Notes and Comments

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 23, 20 December 1929, Page 12

Notes and Comments

SPEAKER at the Wellington Radio Society’s meeting refuted, the allegation that the howling valve nuisance was mainly due to home-constructed Sets. He alleged that.some of the sets manufactured by some local professional builders were mainly responsible for the howling valve nuisance. An opposite view was taken by another speaker, who considered that by far the greater number of howling valve sets were home-constructed. Sales of component parts clearly indicated that there were a large number of beginners who had been making their own one, two, or three valve sets, and these people attempted to get more out of their sets in long-distance reception than was reasonable to expect. [AN old friend of long-distance listeners in New Zealand, KGO, Oakland, California, has sent in an application to the United States Government Radio Commission for permission to increase its power from 5000 to 50,000 watts. It seems quite probable that the permission sought will be granted, and in that event New Zealand listeners, far and wide, who operate multivalve sets should obtain splendid reception from this Californian "giant" next winter, up till about 8,80 o'clock, on three or four nights each week. KGO nowadays

links up by land-line with the largest Metwork* of national broadcasting schemes, and some superb programmes are available through that medium from Chicago and New York, IME and again "Switch" is importuned by listeners to urge the broadcasting from 2YA, Wellington, of certain gramophone records which make a special appeal to these persons. Listeners should realise that the usual programmes are arranged weeks ahead, and it cannot be expected that the musical director ean at a few minutes’ notice find a particuldr record during the afternoon sessions; nor is it desirable ‘that the published programmes for the evenings be deviated from. During the Christmas daily transmissions, however, listeners could telephone 2YA and ask for their favourite records to be put on the air on the following day. ‘This would enable the musical director time to obtain the desired record if it were available, "QPus" (Hataitai) has sent a note to say that listeners should be given an opportunity of hearing the latest complete grand opera issue of the ‘Col. umbia people, "a Traviata," which he says transcends everything yet produced by them. He mentions that the cast includes a wonderful new Italian baritone, Galeffi, who must be heard to be believed. "Opus" states that this offering by Columbia is only just out.