Notes and Comments

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 20, 29 November 1929, Page 13

Notes and Comments

B

SWITCH

‘B HEGINNERS frequently ask "Switch" what he regards as being a perfect erial for broadcast reception. An inverted "L" aerial is the best type, and the wire should be single, either one Piece of 14-guage or stranded wire. An American radio writer says: "Radio experts are agreed that a single long wire, so placed as to be free from other wires or metal, makes the best aerial. This wire should run horizontally, and, in general, at right angles to and as far as possible from power lines, trolley lines, or other interference sources. For maximum signal in the broadcast band, a horizontal length of about 100 feet at a height of fifty feet is best. Such an aerial should be electrically shortened by a series condenser of, say, .0005 mf. to .0001 mf. to render it useable with, modern receivers under modern receiving conditions, except in locations very remote from broadcast stations." The series cgndenser tends to give greater selectivity. "THOSE New Zealanders who picked up the relay from 2MH, Sydney, of the running description of the Me!‘bourne Cup will be interested to learn that the voice describing the race was carried a distance of over 570 miles on a telephone line from the Flemington racecourse to 2ME, Sydney. The fact that the relay was over such 2 lengthy land-line placed 2MH at a disadvantage. This accounts for the fact that 83MB, Melbourne, though transmit: ting with much less power, was heard much better in Wellington. "THE latest American mail brings ' news that KNX, at Los Angeles, ‘California, has been granted authority by the Federal Radio Commission to use 50,000 watts, the maximum power allowable for broadcasting. The commis: sion approved the application of the station for a construction permit to install a 50,000-watt transmitter and to increase the power from 5000 watts to 25,000 watts, with an additional 25,000 watts for experimental purposes. All stations using 50,000 watts are authorised to broadcast on the same experimental basis. KNX, owned by the Western Broadcasting Co., will operate full time on the 1050 kilocycle channel (285.5 metres), which it now uses. Before long, KNX should be heard, on its increased power, by hundreds of New Zealand listeners. THE Humphrey Bishop Musical Comedy Company which toured ‘New Zealand some time ago was heard from 2FC, Sydney, and 3LO, Melbourne, on Wednesday evening, November 20. The manager of this artistic combination is a firm believer in broadcasting ‘as a medium of advertising, and when in the Dominion permitted the shows to be broadcast. It is quite possible that the company will revisit New Zealand soon, and listeners may be able to hear them over the air fron’ the "YA" stations, DESCRIPTION of the arrival at Melbourne on November 21 of the s.s. Malolo, the American tourist ship which is cruising around the Pacific under the auspices of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, was broadcast by 38LO recently. This station also broadcast the speeches at the juncheon on board the vessel. The vessel is due at Auckland shortly, and probably 1YA, Auckland, will be able to obtain something to broadcast from the Malolo during her visit to that port.

" A LWAYS" (Bitham) writes: "Don’t you think that there is an excess of speech on the air each night from the Australian stations? Almost any night you can tune from one ‘Aussie’ to another and get either a lecture or a radio play from any of them. In former days there was less talk, and the ‘Aussie’ programmes were worth sitting up to hear. Also, when the talk ‘barrage’ is over nowadays we get dance music ad nauseam from the ‘Aussies.’" To which "Switch" replies that there is abundant music from the New Zealand stations every evening, and the trans-Tasman stations’ programmes need not worry "Always." ADIO reception throughout the » guests’ rooms of hotels has not _yet been taken up in New Zealand, but this innovation is certain to be adopted in time. In America the practice of employing a central radio receiver installation and then supplying a number of loudspeakers and headphones seattered throughout hotels and other buildings has been taken up by architects and builders throughout the country. WELLINGTON listener who operates a fairly good A.C. set informed "Switch" that he was unable to tune in the smaller distant stations like his friends, although he received the YA stations and also three or four of the Australian "A" class stations with excellent volume. He admitted, however, that he invariably closed down before 11 p.m. Apart from the latter disadvantage he showed, when he was asked for a demonstration, that . he had no patience in tuning. He turned his dial almost as quickly as though he were winding a clock. To get low-power distant stations requires patience. Some year’s ago the American radio papers went so far as to state that success in DX work was 70 per cent. due to skill in tuning. OUR thousand radio enthusiasts, when answering a questionnaire from the Chicago Commonwealth Club, mustered only 106 votes, for saxophone music. The brass calabash appears to. be the least popular instrument amongst listeners. Major preference was shown for orchestral selections, 2916 votes being recorded in favour for this type of music. Men’s voices came next, with 23738 votes, while organ music received 1652 votes, Only 36 per cent. wanted more jazz music, while 68 per cent. declared for more classical selections. Among the complaints concerning broadcasting were: Too much advertising, too much jazz, too many stations, mediocre announcers, woman |

announcers, and too many preachers. Fifty-three per cent. stated that radio advertising annoyed them. The latter result has‘a very important significance, for the whole organisation of proadcasting throughout America depends solely upon the revenue derived from advertising per medium of radio. OT the least interesting exhibits at the late Wellington Radio Dxhibition were the old-time wireless components, sets and valves, which were used when radio was in its infancy. At the recent Chicago Radio Show an interesting exhibit was a BadenPowell kite, associated in the minds of everyone who knows radio, with the carrying aloft of the aerial at St. Johns, Newfoundland, on December 12, 1901, when Marconi first succeeded in trapping a trans-Atlantic wireless signal. Also to be seen was an exact replica of the apparatus on which the famous inventor first heard the three-dot sig-

nal, the letter "S,’? sent from Poldhu, England, while the Baden-Powell kite plunged about aloft. They were the three dots which changed a’ world. HW Zealanders must wait for a con_Siderable time yet before they can purchase radiovision -receiving -sets really worth having. A CHicago exchange says: "The person who attends the Radio Show (held in Chicago last month) with the idea of buying a radiovision set is doomed to disappointment, inasmuch as there is not at the present time a complete radiovision receiver which may be bought and installed like the modern all-elec-tric radio set. But the radiovision apparatus that is displayed is perhaps as near perfect as is possible with present apparatus." "QWITCH" remembers seeing, not so long ago, employees in a clothing factory working while a gramophone supplied music for them. The Chicago "Herald" says: "The day is not far off when factory hands will work to the tune of radio music, one leading radio manufacturer believes. The effect of. musie on the worker is surprising, he says. Fatigue is reduced, the morale of employees is bolstered and production is increased, according to officials of a radio valve company where such an experiment was recently conducted. A public address system with several speaker outlets furnished stirring radio music to 1000 employees in that test."