Radio Round the World

Radio Record, Volume V, Issue 10, 18 September 1931, Unnumbered Page

Radio Round the World

EVERAL thousands of automatic _ machines for thesupply of flexible gramophone records hive recently been installed all over England. * % + qT connection’ with the Faraday cen- _ _tenary celebrations held this month in England, it has heen suggested that suitable inscriptions be cut in the floor of Westminster. Abbey in memory of both Faraday and Maxwell. "RAdI0 advertising has become a serious rival-to Press advertising in America," asserted a well-known Rnglish publicity director on his return from the United States recently. It certainly appears difficult to escape from advertisements in that country, n ‘AN English contemporary states that thg latest fashion among the smart society of Paris is to have notices of births, deaths, and marriages broadcast instead of. publishing the information in the conventional manner. * Bo * "AT the York Diocesan Conference held recently in England one speaker said that he was appalled at the suggestion of bringing "that devilish mechanical device, the wireless," into their country churches, * * Ba ‘A PARIS landlord stipulates that prospective tenants -must bring "neither cats, dogs, ‘ior radio re-

ceivers." Personally, we find landlords more trying. * * % ROBABLY the most novel defence ever offered in court by a wireless "pirate" was that of an English listener, who pleaded that bis set would not pick up foreign stations, and that in consequence he considered himself exempt from paying a license fee. LJ * * T is stated that the British public are now spending 20 million pounds sterling a year on wireless, while listeners-in are increasing at the rate of half a million a year. aR x te) UNDER the title of "Invulid Night," weekly medical talks at the microphone are now a regular feature for listeners to the broadcasting station at Turin, Italy. Listeners are permitted to send in particulars of their ailments for diagnosis by a qualified doctor.

HE following startling entry, referring to a church service relay, is from a B.B.C. engineer’s log-book; "Minister blasting heayily ; congregation faint." & * * RECENT tests in Copenhagen on a wavelength of T metres were seriously interfered with by the magnetos of passing motor traffic, but, curiously enough, the trouble disuppeared when the wavelength was raised to between 9 and 10 metres, ® bad me ALTHOU GH cigarettes are now toasted, given health-ray treat: ment, sun-dried, aged in the wood, and What not, it is pleasant toe find that the wit of man is not yet exhausted, siys "Wireless World." Comes an electric cell which is now used for testing Gigarette paper. In a certain factory the paper is passed’ before the cell and: any hole ov imperfection is revealed by the operation of a warning deyice. :

~-- TXCENSIVE experiments in "Yan vision are now being carried out by -the German broadcasting authorifies. ~ The wavelength used is 6,75 meties, and at present a screen giving 5000, dots is being employed. Owing to the large radio channel required. to transmit a picture giving satisfactory detail, it has been realised that owing to the crowded state of the broadcast band, television can be carried out successfully only by means of very short Waves, * Eg AN automatic radio transmitter which is attached to a free balloon and then tracked by radio direction-finding apparatus to trace air currents has been developed by an engineer of the Army. Signal Corps of America. This set is believed to be the smallest and lightest radio transmitting outfig, ever built. The weight of the comifned transmitter, antenna, and’ batte§} 4s only 17joz. It is reported to bé capable of sending on a wavelength of 140.4 metres for distances up to 25 miles, s * a AT the "Electrical House of Magic" in Schenectady, New York, is €xhibited a receiver which can be switched into action merely by saying "Go ahead, now" (or any other four syl- labled exclamation), and can be stopped in a similar manne, Another exhibit is an instrument for registering the power of the human voice,. though incidentally we learn that this was put out of action by a Schenectady woman ‘reprimanding her husband while within. range of the apparatus, 7.