Our Mail Bag

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 46, 31 May 1929, Page 27

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

Dinner Session Valued. ‘THE dinner-hour music session at 2YA has arrived, and is affording us the greatest pleasure. The comnany ean consider suspending this ses-

sion only at, its own risk.-

'8:

(Inver-

eargill).

Invercarguil Uarnivai, I have been a subscriber to your excellent paper since its publication, and wish to congratulate you on its usefulness. I would also like to thank the R.B.C. for its good choice of pro-grammes-they give us the opportunity also of hearing everything of interest, but here I must add a protest with regard to the Invercargill relays, both on Thursday and Saturday evenings, That kind of thing may be all right to look at, but it was disgusting to have to listen to, and we would have preferred gramophone selections. from 4YA instead. However, this is my only growl. The Wellington band concerts are a treat and are eagerly awaited here on Sunday evenings. We also enjoy the OYA dinner music: it fills in an other-

wise quiet hour.-

E.

B.

(Macandrew

Baw)_

-- as ’ Dinner Session and Stops. UST a line to say that I for one gvery much appreciate your dinner session programmes. I think the items have been well selected. I notice that your correspondent B. W. Ferris objects to the ten-minute stops. I say, keep up the quality of the music, and

I do not object to the stops. I quite recognise that it is impossible for you radio people to please everybody, but I think it your duty to make sure that the performer can really give a creditable performance. I happened to be listening-in recently and heard two items on the piano, It was the most excruciating experience I bave had for

a long time and no credit to 2YA.-

C.

R.

Caverhill

akura).

To Help the Country Listeners. BING a constant reader of your valuable paper; I am always intensely interested in the various opinions expressed via "Our Mail-Bag." Though not a farmer, I am essentially a country dweller, and therefore look at radio broadcasting from the "wayback" point of view. As the news and information session is most valuable to country dwellers, I should like to suggest a slight alteration in delivery. I will take it for granted that all country people, especially the "waybacks," are interested in the daily news, but there must be a large proportion who are not in any way concerned with the market re ports, which I fancy could be condensed. Under the present system these reports are usually sandwiched between the British and New Zealand news. ’ , Would it be possible for the R.B.C. to give all the news immediately after the shipping and weather report? . if so, then when the market reports commenced, those not interested could switch off with the knowledge that all the news for that evening had been given. I think the dinner music session a very fine one, but would like to see the intervals shortened to about 2 minutes. Where we are dependent on batteries, spending 14 to 2 hours a week on silence is rather much to waste. The novelty type of programmes on Saturday nights are much appreciated and a welcome change from the usual weekly ones, and I hope the R.B.C. keep them going. To the town dweller. who gets his paper nightly and can go out to any entertainment he fancies, the above suggestions are as nothing, but to the eountryv dweller they count a good

deal.-

L.

Rapley

(Puponga).

Finishing Lectures. WHEN ‘an audience is addressed by a speaker, in a hall, or in a publie ‘place, the attitude. of the performer generally shows when the end is reached, and rarely is it.necessary to wish the meeting good-night, but it is very different over the air. Might I suggest that all lecturers, as well as announcers, say "Good night," "Good afternoon," as the case micht be when leaving the microphone.

Too Nice

(Rangataua).

\, Football Broadcast. WOULD like to protest against the broadcasting of football during the 7 (Continued on Page 29.)

(Continued from page 27.) '~{ Whole of Saturday afternoons. Many of the matches are of purely local interest, such as third-class matches and matches between local schools, etc. I think of the 15,000 listeners around Auckland district not 10 per cent. listen to the minor matches. A proportion of music on Saturday afternoons would, I think, be only a fair thing. I know it would be much ap preciated by many whose only opportunity of hearing afternoon music is

on Saturday.-

Edenite

(Auckland).

Radio on Great Barrier Island. GITUATED as we farmers are 50 miles north-east of Auckland, on the east coast of Great Barrier Island, with only a weekly mail, radio is, to say the least, a God-send. We are pleased to have this opportunity of mmending the Broadcasting Comlany on the splendid programmes broadcast. Having no church on the island, and rarely a visiting minister, the advent of radio has "filled the pill." Sunday broadcasts we appreciate most of all. 1YA is in a class by itself for the programmes of sacred music after the church services, and we sincerely hope this high standard will be maintained; the sacred music makes 4 fitting finish, after the beautiful services which are broadcast.-

B.L.

M.

("Moss Vale").

Billingsgate. I HAVE read the letter in last week’s "Radio Record" from Mr. Montague. The words in the play I referred to were "Oh, hell!" repeated several times. It being the first time ¢ that I have heard an expression of ' that kind from any of the YA stations, "I was rather surprised. Mr. Montague has shown that the play has the sanction of a rev. minister and other prominent people, including himself. Further, we look to our ministers as our teachers and guides to the better things in life, so I take it from them that the language of the play is parliamentary. (In my letter I stated that it was rather unparliamentary.) Mr.

Montague makes good use of the word "Billingsate." My letter should have been more explicit: I wrote in a hurry. I was referring to the future when I wrote that "Billingsate"’ could be left out. Mr. Montague says that obviously I do not know what the word means. I don’t use a word, either in writing or speaking, unless I know the meaning. "Billingsate" is a very common expression, and I think that the definition of it will be known to most readers, as it has been very much in vogue on the political platform. I should be sorry if any of the members of our radio family have confused the word with the language reported to be used by the frequenters of the "Billingsgate" fish market, The definition of the word as I know it is "having a freedom to use extravagant speech." As a lover of children, as with many of our radio family, we are anxious that our children should have the very best. And our radio aunts and uncles are doing a great work amongst the children, helping them to the best. In my younger days most of my time was spent in trying to teach the children. I learned to love them. Now I can sit down and listen to the grand teaching the children get from the studios. It must be a great power for the pleasure, also a lasting benefit to the children, by the influence they receive through radio. When they grow to man and womanhood to take our places they will make better men and women than their parents were because of the instruction that they get over the air.

George

Nicholls

(Collingwood).

A Man with a Grievance. IGHT I encroach on your valuable space to ventilate a few grievances held by myself and to my knowledge many others, as to the programmes of 2YA? To put it mildly, the pro grammes lately have been a disgrace, the talent and items both being very poor. Last Saturday night’s vaudeville fare was about the worst I have lis. tened to. The dinner session has proved a great disappointment. It started a --- — -----

off as a dinner session should be, consisting of light orchestral music only. Now it has descended to a mixture of jazz and singing, of both of which lis--teners get a surfeit at the other sessions, and even these records are old and stale. Why not copy the dinner session put on by 2BL, which consists only of orchestral music played by a quartet? It also appears that the sup ply of new music for the orchestra has run out, as we are continually getting the old tunes repeated at frequent intervals, viz., "Poet and Peasant," "In a Monastery Garden," "In a Olock Store," "The Voice of the Bells," "Oarmen," "The Blue Danube," and many others. It is high time that the company gave listeners a good return for their money, and to do this it will have to buy new orchestral music and new gramophone records,- "Fed Up" (Panama Street, Wellington). [Unnecessarily severe language, with unwarranted implications, has been excised from this letter-Hd.] Programmes Appreciated. Ws are enjoying 2YA programmes very much. We send our thanks and appreciation to the management, the orchestra, and all the artists who entertain us, not omitting Mr. Announcer. who seems a nersonal friend.

Wishing you all ‘success.

J.T.

R.

(Fea-

therston).

| Southland Radio. ‘THE reason for there being so few radio licenses in Southland has been exercising the minds of many of your correspondents, and they attribute this sad state of affairs to the poor quality of the service and incidental reception: A trip through Southland makes the real reason obvious-the aerials that one sees installed down there would frighten the radio frequencies for miles around. The populace being mostly connected with dairying down there will be well familiar with the maxim that "feed is half the breed." ‘They would do well to learn another, "That the aerial is half the set."-"Diogenes" (Cromwell).

Power o of 2A... J was pleased to read in your "Mailbag" of this week the letter over the initials G.C.C., of Nelson. I agree with him that the transmitting power coming from 2YA has greatly deteriorated lately, whether accidentally or intentionally I don’t know. Twelve months ago, no matter how much static troubled us on other stations, the superior power of 2YA enabled the listener to either defuse or cut down, and so cut out the static, whilst for some time past static is very nearly as prominent on 2YA as on the other YA’s and Australian stations. Many other listeners in this locality complain in the same strain, and I would be glad to learn of any other reason save that of decreased power from 2YA. On several nights during the last few months, I have closed down, as static absolutely prevented reception of 2YA, which occurrence never happened last winter, or until, say, four months ago. The rating of 2YA does not come into the argument ; comparison between reception at the present time with that of a year ago is the only bone of contention. If 2YA has not decreased its nower. the efficiency thereof has great-

: ly lessened.-

V.A.

S.

'Wanganui)

Oliver Twist’s Appetite. THE promised relay of 83YA, from Invercargill on Saturday night, May 18 (after being ass™red by the announcer of the above station that it

was a unique occasion, etc.) was, to call it at its best, a. dismal failure. ¥Yrom 7.57 to 8.5 p.m. the only things that came over the air were squeaks and "Are you there’s?" At 8.20 p.m, another break; at 8.30: "Just stand by, we are having trouble with the line." Then at 8.83 for a period of about two seconds-music out of all modulation; then a break and some more "Are you there’s?" Then we were assured by 8ZA that it was only an experiment. What I would like to know is why not earry out these experiment. at other times, instead of at the usual broadcasting hours. We do not spend our "*~ a year for the Broadcasting Company to experiment with. The experiment still being in progress, I switched over to 2FC, Sydney, and enjoyed 4 really excellent programme. Just in passing, I would like to compliment Mr. Ball on his very fine description of May Fair on Wednesday afternoon. which I heard from 4YA, Dunedin. Unfortunately for listeners this station is only receivable in daylight. Might I suggest that the Radio Broadcasting Company put on a record, or records. to fill in the time instead of closing down for five or ten minutes before commencing the evening session at 8 o'clock. At this time, I'am sure, records would be better than nothing, but nevertheless, I feel that I voice the opinion of all listeners that fewer gramophone records be used during

programmes. For example, take 4YA’s programme for May 22, from 8 p.m. until 9.80 p.m., and note the number of records being used.. What we want is more variety by better artists. The dinner music session is not before time. But it would be more acceptable if supplied by the 2YA Orchestra instead of the records. How much longer is "tacet" to be inflicted upon us?-"Dis-gusted" (Invercargill). The Shepherd’s Dog? [t often strikes me very forcibly when reading the "Record" that the broadcasting station is in very much the same position as the shepherd’s dog (with apology to Jack London). When you do wrong (imag: inary or otherwise) you receive a kick. When you do right-your reward is a kick withheld. I have been in this district for two years now and it is very rarely that I go away from 2YA unless it is for a special item on one of the other programmes. I . built "Megohm’s" five-shielded B.D., the only difference being that I fitted condenser controlled reaction and instea‘] of bottom of reaction coil going to plate. I reversed them, top to plate. bottom to transformer, through condenser, of course, and a better working set and sweeter toned nobody could ask for. Selectivity is ideal, from my point of view. Here is an instance. I have no trouble sorting 1YA, JOAK, 2BL, without losing any side bands. I am not a DX hunter, but I can pick up 50 watt stations in Australia, and, of course, anything I go after in New Zealand. I wonder would it be any

advantage to give particulars of valves used. There are sO many who have __ trouble neutralising. R.F. stages, tw 630’s "B," 90V; detector, 201A B, not over 45 volts; five audio, 609-90 volts, 43V. "CO"; power valve, 171A, 135V, "CO" 25V. A good cone speaker, primary windings according to impedance of valves; reaction coil 20; and I have just fitted R.F. choke between plate and transformer, but the machine was working so perfectly before that it is hard to say whether it is an improve-

ment or not.

A.

H.

Probert.

Football on Saturdays. AS a licensed listener, I presume I have a small claim on your kind attention, and I take this opportunity to express the feelings of myself and many other listeners of my acquaintance, regarding the description of f@otball matches from 1YA on afternoons. Football is all right onse in a while, but to have to endure it week after week is-well, constant dropping wears away the stone, you know. How about the farmer’s family away up north? Do they want the results of a football match droning through the loudspeaker? No, sir, give us some real lively music, as you did — before, and we'll raise your praises to the sky. While I am here, I hand you my thanks for the splendid services riven in the seven months:‘I have

been a wireless fiend.-

C.

Russell

(Auckland).