Radio Round the World

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 7, 31 August 1928, Page 2

Radio Round the World

DOZEN or more broadcast stations in America are already transmite ting programmes on short waves. HARITY appeals are regular feattures of the B.B.C. stations. £5000 wes recently subscribed by this means. TL ERST class American artists are said to receive from £200 to £400 for a single studio appearance, while oe jazz orchestra was booked for £500 an hour. A RUMOUR (as yet unconfirmed) is current in England that at 8.45 p.m. on Sundays, Aberdeen station closes down for five minutes. One wonders if this is the time for the weekly appeal. THE ceremony of changing the guard was twice broadcast during 1926 with the approval of H.M. the King. His Majesty sent an order for the band to continue playing beyond the regulation time, thus’ giving additional pleasure to millions of his subjects throughout the Kingdom. APAN is not alone. in arranging language courses over the air. Regular lectures are given from Daventry, England, in Modern Languages. Simple selections in these languages are published in ‘"WorldRadio," and the lecturer during the lecture reads them over, thus aiding pronunciation. 1 ADIO certainly permits you to hear musical curiosities which ordinarily would not be stumbled across in a lifetime. A rather unusual soloist has been featured from an American broad-

cast station-a bass Violin has gone on the air. There is not more than a handful of players who have mastered this ponderous instrument to the point of virtuosity. (THE description of a hand of bridge was recently broadeast in BHngland. M2xico possesses some twenty broadeasting stations, nine of them being in Mexico City. Of these the most powerful is CYT, which works on 2 k.w. N Germany the technical executive and plant are provided by the Post Office, while the stations are grouped by regions under the control of regional programme companies under central organisation. (THE bed of thé Thames near the Country Hall, Westminster, was described to listeners as a diver saw it one evening in July, 1926. He carried a small microphone in his helmet as he moved about under the water. HE Italian broadcasting system is that of unified control through private ownership, the tendency being for greater governmental influence. It is intendédd to maintain the service out of ordinary taxation instead of listeners’ license fees.

A DESCRIPTION was reeently broadeast of the strange ritual ceremony of an African native tribe. A THACKERAY anniversary programme recenty put on the air from Daventry included dramatic episodes from "Vanity Fair." With an estimated total of seven million radio sets in U.S.A., three out of every four homes are yet to be equipped. Music constitutes 80 per cent. of the programmes broadcast by the Cape Town station, talks being limited to three-quarters of an hour a day. A RECENT offer of shares in the Baird Television business resulted in an earlyover-subscription. The investing public is a highly-courageous body, sometimes too eager for new fields. A PROMINENT whaling and sealing company, after two seasons’ experience of radio telephone sets are so pleased with the results that they intend to extend considerably their equipment for the new season. FOR the benefit of the ever-increasing number of short-wave enthusiasts the London programmes as radiated from 5SW Chelmsford, are being commenced an hour earlier. 58.W. should now be heard at 5.30 a.m., New Zealand time.

UNDER the auspices of the German . Ministry of Education, a "radi achool" has been established at Jena in conection with the university. It will broadcast systematic instruction in mathematics, chemistry, physics pra modern languages. . {= is reported that about 150 stations have applied for picture transmission apparatus. As far as results are concerned fairly good pictures have been received with amateur apparatus, up to distanees of 700 miles, although it is readily admitted by.. those interested, that the transmission of pictures is essentially a short range proposition. ADIO and the aeroplane play important roles in the protection of Canada’s vast forest wealth. The aeroplane, soaring high above the lakestudded forest regions north of Lake Superior, spots the smoke that tells of the fire. The signals from the shortwave radio sets flash the news from post to post, and summon by aeroplane, railway, and canoe the fire fighters and their machinery. HE first national school radio-tele-graphy in Burope has been established by the Belgian Government for the purpose of training technicians and operators for the civil service, beth in Europe and in the Congo, as well as officers and non- officers of the army, and aviators. It was authorised by a law recently passed; and is to be administered under the joint control of all the ministries whose work is affected; ra’ ‘Is, marine, posts and telegraphs, 2 . on, and national defence. |

‘HH fire department of Prague (Czecho-Slovakia) is equipped with radio receiving sets and portable transmitters. These are carried by the hnyaratus and make possible communication with headquarters while detachments are in attendance at a fire. ASSENGER CARRYING aeroplanes, now fully equipped with radio, have call letters identical with their registration number. These are five lettered, the first one, or in some cases the first two, indicate the nationality. Most of the ’planes use long wave, varying from 600 to 1550 metres. With the exception of French navy balloons, all the ’planes use continuous wave transmission or telephony. These few dirigibles use spark. REAT Britain now grants licenses for radio receivers free of charge to those who are blind. It is necessary for the applicant to register with his or her local council, which issues 2 certificate. On presenting this at the local post office, a listener’s license is roca free of the usual ten-shilling ax. ARIOUS fake "dopes" and patented mixtures which are alleged to "charge storage batteries, reduce internal resistance, remove sulphation, prevent freezing," have been found by the United States Better Business Bureau to be ineffective. The outstanding battery "dope" coming to the bureau’s attention during the past year was composed essentially of corn starch! "FAURING the recent flight of the . Southern Cross from San Francisco to Brisbane, Mr. J. Warner, the radio operator, found that the main difficulty was that of providing sufficient battery current to operate the receiver over the long periods it was on the air. Although the ignition system on the motors of the plane was not screened, very little trouble was experienced from this source of interference. The chief obstacle in the way of the radio operator was the noise of the three powerful engines, which made all but the loudest signals unreadable even when the ‘phones were held closely against the ears. The aerial for the transmitter consisted of a coil of copper wire which was unreeled when the ‘plane took the air. \ BATHER maps by radio are among the latest development of science. The system consists of a photo electric transmission from two land stations and pen and ink reception aboard ships. The morning weather reports are collected by the weather bureau and a weather map drawn py hand in ink on an 8 x 10-inch base sheet, printed in black on white paper. Of this map.a photographic negative is made. The map with its black background and its clear white lines acts a8 an interrupting shutter between the point of light and a light sensitive celly.. The result is a series of electric curreut pulses as the lines of the map pas, the cell opening. These pulses ‘ampiified, operate a fast relay, the séeondary of which controls the output of the broadcasting station. The essentials of the receiving instrument consist in a rotating cylinder of balekite, around which is wrapped a printed base map. A pen box is connected so as to be influenced by incoming signals. The cylinder is set in moye-

ment by an impulse caused by the starting up of the cylinder at the transmitting end. After a little adjustment the machine automatically takes care of itself, reproducing faithfully the map transmitted. The whole operation takes about eleven minutes. A. simple attachment to the receiver converts it into a transmitter (as well as a receiver) of pencil sketches, handwriting, etc, drawn with ordinary lead pencil or with special ink. Asa machine weighs about twenty-five pounds this attachment makes itself useful in transmitting back to headquarters, maps made by an observer aboard an airship as she moves along. It is believed that the system will ultimately be found very useful in many lines of communication.

WW HICH give the best tone-head-phones or loudspeakers? All things being equal, headphones are superior in tonal qualities, as one or two possible sources of distortion in a loudspeaker are absent in headphones, Still, a really high-class loudspeaker when properly used is not far short of the best headphones. [F your accumulator case is provided with a carrying strap be very careful that none of the liquid from the accumulator gets into con‘act with this, as the effect will be to "rot" the strap which may then break ‘suddenly and let the aceumulater fall, possibly with disastrous retits to the carpet. [N laying out a bakelite or highly polished hardwood, a piece of paper

pasted over the entire surface will allow of as much figuring and lay-out guide lines as required... When it has been finally decided where each hole is to be made use a fine punch and a light hammer to make a slight impression. This will serve as a start for the twist drill. WFinally soak the paper from the panel and an unscratched surface will remain.