THE D.X. CLUB Views and News.

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 26, 11 January 1929, Page 4

THE D.X. CLUB Views and News.

OLLOWING is a list of suggestions ‘for members. They were originated by "Radio" (Australia), under the title of "Ten Commandments for the D.X. . Fan." 1. Good reception begins with the interception of ample _ signal strength. Therefore, make sure of a good aerial and ground connection. Joints should be soldered, or at least taped. A suitable socket aerial plug will often prove more efficient than an aerial, particularly in poor radio localities. It may be employed as a "booster," in addition to the usual aerial. 2. Reception can be no better than the valves employed. Valves, contrary to general opinion, do not last forever. Even if they light, that is noindication of their goodness. When valves have been in use more than a year, they should be replaced with.fresh ones. Only those of a reliable brand should be used. Cheap valves are most expensive in the end. 8 Proper A, B and C voltages should be applied. In the case of batteries, this may be done by voltage taps. In the case of radio power units, this may be done by employing efficient variable resistors in obtaining precise voltages for all purposes. % The grid leak in the detector circuit should be adjusted for best results. While the two megohm valve may be satisfactory for powerful local signals, this resistance value is too low for weak DX signals. Hither a collection of grid leaks of various values should be on hand, or a suitable variable grid leak should be employed if you would enjoy DX results. Regeneration is practically essential to real DX results. It ean be secured in various ways, for practically every radio-frequency circuit has some form of stabiliser to prevent regeneration, and this ean be altered when in search of DX, so as to permit of regeneration or approach to maximum sensitivity. 6. A sensitive loudspeaker should be employed, or, better still, a pair of head-’phones, plugged into the first radio stage. Many loudspeakers to-day are relatively insensitive, because they are design-

ed to operate on powerful local signals without blasting. 7, It is well to change valves around so as to obtain the best valve for each function in the radio set. There is sufficient variation in most valves to make some better for one purpose than for another. 8. If troubled by excessive background noises or microphonic interference, the cause is generally traced to

the detector valve, which should be changed. 9. By-pass condensers of 1 or 2 mfd., connected between minus B and the various plus B terminals of the radio set, will improve sensitivity and tone quality of weak signals. 10. And in the final .nalysis, DX is largely a matter of patience and skill, for some fellows can hear 3LO on a crystal detector, while others cannot cover 500 miles with an eight-valve super-heterodyne. WGNI. I NOYICE in your "Record" of a fortnight ago some DX enthusiast, asking for a station with four call letters just above 2BL wavelength. This station is WGNI, Chicago. Comes in here at good loudspeaker strength, can hear it 800ft. from speak-

er. Always closed down at 7.50, N.Z. time. The last item is always the same song, "The End of a Day."SATISFIED LISTENER (East Coast). [We can find no record of an Ameriean station WGNI. There is a powerful station (25 kilowatts) AWGN, Chicago, operating on 416 metres.] WHER Received. RECEIVED the station WHER. on January 1, at 9 p.m., and held it

for several items. By my dialing, the wave is 260 metres, approximately. My set is a 4-valve Br.-Drake; aerial, 150 feet long, and 40 feet high. I can get 4YA, 4ZL, 2UE, etc, on the speaker, music being clearly heard 50 yards or more away. Static has been so bad lately that when I place my fingers over the phone terminals I get a kick about 2-3 the strength of the light-

ing -system.-

KAUSPANKA

(Hast-

ings).

KEXUJ, California. OULD any listener locate the Ameriean station with call KBJK, Beverly Hills, California, on 270 metres. I am sure the call is right. I held him for 15 minutes when he seemed to fade away, then I: went back to KFON, on 280 metres, on a dance number; then they said they will rebroadcast KEJK from Beverly Hills, for the next hour, and they also were on dance music till 9 p.m. N.Z.M.T. Did any D.X. enthusiast hear this. Has any D.X. listener noticed KNX has changed hands, now owned by Paramount Pictures. I heard him for the last few nights now, and close down at 9 p.m, They are on about 285 metres, with a power 5000 watts, . , I received a letter from another DX enthusiast from their DX, Club, in Los Angeles, and they say 2YA comes through well on his set (8 valves, screened grid) at wonderful speaker strength, no fading or distortion. This DX fan said our New Zealand programmes easily equal that of any station in U.S.A. He tunes in 2YA every evening when conditions are good. This spenks well for our super = station.

Cheerio-

S.

ELLIS

(Okato).

[The latest list of Americans gives KHJK 1250 kilocycles, 239.9 metres (shared), situated in Beverly Hills, California, owned by R. C. Macmillan. Power, 500 watts.]

Another Club Supporter. ALSO would like to endorse Mr. Hllis’s suggestion as to the forming of a DX club amongst those of your correspondents interested in DX work...

As a matter of fact, the same suggestion was made by me some mont back, per medium of your columns. A’ that is necessary really is to commence a DX Mail Bag" column, in addition to the present Mailbag" column, the former to contain the letters pertaining to DX only. This would mean that we DX fiends could immediately turn to what’ would be one of the most interesting pages, and learn the "latest doing," without having to peruse a number of letters praising or condemning the R.B.C., and on the other hand, those readers not interested in DX would not have to wade through letters in which they had no real interest-GUY ©, HOLMES (Masterton). 1YA Heterodyned. FFOR some few weeks back Qe have been annoyed by a W8istle coming from Auckland and lasting through the children’s session till 8 o'clock or thereabouts, at which time it seemed to stop. Three or four weeks ago it struck me it might be another station, and between the news session and the 8 o’clock concert I cleaned this whistle up, and after a few attempts (mostly .spoiled with static) I discovered it was a Los Angeles, California station, KHJ. On Christmas Eve from 7 to 7.15 we had beautiful organ music from there, but on Christmas Day when Auckland was silent we had an hour’s good music which finished up by hearing him very distinctly say "The time is just midnight and I wish. you all Christmas greetings." The time by us then was just 8 o’clock, a difference of twenty hours. We are using a home-made four-valve Browning-Drake, and the volume was strong enough to be pe three or four vards away from loudspeaker. Perhaps others ve heard the carrier ‘coming in and thought it the fault of 1YA. The two stations are workin on exactly the same length (338 metres), bit it is necessary to ‘:1rn on all the power to bring in KHJ. I think most sets with long range should get the station when thev know it’s. there. This may interest many, and I pass it on for

what it’s worth.

G. A.

BOYCE

(Auck-

land).

Stations Heard in Auckland. I SEE by your "Notes and Comments" of December 28 issue that Wellington listeners have- been unable to pick up 7ZL, Hobart. This has not been my experience, however; as I have uo ditficulty in picking him up on the speaker at 11 pm. 3AR is at quite good ‘phone strength, while 4YA is at full loudspeaker e soon after 9 p.m. 2YA is at: ir strength in daylight, and at nighttime the volume is astounding. 2I°C, is fairly good this summer and is superior to 2BL for . time being. 3YA keeps in good form, but 8DB, 2GB, and 8UZ have gone off. Our amateur locals, 1ZB and 1ZQ, are quite good on 1YA’s silent night. 221, 27M, 3ZC, and 4ZM are in fairly bad form. Back in the winter I could pick up 8ZC in daylight quite easily, with 2ZM and 4ZM almost breaking the speaker at night with volume. On the short waves the results have been very disappointing of late. I have heard no amateurs for nearly a week. I have picked up a French statio n about 25 metres at ubout R4. eM is only R5-6 with me. 6AG is the r most consistent short-wave that T have | heard. WGY is quite guod, also 2XAD, LXAF and 2XAG. PCJJ is yather disappointing of late, although

LONG distance enthusiasts have suggested the formation of a club for DX men, the object being to exchange notes on this fascinating aspect of radio. he suggestion has been adopted, and the club makes its debut this week. Notes will appear only as they are sent. The club will be run entirely by correspondents, so that the onus of keeping if going will depend on every DX man. Long competitive lists we must, through lack of space, bar. Interesting notes about strangers will be welcomed. In reporting stations correspondents should mention the wavelength. . All correspondence for publication should be addressed: DX, "Radio Record," Box 1032, Wellington.

PCLL is simplv splendid. KDKA is a station I have never picked up, why I don’t know, but still I may get him some day. So far my list of stations includes 46 on the ordinary band and 55 on the short waves, total 101, which is, I think, quite good for six valves in the heart of the city, but I expect manv countrv listeners can ex-

cel this.-

T.

PASCOE

(Auckland).

s 4 Another Solution. I NOTH that one or two of your correspondents are pudzled as to the identity of a station interfering with 1YA. It is KDHJ, Los Angeles, U.S.A. ‘This station is operating on 1YA’s wavelength and his carrier a, Wave sets up a howl from about 6.30 .m. to 8.30 or 9 p.m. It spoils 1YA completely at times here. 2YA gives the strongest reception here, although sometimes troubled with fading. I am using a five-valve Neutrodyne.LISTENER (Waipu). The latest journals from America contain no record of this station. Has any D.X. enthusiast heard this stranger? JOAK on One Valve. I have a one-valye home-made set, and as I think it is giving exceptional results for the short time I have had it going I shall ennmerate some of the stations received. These comprise 1YA, 2YA, 8YA, 2BL, 2FC, ‘8LO, 4QG, 2GB, 2UH, 3AR, 2UW, 50L (?), and JOAK. Perhaps when I give the last you will think this a joke, but this station came in quite plainly last night-December 28when I made the following notes on the programme for verification :- 10.15: First picked up station. Lecture in foreign language. 10.55: Lecture stopped. Announcer spoke and at end gave call JOAK. Interval 1 minute. 10.56: Singing and instrumental 11.28: Announcer spoke then called JOAK. 11.28: Talking, etc., and then commenced what appeared to me to be a play with musical accompaniments and much laughter. At 12.40 a bell struck one stroke. 12.46: Announcer spoke and ¢alled quite distinctly JOAK. Directly afterwards I went to 2BL and heard relay from 5SW giving bulletin from the King’s doctors and orchestra, This was covering the globe somewhat, but the fact of getting JOAK was outstanding in my he wavelength was 375 metres, The Is this quite ordinary or not? t erial is 130ft. and earth is a benzine tin filled with water, buried 6ft. in ground and directly under window. There are no sets in neighbourhood, the nearest being about six-miles airline. They are five-valves, but it takes most of them all their time to get Australia, let alone JOAK.LICENSE 97600 (Bay of Islands). CNRV, Vancouver. I CAN add ‘another American station to the list of D.X. stations in last week’s "Radio Record"-CNRV, Vancouver, B.C. (291 metres). This station I receive at .excellent speaker strength, from 7.30 p.m., New Zealand summer time, on Wednesdays on a wavelength of approximately 290 metres. about one point on the » dial above 2ZF, My list at present is: KFON, KEX, KNX, CNRV, KGO, and two stations between BAR and

27K. from whom I have not as yet

received the call signs.-

H. M.

JAKE

MAN

(Huntly).

Was It KPO? At 11.2 o’clock last evening I tuned in a station half a point on the dial above 2I°C, Perhaps some listener can tell me the call sign of same. As much as I received is as follows :- 11.2: Burst of applause and man says I'll sing you a song. 2FO announces a piece by Beethoven. Items from stranger is Our Grand Sweet Song. 11.10: Commences to sing again. 11.15 song ‘concludes. We're going to have some Fiji love again. 11.17: Monologue "Nauru," and jamming with 29°C. 11.19: Item by (?) Orchestra played by (?) Hotel. Fox-trot, "I’m Knee-deep in Daisies." 11.28: Song, Len Nor, entitled "Florette." Announcer says Mr.. Nor is anxioys to get back to Suva. We are broadcasting from (?) outside Suva. 11.26: Announcer: Excuse me listeners for a few minutes while I say good-bye to Mr. Nor. Orchestra will play "I Want to be Happy." 11.31: 2FC drowns line out. . 11,82: "Hullo, everybody!" Slight static. 2RM humorous item, apparently a description of a wedding ceremony. 11.87: An encore entitled (?). 11.40: 2FC again. 11.44: Of all the personalities there is perhaps none better known than Mr. Cochrane. 11.48: Some talk about Mr. Chappell. Good wishes for someone. 11.50: Orchestra. 11.57: Announcement before closing down. I have to thank Their Excellencies for coming out. I wish the whole of King Street a very happy and prosperous New Year. 11.59: "Old Lang Syne" and "God Save the King." No call sign received. A happy New Year 2YA and the R.B.O.-JAS. TRUMAN (Huntly). On 2FC’s Wave Length. (CAN any of your readers tell me what station was transmitting a general programme almost on 2FC’s wave length on New Year’s Eve between 11 and 12 midnight. New Year greetings to all DX friends.--

N.C.

WINSTANLEY

(Picton).