Our Mail Bag

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 52, 13 July 1928, Page 16

Our Mail Bag

Bouquets or Bricks, QCCASIONALLY we notice performers for the Broadcasting Company request listeuers per microphone to write them stating whether they enjoyed their contributions or not.. Now, sir, as is patent. to anyone who considers the position, this is wrong in principle, and open to abuse in practice. It is the Broadcasting Company whichis directly responsible to the listeners for the broadcast service, and therefore, if the company is to be in a position to gauge the acceptability of various items, listeners should address all comments to the station director or the general manager, Christchurch, and never to the performers. Most of us are satisfied that the company is out to do its best for the listeners, and if the comments of the listeners are ta be diverted to the performers, the company is going to be robbed of such useful guidance as is available from the opinions of listeners. It must be remembered, too, that the performers are the paid servants of the company, and if the comments of the listeners are to go to the performers, the position would be analogous to an hotel proprietor posting up a notice: "All complaints with regard to the cooking should be addressed to the chef." This, it will be evident, opens the way to abuse. The performer could brandish the possibly few bouquets to the public gaze (and to the Broadcasting Cornpany), and the performer could quietly drop possibly the more numerous bricks heaved at him into his waste-paper basket. You see, this sort of thing tends to have a sinister effect upon the The company could be deceived by a2 unpopular act obtaining false kudos, I would strongly advise listeners to ignore these perfornters’ requests for personal letters, and, instead, write direct to the company. I am sure we are all out for good pro‘grammes, and anything we can do to ‘assist the Broadcasting Company should be our bounden duty, to do it. As to those gentlemen who solicit a personal letter, I think their requests should be prohibited by the company for the very obvious and worthy ren‘sons I have given. Anyhow, I shall: always address my own comments to , the company or to your yery valuable | journal, whether they are bouquets or.

bricks:

Anti-flam

Waipawa.

A Backblock Appreciation. : IS, we are enjoying the wireless, like many other people living in| the backblocks. Radio is a great bless-_ ing to us in many ways. Having been | isolated for about 20 years from the. privileges of church and music, that we are extremely fond of, radio is a great boon to us. We haye the last. night's concerts to think about durin: the day. and Jooking forward to the evenings knowing they will be just as_ good, we finish our work, get tea, | build up a big rata fire, get comfortably settled in our easy chairs, and then listen to such glorious music and singing. It is simply wonderful. Often we are glad to say, "Thank God for radio." Sunday is our best time. The beautiful music and singing, also the Sunday evening concerts and the beautiful organ music; it brings back to me such a glow of memory of my young days. Tor years, ever since I left Yorkshire, I have longed to hear a peal of bells, Radio supplies this excel-

lently from Randwick. Then there is the community singing from Geelong and Ballarat, the singing by the various quartet parties, and the orchestras. Wellington is good, the concertina, mouth organ, violin, in fact, all are good. The bike pump and one-string fiddle came out very good. We have had some very good Maori music lateIy from Auckland. We like the contralto and tenor singing best. ‘Those voices seem to come out far better with us. DPerhaps it is the set or locality. Of course, some of the soprano solos are beautiful, especially some of them when they don’t have to strain their voices. ast Sunday night at Auckland Baptist tabernacle, a lady sang, "Abide With Me." It must have been a joy to all that heard it. The Bohemian Trio is good. We do enjoy Uncle Leo’s children’s service on Sunday. Auckland is our clearest New Zealand station here. We can always get them very clear both day and night, when they are on the air. Anzac Day was very good. It was a credit to the announcer, who gave such a clear description of the programme of the day. In fancy we were there in that great crowd of people. Isn’t Miss Ava Symonds good? We do enjoy that Violin. I often wonder how "Danny Boy" would sound played on that fiddle, but I expect it would be useless to ask for "Danny Boy" from such a thorough-bred instrument. With us, when a minister is preaching and he raises his voice to drive certain arguments home, we don’t hear near as well, but perhaps, again the fault may be in our tuning. Just now, Ingall’s Hawaiians are playing. It makes a fellow feel good to hear such music, so low, liquid and clear. We are delighted with your "Radio Record." With it, we can choose fron the programmes, when items are on that we enjoy most. Your "Listeners’ Guide" I find so instructive, and full of good information on radio. But it does not explain why GB, Sydney, will insist on pushing 3YA off the end of our aerial, and why, when he came pushing on 3YA’s wave-length on Sunday night, we noticed how audible Unele George was. The same time some one rang 2GBL, and complained he could not hear him. But the beauty of radio is if a station breaks down, we can easily switeh to another

one.-

George Nicholls

Collingwood

WISH to convey to you my ap- . preciation of your impartiality in publishing Mr. Stout’s comment. Though it is true that every movement for human betterment has its martyrs, a little straight talk may help to keep them sine. We can appreciate the | good work of Mr. Sellens and yet find it pitiable and disconcerting to see less ¢ capable adults childishly absorbed, spending every spare moment at dial twiddling, and becoming = gradually dead to all other interests and to all | Sanity Wirst.

the amenities of life-

Observer

Morse Lessons. J WOULD like to endorse "NDB’s" suggestion re Morse code transmissions. Since the trans-Pacifie flight I know of four lads in this district who have commencec to learn Morse. I fancy one quarter-hour twice of three times a week would be sufficient if kept up, for, say, a couple of months. This would certainly be a novelty for the company, and would be much appreciated. Also. while muking suggestions, would it be possible for the 2Y.A annonncer to begin his T pam. session by rending the weather report in the evening paper. Then if the official report turns up before 7.45 he could wind up with it. The 9 p.m. report is rather too Inte for country folk. Notwithstanding the noisy complaints, I consider the majority of the public think the Broadcasting Company is not doing so badly in its rather impossible task of being all things to

all men-

D.I.

B.

Tip About Exponential Horn. WOULD like to state that Mr. Sellens’ articles are much appreciated by short-wave enthusiasts of this district. Just a few words on 2¥A as regurds reception, The station comes in i with a roar, lacking in other stations, but distortion is not yery great, in spite of surrounding hills and mountain ranges, vlso 6000-volt power-lines passing near the aerial. However, modulation is often bad, but for clarity and steadiness the Palmerston North amateur station 2ZEF beats the lot. Concerning the Heeney-Tunney fight, I feel safe in saying that local listeners are much excited over the proposed rebroadcast of same. Tven if statie and fading is rather fierce, I think that the average "fan" should not complain, bearing in view the difficulty of the feat. Also, it would be handy to know the time of the hoped-for transmission, as I, like, I presume, numerous. other listeners, would count on entertaining

‘friends on that occasion, In discussing the exponential horn, as described in the "Record" of June 29, a friend of mine remarking on the subject said: "Just fancy having an instrument like that in one’s house. Why, there wouldn’t be room for the set." However, I find that the speaker can be installed by removing the man-hole covering, aS numerous houses have in the ceiling, and placing some painted wire gauze over cavity, then inverting horn over same in the loft, that the clumsy appearance of such apparatus is eliminated. The gauze acting as a "blind," if coloured the same as the ceiling, is likely to pass as a ventilator. Wishing

the "Record’ every success.-

Arnold

Birss

(Dannevirke).

Artists appreciated, J UST a few lines on my apprecia- | tion of the programmes being "nut over." The orchestra is a continual source of enjoyment and such artists as Walpole, Stark, Two Boiled Owls, Warwiek, ‘Titchener, Haywood, Miss Stark and Mrs. Thomas, are a real pleasure to listen to. But where is Miss Nora Greene and Billy Hart. This lady has one of the richest voices in New Zealand and Billy is very, very popular. Miss Nora Greene went off when in illness, and has not been heard since, except from one uf the band recitals. How about another play? Looking at the progrummes as a whole, however, they are consistently good. Will that list of licensed receivers be published? The "Record" is a paper of corisiderable interest to all radio enthusiasts, ‘and a few more read it, just quietly. Well, I do not wish to take up valuable space, so I will "close down," wishing N.Z.B.C. and vour pnaner the

best of luck-

Grid-Leak

A Suggestion SIE in this week's "Radio Record" Mr. Powell’s inquiry re two stations. The one on 1YA’s setting is very likely 3UZ, Melbourne, and the one on 2YA/’s, 50L, Adelaide, as I have not seen these listed in Mr. Powell’s los. Wishing the paper every suc-

cess:

A. E.

Ireland

The Opening of the War. WOULD like to make a suggestion for what it is worth. Iam a returned soldier living in the back blocks, and I ean hardly tell you how much I enjoyed the band's rendering of "Namur" from 2YA on Friday night. In my thoughts I went back to the old army days-I "marched past" again and did "Piccadilly" in Sling. In how many different places and under how many different circumstances have I stepped to that tune? Might I suggest that the company put on 2 Diggers’ evening on Saturday, August 4, from 2YA, Wellington. I would suggest a band to play all the old regimental marches and the nmuerous camp ditties during the evening, With perhaps a chorys of old camp songs (and songsters perhaps). I heard one such evening from 4QG last year, and they also had some seenes, such as "a 1914 recruiting office," with rather amusing dialogues with the examining doctor, ete. Moping you may find it possible to do something on these lines and with thanks to the company for the past

services:

Digger

[A very useful suggestion. On reterence to the director of 2YA, he imme(liately agreed to arrange an Appropriate concert.-Ed.] A Correction, J SHE by my report on Mr, Pierce’s earth I was the lucky one, but | ‘there are a few misprints stating that my aerial is 160ft. high. It is only A0ft. * also thus (1X) is 1YA, and 1ZB, not 1ZU (KCO) KGO, and WGY. A ‘Ustener (KEP, Murchison) had’ no gsuecess, and he reckoned that it was no good; it made no difference to his set. I am afraid he -is sadly mistaken, as 2 DX listener in Napier operating a neutrodyne set uses this earth, his yvesults are wonderful. If the earth is properly installed, the re"sults are just great. Mytotallog now is forty-six stations, and I can hear ‘many more, but on account of static can't get the calls. Since last writing, T can log 4QG, 2BL, 2FC, 8ZC, and 2Z¥ and 4YA in daylight. As to the Aussies, I logged 4QG last Sunday morning at 115 p.m. our time on church seryice, and I also heard the landing of the Southern Cross direct from Brisbane on ’phones. Mr. E. J. Crabb, Napier, is quite right as to helping "Youthful Enthusiast" as to the stations he can hear. They are all Yanks, I heard a few of them myself. As to station picked up below KIFON, it is an Aussie-sounds like 3AS, but it is 3HF, Melbourne, and another, 7UZ, Tasmania, on about 210 metres, 50 watts. and another between 8EF and 7UZ%. I heard him several mornings-a very blurry station;

seems foreign, Cheerio-

S.

Ellis

| Okato,