No Electric Sign for 1YA's Studios

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 19, 23 November 1934, Page 20

No Electric Sign for 1YA's Studios

City Council Refuses to Give Permission to Erect 30-foot Sign .on New Studios in Shortland Street — "An Hour of Scots Music Every Week" Suggested-‘Friendly Road’s" Anniversary.

; WOMAN living in Takapuna was ~" so delighted after listening to the Scottish hour broadcast as a Hallow’een party from 1YA recently, that

she wrote to the station director statjug that the hour was greatly appreeinted and was the subject of much favourable comment, partciularly mnong Scotsmen, "Could it be repeated within a week?’ asked the lady, "If an hour each week was devoted to Scotch music it would be a distinct innovation," she thought. HE Broadcasting Board’s application for permission to fix four. electric signs in Neon tubing with the letters "1YA" extending 30 feet dow from the top of the 100ft. tower on top of the new studios in Shortland Street, was refused by the Auckland City Council last week. This decision was arrived at despite the intimation by Captain H. H. Sergeant, the harbourmaster, that he had no objec.tion to offer, as such signs would not interfere with navigation. The tower upon which the signs were required is to carry the aerial for the auxiliary station, 1YX, HE second anniversary of the Friendly Road promises to be one of the biggest events of its kind ever held in Auckland. The Town Hal!, which seats over 38000 persons, has ‘been engaged for December 2, when two services will be broadcast. on relay through 1ZB, while arrangement; have been. made for a big open air

‘ally in Carlaw Park. For this occasion six brass bands have been engaged, To enable: country visitors to attend the celebrations, special trains and motor transport are being ordered AEREADY regarded in many schools as a necessary part of the schoul curriculum, the educational sessions specially broadcast by the Hducation Board Advisory Committee in Auckland during the past year have bee» eminently successful, The last broadcast for this year will be given from VYA on Tuesday next at the usual

hour, 1.50 p.m, The educational sessions will be commenced again shortly after scholars return to their desks in the New Year, QTRANGE as it may seem, 1¥A’s power during the last few weeks has decreased, and. listeners are noticing that the station does not come in nearly as well as LYX, which is of fow power. Interference from the station is also to be observed. No doupt, little attention is being paid to the quality of ‘transmission, the technicians being extremely busy on the new plant at the present time. In a few weeks’ time Auckland’s new "yoice" will be heard testing. HE system of air conditioning em"ployed in ‘the new plant; installed in’ the new 1YA studios is already in use in all the automatic telephone exchanges in New Zealand.: It is necessary to provide air .conditioning because the delicate electrical apparatus is housed in rooms which must be sealed thoroughly, and without air conditioning the operators would not be able to breathe, The air in the sealed rooms is really washed, ironed, and then cooled. This is done by a system providing for the air-to pass through water, and then

to be heated and finally suddenly reduced in temperature. This’ has the etfect of providing moisture and dustfree air in rooms where the apparatus is’ installed, moisture and dust, of course, being the enemies of the delicate equipment, FAIR amount of interference is to be expected from 1YA’s new trans-mitter-the most powerful in the Southern Hemisphere-when the station is opened next month. This will also apply when the transmitter is tested in a few days’ time. The reason for this interference is obvious. The power will be stepped up 20 times higher than the present 1YA transmitter, while another reason js that the aerial will be higher and of a more improved type. There is also the fact that the transmitter is located at Henderson, further away from the city than the present plant, where previously a large amount of power was absorbed by iron frame buildings. HE effect of such expected interference from 1YA will be a big demand for wave traps. These wave traps are most inexpensive, the apparatus necessary to ensure good reception consisting merely of a few turns of wire on a hollow support with a small condenser of .00025 m.f.,. capacity connected across. The condenser should cost no more than 4/-, and the wire and support about 2/-, so listeners need not be unduly perturbed at remedying the .trouble that is bound to arise. "THAT witty and experienced speaker, Mr. Julius Hogben, a prominent Auckland barrister, has commenced his hew series of talks from 1YA on "The South Sea Bubble and Some Other Bubbles," which deal with some of the most sensational financial booms and bubbles that have occurred during the last century. After last week's initial

talk, listeners will want to hear the succeeding ones, so interesting and entertaining. are they.