-and as luck will have it, it is usually at its worst between 10 p.m. and i1 p.m., just when the best programmes are coming through. Once the violet rays start it is quite impossible to hear anything else. The B.B.C. state that these difficulties can be overcome by the use of a certain type of "smoothing circuit" which will shortly be procurable. Violet rays are not the only electrical agents which may interfere with reception, according to an official of the B.B.C. The use of a vibro-massage machine may interfere with the reception, not only of the shop in which it is being used, but with that in the houses It is very difficult to locate this trouble. "There will shortly be on the market a ‘smoothing circuit,’ of which the final tests are now being made," he stated, "and we hope that this will deal effectively with these interruptions."