World Radio News

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 42, 1 May 1931, Page 12

World Radio News

At the beginning of the year the U.S.A. had 615 transmitting stations, Cannda 70, Cuba 60 and Mexico 35. Central America had 800, South America 98, Argentina 48 Uruguay 26, Brazil 23, and Chile 6. ; HH United States army is conduct‘ing experiments with a view to abolishing the military band. Instead of the band preceding a regiment, 4 loudspeaker car is being used as a sulstitute. 2 * . * HE installation of a shortwave transmitting station is contemplated at Madagascar. Lhe new post wili give news bulletins, concerts, etc., and will also serve to facilitate the adminis tration of the affairs of the island from Africa and enable instructions to be issued to the military force garrisoned there. ® 2 THS Radio Supplement of the Hungarian Journal, "The Voice of the People," is. agitating for a decrease in the cost of radio licenses. Relative to the wages of the warkers, the cost of a license is dearer than in any other pari of the world. -The townspeople are also complaining that the programmes

are solely drawn’ up to interest the country people. Although it is realised that these constitute the major part. of the population of the country, the inhabitants of such towns as Budapest desire something a little more cultured. * * * XPERIMENTS are being conducted in Hamburg in connection with the transmission of piano musie without using a microphone. The string vibrations are immediately converted.-to electrical vibrations and fed to the trans: mitter. Tests are also being made to ascertain whether the principle can be applied to other musical instruments. * * * (THIRTY-SEVEN State and local police radio stations are now in operation in almost as many American cities, and eighteen others are under construction. The majority of these are used for low power broadcasting on short-wave to patrol cars, although Pennsylvania’s State police employ five long-wave stations. * * > LONDON radio shop has a device whereby the passer by can light up the window at night by responding to the invitation to: switch on the illumination himself merely by placing his hand ove. a shadowy miniature porthole. A hidden photoelectric bell causes a relay to work Which in turn. operates the light switch. The illumination ceases as soon as the hand is removed from the porthole. * * AN international regulation reserving a block of high frequencies (short waves) for 8.0.8. calls is urged by Captain 8. C. Hooper, director of U.S. Naval Communications, who points out that the present distress frequency of 500 kilocycles (600 metres) is often inadequate when used over vast expanses of water like the Pacific, Indian, and South Atlantic Oceans. The daylight range of the average ship’s transmitter, working on a 500 kc. frequency, is about 500 miles, with a night range of perhaps 2000 miles. According to Captain Hooper, a ship in distress could easily be farther than this from other ships or land stations, and hence its 8.0.8. signals would probably be unheard.

RESS WIRELESS, INC., co-opera- f tive radio subsidiary of a group ' of important American newspapers, has been authorised by the Federal Radio Commission to proceed with the erection of a network of radio-telegraph stations with which to handle Press messages as a public service for the American Press as a whole. Stations in 19 cities were planned in the original project of Press Wireless. Under a previous grant of 13 _ trans-oceanic channels, some of which may also be used domestically, Press Wireless has already erected two stations in New York, two in Chicago, and one each in Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. These are now operating with one another, and to some extent in international service. Other stations ar under construction in. Washington, Bos: ton, and Los Angeles, and another hgs been projected in Honolulu. e * * * THE American station ‘WEAF frequently broadcasts the singing of canaries, to orchestral accompaniments, and, since the trilling of these little songsters cannot be imitated, cages of. . scod birds are eagerly sought after and well paid for. Apropos of this story, one is told concerning other unusual performers before. the wmicrophone. When Byrd was in the regions cf the South Pole the American station KDKA endeavoured to broadcast the voices of a number of American dogs for the edification of those with Byrd. . Unfortunately one of the prospective artists proved refractory and upset the others, with the result that soon the entire personnel of the studio was pur-7 suing errant dogs around the streets.’ Only one remained in the studio, but it was too. frightened to be prevailed upon to bark, so the announcer had no alternative but to imitate the bark of a dog himself. This was duly broadcast to the world.