Notes and Comments

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 14, 19 October 1928, Page 11

Notes and Comments

By

Switch

URING the recent broadcast by 2YA, Wellington, in connection with the return of the All Black footballers, one enterprising city radio dealer put a high-grade loudspeaker outside his business establishment and a crowd guickly assembled to listen to the proadeast. The speaker’s voice could be heard clearly 60 yards away, above the traffic din. Several people stood listening on the opposite side of the street. HE. recent general improvement in the transmission from the studio of 2YA, Wellington, was the subject of appreciative comment among the 606 people who attended last week’s meet ing of the Wellington Radio Society A Mr. Reeve stated to the meeting thai the Broadcasting Company of New Zea land had achieved wonders during the brief period of its existence. He said thiit even 21.0, London, had not does so well during the same period of its existence, and he stated he spoke from actual personal experience of 2L0.

HERE is no doubt that a substantial majority of Wellington listeners relish the very excellent gramophone selections now heard more frequently from 2YA. Wellington. The almost unanimous vote of 60 listeners at the recent meeting of the Wellington Radio Society, thanking the Broadcasting Company for the well-selected gramophone items from 2YA, must be accepted as a fair index of public opinion on the subject. One fan remarked "JT have a high-c.ass gramophone, but I could never afford to run such an ex: tensive repertoire of records as that of 2YA."

KVEN the important up-country -racemeetings in Australia are broadeast. Take, for instance, the Kyneton meeting on October 16; Mr. Eric Welch, described the racing for 3L0O, Mel- | bourne. HE great Caulfield Cup race run at Melbourne next Saturday (October 20) will be deseribed from the racecourse by Mr. Eric Welch and will be relayed by 8LO, Melvourne. There is no nonsense about the Australian racing clubs with respect to proadcasting running descriptions from the racecourses. Practically every race-meeting is described from the courses in and around Melbourne and Sydney.

OME queer fish among radio faus! After the recent meeting of the Amateur Radio Society of Wellington, 1 ’ when the gathering was dispersing. one . listener reported to an official of the society that he had intended to voice a complaint against serious interference with broadcast listening in the Aro Street vicinity. He was late arriving at the meeting, but when opportunity did offer to voice his complaint his bashfulness apparently held him back. ‘EYE afterwards said that he and other listeners had lodged complaints with the P. and T. Department. but the amateur continued to transmit ‘during New Zealand bronadeasing hours. and was interfering with reception. The said amateur had so far eluded detection. ‘A NOTHER fan wi. attended the Wel- * ington Society’s meeting was complaining, after the meeting had closed, that. power line leakage was overwhelming at times in Newtown. {It

broke out intermittently, but raged for quite a while at times, and it was necessary to close down while it was rampant. This gentleman also let an opportunity slip to bring his trouble before the meeting.

i\ R. Cc. C. K. FEAR, who lectured ‘pefore the Wellington Radio Society at last week’s meeting, is now widely recognised as the leading authority in the capital city on the Browning-Drake circuit, which was the theme of his lecture. He asserted unhesitatingly that, valve for valve, the Browning-Drake was the most efficient cireuit yet brought out, and was better than a much-boosted circuit which originated in Auckland. He said he had tested both exhaustively. and he pinned his faith to the Brown-in.-Drake. R. FEAR is an authority on all types of circuits, but became, through experience, a strong advocate of the Browning-Drake as the best four-valve circuit so far introduced into New Zealand. He insists, howaver, on careful construction, particularly in the lay-out of the parts, the correct radio-freauency valve (‘'199" type or equivalent, by preference), first-class parts, correct tapping of coil for the first valve, and perfect neutralisation. There are, Mr. Fear admits. hetter circuits, but they require more fhan four valves.

HE popularity of the instructive lectures given at the meetings of the Amateur Radio Society of Wellington was evidenced by an attendance of ‘sixty at last veek’s gathering. It is not generally known that for the small sum of 5s. per annum any person of either sex can become a member of the society. Applications for membership should be addressed to the secretary, Box 303, G.P.O., Wellington.

THE high esteem in which Mr. J. H. Owen, ex-president of the Wellington Radio Society, is held by the members was demonstrated at last week’s meeting when loud applause greeted a message of his best wishes to the society was conveyed by Mr. N. Keith. who had just received a letter from Mr. Owen, who is on & visit to London. No doubt, on his return to Wellington in about nine months’ time Mr. Owen will relate hii experiences of broadeasting in America and Great Britain to a general meeting of the society, as he did on his return from a former tour abroad. "MY neighbours complain that the late dance music from the Australian stations keeps them all awake at nights. They threaten legal action. I defy them. AmTI within my rights?" This was the context of a note sent by a listener to a Wellington lawyer, who happens to be a thorough radio fan. His reply was as follows: "Legal rights should never enter into a matter like _ this. What is fair and just between neighbours should be your guiding ' principle. Remember the ‘golden rule,’ , Close your window and reduce the: vol; ume of your reception. Be the sport ; I know you to be in other things."

The client showed me the letter. He and his neighbours are friends again. [tz is strange how eager some neighbours are to quarrel when disputes or differences can be easily settled amicably by a sensible consideration of the position. In a Wellington suburb two neighbouring listeners were at daggers drawn with each other over the howling valve nuisance. Each acmused the other of causing interference ‘ntentionally, and there were unveiled threats of personal violence and midpight aerial-chopping invasions. A plain, honest-to-goodness, matter of fact radio fan, who resided near the other two, prevailed upon them to permit him to act as an intermediary. He then demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that neither of their sets could cause howling, as they were both perfectly neutralised. A still. furthe1 demonstration dismayed the intermediary by proving his own set was the cul. prit!

HEARD a listener criticising a gramophone record the other day. It contained the playing of one of the ereat masters’ overtures by the wonderful Philadelphia Orchestra. ‘What I say is this," he remarked, "that composition is as old as the hills. Why can’t they give us something new?" There is no hope in this world for an individual like that. No reply was possible, and he got none.

A LARGE number of Wellington listeners who cannot tune out 2YA s.fficiently to hear 4YA, Dunedin, are now regular listeners to the Dunedin station on Wednesday evenings when 2YA is silent. The writer finds that 4YA excels in tone and the steadiness of its wave. The programmes, too, compare very favourably with any other on the air. Dunedin, it must be remembered, long held the position of musical centre of New Zealand. Ask some of the old generation.

HVERYBODY is asking for more relays of the Yankee short-wave station, 2XAD, Schenectady, from 2YA, Wellington. This feat is more than a mere "stunt," for 2YA has given us almost perfection in rebroadcasting the American music. A erystal set owner exclaimed, "It’s nothing short of marvellous to hear the superb American orchestra as clear as 2YA on my little — set, which cost me exactly ten bob." A WORD of praise is due to the transmission by 3YA, Christchurch. This station is heard during the afternoon sessions in Wellington with full loudspeaker volume without a trace of fading, and the tone is delightfully natural. Of all "outside" stations in the evening, also, 3YA is the favourite among Wellington listeners. The Christchurch station spans the 175 miles between the two cities with that ease which makes it both a day and night pleasure.

"TNHE right man in the right place" is the verdict of the Wellington Radio Society regarding their new secretary, Mr. W. H. Taylor. A young Seot with an abiding and genuine enthusiasm in radio matters, clerical capability, and a cautiousness and discretion characteristic of his race, Mr. Taylor makes an ideal secretary. BE London "Popular Wireless Says: "Some _ time ago there was a4 great agitation about the official adoption of Hsperanto as a language for international use by the amateur transmitters of the world. Although, since then, the total number of them has increased’ by an almost unbelievable amount, the transmitters do not seem to have favoured the suggestion in the very least! The result is that English is the unofficial ‘international language,’ and that the many thousand transmitting and receiving amateurs who live abroad use English for their ‘radio conversation’ and for the remarks on their Q.S.L. eard."