Notes and Comments

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 44, 16 May 1930, Page 7

Notes and Comments

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ISTENERS are still commenting on the vivid description of the fight between Sarron and Donovan given by Mr: Aldridge through 4YA, Dunedin. Heard on relay from 2YA, Wellington, every ‘word spoken by Mr... Aldridge rang. clearly,/ and even some of the blows could be heard. Another excellent American rebroadcast ‘was that of the baseball match Which came over a distance of 7000 miles to*New Zealand. DURING the past week the loudest of the minor Australian stations was 2UH, Sydney, which proved a consistent performer. Wellington. listeners find 2UB definitely superior to 2GB, Sydney, which was. formerly monarch of the minor Australian stations. An up-country Victorian listener yewrites to-the Melbourne Press that he can hear another station on. the wavelength of 2UE, and says he can hear the stranger after 20H closes down. S radio sets are not now permitted to be imported into Australia, the radio manufacturers in. the .Commonwealth are experiencing a rush of business. A Sydney company, which has been engaged in making talkie equipment, has now commenced the manufacture of radio sets on a large scale. A CORRESPONDENT, "Argentum" (Karori), has forwarded a suggestion that some educational expert be secured to give an address from 2YA, Wellington, on the subject -of selecting careers for boys and. girls who are about to leave school. He says: "Just now, when the outlook is occasioning ",. SO much anxiety to parents, an address on the various occupations or professions, and how to enter them, would be. listened to with the greatest. interest." NSTINTED praise is due to Mr. L. J. de Mauny, conductor of the Wellington Symphony Orchestra, for the high standard of efficiency attained by that brilliant organisation. Only those ‘behind the scenes can realise what it means to conductor and players alike to perform the superb works heard the other evening.

Me: K. H. THOW, of the Wellingtun office of the Standard Telephones and Cables (Australasia) Ltd. left Wellington by the Makura last week for Sydney to assist in the installation of five new broadcasting stations for the Commonwealth Government, ordered from the above company. Two of the stations, which: are to have an erial power of 2. kilowatts, will be erected at Newcastle and Rockhampton. Three 5-kilowatt stations will be erected at places not yet disclosed. FlvD additional broadcasting stations in Australia will have a tendency to crowd. the ether unless eareful consideration is given to the frequencies of existing stations, including those in New Zealand. Some time back there was semi-official talk of a eonference between representatives of the Commonwealth and New Zealand y concerning the wavelengths of the ' proadeasting stations of both countries. Nothing further eventuated, owever. As all the five new Australian stations will be more powerful than any existing Commonwealth stations it is to be hoped that they do not clash with any of our "YA" stations.

A WHLLINGTON listener who operates a high-grade A.O. receiving set, recently observed some sparking inside his set. Instead of switching off the current promptly he continued to operate the set with the intention of discovering what was amiss. The result was that a transformer winding burnt out, necessitating considerable = =

= expense in repairs. On the other hand, if he had switched off the current immediately, and sent for a radiotrician the trouble would have been located before serious damage was done. The instant anything wrong is noticed in an A.C. set the current should be cut off at the wall switch. AST week, Dr. J. Dale, medical offieer of health at Melbourne, gave a highly instructive address from 3L0O, Melbourne, on "Infectious Diseases in Children." The speaker pointed out that infection spreads quickly among juveniles, especially when some are allowed to associate with their playmates during the early and final stages of sickness. The medico gave valuable advice on the precautions to be taken before, during and after illness. J{VIDENCE of the desire on the part of the racing clubs to have the running descriptions of the races broadcast is furnished quite frequently. Only recently races were held on the same day at Warrnambool and at Wagga. The turf club at Wagga agreed to alter the starting times of some of the

races at its meeting so that they would not clash with those at Warrnambool. This enabled the actual running to be described from both race meetings. [HH other night a Wellington beginner imagined he had tuned in some long-distance mysterious station, and anxiously telephoned particulars to the writer. The beginner was obviously disappointed to learn that it was a small private station in the South Island. That the station was easily identified by the writer was proven by his friend’s admission that it was burdéned with a.continuous deep note not unlike the howl of a valve. This was merely a "beat note" occasioned by the southern station’s wave clashing with the wave of an Australian "B" class station. A NUMBER of the writer’s radio friends switch off their lights when listening to a radio play, and they affirm that it adds considerably to the effect. Darkness permits the listener to apply greater concentration to the play, and the majority of listeners will find it a decided advantage to put out the lights. The same thing applies to long-distance reception, and- many of the old-timers will agree that the sense of hearing is intensified through con-

centration due to darkness. Now that the ‘up-to-date a.c. sets have illuminated dials, there is no necessity to ‘keep the. room lights switched on’ when listening alone. ‘HE cabled news of the Gloucester girl who ¢onverted. her wedding present into a gift of a wireless set for every blind man, woman, and child in Gloucestershire at a cost of £10,000 will appeal to all listeners. It was a worthy deed which should evoke emulation in every country. The plight of the blind is terrible to contemplate, and nothing could compare with broadcast listening as a source of entertainment. and interest for those who shave lost their sight. The Gloucester girl’s handsome gift provides for the maintenance of the blind people’s sets fof ever. MANY a listener is grateful to the Brodeasting Company for putting 2YA, Wellington, on the air on the night of the Parnell election, so that listen-ers-in every corner of the Dominion were able to hear the results of the polling as soon as they were available. It was an event of national interest, and the value of 2YA .as the "great voice" was again exemplified. FFOR 2 considerable time past the "Hello Man" at 2FC, Sydney, has been giving a call each Saturday night to one of the station’s oldest listenersan elderly gentleman who was bedridden. Recently the latter died, and the following letter was received by 2FO from a member of the deceased’s family :- ' "J wish to thank you for the pleasure you gave grandfather in remembering him, and spéaking to him over the air oh various occasions, and the pleasure which he had in listening to your programmes generally. He had been confined to his room for the last two years, and the wireless meant a very great deal to him. I trust and hope that you will continue to give. pleasure to the sick and the aged. I am sure it will be very much appreciated, as it has been in this case... ."