Our Mail Bag

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 14, 19 October 1928, Page 25

Our Mail Bag

ill correspondents please practice brevity. as heavy demands are now made on space. All letters must be signed and address given as proof of genuineness: noms de plume for publication are permitted. Address correspondence Editor, "Radio Record," P.O. Box 1082, Wellington.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. G. Smith (Auckland).-Messrs. Harringtons, Limited (Wellington), retail cone speaker units at 30s. Changes in Programmes. MAY I endorse the remarks re¢ changes in programme made by "V. H. Warren" in last week’s "Record." I also was very disappointed at the substitution of other music for the se lections from Sullivan’s "Ruddigore,’ to which a number of us had _ beer specially looking forward. On Satur day. September 22, however. a delight "ful scene from "Ruddigore" was broad east from station 1YA by Mrs. Daisy} Basham and Mr. Arthur Briggs. This

was made specially interesting by the inclusion of Gilbert’s dialogue, which was charmingly given. May I request — that Mrs. Basham’s duo be requested to repeat this satisfying number, which I know delighted many people.-‘‘Listen-er-in." 2ZA, Wanganui. eS your last issue I notice Mr. S. Ellis making inquiries concerning a station on 500 metres. This is 2ZA. Wanganui, and, according to recent cor. respondence, is owned and operated hy D. A. Morrison and Co., electrical engi neers, Wanganui, vower 20 watts, wave length 500 metres, hours of transmis: sion Wednesdays 8 to 10 p.m. (approxi mately), Sundays 2.30 to 4.80 p.m.

Greetings, S. Fllis.-

N. C.

Winstanley

Too Much Gramophone. [AY I use a small space in your paper re the programmes 2YA is giving lately. We hear nothing else but gramophone records all the timeafternoons, also for evening sessions. I don’t think the Broadcasting Company

is acting fair.-

Fair Play

(Wellington).

A New Year Suggestion. AM writing this letter for the purpose of making a suggestion which may or may not be feasible. Since New Zealand will be the part of the Empire that will be the first to usher in the New Year, it would be rather unique if the broadeasting of the festivities, say at Christchurch. could be rebroadcast by short-wave, "ossibly through the medium of 2M. Sydney, to be picked up by 5SW, and then rebroadcast hy 2LO, London. This sort of thing helps to cement the Empire, bring home to the genera! public the wonders of wire. less, besides giving a certain amount of

prominence to New Zenaland.-

Philip

Williamson

(Whangamata).

Wave Traps. [ AM using a three-valve all-wave set, and to-night I connected a wavetrap between the aerial and set. The eoil of wave-trap has 60 turns of wire tapped every fifteenth turn. I plugged in on the first tap of the wave-trap coil. I then tuned in 1YA on the set at full strength. Then with the wavetrap I tuned 1YA out, or I might say I cut them out. Then I tuned in 2YA on the set at fairly good speaker strength. I altered the condenser on

the wave-trap to see what would happen, and to my surprise 2YA came in louder than ever on the speaker. Would you please tell me »-hat happened, as wave-traps are supposed to decrease the volume. It is now 17 minutes past ten and the music is coming in as loud as I receive it from 1YA. Your announcer has just told us the time we also heard you re-broadcast 4YA, Dunedin and 2BL, Sydney. "Lonesome in the Moonlight" is coming in now as loud as a brass band, this will do me. No fading of 2YA, as I am led to be-

lieve:

A. W.

Powell

(Auckland).

[A wave-trap should not increase the volume if the set is without fault, but it appears as if the aerial coil is too smalil and full volume is being lost. The wave-trap coil, being larger, supplied the deficiency, bringing the volume to what it should be.-Ed.]

This Jazz! T present I am awaiting 2YA’s announcement as to whether the Southern Cross will leave to-morrow morning. It is certainly grand the way the Broadcasting Company have kept radio enthusiasts informed revarding the flight; but, while there is a long wait, would it nov be possible to put on some music instead of jazz rubbish? A jazz record now and again can be tolerated, but it is awful to wait half an. hour and more listening to the thump, thump of a jazz band, accompanied by a singer (?) with a voice like a starved tom-cat. Surely it would be possible to mix the items a little. If there is trouble with the copyright of better music, then it is high time something was done to break the power of the Australian Performing Rights Association, or whatever the name is. Hope you take this as a friendly suggestion. I’ve growled more than I intended beeause I’m feeling bIue after all that jazz. While we are about it, might I suggest also that during these broadeasts the name of the item be = announced, as is done during the regular programme, (The record just put on is not jazz, thank goodness. but an announcement of the name would have made it more interesting.) Thanking the company for the good service rendered in connection with the trans-

Tasman flight

K. L.

Collinson

(Pal-

merston N orth) .

Mystery Stations. WovuLp you be so kind as to identify the following stations for me? The first one is nearly on 2FC’s wavelength, about 441.8 metres, comes in fairly loud. but with terrible fading. The talk was strong, not Japanese. Another one on 450 metres, which also comes in fairly strange, the talk there being foreign, There is another one on about 384.1 metres between JOHK and 4QG. I get him about 8 o’clock some nights. The other night I put 2 coil from my aerial to my machine and got a station calling out: "Hullo. hullo, , station 187, wavelength 788 metres," or S8-. I could not catch which; this was about 9.30 p.m. HopSno von will be able to identifv the

stations for me.-

M.

Wiffen

Blenheim.

[There are about four American stations operating on 441.8 metres. KGO, California, on 384.4 metres, has been heard in New Zealand. Thc Japanese station JOGK (Kumomoto) can be heard on 880 metres, while 1LFRG (California) on 454,3 metres, is also

heard. Have any readers heard any of these "mystery" stations?-Ed.] The Racing Ban. if SEE by the last issue of the everpopular "Record" (in the Auckland notes) that 1YA are going to broadcast running descriptions of the next races to be held in the Queen City. If this is a fact it will be hailed with great delight by thousands of listeners throughout New Zealand. All that listeners-in wish, is that all the major race meetings will be broadcast in future. Just watch the licenses go up, if this happens! Good luck to the Radio Broadeasting Company. May its shadow never grow whiskers. By the way, 4YA has been coming in very strongly here these days, and also 1YA

about 9 to 10 p.m-

A. C.

C.

[We do not wish any misunderstaniing. We understand the position to be that where conditions are favourable the fullest service possible will be given and in other cases the results and summary with us little delay as possible. The position is not radically different from what it was, but for the more important meetings special efforts will be made.--Fid.} KGER Logged. I SEE by last issue of the "Record" a listener at Masterton, Mr. Guy C. Holmes, logging KGER. I. logged KGER on June 6 (on consulting my log), and received a card and a letter from the proprietors of KGER on August 6, as verification of reception, saying how pleased they were to hear a report so far away as New Zealand. KGER is owned by Mr. ©. Merwin, Dobyns Footwear Buildngs. The wave of Long Beach. California, power’ 100 watts, 215.7 metres. My list of Yanks to date is seventeen. I would like to eorrespond with Mr. Holmes to ex-

change views.Md

S.

Ellis

Okato. ~~