Radio Round the World

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 8, 6 September 1929, Page 5

Radio Round the World

f qT America the amateur transmitter \ is considered @ national asset. He ‘ ig given’ every encouragement in the matter of studying, experimenting and even of handling harmless messages* providing he adheres to the amateur waveband and does not accept a fee for his messages. The United States Government treats the amateur as a scientific enthusiast. The amateurs return this interest whenever they can, and thus during the Florida flood, three years ago, and the San Diego storm of two years ago, they were of great use. , TW a recent editorial, "Radio News" discusses whether radio is a negessity or‘a luxury, the query being prompted by the decision of an Hng--Jjish magistrates’ A broadcast listener /ho appeared in Court charged with ‘aving operated a radio receiving set without a license, pleaded: as an extenuating circumstance that radio was necessary to his livelihood. His plea was that he was a casual piece-work-labourer depending on broadcast news and reports for possible employment. The magistrate, however, would not accept’ the definition of the offender, On the contrary, he ruled that radio. was a luxury-to be classified under the eategory of motor-cars, expensive furs and diamonds. Consequently, under the existing law this radio pirate met. with the appropriate penalty. AH Siam Government has banned radio. This sounds like tyranny, but this is not so. The Government ‘does not believe that its people should be the butt of unscrupulous traders and purchase apparatus unsuited to the conditions and which will later have to be scrapped. About £12,500 has already been spent on experiments on this subject. .AN American company has been formed in Malaya with the object of providing broadcast service. for all parts of the Malayan Peninsula. The Singapore town clock is to provide signals for the hour of hoon. The proposed tax is £2 for one to four-valve sets and £8 for all above four valves. "THERE seems to be no advance at all’ in Indian broadcasting. The value of an efficient wireless organisation in India could not be exaggerated. Had wireless telegraphy been in use a hundred years ago, it can safely be said that the Indian Mutiny’ would have’ been but a flash in the pan, and most of the whites that were murdered -ggpould have been saved. OR the Radio Dxhibition to be held this year in Barcelona, a tower, 1800 odd feet in height has been planned. The base is to be 600 feet round and will accommodate a broadcasting station and a radio telegraph -station, besides a hotel, theatre, library, and museum. [THE new station in Frankfort, Germany, hag introduced a new scheme ‘in its construction. The walls of the studio converge to a point, and this is done as an aid to tone. The innovation is merely experimental and ithe effect seems to be to make the tone mellow and rich. The result is so satisfactory’ that other German studios consider adopting the device. ADIO is regarded with contempt, if not worse, in the Argentine, Broad- , casting stations seem to be classed a:

with: nuisances, and come under the same category as dust-destructors, cemeteries, soap factories, and. the like, and before ‘the end of the year they are to remove beyond the city limits. Under such a /regime the development of radio will indeed be slow. FrRoM Pole to Pole! .It is learnt from a Copenhagen paper that a message .sent from the wireless operator of the American Antarctic Dxpedi-

tion was heard at the North Pole by Mr. Hobbs, wireless operator with the Byrd Expedition in the South Pole. HUNGARY is very enthusiastic about wireless and the hobby -has become almost incredibly popular. Even the most humble home is equipped with a receiver of a kind, and the lowly yroad-mender listens to the strains of the world’s best orchestras, and even the thatched cottages are filled with the strains of Beethoven and Wagner. HE wireless programmes of Moscow are very interesting. All tastes ‘are catered for, but special efforts are made to try and make listeners appreciate the classical-and beautiful. A novel orchestra has been formed in one of the studios capable of broadcasting 200 different sounds. These sounds range from the bells of the carillon to the roar of the lion. IN the United States trains wireless has been installed not only for the amusements of passengers, but also as a means of. communication between the driver of the eonveyance and the other officials on the train. (When it is remembered that some American trains contain 115 carriages and are nearly a mile in length, it can be understood that some such mode of communication is necessary for safety and efficiency. T Station WRNY (New York) fam- ™ ous doctors met together to discuss what means could be employed to combat the dreadful disease of cancer: The conference was broadcast, the first discussion of its kind ever to have heen made public. They described the

symptoms of the disease and the mode of treatment and stressed the importance of having the disease treated even in the mildest form. "THE General Electric Company of America is at present carrying out experiments in order to transform ‘yadio wives into heat,"in other words the broadcasting of heat, The company reports that they consider that very soon the housewife will be able

to cease worrying about the mode of supplying heat for cooking purposes as heat will: be able to be received from the same source as the broadcast music. Even the Hskimos can look forward to a system of warming their no doubt chilly . igloos. RHNCH paper remarks that there is a correspondent who has two passions in life-duck-hunting and the study of wireless. So when he indulges in the former he takes with him a portable wireless set, and while waiting for the shy fowl, listens in to the latest from gay Paris. 2 A CONTINENTAL station recently gave. notice of their intention to deerease the transmitting hours by some two hours per.day. No sooner was this intention given publicity than over 500,000 letters of protest was. received by: the management. In the face of such overwhelming disfavour

the directors decided ° to make nd change in the broadcasting hours. [fALy desires to cultivate the tastes of her people. _ To further this, travelling kinema men journey to the outlandish places, taking with them portable kinema apparatus. They also carry a wireless installation capable of receiving the music from the nearest station, and this music acts as the incidental music to the picture, which is usually of an educational nature. B latest name in America for 2 wireless listener is a "shut-in," says "Popular Wireless." A little extension to this-new name and we shall. have a night’s listening-in described as being shut-in till shut-up at’ shutdown. N a recent air pageant in ‘America, Mr. ©. J. de Bever, a well-known instructor parachutist. carried what was claimed to be the smallest transmitting set in the world. He _ deseribed his sensations while falling 10,000 feet from a moving plane, and this broadcast was picked up and relayed with a fair measure of success by station 5XX. QNE of the new studios in the Columbia’ Broadcasting Company occupies two storeys and has a glass-en-cased gallery which enables visitors to see what takes place in the studio and at the,\same time. loudspeakers placed in different .places in the gallery. convey to the audience the — broadcast musie or words. HE United States Signal Corps is _ organising an amateur radio system with the object of providing extra communication channels during a national disaster, the igea being to augment or replace landlines which may be brought down by flood, fire or tornados. ERY elaborate regulations governing radio have recently been enacted in the Argentine. Besides giving stations notice to quit the city, the power used. has been limited by the authorities to between 500 watts and 10 kw. (antenna). Further, there are to be no tests or experiments between 10 am. and midnight. The violation of any of these rules will result in a very serious fine. A FRENCH newspaper recently introduced a "questionnaire" in which they invited their readers to state what type of amusement they most enjoyed. The apswers resulted as follow: The kinema 111,828 votes, football 104,899 votes, wireless was third with 60,489 votes, and finally dancing with 56,736 votes.

SPECIAL A.C. NUMBER Make certain to secure the special number of September 20 and read the special features: 1. The set every constructor is awaiting-the A.C. Browning Drake, five-valve, with 22 7s in all but last stage. 2. An amplifier to: use with a, gramophone, erystal, valve set, or-as a voice amplifier. 3. Conversion of sets-D.C. to A. C. 4, How to judge an A.C. receiver. 5. Modern valve developments. . ORDER YOUR COPY NOW. SEPTEMBER 20, 1929.