notes and Comments

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 5, 16 August 1929, Page 11

notes and Comments

B

SWITCH

"~ "RESISTANCH" (Foxton) submits a. suggestion which valve manufacturers may consider. "The correct value or resistance of a rheostat when @ certain valve is being used with a certain battery," he writes, "often puzzles the novice. We are not all electricians, and many of us do not understand the practical application of Ohm’s law. Therefore on the printed instructions accompanying each valve there should be stated what value the rheostat should’ be." ~ EPison, the great inventor, has de.veloped in-his laboratories a: new ' phonograph record which carries a full thirty-minute programme on each. side. It has not yet been released to the public, but its success has been definitely established by broadcast tests. Mr. Theodore Hdison, younger son of the "wizard," has for the past ,few years been devoting himself.to the development of the new record, and: it.is through his work that it has finally reached its successful stage. Perhaps, Mr. A. R. Harris, general manager of the Radio Broadcasting Co. of New Zealand, who is a personal friend of ‘Thomas Edison, may induce ‘him to send him one of the new records for broadcasting purposes. Bou Adelaide, has been coming in to Wellington rather-~ well lately. "Switch" was shocked the other night to hear the announcer at the "croweaters)" big station break up a. good programme to fire an advertisement at us..about a certain make of: playerpiano. How long would concert-goers stand advertisements being read out from the stage ‘between items! For instance, "Before Professor Damitski plays ‘The Moonlight Sonata,’ I want to tell you about Madame Yardin's complexion cream." ME: BASIL KIRKH, whom we all heard describing the All Black football matches in Sydney a few weeks ago through the neéver-to-be-forgotten rebroadcast by 2YA, Wellington, has left Sydney to take up a position as announcer in Perth, Western Australia, in the interests of broadcast station 6WI, Perth. The average listener found it a mighty difficult matter to discover one fault in Mr. Kirke’s description of the football matches. Still, there was one ‘oversight on his part which ‘contrasted with our New Zealand football commentators, and that was his" oversight in not mentioning the scores of each side, excepting at long intervals. A VERY sensitive set when located in Wellington has to contend not only with static, but. with severe local electrical noises when it is pushed to its utmost. Therefore when it reaches out for an exceptionally distant . station there are countless parasitic noises ‘which prevent any real pleasure being obtained. Thus when on ar average efficient set the chief Australian stations are brought in with good loudspeaker strength with, say, very little static, the atmospheric .noises increase in volume when a more sensitive set picks: up an American station, for instance. There is always a lure in long-distance reception among a certain type of listener, ‘but the average city man is content with good loudspeaker reception: from three or four Australian "A" class,stations in addition to the New Zealand "YA" stathous.

A WELLINGTON’ listener has asked the writer how many stations he should hear and identify on his multivalve set, using a suitable loudspeaker. He stated that he had a high, long aerial and good "earth." This can be answered only With one important reservation, and that is the question of locality. Proof, and very eonvincing proof has been forthcoming that through some obscure reason a certain set will perform a hundred per cent. better at a distance of only a hundred yards from another: locality,’ and vice versa. Not a little..akso depends upon the individual skill of ‘the operator of the set, not to mention his patience. Providing the valves are in excellent order, the filament and ‘plate potentials correct a couple of dozen stations should be "logged" in a favourable locality. ,.Hxceptional sets may increase that number by fifty per cent. WITCH" has just heard of a Petone listener who has been bed-ridden for the past seven years, and the writer can well‘ understand his statement as to what radio means to him. If this should meet the eye of the said listener, "Switch" will be pleased if he will accept the writer’s deepest sympathy.. "Switch" hopes that he will find many hours of happy solace in. listen. ingtin, and a request for certain advice he sent to . friend of the writer has been attended. to. We listeners who enjoy good health and strength and are.in possession of all our faculties, cannot but realise what a boon listening-in must be to the stricken. It is pleasing, therefore, to mention that the T..G. Macarthy Trust las kindly donated £150 to the Wellington Hospital Board. for the definite purpose of extending the broadeast ‘listening installation at the Hospital to wards not at present equipped. Visitors to the Hospital cannot fail to rotice the happy faces of rows of patients lying in bed -with ‘their headphones on, enjoying entertainment from 2YA, Wellington, forgetting for the time being their unhappy plight. ISTENHERS who desire to reach out for the various stations available on an average evening, may be guided by the following. readings on the writer’s tuning dial :- 204, 2Y¥B, New Plymouth; 25 38ZC, Christchurch ; 253, 2ZM, Gisborné; 353, 2UH, Sydney; 39, 3YA, Christchurch; 41, 2GB, Sydney ;. 423, 8UZ, Melbourne; 4%, 1¥A, Auckland , 49, Japanese ‘station ; 51, 2BL, Sydney; 56, 3L0, Melbourne; 60, Japanese ; 623, Japanese "station ; 634, 4QG, Brisbane; 65, 5CL, Adelaide; 72,. 2FOC, Sydney;. 77, 4YA, Dunedin; 81, 8AR, Melbourne; 89, %7ZL, Hobart.

There are other.stations, including two or three American, which can be heard oceasionally on the loudspeaker, but this is.enly possible -under .exceptionally favourable conditions. The writer’s tuning dial shows fairly exact readings according to kilocycles, but it was thought advisable to give the conventional dial numbers in the above list. . HE question of the identity of the various Japanese stations heard frequently in New Zealand has‘cropped up again. This is a "hardy annual" and owing to the Jap. announcers being far less active as they used to be in giving .their call letters, the position is not so readily cleared up. The writer

is looking. for some educated Jap. -to‘ come .to his home-to translate some of the miles of Jap. stuff their announcers hand-out to us nightly. Perhaps it is the latest. news about the rice crops or dissertations on the national trend of the Jap. ladies to follow ‘the modern dress absurdities of Western nations. Who can. tell? N a recent morning, to be ‘preeine, 12.30'a.m,; "Switch" heard the announcer at 2F'C,.Sydney, state that he: would put on-two dance items in response to requests ‘from H.M.A.S. Australia. The time was equivalent to 11 p.m. in Sydney. Hvidently they listen in rather late on board the big cruiser. ‘HH writer was. present at the 2YA, Wellington, studios on ‘Thursday evening, August 8, when the party of twenty-two men and women from Wanganui gave their unique historical pageant. It was a most picturesque scene, and it is regrettable that the thousands of listeners who heard the delightful entertainment were unable to witness it also. Dressed in Native ‘cestumes, winsome Maori maids and stalwart. Maori painted warriors performed their hakas and poi dances as though they faced thousands of spectators instead of unseen listeners. As it was, however, on that-evening there was a gathering of some sixty guests in the large theatre-like studio, attired in fashionable frocks and evening dress, Jt was a fine spectacle, ; —