Radio Round the World

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 24, 26 December 1930, Unnumbered Page

Radio Round the World

~ ‘A FRENCH radio journal recently organised a competition during which twenty-three musical selections were played by various. instruments. Iu the results the accordion headed the list, closely followed by the violin, while the saxophone was placed last. & s as 'A_ UNIQUE exhibition of mechanical aids to learning was recently held in London. All the various devices that have been: employed as visual. and auditory aids in education, from

pan the old-fashioned magie lantern to the latest talking film "and television equipment, were ‘exhibited. 3 R * ;FrRoM an aeroplane in flight, words and music were broadcast recently in Canada from eight loudspeakers extending from the sides of the plane. The entire apparatus weighed only 600 pounds, and was clearly audible on the ground from an altitude of 4000 feet.

FRRECENTLY the lights failed in the Manchester studio when the. orchestra was in the middle of a concert. . With commendable coolness the conductor lighted a cigarette and conducted his orchestra with the glowing end of it. Eo = * BROADCASTING books are being balanced by the American ‘radio authorities in an attempt to learn what it costs to give to the nation its broadeasting entertainment, and to see how much money the service as a whole is making or losing. This information is being obtained through forms sent to some 600 stations by the Federal Radio Commission. HH Soviet Government is preparing a special five-year programme for the development of communications, including wireless. The scheme ineludes a network of sixty-two radiotelegram stations situated at stragetic points, besides a system of "wired wireless" for the distribution of broadeast programmes, ‘The complete communications scheme will involve a capital outlay in excess of £135,000,000. 7] ah 2

A MAN said to be known internationally as a "radio wizard" and "wanted" by France and Hngland for infraction of radio laws, was among the persons apprehended by the Brooklyn police when they raided a rumrunners’ wireless station at Coney Island recently. The transmitting apparatus, valued at £3000, was used for regular communication with rum-run-ning vessels outside the twelve-mile radius. bo] s A RECENT announcement in England to the effect that someone had discovered an ether wave with a velocity greater than that of light has excited the disciples of Hinstein. One of them regarded the announcement as inspiration for the following limerick: There was a young lady named Bright Whose speed was faster than light. She eloped one fine day, In a Relative wayAnd returned home the previous night! * * = THE interest in simple and multivalve receiver building in the home is by no means dead. This was revealed by the replies to a questionnaire recently sent out by a wellknown American radio manufacturing company. The countless distinctive engineering advancements still being made are an important contributing factor to this sustained interest i home construction. .

WIRED wireless appears to be growing in popularity in Dngland. The Postmaster-General recently — stated that there were 56 licensed private radio exchanges, with roughly 12,172 subscribers,. operating in. the- my x, % _ Qraristios 1 from U.S. Government departments indicate that radio is comparatively unaffected by the world trade depression. The Department of Labour reports that forty-four radio manufacturers employed 82,103 work ers in August, an increase of 25.8 per cent. over the figures for July. _ a a

> = v [as wireless audience in America now numbers 52,581,840, with 12,824,800 families, or 48 per cent. of the total: population owning sets, according to a recent revised survey. Among other interesting points in the survey are the following: Over.75 per cent. of the sets in use have more than fiv yalves; 81 per cent. of listeners their sets two hours daily; the most popular listening period is ‘between 8 and 10 p.m.; more than 52 per cent. of listeners own sets over two years old. ‘The N.B.C,. estimates that it has a nightly audience of 7;000,000. * i} I BERLIN engineer, after conclud- ' ing a series of experiments, has decided that fog signals,: broadcast on ultra-short radio waves of 20 to 100 centimetres, would be much more effective than lights. The waves. are readily concentrated in searchilght fashion, penetrating mists with but little absorption. They are of short range, require but little transmitting energy and are immune to atmospheric influences stich as rain, snow and other factors that limit the usefulness of overhead conductors. The engineer believes that they might also be adapted to the use of police and fire d¢partment units, 4 ra y Lo ba "TRAFFICKING" in radio transmise sion licenses is strongly suspected by the American Federal Radio Commission as a result of the unusually large number of recent applications for changes in the ownership of broadeasting stations: Since the wavelength band is congested already, the commission is disposed to eliminate stations of doubtful status and to serutinise carefully the financial rey pute of the proposed new owners. Th commission eyes askance the trend 7 church and educational stations toward uew commercial owners. In the last year at least a dozen church stations have "gone commercial." ;