What a Radio Exhibition Means to the Community

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 4, 9 August 1929, Unnumbered Page

What a Radio Exhibition Means to the Community

Dunedin Exhibition Achieves Great Success

+ UST what does a Radio Exhibi21 tion mean to the man in the street? . it. means something vastly more than ‘the average exhibition of latest products arranged by any trade. It .means that, studied carefully, ; every single person in the community, according to his means, is shown opportunities of expanding his © life in the fullest sense. Radio is now, of course, a household word. Its uses _and attractions are, in a broad sense, familiar to everyone. But an exhibition throws a new angle on the whole subject. It demonstrates beyond a sh. low of doubt that the pleasures and advantages hitherto associated with wireless are but one iota of the immense field of education, utility and amusement afforded by: the latest types of radio receivers and the improved standard of components. OO many people in. the community associate radio with the earlier stages of its development. Mentally they , harken back to 1923-24, when the science first burst upon us.. .They remember J, that, then, wireless had a. vastly in‘triguing hobby interest-in other words, that, like a fascinating jig-saw. puzzle, the building of a radio set, presented endless hours of recreation from the hobby point of view. They remember, too, that the results so obtained from the then inferior broadcasting, plus the primitive apparatus, did not create from the air what might be genuinely called pure musie. Many of of these folk have still their old-time receivers. At an exhibition they have the opportunity of looking round at the latest ,sets and finding that their receivers, like their ideas on radio, should be scrapped, for the 1929

set is as different from its humble progenitor of 1924, as chalk is from cheese. Behind a radio exhibition is the radio genius of the world, the manufacturing skill, and the products of vast enterprises and: lengthy experiments. The last word in radio, is well-nigh spoken. The wireless set, particularly the electric one, is, to-day, apparently incapable of improvement. It is perfection. Listen . to one of these modern receivers, and the beatity of tone, the efficiency of opera-: tiori, the low initial cost of upkeep will astound you beyond. words. In a sense, the recent Radio Exhibitions ‘could be called musical festivals, for never before in the history of New ‘Zealand has there been displayed in such lavish- diversity instruments that can create out of thin air the whole gamut of music. " Dunedin Does ‘well ,UNEDIN has good. reasons to be proud ‘of its achievements in regard ‘to exhibitions, international and other- ' wise. The latest, the Radio Exhibition held last week, has to be added to the very successful record. Promoted by the Otago Radio Society, it-had an auspicious opening and unqualified succes. attended ’ it. The exhibition had been well organised and everything worked smoothly, while the support given by the public was all that could be desired. The exhibition aroused great enthusiasm everywhere. . ; ‘ "THE Radio Exhibition. was held in the Early Settlers’ and Pioneers’ Halls, and continued for three days. It was an epoch-marking event in the history of

radio in Dunedin, which is the home of broadcasting so faras New Zealand is concerned. There was a particularly comprehensive display of radio apparatus of all descriptions and the getting together of such a great show was a4 tribute to the energy and enterprise of the organisers. There was wholehearted co-opera-tion between the radio, dealers from all parts of New Zealand, listeners themselves, the executive officers of the Otago Radio Society and the Broadcasting Company. VERY interesting feature of each day’s attractions was the broadcasting of items from the exhibition, where a model studio had been arranged. The radio dealers loyally supported the exhibition and the many stalls displayed the various makes and types of receiving sets- and a wealth of radio equipment generally, , There was on view the first. transmission and reception set ever made in Otago. This was the work of Mr. J. L. Passmore, in 1903. Compared with modern sets it is a weird and crude contraption. Another interesting feature of the exhibition was a short wave receiving set operated by. members of the Dunedin: Branch of the New Zealand -Amateur Transmitters’ Association. HE official opening of the exhibition took place on Wednesday afternoon, the Mayor of Dunedin, Mr. R. S. Black, performing the ceremony. "here was a very large attendance of the public. The Hon. J. B. Donald, PostmasterGeneral, and the Hon. W. B. Taverner, Minister of Railways, also took part in the event, their remarks being spoken in -Continued on page 2.

Dunedin Exhibition

(Continued from front page.) their office in Wellington and relayed by telephone to the exhibition, where they ‘were amplified through a loudspeaker. It was the first occasion that such a thing had been attempted and its great success reflected to the credit of the Post and Telegraph officers. Not: only evening concert Sessions were broadcast from the model studio in full view of the visitors to the exhibition, but children’s sessions, specially organised by Big Brother Bill, were performed also. Thus the public were introduced to all the 4¥A officials and became conversant with many phases of the broadcasting séryice. *