Club Notes

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 41, 19 April 1935, Page 48

Club Notes

From. the Secretary’s Pen. (By A. B. McDonagh, Sec., N.Z. S.W.C., € Queen St., Wellington). N this issue I am conducting an imaginary broadcast; our Questions and Answers sessions, The questions are taken at random from letters sent me by listeners. Q.: What do you mean by metres? A.: To the regret of us old-timers, the term metres is becoming obsolete. We have now to become accustomed to the terms kilocycles and megacycles, in which the modern receiver is calibrated. Conversion charts from metres, etc., will be found in the ‘‘Radio Guide." Q.: Why cannot we receive all the stations shown in the list? A.: A big question. Daylight may affect the signals; or skip distance, seasonal and climatic conditions, or aerials specially arranged to broadcast in one direction. Some stations, particularly the South Americans, come anil go, and change their wavelengths and calls. . Some may not keep to their schedules. Q. How is it some listeners are always logging new stations?

A. They get.to know the wavelengths and schedules of the regular reliable stations; and then it is a simple matter to scout around for strangers. Q.: How can I work out. times in different parts of the world? A.: By means of a "Radio Times" Time Converter or DX Clock. ‘To convert Eastern Standard time to New Zealand time, first add five hours to make it Greenwich mean time, then add 113 hours to convert it into N.Z. mean time. (If we are on Daylight Saving, add 12 hours.) Thus, midnight B.8.T. Sunday is 5 a.m. G.M.T. Monday, or 5 p.m. Monday N.Z. Summer Time; that is, we are 17 hours ahead of them. ‘Q. ‘How is it that I saw the results of the Grand National in the papers before it was broadcast from Daventry? A.: You did not; the event was broadeast at the time, but on another transmission. What you heard was a recording taken for broadcasting at times suitable for different parts of the Empire. Just now I am on a campaign for 200 members, which will enable certain extensions of club work to be undertaken. With the approach of winter, listeners all over New Zealand are commencing to settle down to their receivers again, and we are enrolling quite a few newcomers. Conditions during the past few months have been good, and are becoming quite like old times again. Of course, with progress, we have many more electrical devices, such as tramcars, motor-cars and other little trifles to pick up on the receiver these days. Aeroplanes, also, are a source of complaint for some people living near their favourite flying routes. "The advent of the modern all-wave receiver has brought many to the fold, but we find, that there are still very. many people who do not know how, when and where to tune for stations. Television may not be so far away as some people imagine, for.great strides have been made in this direction. However, the B.B.C., with very commendable forethought, have wisely decided that when they commence operations they will present a very reliable service. That is why we have not had an incomplete service rushed on the market. So far as we can foresee, a knowledge of tuning a shortwave receiver is very essential, Also, if static will cause "blotches," what about our army of |

"howlers,". some of whom : remain "howling" on shortwave stations right throughout the programme’s? It is now time that owners of sets using reaction sought advice on how to tune without interfering. If the speech or music is yery indistinct or blurred, there is evidence of something radically wrong whieh could be put right for them by an experienced listener.