Radio Round the World

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 9, 13 September 1929, Page 5

Radio Round the World

a. [THE recent statistics for Americ& show that there are just under ten million receiving sets in use. There are enough sets in America (including those in factories and in dealers’ shops) to ’ endow every home in America, England, and Scotland. Perhaps America is not unjustified in calling herself the home of radio. qT Brussels recently, great controversy was excited by the installation of wireless*in the Parliament of Belgium. The microphone was placed near to the president who utilised this apparatus to evidence his disapproval in the case of any uproar or breach of order. THE first piece of grand opera to be broadcast in its entirety was broadeast from the Theatre Capitol in Tou_Jouse, at the beginning of the year. The "era ‘on this occasion was "Faust." F. the Continent opera is so popular +] music-loving public wait all the afternoon to obtain a seat, as the audience usually far exceeds the capacity of the halls. PILED haphazardly against a: beam in the basement of a hardware store in a North American city, a dozen or more refuse tin covers reproduced a radio programme without valves or other electrical aid. Discovery of the freak was made by the watchman after several nights of searching to loeate the source. The music was héard only after all radio sets and electric apparatus had been turned off for the night. .The happening was later ex-. plained by an expert as due to the high electro-magnetic field produced from a §000-watt station within a block of the building. The beam, he said, acted as an antenna, while the covers served to resonate with the modulated tones.

THE A.B.C. has ‘been successful in negotiating with the Australian Copyright Owners’ Association for a variation of the copyright fees. Hitherto, only a definite number eould be broadeast, but now a scale of charges per 1000 numbers has been imposed. Thus the company has now a much -less limited field for selection, and the result will be evidenced in more varied programmes, N innovaiton in radio lectures is the introduction over 2BL of Miss . Janet Mitchell, of the Government

Thrift Department. ‘This lady, per the air, gives instruction: to Australian housewives concerning the saving of money and the cutting down of the high cost of living. We anticipate that the husbands; of Australia will join in making a presentation to this interesting lecturer. ’ A POLICEMAN in Detroit has invented a radio receiving set which weighs only three pounds. The antenna is two feet in length, and is worn under the jacket, while the set, itself is worn around the neck. This new invention will make it possible for all the police force of Detroit -to be equipped with wireless receivers. and. thus co-operation with the motor force will be facilitated. PROFESSOR Jesse Williams, of the New York University, has begun a campaign against wireless. He says that wireless results in a great shock to the nervous system, and finally undermines the listener’s health. The professor declares that if wireless was to be set aside for a short time, America would notice a great improvement in the health of her people.

HE station to be erected at the Vatican is to be the largest in the world, and will broadcast at a strength of 50 kilowatts. The station will be a mixed one, with telegraph and telephony. The cost of the installation is estimated at half a million pounds, the whole of which is subscribed by the Catholics of America. "THERE has been much speculation as to the most powerful station in the world. It has finally been ascertained that the largest station in the world is situated at Prague, and is rated at 120 k.w. in the aerial, so the magnitude of this foreign station can be imagined. HERE have been some important de--velopments recently in the broadcasting of still pictures, and it is now officially stated that arrangements are in hand whereby every Buropean country will transmit them. Prague and Budapest are installing Fultograph transmitters, as are Rome, Madrid and Barcelona, Brussels, Helversum and Radio Paris are also to be seen as well as heard in the near future. RECENTLY in Sweden 155,000 people replied to a "questionnaire" which was sent out to 384,000.. By a huge majority no change of importance was desired. The inference is. that the

Swedes are either very complacent and easy-going, or that their programmes are well-nigh perfect. The chief criticism was that the programme contained too much music. They want more speeches. pun ‘Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, has awarded the John Scott medal to Dr. Lee de Forest. This well-known American radio man vastly improved the three electrode valve, which in its earliest form, invented by Flemming in England, had only a filament and a plate (anode) by the introduction of the "grid." RECENT invention in Russia is a means of controlling all public clocks by a centralised system of radio. This invention assures the uniformity in time of all clocks, and by controls at headquarters the hands can be set. A meter also reports if any clock is out of order, and also states the exact location. E\NGINEERS of WGY, Schenectady, announce that they have taken part in an interesting experiment. While they were listening at Schenectady to ® programme from the British

Broadcasting" Company in London, being relayed by PHI, Holland, the shortwave station of the General Hlectric Company picked up the rebroadcast and put it on the air. Hngineers of the B.B.C. picked up the American broadeast, and put it on the air, 5SW, Chelmsford; from whence it was once again received in America. The time taken for the series of three relays only amounted .to one twenty-fifth of a second from the time of the first broadeast from London. TATIONS JOBK and JOCK, Japan, roughly estimate the number of pirates in Tokio and Osaka to be 150,000 and 60,000 respectively, and it is thought. that the number of free listeners throughout the country will total easily 500,000. . HE 8B.B.C. is constantly receiving letters from people who declare that storms and electric showers are caused by wireless. During the war it was the sound of cannons that caused had weather, now wireless is blamed. No one-in New Zealand has yet at: tributed the earthquake to wireless. WIRELESS operators in air liners say that in the ratio of the altitude, in that ratio does the volume of reception decrease. One recently advanced reason for this was the absorption of electric waves by the sun, but there seem to be certain flaws even on the face of this statement. {FERMANY is rapidly approaching Br tain in its total of licensed listenars, Which now stands at over two and a half millions. In at least one dis-

trict a novel" method of increasing listeners is in vogue. Hivery listener who Successfully canvasses for another and gives his name and address receives a money prize equivalent to one month’s license fee. N Mexico City arrangements "were made to broadcast ahe proceedings of the trial of Jose Leon Toral, who has been accused of the assassination of General Obregon. This is probably the first time in which a murder trialhas been broadcasted by the State, and the step has been taken in view of the tremendous interest shown in. the trial, MONG the artists who featured at the ‘Trinity Grammar School Vice-Regal concert, broadcast August 27, from the Ashfield Town Hall over 2BL, was. Miss Marjorie Allomes, a popular New Zealand contralto. This young lady has charming ‘stage presence and her voice is remarkable for its richness and depth. Her artistie interpretations charmed all listeners. HE estimated number of radio receivers per thousand population in the United States lies between 68.1 and 90.9 per thousand, according to the enthusiasm of the statistician. If he is trying to estimate the market for receiving sets it-is the former figure, if he is trying to sell radio advertising, it is the latter. The smaller figure is probably very much closer to truth than the latter, [Ny Holland, before the prospective wireless enthusiast may put up his poles he must first receive the sanetion of the Administrator of Postal Affairs. This, no doubt, accounts in part for the very low number of listeners in Holland. ’