World Radio News

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 48, 13 June 1930, Unnumbered Page

World Radio News

ECHNTLY: Austrian listeners haye been protected against interference caused by apparatus by a new Austrian Dlectricity Act. * * * 8 United States Noise Settlement Commission is introducing a Bill to restrict the use of shop loudspeakers to special occasions of national importance, * a * HH installation of wireless in all the hospitals of Ceylon is the object of the Hospital Wireless Fund created: by thé Radio Club of Ceylon. Several institutions are already equipped. * * * uN WELL-KNOWN English sportsman recently bought a Supermarine flying boat which is fitted with sleeping berths, dressing tables, a bathroom, and 2, cook’s galley. He has also had a powerful transmitter and receiver, a direction finder, and a broadcast receiver installed. It is expected that the equipment will provide reliable communication between the air-yacht and land .stations up to 400 miles, either om telegraphy or telephony.

Forty telephone calls were made between, ship and shore during the recent outward and homeward trips of the White Star liner Majestic,. when the new ocean telephone service was in use for the frst time, ‘ A LIFEBOAT, reported to ba. the fastest in the world, was recently launched at Dover. It was specially designed, to rescue aeroplanes which have been forced down at sea. A further innovation was. the fitting of a special telephone transmitter for communication with coastguard stations. [XN considering the phenareenat growth of broadeasting during the last seven years it is interesting to note that there are already about 20,000,000 sets in use, of which nearly one-half are in the United States. The number of broadcast receiving sets has thus reached in seven years a total of nearly half that attained by the ordinary telephone, which started on its career over fifty years ago.

HE Swiss Government is now completing’ the erection and installation of a 60,000-watt shortwave broadcast station, The Government hope shortly to broadcast international programmes, and invites Australia (and no. doubt’ New Zealand) to pick up these programmes and re-broadcast them. More Will, no doubt, shortly be heard of the Swiss "giant" station. * * * THE National Broadcasting Company of América recently. opened a new studio built on the roof of a New York theatre, This studio really consists of a specially arranged stage at one end of 9 large auditorium to which the public are admitted. While broadcasting is in progress a huge glass screen weighing six tons is lowered across the front of the stage to prevent noises. from the auidence reaching the microphone, but at the same time permitting the audience to watch the performers and hear them by means of loudspeakers distributed throughout the auditorium. — ,

FoLtLowine the introduction a few months ago of all-electric radio-. gramophones on the main trains in, Canada, the Canadian National’ Rai) ways are now engaged in the installation in 12 new observation lounge cars of a new system of wiring which will permit the reception of broadcast programmes not only in the ear in which the receiving set is located, but also in other cars of the same. train. This is the first time that the new system of wiring, known as "train-lining," has been tried by any railway, and the experiment is being followed with interest, Wireless entertainment is now provided on eight of the principal express trains of the Canadian National Railways systeia, and receiving appardtus is standard equipment on 75. of the company’s observation and library: cats. The sets are in charge at all times ff a uniformed and experienced: operi#for who also acts as a guide, * wa * SomMnE years ago, long before sound films had been introduced into New Zealand, Mr. HWdward Coubray, of Auckland, had béen experimenting with kinematograph apparatus, his ultimate ambition being to produce.a film which could be broadeast over thé ait. For some time he was held up in his work by the fact that even the best amplifiers and microphones which the world could produce had many faults. When these gradually became so improved that they were very nearly perfect, Mr. Coubray patented his own Coubraytone system of recording sound pictures, and a company was formed to work the apparatus. Initial attempts were very promising, and the Courbraytone is now .; being used to take an epic Maori film! at Taupo. This is under American supervision, and Mr. Alfred Hill is composing a special musical score for it. R x = T is expected that South America wil] experience a genuine radio boom this year as a result of the action of the Argentine Government in taking over control of broadcasting (writes a correspondent in "World-Radio"). There are twenty-two stations within the city limits of Buenos Aires, and these stations have been deviating from their assigned wavelengths. The result was that broadcast reception was extremely poor, owing to interference. The Government, since taking control, has ordered all broadcasting stations to move their transmitters out of the city limits during the next nine months. The Secretary of Communications in the Argentine Cabinet will enforce is regulation. The belief is expressPd that with reception conditions "#nproved as a result of Government intervention, the use of receiving sets will increase considerably. In spite of poor reception conditions and the fact that little attention has so far been give: to the production of programmes, the demand for receivers has been quite brisk. The twenty-two broadcasting stations in Buenos Aires have been: presenting extremely sketchy entertainments made up almost entirely of gramophone records. .