RADIO IN U.S.A.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 81, 7 April 1926, Page 9

RADIO IN U.S.A.

OVER 500 BROADCASTERS.

HIGH "POUTERS IN USE

HEARD ALL OVER THE GLOBE.

(By W. A. WATERS, Engineer Mana

watu-Oroua Power Board.)

Radio broadcasting in U.S.A. is now a regular part of the day's life of the citizens, and the United States has more radio stations than any other country in the world. There are over ;"iOO broadcasting stations, and of this number over 80 are of a higher power than 500 watts. The Americans rate their stations on the watts radiated in the aerial, and the tendency is to use higher powers all the time. This feature is very marked. Ih this respect two stations, WGY (General Electric Co.) and WJZ (Radio Corporation), are radiating on occasions 50,000 watts (50 kilowatts). Aj. present WGY broadcasts regularly on 50,000 watts on Saturday and Sunday nights on 380 metres, so that New Zealand amateurs should 'be able to pick up some of the programmes during the coming winter. On other nights they radiate 5000 watts.

I visited station KGO at Oakland, California. It is a fine station, and is •well known to New Zealanders. Later I visited another "studio" (WJR). located on the thirtieth floor of the Book-Cadillac Hotel at Detroit. The broadcasting station of 5000 watts in this case was 30 miles in the country. A few weeks later I spent two dajß visiting the radio plant and studios of WGY, Schenectady, which at present broadcasts all its programmes on four wave lengths—l6oo, 380, 109 and 35 mct3'es. The day I vistted the shortwave station the officiails in charge had succeeded in radiating 10 .kilowatts at 35 metres. They assured mc that the programme on this wave length should •be easily picked up in New Zealand, as Germany was picking them up and rebroadcasting. Reports were being received from all over the globe.

Colossal sums are being spent in "CJ.S.A. by some of the big electrical firms, such as Wesfcinghouse, G.E., Radio Corporation, eta., on research, and the whole trend is towards perfect modulation and transntfssion and a very high standard in the selection of performers.

It is now quite a common thing for four or live of the biggest broadcasters within 400 miles of "Nfew York to "tie in" and broadcast one programme of the best artists they can find, ami the power they use mea_p» that the programme "simply rolls in." There has been a fair amount ot jamming due to too many stations in the East, but this is righting itself, as no new permits to broadcast are being issued, and stations keep dropping off. The average radio enthusiast in U.S.A. can sit down to a good set and get a fnesh station every two divisions of the tuning dials!

One interesting feaitjure is how the carrier wave is held steady by means of quartz crystals (.'using the "Piezo" effect). Two pieces of quartz are ground to such a thickness that they produce oscillations (when a voltage is applied) to the exact, frequency. This wave is then magnified by other valves in cascade and modulated, accordingly. The result is a carrier wave that is absolutely steady, and stations using this method are listed as reference stations from which others can check their wave length by reference. Tn short wave transmission I saw a pair of crystals controlling a wave lengrth of 35 meters when the crystals' natural oscillations were at 210 meters. They had magnified the sijrth harmonic and used it for the carrier.

In the' matter of loud speakers the paper cone is now the- "last word," _>nrl one loud speaker I heaird was so faithful in its reproduction that when I wandered from the studio back bp the control room while a piano solo was in progress it was almost impossible to detect the difference.

During the whole of my travels I never saw a "coil set" for sale; they are now oonsidered obsolete. All sets were either super-heterodynes or neutrodynes or else some modification of the latter, using in all cases a stabilised radio frequency stage of amplification, mostly two stages. All the broadcasters in U.S.A. are run gratis as far as the public are concerned; and what, little advertising, is done is very nicely 4 annoisnced, such as "The Star" Typewriter Orchestra will now play you another selection.

A visit to the studios in-U.S.A. and many an evening extent in a friend's home on a trood set brines realisation to a New Zealander of how deplorably backward we are in iftis country in" the matter of broadcasting.

If there is one tbjpifr that will heln to make the remote isolated settlers' lives more enjoyable, it is radio. This is readily recognised by U.S.A. and Canada.

However, New Zeajiynders can console themselves with the fact tbat the firm supr-lyine- tbe plants, for the two New Zealand stations is a firm of Irish repute with experience, and, that an expert is coming to fit them ujp. All the same T think tbat a hisrber power should be used than 500 wails. It baa been definitely establish-d* tbat high power does not caußo the interference thoueht. Higher ijower and Perfect modulation are the? stations of the future.

QLD MAN KNOCKED DOWN.