Our Mail Bag

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 49, 29 June 1928, Page 14

Our Mail Bag

A Great Evening’s Work. ‘A PEW answers to "Youthful Wnthusiast’s" inquiries in this week's "Record." The station midway between 2BL «and SLO is a Yankee-KFW ao. This station is owned by Warner Bros. Studios, at Hollywood, Los Angejes, and operates on 861 metres, with a power of only 500 watts. I had him ©n speaker every night last week, and particularly well last night, when he was relaying a fight. The one just below 1YA is KNX, Los Angeles, waye 337, power 500w. Have had ‘om often, not very good, and lost as soon as 1YA takes the air. The station ou 2YA's wavelength is KPO, San Franeisco, Wave 422 metres. Power 1090 watts. Often heard when 2YA is ff the air. The next one on 236 metres is probably KIFWM, Oaklands, California, on 236 metres, power 500 watts. The station midway between 38DB and 4Z3B is probably KFWI, or KGEF, on 268 and 263 metres respectively. These are both on 500 watts, and both in California. I trust that this is what "Youthful Enthusiast" is after, and that it wiil also be of use to other IDX listeners. These stations have all been heard dur- ing the last two weeks, us DX conditions have been particularly good on 2 few evenings. ' My log now contains 51 stations on broadcast wave, Fifteen New Zealand. 20 Anstralian, 12 American, four Japanese. New stations heard sin'e ‘sending list include, 22M, Gisborne, ‘JOHK and JOBK, Japan, 38BY and ‘81, Australia, and severul others. Sunday, June 10 was the best radio night I have had this year. There was no static, and the stations poured ‘n. Between 5 p.m and midnight I was fortuuate enough to log 381. stutions. Needless to say, we wish we could

(strike more nights like this, 2018 Sydney deserves particular note, as he comes in at full! speaker strength. Readers should send for his card, as they will also receive a very useful chart for entering their stations on. This was my experience last week. Try it, readers, Another thing to try is this. For experiment, I rigged up an aerial of stranded copper wire, in the radio den, about two feet below the ceiling, and let it cross the room three times, ma. ing a length of about 50 feet. On connecting to the aerial terminal, KON, who I could hear only moderately on the speaker, roared out so loud that it could be heard several hundred yards away. The tuning on the first condenser was altered a few points, and the other two condensers require very eareful adjustment to keep it at this e strength, or howling will take place. Curiously enough, 2YA, who can always be heard about quarter of a mile away on the outside aerial was reduced to only fair speaker strength. Worth trying. Good luck to the Broad-

| casting Company,, Cheerio,

E. J.

Crabbe.

Napier,

Programmes Appreciated, Bot of your publications---the "Reeord" and the "New Zealand Listeners’ Guide"’-are fine works, and should be invaluable to any interested in radio. With regard to programmes, I would like to express our appreciation of the very fine programmes put on the air by the four New Zealand stations. We have a five valve set and hear both New Zealand and Australian broadeasts practically every night, and ean safely say that our New Zealand stations are equal to any of the Australians, The programmes are well-

balanced, and with a choice of four stations, or’ should I say three, allowing for a silent night, one can easily select an evening's entertainment to suit his particular taste. It would be interesting to know if the dissatisfied listeners are valve set owners or crystal set owners. We are a musical family, and both my wife and myself have been on the stage in amateur theatricals. We play the piano, violin, mandolin, and banjo, so I think we are able .to judge a good programme. With regard to the children’s hour, my children switch off when the birthdays come on. They enjoy the musical items, recitations, and stories, but want to know why so many want to hear their names over the air. What is going to happen to this session when more children join the radio family-there will be no time left for other items? The suggestion re publishing list of names of license-holders is, I think, a good one, and would probably help in shaking up the "pirates," provided, of course, that the cost of publication is Within reasonable bounds. A query: On the assumption that 2YA’s wavelength is exactly a quarter of a mile, would reception be better on a receiver situated on the crest of a wave, ie. an exact number of quarter miles from the station, or would reception be just as good at any other point? Say 240 1-8 miles versus 2404 miles ?-

H. W.

Y.

(Herekino, N. Auckland).

Cheerio, Auckland! (TO-NIGHT we are having a very good and varied entertainment from our long-suffering station, 1YA, and I really could not let it pass without commenting on its programme. The relay from the Majestic Theatre was almost perfect, Items from the studio were also good. The Maori Party, with their various items, musical and otherwise, were enjoyed very much by us all. I am sure that if. station 1YA were able to get a relay from great artists who so often appear in different theatres in Auckland, such as the great pianist, Mr. Benno Moiseiwitsch, not many would object to paying a license fee, especially the country folk who have no _ possible chance to go to the city these hard times. So cheerio, Auckland, and zood luck. We won't turn you down. —

C. J.

Nordstrand

(Oneraki).

Constructive Suggestions. AM glad to notice that the Broad- | easting Company is coming in for more praise and less kicks than formerly, and certainly they deserve it. I should like to suggest one or two ideas that are constructive and I feel sure would result in further popularity for broadcasting if carried out. I would like first to represent the ease Of the back-block settler. He has to haye a powerful set and therefore can receive either of the 1, 2 or 8XA statious at will after, say, 5.80 or 6 p.m., at this time of year. He usually retires at an early hour or, rather, would like to, and the consequence is that with programmes commencing at p.m. he either has to sit up later or do without his evening’s entertainment. More often he does without a radio set for this reason. Now my idea, I am sure, would result in an increase of licenses and it is that at least one station each night should commence a good programme (personally I do not care whether it is gramophone or real) at 6 p.m. or even earlier. We haye heard that dinner musie is to be put on shortly. Presumably this would be for half an hour or so, but I would say-extend it and make it continuous from, say, 5.30 omwvards. Those who wish the market reports, children’s amusements, news, ete, can go on to other stations. The other suggestion I would like to make is-how about a class for morse for, say, two half-hours per week from one of the stations, commencing, of course, very slow single letters repeated and gradually working the speed up. Thanking you for

LYouz' ralna ble space.

N.D.

B.

(12-

ten).

Japanese Stations. | As I am interested in the Japanese stations at present being discussed in the "Record," I would like to tell of my experience last night (Sunday, June 17). I first picked up JOAK at 9.50 p.m., getting the call sign at 10.10 pan., JOHK at 10.20 p.m-, JOBK about 10.38 p.m., JOIK about 10.50 p.m., and JOGK about 11.85 p.m. All five were received on the loudspeaker, and came through in good volume, but weaker about midnight. Speech, singing, and

}musie were heard.-

John.

MacKenzie

} (Mangamahoe).

-- 22M Gisborne. NOTICE in your lust number that a correspondent has picked up the Gisborne station 2ZM on a wavelength of 278 metres, and asks if anyone else has had the same experience. I picked them up last Thursday night at about half-past ten, broadcasting gramophone items. The music was yery clear, although fading occurred pretty frequently. At twenty minutes past eleven the station was still going strong, with every word coming in very plainly. I use a home-constructed

| three-valve receiver.-

D. S.

B.

(Wel-

| lington).

Body as Aerial, READING of the fact 2YA fades badly in Hawke’s Bay, we, being ‘situated in Poverty Bay, about thirty miles from Gisborne, elevated at eight hundred feet, would like to say we receive 2YA with almost no fading at all. The yolume is tremendous, and I can receive the station by making an aerial of my own body, which was insulated, and I had my finger on acrial terminal

of set. The station 2YA is very clear, with modulation excellent. Station 1YA. with modulation excellent. Stations 1YA and 8YA are also very clear, and good aftermoon reception. We are using a five-valye neutrodyne set which also gives us good Australian reception. The new orchestra is very good, and as a whole the programmes are excellent, especially the guitar trios and items by mandolins. Wishine the Broadcasting Company all

success.-

A.

Delahunty

(Otoko, Gis- |

borne) _

Effect of Locality. LOT has been written lately about location, etc. I think my own experience gives a fair idea as to how location can affect reception. Until about a month ago, I was living about eight or ten miles air-line from my present address, and 1YA was a station of horrors, distortion, fading, etc. made it a station to be well left qione. 2YA, 3YA, and 4YA used to come in at good speaker strengtl, Now, strange to say, 1YA is perfect and the poor station is 4YA. In fact, this station takes some holding when I am lucky enough to get it. This is the first time I have ever written to you, so I will take the opportunity of expressing my appreciation of the "Record" and the good it has done for

listeners.-

A. O.

Hayward

(Otoro-

hanga).

"Can’t Sing-But Willing." x the current issue of the "Radio Record" there is a comment on the most cheerful announcer, and it is a toss-up between 2BL and 2GB. Well, in my opinion, both are good, ‘but Christchurch, New Zealand, takes the palm, especially when he is on at the children’s session on Thursdays. ‘Some time ago he used to sing his opening announcements after the clock had finished. Certainly he cannot sing, but he is willing-like some of our paid artists in Wellington. But for a cheerful announcer he is out on his own, and what is more, nothing seems too much trouble, as I have known him to sit until the small hours trying to get foreign stations to rebroadcast. He is worth a great deal to the company, and is well worth

| hearing.-

J.

K.