Radio Round the World

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 14, 19 October 1928, Page 3

Radio Round the World

JUNGLISH papers refer to the fact ‘that the prisoners in Wormwood Serubbs have been given a series of educational talks over the wireless as part of the plan instituted by the Di‘ector: of Hducation of the British SWroadecasting Corporation. The prisoners listen in, and follow the talks with the aid of pamphlets published by the British Broadcasting Corporation. They follow up the talks with books from the library. ‘THE Soviet Government gives short shrift to transgressors under the wireless laws. It appears that the waximum penalty for "clandestine listening" is three years’ imprisonment. The other day an unhappy young mal in Leningrad was ‘sentenced to three months’ hard labour for listening without a licence, the leniency of his judges being due to his extreme youth.. The authorities estimate that the number of "pirates" in Leningrad amounts to 15 per cent. of the total of listeners. After such a sentence, however, this number should rapidly decrease. NE of the "chain" broadcasting systems in the United States is undertaking to supply schools with a series of educational orchestral broadcasts, to which it is considered about 12,000,000 children will listen. The use of broadeasting in school work is rapidly developing both in America and in Britain. Four teachers’ training centres in Scotland have installed receiving apparatus in their buildings, and teachers in the making will learn how to instruct with the aid of radio. This is the first move of this kind in the Empire. QEC has established a reputation in foreign countries above that of every other station except, perhaps, 2L0, London. This has been brought about by 2FC’s practice of broadcasting its programmes on special short waves, which enables them to be heard thousands of miles away. Particularly in the United States is 2FO esteemed, as was shown recently when the American station WGY picked up 2FO’s broadcast and relayed it for American listeners to hear. As the result of that broadcast at least sixtyfive United States newspapers (possibly very many more) had long’ reports about the Australian station and the high quality of the programmes. FRR ESIDENTS of Crookville, Ohio, were puzzled for some time by an uncharted station "PDQ," which came on the air and blotted out everything else. He was heard, too, from loudspeakers installed in shops, boosting certain lines of goods. Complaints brought ‘about searchers, but without avail-PDQ was still as elusive as ever. Finally the offender was tracked down. The signalS were never on the air at all; they originated through a telephone microphone attached to the aerial and earth just outside the receiving set. PDQ aad first been employed to boost the goods of a certain . Shopkeeper. Other prominent business Fien, being in the know, used the PDQ to advertise their goods. As the story passed from one to another the whole country became "in the know" and the wonder of: the mystery station died a natural death. Dey GHAKESPEARE went on the radio in London recently when for the first time a more or less complete version of "Hamlet" was broadcast. As

only an hour and a half was available, for the performance, there were necessary cuts, but a reader linked up the breaks in the play, and the main scenes were presented in their entirety. Whether the ghost of Shakespeare listened in on the spectral performance or not no one has hazarded a guess, but if he did the sounds of his famous charneter’s words coming from empty air probably succeeded in making "each individual hair to stand on end like quills upon the fretful porcupine." AX American listener-in sends in to the Auckland "Sun" a copy of his log of 231 stations, of which he has heard and of which he has had verification. The list is a remarkable one and includes stations in every State in America, Canada, Mexico, four Hnglish stations, Scotland, South America, Wales, Japan, Germany, France aud 1YA, 2YA and 4YA, New Zealand. All stations were on the broadcast band as Mr. Kenton does not possess a shortwave receiver.

ye. A. E. BURBURY, chief engineer of the 2FC (Sydney) service, in concluding an address, remarks on the future of photo transmission, said: "pMhink what it would mean when the Melbourne Cup was run. Ilvery house with a telephoto receiver-and this by the way is not an expensive apparatus -would have a photo. of the finish of the big race in their own home, a few minutes after it was run." We is optimistic. If the V.R.C. are like the New Zealand "sports" such a transmission will be banned! DURING the month of August Victoria again showed a greater increase in the number of licenses issued than any other State. In addition, Victoria is still leading in the total number of licenses in force, in fact, there are still more licenses in force in Victoria than in the rest of the Commonwealth. The official figures issued by the Postmaster-General’s Department for August showed that there are 8.10 licenses in Victoria to every 100 people. The next best to that is in South Australia, where there are 266 licenses per hundred people. The ratio in New South Wales is 3.55, in Queensland 2.86, in Tasmania 6.16, and in Western Australia 0.98. The ratio in New Zealand is approximately two licenses per 100 of population. The increase in the number of licenses in Victoria during August was 2068, in New South Wales 2056, in South Australia 352, in Tasmania 163, in Queensland 51, and in Western Australia 46. REVIEWERS of current radio events are confident that aircraft radio equipment is in a high state of development, and it is to be hoped that the radio industry follows up the advantage which has been gained by the recent practical demonstrations of radio service to long distance flights. A nation-wide net of radio communication to support commercial aviation is yadio’s newest mission which should be pursued with the utmost vigour. Only with such co-operation will radio demonstrate’ its true value @s an ad--junct to air navigation. : A SYSTEM is being put into opera- | tion in the States to make avil-

wtors along the Los Angeles-San francisco route. fully aware of the ever-changing weather conditions. Two terminal stations are to be erected at the ends of the route, supported by twenty-two observation stations. The total time for the collection of reports nt both terminals and the exchange of complete data between them will be less than twenty minutes. The reports are to be made three times daily and ure to be communicated by telephone und radio to trained meteorologists, who will forecast flight conditions and advise departing pilots which of five alternate routes should be followed. ORE than 10,000 members of the British Legion visited France and Flanders in connection with the Menin

Gate commemoration service. Of thd many memorials in France and Fland« ers, the massive archway, known ag the Menin Gate, stands a monument té those who paid the capital price in the Great War. The memorial stands on the scene of some of the bitterest fighting, and bears the incised names of 56,000 officers and men who died in defence of the salient and have no known graves. Barriers were erected to keep the crowds from the town (Ypres), but they and the vast multitude who were pr esent in spirit were able’ to share in the ceremony. Holiday programmes were suspended to be replaced by the broadcast of the solemn service. f 80 faith of the British, public in Baird’s system of Television is is shown by the fact that the lists of 1,000,000 shares recently offered the public closed at 10. 30 a.m. on the day of issue.