AMATEURS MEET

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 7, 31 August 1928, Page 9

AMATEURS MEET

‘WELLINGTON RADIO i SOCIETY () : | R. BYRON BROWN presided over ~ a meeting of the Wellington Amateur Radio Society at the Dominion Farmers’ Institute last Tuesday night. There were present about fifty enthusiasts, including ladies, local dealers, and the Broadcasting Company's representative, Mr. Ball. ‘Following the usual formalities, the secretary, Mr. Taylor, read. the correspondence. Letters were received from the Broadcasting Company, the Post and Telegraph Department, and the Hawke's Bay Amateur Radio Society. Blasting. Partieularly interesting -among these was a letter from the company in reference to blasting at the microphone. The society, suspecting the microphones, ‘had written asking if this were the. case, and if so would steps be taken to prevent this annoyance. In reply. it was stated that the microphones were constant, and that blasting was uncommon, especially in the ease of those used to broadcasting. With others not familiar with the microphone, blasting did occasionally eccur. This letter raised an interesting discussion, in which it was pointed out that blasting was by no means confined to the uninitiated. It was quite a common occurrence with some who had been a considerable time before the microphone. In reply, Mr. Ball stated that, although positions were carefully assigned beforehand, artists were liable

to shift unconsciously, and cause the unpleasant’ blasting effect. Sunday Night Concert. In reply to the society’s wish that the Sunday night concert be extended till 10 p.m., it was stated that when possible the concert would be prolonged, but a regular extension till this hour could not be guaranteed. Racing Ban Resented, MOTION was passed unanimously endorsing the attitude of the Wawke’s Bay Radio Society towards the racing ban. The feeling of the meeting, was that, by curtailing the running description, itself a pleasure apart from anything else, the associations concerned were depriving the public of much anticipated enjoyment. Inspection of Sets. Regarding regular house-to-house inspection the Department wrote statg that while doing everything posto keep the air clear, it would not be practicable to carry out the society’s suggestion. The expense would be great, and there would be no guarantee of the elimination of the trouble. Wospital Radio. Mr. I. Levy gave an account of the work earried out by the committee in connection with the installation — of radio at the hospital. With slightly more than £1009, eollected within two years, the whole of the children’s wards, the two nurses’ quarters, and the superintendent’s quarters had been fitted, while the new block had been wired. The power provided.by the set was sufficient to drive every headphone in the hospital... Finally, a balance "had been handed to the hospital . to form the nucleus .of funds to complete: the installation. | ‘If the public realised the great amount of good brought about by wire‘less in such an institution, they would have responded better. That music is a tonic was widely recognised, and no better tribute could be paid than 2. testimony from one who has known the. joy of music when i, In this ' direction, a former. patient spoke highly of the. value of radio to him when in the hospital, During many a mono.tonous and painful hour, he had been "entertained and soothed by the MUsis? | from the air. ;

Receiving Valves. TPHE renutuinder of the evening was " devoted to an interesting and enlightening" lecture on the properties of receiving valves. Air. Dawson, the loeal technical expert of Philips Lamps, Ltd. (N.Z.), was the lecturer. From a descr iption of . the fundamental elements in the normal valve, Mr. Dawson went on to deal with the ‘function, introducing common terms > and explaining how a knowledge. of these. enabled the listener to understand and appreciate the literature. on 1 the receiving valve. The types of valves were fully dealt & with, the speaker going on to say, and A Inter demonstrated, how a valve in its H wrong place, or out of step with the 4 transformer, could cause distortion. . ‘he demonstration was particularly f interesting. Operating from. gramo- # phone pick-up, music, the frequencies A of which approximately ranged from 40 B to 3000, was put over a simple. valve 5 receiver and through several types of # speakers. A noticeable feature about. & this demonstration. was the . effect % secured by the full amplification.of the hase notes, The musie, to use Mr.

Brown’s expression, possessed "tone and colour’ so rarely reproduced by our sets. The speaker attributed this to the correct arrangement of the valyes and transformers in his set. T the conclusion of the address, one felt that, at least, he knew what a set should do, and had some knowledge of where to seek the trouble, | . " Mr. Dawson was accorded a very hearty vote of thanks for his lecture.