Radio Round the World

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 20, 29 November 1929, Page 5

Radio Round the World

[THE loneliest island in the world, that of Tristan da Cunha, is now able to listen in to 5SW, Chelmsford, for recently the inhabitants of the island Were presented with a short-wave receiving set. The minister of the island, while on his way back after a holiday in England, was given detailed instructions on the operation of the set. Though slight trouble was at first experienced, the set eventually operated excellently, and 58W is constantly received at good loudspeaker strength ‘over a distance of 6000 miles. "['WO unusual records, in connection with broadcasting have recently been created in South-Eastern Europe. A new high-powered station at Bucharest, which commenced its transmissions a few: months ago, announces itself in no fewer than five languages, namely: Rryenanian, French, German, Italian, hd Hungarian. The other unique oc_q@urrence happened in Budapest. The owner of a particularly loud and raucous loudspeaker persisted in ignoring the complaints and threats made by neighbours against his persistence in using the instrument, practically all night. He is now in the hospital recovering from an assault made by an exasperated neighbour, while the latter has been charged with attempted murder. ° HE City Council of Verdun (Quebec), the fourth largest city in the province, are considering installing loudspeakers on the boardwalk, which stretches four miles along the river front. In the summer time radio conyeerts would thus be broadcast to thousands of residents and visitors who take the air nightly on the boardwalk, which is the finest in Canada, The plan is to install a dqgzen loudspeakers,to be operated from the city’s central power plant. Important messages can also be broadcast to the crowd in this manner. T is understood that a Catholic radio company at Cologne is planning to build a huge broadcasting station in Belgium, which may be ready for use this October. ‘The Catholic Broadcasting Company in Holland also operates the station at Huizen, which is five times as powerful (according to the "Catholic Herald’) as the largest American Catholic broadcasting station. This organisation is now making strenuous efforts to secure time from the Dutch Government station for comniunicating with the colonies, Sumatra, Java, and Dutch Guinea. NY idea which may have been cherished that radio advertising, which has always been so prominent a feature of American broadcasting, was on the wane must reecive a setback from facts and figures recently published. It appears that so far from suffering any diminution, advertising by the microphone has increased during the first seven months of this year by 94.8 per cent., as compared with the corresponding period of 1928. During these seven months advertisers have spent very nearly £2,000,000, compared with a little over £1,000,000 for a similar period last year. The growth of newspaper -.advertising, according to a survey of ifty leading citiés, was only 18.8 per eént. Prodigious though the above figures, seem, they cover only the National Broadcasting Company and the Columbia Broadcasting Company. Ii sixth annual New York Radio Show, which closed on September

28, had a record attendance. With the close of the show the manufacturers began packing up their displays for shipment to Chicago in readiness for the opening of Chicago’s eighth annual Radio Show, which will be held during the week of October 21. The show management is laying plans to ‘make the Chicago show not only an interesting display of radio receivers of the latest and finest type yet seen by the public, but also to provide as extra attractions displays of unusual interest. In this connection there will be a. television exhibition with voice and pictures synchronised. There will also be a display depicting the progress of radio during the last four decades. Prize contests and exceptional programmes will also help make the period of the show a red-letter week for Chicago. [THE League of Nations Sub-commit-tee considering the matter has unanimously pronounced in favour of the proposal that the League’s new Wireless station shall be worked in normal times by a Swiss wireless company, and handed over to the League in times of crisis, when a Swiss observer would be present. ‘The Swiss wireless company will undertake to establish alongside the existing station near Geneva short-wave transmitters for communications beyond Hurope, The League of Nations would pay for the first few years about 200,000 francs (Swiss) annually to cover expenses, which sum, however, would diminish as exploitation-of the station increased. [® was stated recently in London that if wireless telephony to Australia is shortly to be introduced, it will be limited to a speaking box in Sydney. It is explained that the present apparatus used in Sydney allows excess waves of current to run back along the outgoing circuit to England, creating "singing," which prevents switching to subscribers’ telephones .or a connection with Melbourne. To overcome this the British Telephone Department is building a duplicate of its valve switch gear which is operated by the speaker’s voice, shuts the return circuit, and prevents "singing." A DELEGATION of German radio officials has been making a tour of inspection of the United States. It is stated that the chief object of the visit was to determine the feasibility of exchanging German programmes with the United States, and tests on the short waves are to be made from the chief station near Berlin this month, Dr. Kurt Magnus, of the German Broadcasting Company, declared that American programmes rebroadeast have been heard clearly in Germany. A notable experiment with rebroadcasting was conducted when the German delegation was travelling to the United States on the new liner

the Bremen. JEach night a report of the liner’s progress in the attempt to set up a speed. record was broadcast on the short waves and picked up in Berlin and rebroadeast not, only throughout Germany but to other parts of the Continent. , T the Radio Dxhibition at Copenhagen, held recently, statistics indicated that the percentage of listeners in each country in Burope proves that Britain is third on the list with 64.7 per thousand population ; Denmark appears to have the highest percentage of listeners per population with 77.4; Sweden being next with 67.8; Austria is fourth with 54.5; and Germany fifth with 44.7. QNE of the most curious chess games ever played will be that which has been arranged between Dr. A. N. Shaw, of McGill University, Montreal, and Mr. F. I. Davies, who is a member of the Byrd Antarctic Wxpedition, which is at present in the grip of the Antarctic winter. © The game will be played, of course, through the medium of vadio short-wave communication, the players being separated by close upon 8000 miles! ACCORDING to a census of licenses .ecently made in Scotland, there were only half the number of listeners there per 100 of population that there are in England. As there seemed to be no important reason why listening should not be as popular in Scotland

as in England, the Post Office authorities became suspicious, and a wireless detective van was brought into commission. Its initial appearance in Glasgow was immediately followed by a strangely large increase in the number of licenses taken out. It seems as though the canny Scot hastily hove his national prejudices overboard, and made a dash for the nearest post office. CORRECT studio "atmosphere" has. always been regarded in America as a vital necessity to the sensitive broadcast artist, and many ingenious architectural devices have been employed to obtain various effects such as the "Palm Court" and- the "Terraced Garden."- Now Dr. M. Luckiesh, described as° Cleveland’s "lighting wizard," has devised a system of illumination for the National Broadcasting Company of America, which can transform any studio into a cathedral or a severe Roman forum by the turn of a switch. The effects are obtained by concealed lights and cunningly designed shadows which give the studio walls the appearance of receding or advancing according to the requirements of the producer. VERYONE has at some time or other said or thought uncharitable things about his neighbour for interfering with his evening broadcast reception. Matters have become so bad in Germany that a Government department has been asked to forbid the use of electrical apparatus (such as violet-ray machines, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, and so on) during broadcast hours. The aggrieved listeners, however, received cold comfort from the authorities, who have only pointed out that the state cf the law in Germany does not permit of any action on their part, and merely add that manufacturers of electrical apparatus should take care that it is so designed as not to cause interference with radio. reception.