Record Long Distance Relay from Wanganui

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 22, 14 December 1928, Page 12

Record Long Distance Relay from

Wanganui

AUT CECUE UEC eCE CCU COE OPE OEP ECOL CORP COEULO OCU COo, CURL CECE RUC Oh eh Lh eh bet hel lbh bleh Mb A RECORD for New Zealand was established on the night of December 7, 2VA relaying a special conce:i from Wanganui over a land-line of 130 miles in length, and successfully broadcasting it. 3YA in turn picked up °9VA and re-broadeast the concert. Thanks to a particularly good land-line (for which special thanks are due to the technical staff of the Post and Telegraph Department) the broadcast was of a particularly fine quality, and long-distance telephone calls of appreciation were frequent shortly after the beginning of the concert. The occasion served to demonstrate the quaiity of talent available in Wanganui and enabled erystal users in Wellington and Christchurch to enjoy a special treat, ‘ METPATATATATTU TATE TRATATATATTUTETR AAT TETTTOTETR EGER ETAT AT TETOAT TT UT OT AVOUT ATAU TETULT TVET EV IVATATIUTEUG OAT ATIRTOAEATTRAT ARAL A TOVONTOLOGATATADRETOHOTT AT ETAT AVE UD TRAV HVAT TUUEHTOR TAT TEUT HT AU THUD PAV ti

i concert was primarily organised 2 aid of the funds of the Queen mdra Band for the provision of nds, and was given to a capacendance in the Opera House, An uctory speech by Mr. Louis Cohen, ent of the North Island Brass Association, was of interest, and nade the occasion for a special to radio by which a vast unudience was being enabled to to the talent of Wanganui. As a £ music, Mr. Cohen stressed the r of the new instrument placed in nds of civilisation by radio for ting the love of culture and in the minds of the people. ar demonstration of the method dcasting, and some of its attenonders, was given the Wanganui ce, The amplifying equipment rranged in the orchestral well the stage. This equipment was owerful and elaborate than that employed on an ordinary relay, essence was really a duplicate amplifying equipment used at ious broadcasting stations. This seessary in order to ensure fullcess in the transmission of the over the long land-line to Wel- . The elarity with which the was transmitted forms in itself y best testimonial to the special aken by the technical experts Post and Telegraph Department occasion, as well as to the skill ipment of the broadcasting exn recognition of the importance occasion, the Radio Broadcast-

ing Company’s chief engineer, Mr. J. Bingham, was in charge at Wanganui. To Wellington and Back. AN NOUNCEMENTS in connection with the concert were made in his ordinary tone of voice by the editorannouncer, 2nd were made audible to the audience in the hall by a special

receiving set installed by Mr. C. Carrad. From this the audience was able to hear through the loud speaker the announcements as received back from Wellington. This fact was mentioned to the house by the stage manager, Mr. Atkinson. In a specially intimate way, therefore, the audience was made radio-conscious. Three microphones were used--one for announcing and two of the condenser type for the programme.

That the broadcast evoked a great deal of interest was shown by the fact that within twenty minutes of the start, long-distance telephone calls had been received from twelve different points all enthusiastically reporting splendid reeeption, One or two of these enthusiasts reported that the transinission and the music were the

finest they had ever listened to over the air. The suggestion made at one stage of the proceedings that members of the unseen audience should recognise the purpose of the concert in providing funds for new instruments, was ac-_ knowledged by donations being reported from Stratford, Wellington, and Napier. Doubtless other contributions will also be received from distant listeners. Tribute to P. and T. Department. HE General Manager of the Broadcasting Company, Mr, A. R. Harris, forwarded the following telegram to Mr. G McNamara, Secretary of the Post and Telegraph Department on Saturday morning :-

"Please accept heartiest appreciation of the arrangements made for relaying concert by land line from Wanganui last evening. The feature of the very successful broadcast was the excellent quality of the music which your engineers were able to transmit over such a length of exposed land line." Speaking to a Christchurch "Star" reporter subsequent to the Wanganui concert broadcast, Mr. Harris said that the greatest credit for the success was due to the Post and Telegraph Department which had prepared such a splendid land line. This was the longest land line which had yet been used for broadcasting in New Zealand, and to secure such perfection under the conditions which exist in this country was a great tribute to the Post and Telegraph engineering staff. On two previous occasions long relays of speech had been carried out-one from Masterton and one from Palmerston North to Wellington-hboth about 90 miles. In the case of Wanganui, the line had been prepared for the transmitting of music, and very low as well as very high frequencies had to be coped with. Conditions in New Zealand, said Mr. Harris, were very different from what existed in the older countries, where lines were not subject to the interferences which had to be contended with in long relays in New Zealand where the lines traverse long stretches of exposed and undeveloped country. That last evening’s relay from Wanganui to Wellington, a distance of 125 miles, should have been able to convey such high and such low frequencies in music and to be so free from outside noises was a very commendable piece of technical work, emphasised Mr. Harris,