Notes and Comments

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 14, 18 October 1929, Page 11

Notes and Comments

B

SWITCH

nt ae tf "SWITCH" has received 2 communication from "H.M." (Matamata) concerning a patent aerial with which he is disappointed. "Switch" has tried out several types of patent aerials, and has generally found them most unsatisfactory. ‘The most efficient type of indoor aerial (which, however, cannot compare with an outdoor inverted "L"), is an imitation, as far as possible, of the usual inverted (outdoor) "L’" ,aerial. Some listeners can run these "indoor aerials inside the loft. Care should be taken to insulate the lead-down. through the ceiling to the set. Some of ’ these indoor aerials are rather too short, and to cope with this an inductance coil should. be added. . ME- LAWS, honorary secretary of the Wellington Radio Society, is one of a few. local listeners who has been obtaining loudspeaker reception if WLW, Crosley Radio Corporation, Cincinnati, 428 metres (7010 k.c.). This station is said to be employing 50,000 watts power. Mr. Laws says that he has received WLW after 11 o’clock at night, and-the strength was about the game as 2GB, Sydney. WLW is not there every night, but listeners should search for this station somewhere about midway between 5CL,. Adelaide, and 2FC, Sydney. The distance between Wellington and Cincinnati is somewhere about 8000. miles. Me. W. McINTOSH, mate of one of our coastal vessels, is an enthusiastic short-wave listener when lie gets a night at home. The other morning at about 6.30 o’clock he picked up on the headphones a station on about 10 metres, coming through "as clear as a bell," with scarcely a trace of fading ‘and very little static. A man with a eultured. English accent was reading long newspaper extracts, and some music was also transmitted. The stranger was on the air for over two hours, and was still‘there when Mr. McIntosh closed down. _ WELLINGTON radiotrician in- ™ forms "Switch" that an American "yalve-manufacturing company is now marketing A.C. valves rated to take 3 volts-on the filament instead tof the usual -2.5 volts. The new valves will, nevertheless, operate. with thorough efficiency, with. 2.7 volts. on the filament. The -advantage of these new. valves lies in. the fact. that in some- areas the voltage of the electric mains is too high, and _is thus causing undue mortality among the highest grade A.C. valves on the market. ‘The new valves would cope with this occasional trouble, but, of 'xgourse, would be inefficient where the yoltage of the mains is correct. It would appear that in America they get too much voltage from the mains in some places; hence these new valves. Me. BYRON BROWN, president of the Wellington Radio Society, will be absent from. Wellington for a month on a visit to Sydney. He leaves here on October 23 by the R.M.S. Tahiti. While in-Sydney Mr. Brown will spend part of his time in investigating broadcasting conditions over there, and will doubtless have something to tell the society on his return. Possibly Mr. Brown. may be induced to speak from one of the Sydney stations while he is over there. , At the Wellington Radio Society’s recent meeting, Mr. Preston Billing, while delivering a lecturette, remarked that a little while ago the re-

ceiving sets in general use were more efficient than the transmitting stations in New Zealand. Now, he continued, the YA stations are performing so well that the reproduction by the average set in use was far below the standard. of transmission. Mr. Billing is a strong advocate for the push-pull system of audio amplification in the last stage of all sets (battery or A.C.) for quality of reproduction. HE recent lecture on. Maori music from 2YA, Wellington, by Mr. Johannes Andersen was one of the most interesting and enlightening of its kind yet heard on the air in New Zealand. Mr. Andersen displayed a thorough knowledge of his subject and presented it in an engaging form. His performance on the Jew’s harp demonstrating how Maoris were able to speak actual words through the instrument was an astonishing feat. Mr. Andersen’s lecture must have made 2 wide appeal among all classes of listeners. (THEY say "Distance lends enchantment" applies to broadcasting, and those New Zealand listeners who enthuse over the transmissions of 2FC, Sydney, may pause to think when they learn that Sydney listeners have recently written to the Press complaining of the poor transmission. Not so long ago 2FC, as heard in Wellington, had an unpleasant blur, but lately it has recovered. It is a strange fact about broadcasting that the quality of reception of some stations differs at various’ distances. HE small Sydney station, 2UH, one evening lately was heard consistently. with greater volume than 2B, Sydney, for nearly an _ hour. There seems to be some mysterious influence in the air that favours the shorter wavelengths on some occasions. Mr. D. Wyles, the radio expert, who is néw resident in Melbourne, told "Switch" when he was in Wellington that there is some peculiar relationship between the wavelengths of broadcast stations and distances from the station. This has an important bearing on the strength of reception, and would account for the various differences of results reported by listeners. ae (Bltham) writes to say that "when he moves the Knob of one of his condensers there is a grating noise from the loudspeaker. He mentions various methods he has tried to cure this, but finds his efforts to’ eliminate the noise fruitless. The only way to make certain of curing this trouble is to connect flexible wire insulated

with spaghetti between the moving vanes and the bearings. This is known as a "pigtail" connection, and will be found on many of the up-to-date variable condensers. QNE cannot help regretting the number of beginners who take up broadcast ‘listening _ without becoming acquainted with the commonest requirements to ensure good reception. The writer examined an equipment recently which should have been capable of bringing in the Australian stations with satisfactory volume, but was scarcely able to bring them in at all. An, examination of, his installation showed that the novice’s earth wire was wrap- =

ped (not soldered) around a very dirty water-pipe. When the water-pipe had been scraped clean and the wire soldered to it the Australian stations came in with five times the previous volume. AN Hdgar Wallace play broadcast by ~ . .2YA, Wellington lately; met with some discussion at the recent meeting of the Wellington Radio Society. Some of the members condemned it, while others commended it. One listener said he would not listen to it, but mentioned that his wife was enraptured with the play. This is just another illustra-_ tion of the fact that there are widely divergent tastes among listeners, and no half-dozen people should attempt to force their tastes upon others. However, the meeting passed a resolution expressing appreciation of the Broadcasting Company’s efforts to increase the variety of its programmes, WELLINGTON listeners have noticed that 4QG, Brisbane, has now risen in frequency until it is practically on top of the Jap station, JOHK. Hvery evening now one can hear the Jap in the background of 4QG. The Brisbane station has always been subject to fluctuations in frequency, and this was attributed by a former Wellingtonian to the deterioration of the transmit-. ting valves at 4QG. Of all the stations across the Tasman 2BL, Sydney, has been the most consistent as regards frequency.