Our Mail Bag

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 11, 27 September 1929, Page 12

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.

Distortion in Taranaki. AN ‘you explain why 2YA station ‘gives such distortion? We tried to listen to the concert from the Town Hall on Friday, September 13, but it was utterly impossible to hear anything at all, it just seems to choke all the time, All the veonle un here say the same, yet when we log into 1YA and 8YA it is beautful. Our set eannot be at fault or else it would distort the other stations similarly. Australia comes in splendidly. We have @ seven-valve all-electric set with a

dynamie speaker.-

E.L.

C.

(Taranaki)

Tacet not Wanted. I OBJECT to the tacet in the dinnermusic. This is no doubt a sore point to country listeners. To some it is all right, but in most country homes the set is turned off and is often not started again, so the dinner music is gone. I have asked quite a number of listeners their opinion of tacet, and by one and all it is condemned. Will all objections be ignored? Why not a vote on the subject? I appeal to other listeners to back me up by sending in their objections. I think we will soon get it cut right out. As far as I am concerned there is nothing wrong with the concert programmes, and the announcer is first class. The dinner music to most farmers who retire at 9 o'clock takes the place of the later music, Do you think we are asking

too much ?

B. W.

Friis

(Reporoa).

"Drifting and Dreaming." O, Sir! I cannot agree with the dinner music tacet-neither can anyone else with whom I am acquainted. It is jolly annoying to have to keep turning the set on and off (for my

Seotch nature could not allow me to let it run while nothing was coming over). It quite spoils my appetite and after a heavy day’s ploughing or whatever the work for the day might be, one can do with a square meal and a little restful music. Keep it going all through-we can tone down the set if it igs too loud to permit conversation. Furthermore, if we then want tacet we ean make our own. Leave it to our good discretion-don’t inflict these silences upon ws. Another growl-that wretched announcement in the middle of a selection. It does jar, especially when one hag finished dinier and with a pipe between his teeth and his feet on the mantelshelf closes his eyes and let the imagination run with the theme to be brought back hard to earth by "2YA, Wellington." The other night they were playing "Broadway Melody"and oblivious of time and place, my

mind, grasping the spirit, was flitting over my first impressions of New York (we called there on our return from France), when with a thud the announcement right in the middle of my happiest memory. Off went the setI consoled myself by the Thursday special. Mr. Editor, you have some influence. Please use it on behalf of we silent sufferers.-"Dreamer" (Otahu). [The announcement of the station is not made for fun, but to comply with the broadcasting regulations of the authorities requiring the name of the station to be.given at certain inter-vals.-Hd. ] Radio Announcing. "THANKS to Mr. Ball for the long list of interesting news on Monday evening, we had news from Auckland to Bluff, and a budget from overseas, and all well given, and in short time. Mr. Fred. Martin is a bit contradictory. He thinks 2YA’s announcer the best in New Zealand and is pleased to hear him say "Good-night." Mr. M. may be a judge of boxing, but I guess he is not of elocution. I have already said Mr. Announcer at 2YA had improved, but I was. too modest to take any credit. It is a fact, however, that such improvement has been most noticeable in the past three months. I pointed out, too, that I thought all speakers, as well as announcers, should say "Good-night." "Good afternoon," ete, when going off, but "Thank you" was, I considered, unnecessary, as few speakers are so stale, flat and unprofitable as to require to thank the public for listening. I will not continue this controversy, but I shall feel it a duty to give healthy criticism, if such is necessary, as I believe the Broadcasting Company are out to improve where that is shown possible, and I think the "Radio Record" welcomes any correspondence with that objective -‘Lux cum Amore." A Much-Discussed Point. POINT sometimes discussed by short-wave listeners is the actual time at which Big Ben is broadeast by Station 5SW. Advice received by Mr. ,T. P. Sewell, of Christchurch, from the authorities at 5SW is to the effect that Big Ben is actually broadcast by that station only at midnight, Greenwich time. The "tweets" which are sometimes heard locally by listeners at 9 p.m., Greenwich time, are the special 6-dot seconds then given out as time signals. From Fiji. I AM the possessor of a factorymade set, and have been listening in to all the New Zealand and Aus:

tralian stations for the past 12 months, and on no occasion have I had to complain. . Taking into consideration the distance I am from those stations, and allowing for tropical conditions, I say that the broadcasting of New Zealand and Australia have come in on tremendous volume; and on many occasions I had to reduce the volume by more than half. I make it a point of tuning in at 5.80 p.m. (N.Z. time, 5 p.m.), and have no occasion to shut down until I hear that well-known voice from 2YA say "G -d night." There are only a few of us here who have sets, and I have heard from all that the programmes broadcasted are all that could be desired, and I am taking this opportunity of congratulating 2YA and other stations for the manner in which they have broadcasted. . August 8, 9, 10 and 11, during the — stay of the Maori party, a number of New Zealanders were present in my house, and could not express their delight for the magnificent programme submitted by the Maoris. It was reeoived here at full loudspeaker strength.

Contented

(Rarawai;, Fiji) .

Thoroughly "Disgusted." THE letter of "Disgusted" (Invercargill) of 18th inst. issue from one point of view calls for a drastic reply; from another, deserves to be simply ignored! He is apparently one of those individuals who flouts and treats with contempt any opinion but his own. He should realise that very many people thoroughly appreciate the grand opera recitals. Possibly he is a fortunate person, who is able to purchase all the new and expensive high-class records as soon as they are released. (I. pictured him, however, as one who thinks "In a Monastery Garden," "In a Persian Market," "In a Chinese Temple Garden," or "In a Zulu Market Garden" as the finest music ever written.) But he should remember that all listeners are not equally fortunate and are glad to hear good records over the air. The idea of preferring a "trio" for the dinner-music sessions is ‘farcieal. If "Disgusted" possesses an up-to-date set, capable of good reproduction (he should do, as he possesses all the good records) and is himself capable of managing it, he should realise that with most of the high class re-eords-electrically recorded and elec- trically reproduced-it is impossible to be certain that the actual orchestra vr . yoealist is not at the other end! From a musical point of view very few New | Zealand artists can as yet achieve as much. "Disgusted’s" objection to "canned" music as such cannot be based upon the musical results, but merely upon the fact that he considers that the Radio Broadcasting Company are not spending as much money upon his entertainment as they should do! He would rather (he says so deliberately) have a much less interesting session by a trio-at higher cost-than a firstclass concert from well-chosen records. There can be no two opinions as to the interest! On only one minor point do I agree with "Disgusted," and that is on the question of alternative programmes on Sundays; but I realise that religious opinion in the four centres is too . strong for such an innovation, and I (Continued on page 24.)

Our Mailbag

(Concluded from page 12.) therefore go to one of the Australian stations in the evenings. In conelusion I rather wonder at the "Record" publishing "Disgusted’s" letter except as a horrible example of the unreasonableness of some listeners. Reasonable criticism is good and stimulating, but such a diatribe against everything---however trivial-with which "Disgusted" does not agree, is. fittingly, (lisgusting !--B.P.S. (Orewa). "Pack Up Your Troubles." A IGHT I ask.if "Disgusted" has ever had any satisfaction from YA stations, or from his set? Or if he has ever been satisfied with anything else but himself? Perhaps if this person was to be put at the head of broadcasting affairs of New Zealand he may be satisfied, but the question is, Would anyone else be? Might I suggest that seeing "Disgusted" is so fed up with YA stations he pack up his kit and also his radio set and go to Australia, where. in his opinion, he can get satisfaction. All good wishes to 2YA, and especially Mr. Announcer.-" Well Satisfied" (Gisborne). Another Radio Widow. DESIRE to show my appreciation and approval of the suggestion of the "Radio Widow’s" letter in last week’s "Record." During the few years that I have been a listener-in we have had in the house several expensive radio sets and the numerous gadgets, wavetraps and thingamebobs that have been used on them would astonish you. But much as my husband has enjoyed tinkering with them,

I think he has most enjoyed the results of several recipes I extracted from your woman’s point of view col-umn-specially one I call "the, gadio" pudding that we all enjoy ¢. ce a week, and particularly with a due amount of brandy sauce on Christmas Day. So I hope you will eurtail your construction column and _ start again a household cookery hints for women column. , This would please.me very much, for my husband spends so much of the night trying new construction ideas that I may truly sign myself-"Half a Widow." Vagaries of Wireless. WIRELESS has been well said to resemble a woman for vagaries, To-night at 9.10 distortion was 4o strong with Wellington that. T switched on to Auckland, which came through splendidly clear, and s0 strongly that I had to control the yol-

ume

W.

Wright

(Rahotu).