BROADCASTING IN 1950.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 48, 26 February 1923, Page 7

BROADCASTING IN 1950.

INVENTOR'S FORECAST.

Mr. William Dubilier, a pioneer in wirefess telephony and inventor of •everal devices which have helped the progress of the science, is at present in London on a visit from the United States. He thinks that, whUe broadcasting has developed so rapidly in America that it ha* got to some extent out of hand, the English attitude lias been too conservative. Over a million American homes are equipped, he says, with radio instruments, and more tha.il 270 broadcasting stations have been erected in the States. The wireless set has become as much a household article as the gramophone. "Here," Mr. Ihrbilier said, "the post office tells you to take a license and pay bo much a year for listening in. This is right, because no industry can succeed unless it has an income; but i think that in a -short time broadcasting "ill get beyond the control of any Government. It must become a great civilising and educative influence, and the Carriegies of the next generation, instead of providing libraries and institues, will endow big broadcasting stations, which will put the finest music and other valuable things at the disposal of millions. Famous singers and great orchestras will give concerts which may be heard over vast areas. Election candidates will reach a whole electorate in a day, instead of taking a month. Farmers will get daily reports on market prices and all the important news. By 1950 isolation should be a thing of the past." Mr. Dubilier added that Canadians and Mexicans were already listening in to American broadcasted messages, and this kind of thing must make for international friendship end understanding. A POCKET DEVICE. When last Mr. Dubilier was in England considerable attention was being given to his mica-condenser, which had superseded the Leyden jar and was then coming into general use. He is now specially interested in a pocket device by means of which aerials can be dispensed with, and which, according to the claim made, will enable broadcasted concerts to be picked up through electric light wires entering a house. N "You do not need an antenna," he states, "if there is a simple way of connecting your receiving set with any electric light socket. 1 got the idea when I was building a large outdoor aerial. I knew that any wire would receive wireless wa\ es.but 1 had to contend with the lighting current which went through those wirivs. After some experimenting with condensers. 1 rigged up a little 'filter' which allowed the high frequency radio waves io pass through without interference. Vurther work perfected the device so that now it is only necessary to screw up the filter into an electriclight socket, attach the receiving set, and listen in. If an antenna is already installed, the device enables the listener to hear the broadcasting station to greater advantage. It also does away with switches and lightning arresters. It safeguards the set. There is no danger of shocks or short circuits. Kach Instrument is tested to withstand a breakdown voltage of three thousand."