Notes and Comments

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 31, 13 February 1931, Unnumbered Page

Notes and Comments

B

SWITCH

\y=t again 2YA, Wellington, demonstrated its value on an occasion of national emergency, when it accomplished wonderful work broadcasting news of the earthquake and appeals: to the public for the succour of the..injured and the refugees. The paramount importance of radio on such occasions was widely recognised by the Red Cross and many other bodies, and the station staff was kept busy night and day receiving messages for broadcast to the general public throughout New Zcaland. As one prominent man remarked to "Switch’: "2YA has been a godsend." s x * HE trans-Tasman shortwave telephony service was greatly in demand after the Hawke’s Bay earthquake. So many calls: were.made that. the hours of. business ,had to be extended. Another example of the value of.radio. . _ _ 4 * to. * * iPHE unique rebroadéast last Thurs- , day by the Australian stations of Mr. John Ball’s report of the Hawke’s Bay earthquake provided an interesting episode for those New Zealanders who were listening to the Australian stations on that oceasion. This was eonducted by meas of the trans-Tas-man short-wave telephone seryvite. One could tune from station~to station, from Brisbane round to Adelaide, . and catch every word by the R.B.C.’s well-known editor-announcer while he was speaking in Wellington. Reception AF AE EM A a a AO EE UI AF OE OE IF oF OO Ot

of the Australian station was remarkably loud and clear, and very little fading occurred. * * ARE there radio "ghosts"? On th Wednesday night after: the earthquake, or, rather, at about 1 a.m. on the Thursday, "Switch" tuned in a station on about 373 metres, broadcasting gramophone records. The microphone circuit appeared to be defective, for the eall-sign was not distinguishable, although gramophone recordings were loud. On two occasions another sta--tion burst in loudly on top of the other, and someone with an English accent ‘called out "CKM." This was all. The carrier was crystal clear and reception was strikingly crisp. Can anyone furnFV a a A A a A aM Uo AM aM AMA MSM MC A

ish. the solution to this mystery? "Switch" is indebted to an official of the Wellington district telegraph engineer’s office for the information that CKM is a Government morse station located at Moosejaw, Saskatchewan, Central Canada. * * " HE controversy in last week's "Kecord" concerning the hearing faculty of snakes, evoked by a report from Australia that a snake had been attracted by music from a loudspeaker, has‘ brought te light a further statement from an ex-Australian listener on the subject. He confirms "Switch’s" conviction that snakes can hear. He states that he saw a snake in Gippsland, Victoria, enticed from a thick a a ae ae

clump of undergrowth on various occasions by the playing of a piccolo. The reptile was eventually captured and’! sold to a showman. He adds that snakes in captivity usually sulk and show little life. > * -- HE above-mentioned ex-Australian, ’ in proof of his contention that snakes sulk in captivity, says: "One can see proof of this wherever snakes are exhibited in Australia. They can -be touched by sticks and even prodded, © but they refuse to budge. Under such circumstances your Christchurch correspondent could scarcely expect them to respond to the allurement of music. That Australian story of the snake and the loudspeaker is, quite in accordance with the experience of myself and many others. " ‘\ ee RL ; AY Dio" ( remarks last weck’s "Record": that 1, he heard JOAK tailed fron the Jap. station JOJK;.-and ‘he ‘adds, "I wonder if the. Jans.. themselves -know which stations are which?’ .."Switch" .. has mentioned on various occasions in these columns that the Jap. stations are — much given to: relaying one anodthér’s programmes. -For instance, there was ° much ‘controversy. two years ago as to whether JOHK was JOAK. Listeners. were divided into two factions, one claiming ‘to havé' heard JOHK called, the others no less positive: thatthe eall, was JOAK. Both factions were correct, as JOHK has always conducted frequent relays from J OAK, the Tokio station. : tee cee ore cna pee eae gee ate pen es ome ets oon ees peep tn ann at ae, aap othe atte’ £2 ob