Topical Notes

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 19, 22 November 1929, Page 26

Topical Notes

(THERE are a few New Zealanders who are still anxious to see radiovision developed in this country. A prominent expert says:-‘The difficulties of radiovision are tremendous, and we must be patient while the problems are being solved. These problems concern electrical and mechanical engineering and optical science. A new kind of photoelectrical cell has had to be developed and new instruments designed. Besides; static has proved more troublesome than in radio. Bearing these facts in mind, it is small wonder that the progress in radiovision has appeared slow. The engineers themselves ave not certain what the future holds. However, in an address before a group of engineers at Pittsburgh recently, Mr. David Suaranoff, executive vice-pre-sident of the Radio Corporation of America, described radiovision as a promising infant, but still too delicate for anything but laboratory experiment." "THE report in the Melbourne daily press that a Melbourne radio amateur overheard conversations on the trans-Atlantic phone is rather interesting in view of the fact that in the next few months a radio telephone service between Australia and Great Britain is to be inaugurated. The facts of the case are that the Marconi Co., and the Radio Corporation of America are at present conducting experiments with yarious systems of transmission . on the short ware London-New York phone link. When the link is completed, the "single side-band" method of transmission will be used to defeat the ends of radio evesdroppers. A similar system will be used on the Australian beam phone service. , Mes. H. MARTIN (Temuka) writes: "I wrote to you about a week ugo telling you of a ‘terrible frying noise’ I was getting over the air. Last night I think I located the trouble, coming from the main power lines, Coleridge to the south. I was walking along the street, and on passing one-of the poles my attention was attracted by a very familiar sizzling. I stopped for about five minutes and listened, then returned home immediately and turned on my set (8 p.m.) just to find it sizzling away in sympathy with the power lines. In abont an hour’s time when it was dark, 1 went back to the pole, and one of the insulators was indeed ‘sparking’ very well.. I then went along to the next pole and found three insulators, all sparking merrily. Needless to say, I have written to our radio inspector, hoping that the information will be of some use, and the trouble will soon be rectified." In reply to Mr. Martin’s complaint in last week’s notes, "Switch’ suggested a leakage over an insulator as a possible cause of the noise. ‘