Radio Round the World

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 12, 5 October 1928, Page 5

Radio Round the World

REGARDING television in the home an American editor says, "AS a source of amusement in the home it (television equipment) is a complete flop, unless the family finds a joy in he exasperation of the would-be ‘ Qemonstrator." HE transmission of picture "stills" has reached a fine art. AS a specimen of a commercial telephotograph transmission an American journal depicts a police identification card showing a fingerprint. Two American stations regularly broadcast "still" pictures while four are experimenting with television. FYROM October 1 the American amateur and private stations changed their call signs in accordance with the International Radiotelegraph Convention, 1927. American calls are now to be preceded by "W," and those in Alaska, Hawaii, Polo Piro and the Virgin Islands with the letter "K." Australian stations are to use the letters VH.

[IY Los Angeles the traffic casualties mounted so high that pedestrians had to be educated in road sense by the police. The problem was helped towards solution by a police quartet singing before the microphone. This was followed up by hints on "the rules of the road."

"THE whale and seal-fishers who go in large fleets to the polar regions, north or south, expose themselves to certain peril. Radio has meant for them more than it can mean to any other class of men in the world. Pursuing their occupation, they naturally _ become separated. When by some sudden movement of the massive floes their boat lies crashed and helpless, they have now the chance to summon help from others instead of facing certain death. It is not only as a means of rescue that wireless is of such inestimable benefit to thousands of fishermen. News of the day comes to them by this means only, and they look upon it as their one link with the homeland.

"R ADIOLAND has already advanced Vothe standard of musical appreciation in America," says the editor of ‘Radio’ (America). "Tt can perform the same service as regards art and literature. Many stations are beginning to find a greater public response to programmes which combine instruction with entertainment." "THE same writer makes the following comment: "Radio is the first of the modern inventions to keep the family af home. Most of the others take the faniily from the home. That is one reason why the home influence has waned. Radio’s combination with the improved phonograph made the home still more attractive. Then came the home miovies, all combined in one instrument for home entertainment." A VERY interesting test was recently carried out, by some members of a transmitters’ union of North Ireland in order to ascertain whether radio waves could penetrate to the workings of a deep salt mine. In the process of blasting out the salt a kind of balcony near the ceiling had been formed, aud by means of a hanging rope a couple of members of the expedition climbed vp the vertical surface of the salt and slung an aerial from one side of the

eavern to the other. This aerial was about 60 feet long and 40 feet high, and to this was connected a receiver Caj)able of tuning from 10 to 6000 meters and employing two valves. An earth was made by connecting to the steel rails used for running small trucks to the working face. An eerie silence, seeming in accordance with the deathlike silence of the mine ensued. Atmospherics and backround were strangely absent. Sometime later the faint carrier wave of the Belfast bronadeast station was faintly discernible, but this faded out. About ten minutes later it came in again, to fade out once more. On looking for the cause it was discovered that whenever the bucket was at the bottom of the lift the signals were heard. It was decided that the steel rope attached to the bucket was acting as a conductor for the waves. From this it was deduced that waves do not travel deeply into the ground.

{ORE and more lonely places in Australin are being linked up with civilisation by wireless. In order to overcome the trouble and cost of maintnining many hundreds of miles of telegraph lines in lonely and difficuit country, Government short-wave stations are to be installed for communication between Thursday Island and Cooktown, North Queensland. The Commonwealth Post Office states that such a service can now be considered absolutely reliable.

N unusual use for wireless is adyanced by a correspondent of "Radio Times.’ who writes: "I am a Southerner, now living in an industriu! village among the Yorkshire hills. One member of our family is left behind in Loudon, and we see her but seldom. Every day, at noon, I turn on the wireless for the mere pleasure of hearing the boom of Big Ben, feeling that she too, is most probably hearing the same sound."

ECEIVING sets and components valued at £250,000 were on view at the fourth annual convention of the Radio Manufacturers’ Association of America, recently held in Chicago. The design of sets showed a_ tendency to concentrate on good reproduction of the whole musical seale. less attention being paid to selectivity, which has become of secondary importance in view of the careful reallocation of broadcast wave-lengths by the Federal Radia Comission,

UP to the present broadcasting in France has been disappointing. A system of co-ordination has not existed but dealers and manufacturers have been relied cu to fill the bill. A registration fee of ove franc (now worth 2d.) is payable, but listeners rarely take the trouble to puy it. Musical programmes are consequently patchy. A new scheme is now on foot embodying State control. By a properly ordered tax it is hoped to raise £80,000 annually. With this it is proposed to maintain eighteen high-power stations. Tt is intended that the quality of the brondeasts will be raised to a level worthy of France. PUL draumatived version of The Mayor of Casterbridge’-one of the better known works of the greatest of the Finglish writers of the 20th

eentury, the late Mr. Thomas Hardy, wis broadeast from Daventry about a month ago. This is not the only work from this master’s pen capable of dramatisation. "Tess of the d’Urbervilles" has been filmed. while others, including the famous "Far From the Madding Crowd," have been adapted to the stage. John Drinkwater, the wellknown English poet-playwright, is responsible for the dramatisation of the play recently broadcast.

HIS mouth it is probable that the B.B.C. will recommence periodical relays from America by a system that promises better results than any yet obtained. On five separate receivers the Keston listening-post will pick up the same programme transmitted on as many different short-wave lengths. By uniting the results it is hoped that the (difficulty of fading will be overcome. Hixperiments on similar lines will continue throughout the winter, the wavelengths used varying between 16 and 50 metres. Already. as a matter of fact, Keston can produce some fairly good rebroadcasts from America at most periods of the twenty-four hours by the use of a seyen-yalve super: heterodyne receiver.

A. PROFESSOR of the University of Vienna claims to have discovered a method by which milk, treated by radio waves of short length can be kept sweet for from three to four weeks. Health authorities in Germany are now testing the process. The new ‘"udio milk is produced by passing an intense beam of short-waves through the liquid. This. it is said, instantly kills all the germs which cause the milk to spoil. The milk itself is not heated by this treatment, nor does it aequire a "cooked" taste.

PPRANSMITTERS for keeping aviators in touch with the ground are becuming Common in Hurope. In fact, more so there than in America. The control officer at the Croydon = airport, outside of London, for example. keeps ill constant touch with every air liner flying from or to his port. He tulks with each pilot every ten minutes. gets his exact locntion, knows when he reached his destination, an.l in the event of a forced landing gets the exact position and immediately dispatches a relief ‘plane to the > ot. ten

In pre-aviation days Croydon, now one of the finest air ports in Hurope, was just a cow pasture. T is reported that of the 79,500 licenses in New South Wales, onethird are in the country. It has been observed that when wireless became popularised among the farmers, its general popularity was assured. This is no new thing, says the editor of "Wireless Weekly." Tradesmen have observed that not until a new product has been approved of by the country folk do the townspeople buy. This is one reason advanced for this fact. Another is that when sets can satisfactorily be operated in the country they are of sufficient quality to permit of trustworthy reproduction anywhere.

OME idea of the tremendous cost of special "stunt" advertising programmes in the United States of America may be gained from the fact that Dodge Motors, Ltd., insured their radio programme against interruption of Morse signals at a premium of £600. The programme cost £200 per minute, lasted one hour (£12,000), was available to 30,000,000 listeners, and was served up by means of chain broadcasting in places as far apart as New York and Hollywood. (CHARITABLE appeals on the air: In addition to the anonymous donation of £50 to the Home of Incurables. as the result of an appeal made over the air, the Kindergarten Union of New South Wales has benefited to the extent of the same amount, in response to their proadeast appeal. The New South Wales Broadcasting Company has arranged for ten appeals to be given each month-five through the service of 2BL, and five through 2FC.

A IRCRAPT radio, during the last few weeks, bas performed with such spectacular effectiveness that any aviator who now attempts a long distance flight without its aid is flaunting providence. Aircraft radio is commanding the attention of radio engineers the world over. New and startling deyelopments are foreshadowed. Among the most evolutionary is the interlocking type of directive beacon which automatically gives visual indication to the pilot as he flies along any wellequipped airway. No bearings need be taken either by stations on the ground or by the aviator in the flight, 4 dial in the plane’s instrument board serving to show whether the plane is on its course or to the right or left of its course. oriented