Radio Round the World

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 29, 31 January 1930, Page 9

Radio Round the World

ECENTLY there was an interesting fe attempt to arrange a simultaneous transmission from ‘halls in two towns (Copenhagen and Aarhus-the chief town in Jutland), where the listeners’ associations arranged a meeting to discuss broadcasting. The technical arrangement was carried out by means of land lines connected with the broadcasting stations of Copenhagen and Ka: lundborg. In the ‘nature of ‘things the speakers in the two. halls had to take turns, and the lines to the stations were changed at the same time as the speeches from the halls. In each hall were placed a receiver and a loudspeaker, and in this way the speaker could be heard directly in one of the halls and via ether in the other halls. The meetings were conducted by a gyChairman in Copenhagen, who decided the order of the speakers, and who, through an assistant, was in permanent telephonic connection with the chairman in Aarhus.» , THE police of Klagenfurt, capital of Carinthia, have issued an order forbidding the use of high frequency "massage apparatus, X-ray apparatus, . and anything similar which may impede radio broadcasting, between 7 pm. and midnight, unless urgently necessary for the sick, in which case the doctor making use of such apparatus must take responsibility for showing the urgency to the satisfaction of the authorities.

N a Long Island estate (in New York) houses are being built round aerials to avoid the erection of polés. Insulated wire, covered by mouldings, is extended round the cornice of the roof and led-in down one corner of the house. The outlets are plugs one foot from the floor, these plugs also giving connection to mains current. In Americn, where nothing under five valves is tolerated, this type of aerial may be suitable, but it probably would not find much favour with set-owners in New Zealand, OMD of the B.B.C, stations are pro- ~ vided with huge earthing systems consisting of complicated networks of stout wire leading to large earth plates. The system is usually arranged in a circle, and covers, acres of ground. Hven these colossal earth plates are small by comparison with the ‘earthing systems used by some of the world’s high-power telegraph stations. These systems comprise miles of carefullyplanned wiring radiating like a spider’s web from the station, There is, in fact, aS much diversity’ in earths as in aerials, and there is a certain humour in the fact that whilst an aeroplane transmitter has no earth at all, the wireless operator on a trans-Atlantic liner is only just satisfied when using the whole submerged hull of the vessel for his earth plate. HDRE are 21,629,107 radio receiving sets in the world, according to the precise estimate of the BHlectrical Equipment Division of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The authors of this delicate computation state that there is one receiving set for every 124 pérsons in the United States, one for every 58 in Europe, and one for every 88 in the world. Rom Chicago comes the story of a sale of a set which was selected by a canary bird. The bird refused to sing when several sets were being played, but burst into song when a

certain muke of set was played. Some bird fancier is missing a good bet if he doesn’t train birds to sing only with each of the different sets which the Chicago bird disddins. "THROUGHOUT the Western States of America there is a threateneil boycott of a particular brand of toothpaste. More: many listeners have even declared that they will cease brushing their teeth altogether! The cause of this commotion? Tio artists, well known in the programmes, who sponsor a programme relating to tooth paste, have changed their time of broadcasting. On publication of the new timings a storm of protests burst upon the tooth paste proprietors’ offices, and it was estimated that more than one hundrei thousand persons registered their protests by letter, telegram, or telephoue.

AN individual who considers that he has been attacked by a French newspaper has a right of reply which must be published in a similar position and given a similar amount of space in the paper in which the attack has been made. A recent decision by the Court of Paris rules that a similar right cannot be invoked against a.wireless station for broadcasting news to which exception is taken. 5 | HILST the idea of issuing free licenses to certain classes of the community, such as the blind and the penniless, it is probably overdoing the notion to issue them, as is reported to be the case in Germany, to all people who are physically disabled or too old to attend entertainments. It is difficult to understand why a bed-ridden millionaire should be.exempted from paying his fee. The blind are in a class, as they are in a world, apart. War promised to rival in romance the radio rum-hunt in New York, namely, the drama of the steamer "Baron Hlecho,"’ whose wireless operator broadcast an 8.0.8. about cocaine and secret enemies, thus causing the British Navy to send four destroyers to his aid, has petered out to a case for a mental hospital; Fortunately, cases such as this are rare, and the average operator is a healthy, welltrained fellow with a keen sense of responsibility. GREAT radio manufacturing concern in Germany has conceired the ingenious notion of producing concerts of good music especially for wireless listeners, with the aim of enabling them, by a comparison with the original, to estimate better the quality of their own broadcast. reception. The eoncerts are given at popular prices each Sunday, at Berlin’s largest theatre, and are said to have had considerable success. The idea is another reminder that wireless promotes the cause of quality. People nowadays hear, via ether, concerts by first-class orchestras

in all parts of the world, and interest is now taken in music which thousands had never heard before, and thus the higher class of concert undoubtedly gains, SoME Danish radio papers have made an arrangement whereby, with the transmissions from restaurants as an intermediate link, they ruh different competitions. The arrangement is en ried out in this-way: the papers, in advance, notify their readers of the time at which the restaurant-band will play & number of melodies. Readers, by guessing the titles of the melodies played, or, in some cases, by voting for a certain melody which they- considey the best, can take part in the competition, in which prizes are offered. HOrrRAtT STEPHAN VON FODOR,, an Austrian inventor, and some time contemporary of Edison, has recently died at Budapest. He sent a model of his, own telephone invention to Thomas Edison in America, in 1880, which so impressed the great inventor that he appointed Fodor his collaborator, and later sent for him to visit him in America. He was in charge of the Edison section of the Electric Exhibition in Paris, and became managing director of the Budapest Electricity Company. Edison remained in correspondence with him till his death, and. when he himself came to Europe he made a point of visiting his old friend Fodor. |.

ing the same period of 1928. What other "time" was involyed is not reported. However, the method. seems to suit the U.S.A. advertisers and lise teners. NEGOTIATION S are in hand for another series of broadcasts by Sir Harry Lauder after his return to England from America, where he has experienced the mest remarkable triumph of his career, When it was known that Sir Harry was to go on the air in a cross-contineit¥al broadeast from a network of stations, radio listeners’ all over the States at once sent in requests for their favourite items from: Sir Harry’s repertoire.- More than fifty songs were included, and it took a large staff over a week to sort out the lettérs ‘and tabulate the suggestions. Eventually Sir Harry decided to sing the following: "Roamin’ in the Gloamin.’ "Wee Hoose ’Mang the Heiither,’ "Kind of the Road," "When I Get Back Again to Bonnie Scotland," and "I Love a Lassie." His broadcast was acclaimWith all. the wealth of superlatives which American journalism can command. It is understood that Sir Harry’s next broadeast in Great Britain will be in the autumn, and that he will give a programme similar to this American SUCCESS. A RECENT report from America "states that a Mr. J. Corrigan has invented «2 radio-controlled torpedo, This weapon, which is 28ft. long and Sft. across, carries about. a ton of T.N.T. and cai move at 40 iniles per hour. A MAN weut away for some months, leaving his set in the care of a friend. On his return the friend gave an account of his stewardship thus’; "Well, old man, I’m sorry to say I’ve broken the valves and jammed ° three switches, besides cracking a panel. Still, I’ve one bit of good news. You know that your accumulator used to bubble when it was charged? Well, I’ve stopped that!" f