Our Mail Bag

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 20, 30 November 1928, Page 24

Our Mail Bag

Will 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 plhime for publication are permitted. Address correspondence Editor, "Radio Record," P.O. Box 1032, Wellington.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. A.D.R. (Thorndon): The performer upon whose absence you comment, in wartime language, ‘disappeared without trace." This illustrates some of the difficulties of pregramme oranisation. In the circumstances substitution of gramophone selections was inevitable. Mystery Stations. | EARD a station on about 320 metres open up with "Hello, Wverybody. Randwick calling, station 2B--~" something, and seem to fade away. Heard him no mo 3}. Who is this strange Aussie? Also, on November 10, Saturday, using a six-valve set, heard a station clear and very distinct on a fox-trot, "At Sundown," on 420 metres, it was not 5CL, KZRM, or JOBK, the announcement was foreign. Could it be the C. A. Larsen? Did any listener hear it after 2YA closed down? Cheerio.

S.

Ellis

An Explanation. J FEEL I must come to the rescue of Mr. Ireland, Taradale, seeing no other DX listener helped him out of his difficulty. The station heard is KPLA, Los Angeles, California, 500 watts, "Official station of the ‘Los Angeles Examin .’" This station is on the air at 7.30 a.m. and sometimes earlier on their "Breakfast Frolic," on a wave-length of 288.3 metres. I heard him on Saturday. November 17, at 1 a.m. Sunday, advertising Firestone tires, ete. I was using a six-valve factory-built set at the time. (Cheerio.

S.

Ellis

Okato.

Grand Opera Enjoyed. FEEL that I must express my appreciation of the performance of the "Bohemian Girl" broadeast by 2YA last &hursday. It certainly was a treat. The Wellington station certainly has a good collection of first-class gramophone records, and programmes have been greatly improved by including some*of these. I wonder if the gentleman responsible for the programme arrangement would let us hear, some evening, the quartet, "Bella figlia dell’ amore" (Verdi), and the aria, "Eri tu che macchiavi quell’ anima" (Verdi), b& of which are on H.M.V. records. I am not trying to state what "all listeners want," but for my own part can say: Let 2YA give us plenty of grand opera music, vocal

and instrumental, and L. for one, would be quite willing to pay twice the license fee and would still say. "Viva Radio."

Zedder

(Masterton ).

Service Appreciated. I WISH to say how I appreciate the company’s services in regard to broadcasting in New Zealand. I am sure most listeners must recognise the difficulties in. arranging and securing artists for the four stations in New Zealand, and I for one enjoy the concerts very much because there is always a variation. I also wish to thank you for the excellent broadcasting of the Southern Cross flight, and also last week of the racing results at Christchurch, which came through lovely and distinctly. The "Record" is very handy for the listener because you know what is coming next week and one enn arrange for his friends to come and hear anything special.-

W.

Nelson

junr: ((linton)

Diggers’ Night Enjoyed. WE wish to record our appreciation of the "Diggers’ Concert" given on Saturday, 10th inst., by 2YA. We thought that the concert ‘given on August 4 was very good, but this one left it well in the shade. We invited a few ex-service men and had a great time. and would like to suggest yon put on similar evenings three times a vear-two as has been done this year and one before Anzac Day. We had practically a perfect evening for reception-two only slight fades during the whole transmission. We also received the rebroadeast of 5SW at 11 p.m. quite good enough to make it interesting, and were able to follow the prayers and hymn quite well; also "ast Post" and "Reveille."

S.

P.

. (Milton).

Country Appreciation. FC INDLY allow me to thank all those responsible of the staff of 2YA who put such an excellent broadcast on the air on election night (14th). As

is usual in the country districts, we "called our neighbours in," and one and all thoroughly enjoyed every item from start to finish. As an old Wellingtonian, I was quite excited at the sound of the crowd and enjoyed to the full the bustle and excitement (in imagination) of an election gathering in a city. There was only one thing marred it, and that was the crowd’s reception of the Prime Minister. I think they should have shown him common courtesy (fo matter what their feelings were), which is the kind of charm that attracts the respect of all,. and too much of it is better than too little. However, that is beside the point at present. I. would like to say here and now that IL always enjoy the pro grammes put on by 2¥A. Surely your correspondent who considers the gramophone sessions "rotten" was satisfied with the items the other night, and indeed all this week. I would sugbest to him that he come and live ou a farm, 25 miles from a town, where he could hear any records at all, and which he would be justified often in terming "rotten"-and work 16 hours a day--far too busy to listen of after: noons to find fault; and when evening comes he would be. oh so glad! to sit down by the fireside and tune-in to 2YA, and for this respite he would feel thankful (as we do), to enjoy a few records in peacé without. having to jump up and "change the needle" every time. Yes, we folk in the coun try enjoy the radio programmes-all the YA’s-but 2YA comes in the best, so we cling to it pretty consistently, and I think on an average their programmes are Al-a good assortment for all tastes. Perhaps it’s because I’m a "country bumpkin and never heard any better," so don’t know much about it: but not 20 years have passed since I made my bow in the Concert Chamber of the Town Hall, Wellington. and I was then intimately associated with the best of music, so perhaps 1 do know after all! Or I may have forgotten, of course. But all arguments aside, I do think 2YA does well, handling all "big events" most capably, and catering for all the diverse tastes of its vast. unseen audience. And when we are prone to criticise from our individual standpoint, let us remember it’s not so easy to please everybody, and when faults do intrude let’s have & sense of humour, which is life’s saving grace, and see if we can’t be as liberal with our praise as we are with our criticism! In closing, let me thank you and onee again say. "Well done,

2YA ""

Nikau Palm

(Miko)

Election Night. ) UST a line of congratulation on the wonderful broadeast of the election. It was a _ pleasure to sit and listen; the announcer was wonderfully clear. 2YA certainly fills the bill at all times. I .consider last night’s broadcast was worth the whole of the license fee itself. The service from the London Cenotaph was ‘fine-most interesting to men who, like ‘myself, ‘have stood round about the original

spot on the first "Armistice Day ‘itself. The broadcast came very clearly on . my five-valve set. I don’t know what-f license-holders have to growl about with 2YA. I think it is absolutely the yery best in giving one everything that is interesting. 2YA spares HO pains in giving every. service it a and if the fee was twice 30s. I .woxkd not call it expensive. There’s only one thing I’ve got to "growl" at, and. that is not quite enough humorous items and not nearly enough of Mr. Tichener; also, how about one evening giving us some more ‘Zonophone re-eords.-2YA Fan. Two New Stations Logged. : QINCH my last letter I have logged two "new" stations.in 4ZO and WLAC, 470, Dunedin, operates on a wavelength of ‘approximately 275 metres and was received at good speaker strength, reception of speech ‘and musie being clear and. steady. WLAC, owned .by ithe Life and Casualty Insurance Company, Nashville, Tennessee, and operating on a wavelength of 1490 kiloeycles (201.2 metres), was logged by me on the 18th inst., when their "Midnight J amboree" was being broadeast. This station was received at quite good speaker strength-speech could be distinguish- ed some feet from the speaker-the volume far exceeding that of any American station heard by me for some time with the exception of the 50,000-watt stations that have; been on the -air recently. During the twenty minutes that I listened reception ws very clear and there was an entire absence of "fading," but it was partially spoilt by a peculiar. "surging," .which . also affected other American stations logged the same’ evening-perhaps the:

Aurora Australis was in evidence again. . One of the other American stations I held till it signed off at 7.56 pam, but although volume was good reception was not clear. enough. to enable mne to get the call. The last letter ssunded like "S" or "F" and the waveléngth was about 221 metres, I would be pleased if any other listener who wicked up this station could let me

know which it was.-

Guy C.

Holmes

(Masterton).

Schubert Centenary. J AM writing to tell you how very much I enjoyed the Schubert centenary. concerts. Schubert’s music comes out. particularly well with the wireless, and I do hope we get plenty of it in the future. The lecturettes were very much appreciated. Could you not arrange to have a series of lectures on music by the same able lec-

turers ?-

Country Listener

Power Line Leakages. ERMIT-me to express my appreciation of the Diggers’ concert given on Saturday last. It was excellent, and I for one could do with an early repetition. I wonder if you could give me any help in the following. trouble :-- Several of my friends and I are operating five-valve commercial sets, the circuit of which I enclose: We are fre quently troubled with a_ very loudpower:.roar (A.C:). Our aerials are at

right angles and about 200 yards from the power lines. Could you tell us(1) If there is any method of cutting the noise out? (2) Can we ask the Power Board to do anything? Any transformers there are will be at least a quarter-mile away.-Merlin Storey (Otana). { (1) The noise can be reduced by means of a filter by erecting a counterpoise, instead of an earth, and by fully shielding. the set. A good dealer will help you.. (2) A complaint addressed to the District Telegraph Engineer would probably be effective.-Kd.] Who Did Not Use Radio? CORRESPONDENT in Gisborne, in writing appreciatively of the broadcast of results on election night and the use made of the "Radio Record" score sheet, mentions that election night was enjoyed by ten people round his set. and he estimated that in Gisborne alone 6000 people listened to the results by means of radio. "Try and find out,’ he says, "if there were any newspapers who did not rely on radio for the news. The "Poverty Bay Herald" had 2YA on all the time, and by means of loudspeakers enabled 3000 people to hear the results. Personal friends had the following number of people listening in:-A, 6: B, 3; C, 4; D, 5; self, 10, totalling 28, and giving an average of 6 per set. A Stranger on 490 Metres. I WONDER if some reader could inform me what the following station is.. Tuning-in last Sunday afternoon (28th), at 2.30 pm. (summer time). On a wave-length of about 490 metres I heard music of some kind, but it was too faint to distinguish.-Ko-whai Bush.-[The station nearest this wave-length heard in New Zealand is RGW, Portland, Oregon, a station of 1 k.w. power, operating on 492 met-res.-Ed. ]