Radio Round the World

Radio Record, 1 July 1938, Page 66

Radio Round the World

. UN SUNG heroes of the recent disastrous Los Angeles flood .were "hams’-amateur shortwave radio operators. They saved the day when all other means of communication were washed out by the flood. Maintaining shortwave connections for NBC _between Hollywood and San Francisco and New York, they worked without food and sleep, some for a stretch of 48 hours. The "hams" of Los Angeles lived up in every measure to the gallant reputation which amateur radio operators have built for themselves in other disasters throughout the nation. (NCE a week the BBO deliberately takes a risk. Though people unused. to broadcasting are apt to "dry up" if they have no script, guests heard "At Mr. Wilkes’s Bar-parleur," the weekly feature from Daventry, are invited to speak impromptu, so that the free-and-easy atmosphere may not be marred by an inexperienced speaker obviously reading aloud. But even when the BBC takes risks it believes in having a safeguard, and that is why Howard Marshall, who can always be depended upon to keep things going, is at hand to help out a nervous speaker. A search through Mr. Wilkes’s visitors’ book brings to light a remarkable list of well-known people who have had something interesting to tell the company-and listeners at Home and overseas. Primo ‘Carnera’s name is there. Jean Batten has’ enthralled hee hearers with tales of her recordbreaking flights. Once an ex-spy talked about his adventures, and another time the Bishop of. Cariboo looked in. A recent caller was Gracie Fields, fresh from the investiture at which the King decorated her with the C.B.B. To test the possibilities of television as an aid to meteorology, the United States weather forecasters have equipped a ship with a television receiver,.and have been transmitting complete weather charts to it, isobars and all. Tests are still going on,.for it is believed that such methods -will prove better than any at present in use,