Radio Round the World

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 27, 18 January 1929, Page 5

Radio Round the World

ADIO is ever being applied to new and practical fiells, and among these now is to be found a radio insect exterminator. The new apparatus, designed and operated in America to conquer the pest that has been responsible for the destruction of tremendous potential wealth, accomplishes its work by electrocuting the pests. The electrical equipment resembles the now obsolete spark radio trans. itter. The network of wires spread- . through the apple orchard someresembles the aerial equipment of a transmitting station. The electrical charges leave the plant by way of vertical wires suspended from this network. This current serves a dual purpose in that in electrocuting the pests it acts as a tonic to the trees. EADERS of the Australian radio magazine "Radio in Australia and New Zealand," will regret to learn that from last month this valuable magazine has ceased to exist as a separate publication. It has been incorporated with "Wireless Weekly," -an Australian magazine, which has been especially enlarged and brightened. The technical staff of "Radio" are transferring to the weekly, so that readers can be assured that much of the character of the former magazine will be retained. The weekly is a aper much after the style of the "Record," publishing as it does the programmes and programme features, ‘constructional articles, world news, and a query column, while "Radio" was a more or less technical journal. RADIO is fast paving the way to safer aerial navigation, and it is authoritatively stated that but for the wireless equipment carried by the Graf Zeppelin in her’ trans-Atlantic flight, that venture would not have been a success. The chief function ef radio on this trip was the gathering of weather information by which the course of the Zeppelin was directed. During the whole of the trip the transmitting aparatus was not idle, but was working at high speed. Important Press and private messages were. relayed, while the short-wave apparatus intended for communication with amateurs was not used. The operators had to work at high speed to deal with more important weather messages which the fate of the vessel depended. Many ships tried to establish twoway communication, but unless their messages wére of paramount importance they were not successful. In order to discourage private messages four times the ordinary rate was charged. DFJURING recent weeks an experiment has been tried in Australia to broadcast one programme from two stations at the same time. The dance programme from 3LO has been sent over the line to Adelaide and rebroadcast by 5CL. The results were so satisctory that more regular arrangewill be made, and thus the advantages of chain broadcasting will be realised. It will be a departure for Australia, but it is not a new idea in other countries. Under the new arrangements good dance music will be

given at a minimum of cost and -effort. There will be only one controlling management for the different stations. There has been a difficulty in Australia to supply good service to many distant listeners, who have had to rely on the

local station to provide entertainment. In some cases this has not been of a very high standard, and so the new system is arranged to cope with the position. JK ONIGSWUSTERHAUSEN (Germany) made its first experimental transmissions of pictures on the Fulton system on Tuesday, November 20, from 9.45 to 10.15 p.m., G.M.T. Subsequent transmissions of pictures from the Deutschlandsender are being made. ON October 22 there was opened what is said to be the most powerful radio broadcasting station in the Empire, Britain excepted. It is in South Africa, on the highest point of the Witwatersrand, a mere 6000 feet up. It is intended to minister unto the Union of Rhodesia. WIRELESS telephony is developing. The British Post Office service to America is an accepted fact. A service between Buenos Aires and Berlin will be opened soon, and tests between Buenos Aires and Paris are in progress. Picture radio telegraphy tests between Buenos Aires and Berlin are also being made. It will be possible before long for the public in England to sit at home and put through a telephone call to most important capitals of the world. GALES returns of wireless receivers among both wholesale and retail dealers, in Toronto, show a marked increase this year over last. It is significant, too, that from 90 to 95 per cent. of the sets sold are electrically operated, and traders find the widespread desire to exchange the old type of receivers for electrically operated ones something of a problem. Cheap sets are no longer sought, and the prices of receivers most in demand range from £45 to £60, N excellent idea has been formulated by Mr. F. Grose, the Boys’ Work Director of the Y.M.C.A., Australia, in conjunction with the New South Wales Broadcasting Company. Mr. Grose, in putting over the air a series of talks on "Happiness," formed a "Cheer Up" Olub, with the distinguishing badge of the Blue Bird. A code of rules has been drawn up, excerpts of which are "Do unto others ag

I would have others do unto me. "Refrain from judging others." "Keep smiling." "Try to make others smile." "Be nice and attractive to other people." In addition, members are asked to try and be of service in many other ways,

such as "To visit the sick, blind, deaf, dumb, maimed, who are either in or out of hospital If my father owns a motor-car ask him sometimes to take with us someone, perhaps a sick child who seldom enjoys this privilege." The appeal is already meeting with a large response and it seems that the club will

be very popular amongst listeners. There is no age limit, so that it will be difficult to estimate the extent of the influence of the society. "THE Canadian Director of Radio has been informed by the Commissioner of the Federal Radio Commission, that under the new allocation system, which went into effect November li, "no station in the United States on a channel shared with Canada exceeds 500 watts power," and that "no station within approximately 250 miles of the border is using more than 250 watts." On United States-shared channels the Commissioner advised that the Commission has established a policy of granting three times the night power for use during daytime-until sundown. qN anticipation of a regular transAtlantic aircraft service, a shortWave wireless telephony transmitter has been installed at Hamburg with the call sign AEM. ‘The plant is sufficiently powerful to assure a transmission of approximately three thousand miles during daylight and over five thousand miles at night.

NIQUE in the history of broadcasting were the special prayers conducted by the Archbishop of Melbourne at the studio of 8L0 each evening during the critical illness of His Majesty the King. Never before has a braadcasting station been culled upon for such un urgent and earnest purpose, and the playing of the National Anthem by the 3LO Orchestra, at the request of the Archbishop, and the prayers offcred by him, caused @ profound impression with hundreds of thousands of listeners scattered all over Australia, who devoutly and silently joined with him im his earnest and solemn efforts.