Our Mail Bag

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 51, 3 July 1931, Page 7

Our Mail Bag

While we welcome the expressed views of listeners on topics pertaining to. radio, we ask that these communications be kept to minimum length, as heavy demands are made upon space. Mere reiteration of arguments cannot be accepted for publication, and we cannot. take responsibility for views expressed. Address communications to the Editor, and sign all correspondence, though a nom-de-pluine may be. used for publication. .

Choral Programme Appreciated. I WOULD like to/’extend my meed of praise for the beautiful choral! programme which was given by the St. Mary of the Angels choir under the conductorship of Signor A, P. Truda from 2YA on June 1. One of the gems of sacred music, Beethoven’s "Mass in ©,’ was beautifully rendered by the and ‘choir; it showed by their efforts that the musie had been well rehearsed, the fugues in particular being well rendered. Thanks to 2YA the reception here was clear

from beginning to end

Listener

(Wanganui).

The Relay Scheme. Wit respect to the proposal to erect a number of relay stations, before committing themselves to any efinite localities the R.B. Co, should ake thorough investigations as to the "host suitable positions to erect them. Jt is not merely a question of spacing out the relay stations at equal distances. There are some localities, for instance, which would derive no benefit whatever from the proposed stations. I have been travelling over the North Island in the interests of wireless for nearly seven years, and have nod hesitation in: affirming that the. worst locality for reception is the Bay .of Plenty. : Readers may be surprised to hear that part of this district gets no daylight ‘reception during the summer, and for some reason 2YA is barely audible even in the winter months in certain parts in daylight. Night reception is, needless to say, patchy and uncertain all the year . round, The nearest of the proposed new station would be Hamilton, which is too far away to be reliable, and would leave’ several. hundred sets in no better ’ plight than at present. Rotorua would be much more suitably situated, not only for the district named but also for many places further South.. The district around Hamilton is already well served by 1YA. As stated above, I speak with intimate knowledge of the reception conditions over the whole island, and I am not a resident of the Bay of Plenty. I would like to draw the attention of the authorities concerned to the practise of a certain Auckland "B" class station in announcing the name of the firm before every record. This is expressly forbidden under the regulations, which fact must be well known to the firm concerned, who are bus. getting in a certain amount of advertising. This is, not playing the game, as it is well known that certain other "B" class stations have been hauled over the coals for similar offences. Besides, a sense of honour should prevent a station from committing this breach, even were they not brought to book by the authorities.-

C. J.

Fleming

(Hintera).

Broadcasting and Advertising. No DxXer ever raised a squeal on his set like the one I feel like mak‘ing about the Government’s action in closing down one of the best "B" sta-

tions in Auckland. I refer to station 1ZQ ,whose popularity is due to the fact that their programme cousists of bright and popular music of a varied assortment. High-handed tactics will not help swell the number of licenses, which should be the main. aim of the Postmaster-General and .the New Zealand Broadeasting Company. I understand the reason given for closing station 1ZQ down is that’ he mentions his own name and that of a firm who supply him with records too many times during the transmission. I am sure many listeners will agree with me in saying that he does not overdo these announcements, and who among them would grudge him the doubtful benefit

he derives from this practice?

W.

Dalton

(Auckland).

Drive for 100,000 Licenses. AS there are around 200,000 motor vehicles in use in New Zealand, it is not unreasorable to suppose that some time in the future there will be an equal or greater number of radios in use, : The farmer needs the motor-car more than the town dweller because of comparative isolation, and the same applies to radio, Yet the present basis as to dealer licenses is restricting the selling and services of radio in country districts. Take any one of the hundreds of small townships in New Zealand, The adjacent. population may be twenty families, or 100 families, or more. If a radio dealer wishes to’appoint a local resident as representative or salesman he can only do so provided such representative has "no fixed place of business of any description." If the suitable representative is ergaged in any retail business he cannot sell or offer to sell radio unless he becomes 4 dealer and pays £7/10/- per © year license. _ Often the small amount of business does not warrant such a license, so he simply does not sell radio or perhaps operates without a license and takes the risk of being caught. In either case possible sales are lost or delayed, and both the Government and the Broadcasting Company lose revenue, It may be said that the nearest dealer can handle the business by sending out a salesman. He ean, but with the smaller communities it would not nay to do so, as many have found to their cost, As a solution we offer the suggestion of a further class of full dealer licenses (veally a revival of the old class thrée dealer license) for centres having less

than 5000 population at a rate of 50/to 60/- per year. There is no sound reason why the sale.of radio goods should have any more restriction than, say, the sale of fancy goods, hardware, drapery of other goods, and actually it would. be better for the radio business if dealers’

licenses were abolished or made nominal and the revenue lost made good by a small addition. to listeners’ licenses or, 23 per cent. increase in the Customs tariff. In the final analysis dealers’ licenses are paid for by the public in the cost of goods purchased, and the direct payment of this charge would involve no actual extra cost to them over a period.-Royds-Howard Co. [We are not sure that dealers in general agree with the writer’s suzgestion that there should be no more restrictions on radio than other trades. Tf one firm were at liberty to appoint dealers on-the basis suggested in small towns, naturally all of the other 25 principal dealers represented in New Zealand would exercise the same privilege, with the result that it would be a question where representation would end. We are inclined to think that the general view of dealers is that, having regard to the skill involved in radio, some regulation in number of agents and quality of servicing is

necessary in the interests both,of the trade and the: listener. We, howeyér, on this topic. Pe Editor. ] Why Complain? BEING a. constant reader. of. ‘the "Record," I often wonder. why people with inferior sets, narrow minds and lack of imagination are continually grumbling and wasting their‘time und the "Record’s" space by complaining about station power, wavelengths. hours of broadcasting and naire of programmes. There are very few who can- be interested and entertained by all. and every subject. Different people. are: of a yery different turn of mind. od have been a listener and reader».of. the "Record" for many years. I.file: the copies, and on going through the. back numbers find that the grouchers all complain along the same lines--power, fading, programmes and wavelengths. Do these people realise what the out--put of the stations complained of. really is?’ Do they know the cause. of fading when they blame the station? Do they think locality might have some; thing to do with it? Do they think that. the broadcast is for-them: alone? And do they know that there are radiotricians all over New Zealand. who would be pleased to make their: sets more selective,.so that stations will not clash and come in together? Grouchers should purchase "Wireless, the Modern Magic Carpet," by Ralph Stranger. They would learn a lot and perhaps be more contented. From this book .I would quote a few lines. ‘This refers to the British Broadcasting Company’s listeners, and is quite appropriate in New Zealand :- "Out of 20,000,000 there is always ‘2 considerable community interested in one particular talk. If you do not wish to listen, switch off your: receiver-the switch is provided for this purposeand wait until something of interest: to you comes along." Now, if we all studied the programmes in our "Record," and went from station to station-the dials and condensers are meant for this-picking out items which interested us we would be able to enjoy our wireless and: not have so much to complain about. And now about the power of the YA. stations. I am situated .roughly 850 miles north of Wellington, When ‘the afternoon sessions commence, items and announcements can be distinctly heard and understood three hundred yards from the speaker, This is also the case when 2Y¥A broadcasts at 10 am. My set is not an unusual one and is quite an ordinary four-valve receiver. Of course I get my share of fading, but why worry? The station is (Concluded on page 10.).

"Our Mailbag

(Continued from page 7.) not to be blamed. Power! I don’t want to be howled out of the room by uncontrollable volume. Natural, sweet- ' toned, soft music, with q bit of static and fading thrown in will do me. But of course I am easily pleased. No? The latest grouch appears to be about the 10 a.m .broadcast of 2YA and the length of broadcast hours. Yo the average wife, music in the morning is a good tonic for nerves, and helps to cheer her up, so when hubby returns to lunch he is greeted with smiles and not frowns and bites, [I have already eaten and enjoyed cakes and puddings, the recipes for which came over the air from 2YA during the morning session. ‘ ‘Some people evidently do not that when New Zealand stations one down there is still music on the air. If they tune in to Australian stations they will still be able i> listen-in-and then they could get a _ shortwave adapter and continue ‘to be entertained until 2YA starts its 10 a.m. session. A much better occupation than grouching about short hours . of broadcasting at night. My poor old set goes from daylight until bedtime. The valves are nearly two years old, so at times the music comes out a bit scratchy. So what will LI do, replace with new valves, or comniain that the stations ‘are not what

they used to be? I-wonder!-

O.

K.

(Hokianga).

A Different Tune for "Piccolo Pete." ey your issue of 5th inst., "Piccolo Pete," Wanganui, blames 2YA for garbled reception. My experience, .and that of others here, is that 2YA is very good indeed. There is no distortion, no fading, and hardly ever any static noticeable. If 2YA comes out so -well with different kinds of sets in Wanganui and is distorted, as I know it is in others, it appears that 2YA cannot be to blame. Is it possible that some sets, being particularly well located, are super-sensitive and become overloaded by 2YA’s signals? It appears to be sets which are fine distance getters that are troubled. Or is it possible that these super-sensitive sets do not pick up the .heterodyning station or stations. In either case the cure should be obtained by cutting out some of the valves when working with 2YA. Mr, John Ball is just speaking from the studio, and he sounds-as clearly as if he were in the room here. I know Mr. Ball, and have heard him often speaking in Wanganui, so that I am able to judge how: well the

microphone is dealing with him.-

Neutro

(Wanganul).