Over the Aerial

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 215, 11 September 1931, Page 15

Over the Aerial

(By "PHONOS.") I

WIRELESS NEWS FROM FAR AND NEAR. |

The Rugby Test match on Saturdaywill be described through IYA by Mr. Gordon Hutter. The Orphans' Orchestra, and assisting vocalists, will be heard from IYA on Thursday night. Service relayed from St. David's Church on Sunday night is to be followed by a broadcast of the Municipal Band concert from the Town Hall. "The Little Play Club/' under the direction of Mrs. Bartley-Baxter, is to provide Wednesday night's entertainment of songs, etories and sketches. Listeners to IZR this week enjoyed an experimental talk film broadcast. The station is completing plans for ihi regular transmission of sound films, which will be given a definite place on the weekly programme schedule. There is so much of "Radio Talks" nowadays that listeners are inclined to tune out the moment one commences. The essential to a successful talk over the air is an opening which immediately arrests listeners' attention, by its humour or its dramatic appeal. This fact was well demonstrated by Mr. Norman Heath on Saturday last, in his naive explanation of how he became viceConsul for the Baltic Republic of Latvia. "The proposed board's relation to the State is no closer than that existing between the State and the present Broadcasting Company." Thus Mr. J. H. Owen, president of the Wellington League, in controverting the idea that the bill now before Parliament will tend to produce another State Department. There will be the usual morning programmes from IZR next week. On Tuesday evening the latest gramophone releases will be broadcast. Thursday night ie to be devoted to a lecture on "Sunspots" by Mr. F. R. Field, and the broadcast of recorded opera. Friday night, of course, ie for that popular hour, community, singing. A unique idea will be put into practice at IZR on Sunday evening, when there will be a broadcast of "The Dominions' Alliance." This is an endeavour to give a radio presentation of the political situation, with a religious setting of appropriate music. The story has been written by Ethel Wilson, and will be told by Tom Harris, and incidental music will be rendered by the IZR choir. Listeners will doubtless be keenly interested to follow this novel item. Presumably it will be non-controvereial.

"Lee Fore Brace" will give another of his interesting sea stories, "The Limbo of the Lost Ships," at 9 p.m. to-night from IYA. "International Economic Co-operation ae a Factor in World Prosperity," will be discussed, by Professor H. Belshaw during the interval in the recorded programme on Tuesday night. Ocean liners frequently handle as many as 2000 radiograms on a round trip across the Atlantic, in addition to the ship's routine business. It was considered heavy traffic in,1913 when the Lusitania signalled to , shore "Here sixty," meaning that many messages were on file for transmission. Eadio facilities have been vastly improved since then, so it is possible to handle hundreds of .messages without delay. It was not so long ago that vessels had to wait until near the coast to get their messages ashore.

"SEARCHLIGHT RADIO.' ,

A new field in radio will be opened up to short-wave experimenters if, and when, the Anglo-French group in charge releases for general use the new microray valves by means of which transmission and reception on radio wavelengths closely approaching those of heat and light will be possible. Eecently two European groups —English and French—in co-operation carried out successfully not only code signal transmission and reception, but also telephony and picture transmission on radio waves of a length of about 7in—that is to say 7-39ths of a metre! The new discovery might well be dubbed "radiooptics" as the field now opened up makes possible the use of methods and appaiatus borrowed from the optical science, instead of from electrical engineering. The new system is true "beam" radio as both transmitter and receiver make use of a parabolic mirror. In the tests that were carried out at Home, the distance between the two stations was I about twenty-five miles and the very low power of twenty-five watts was used,, only about half a watt being radiated. In spite of —or, maybe, because of—this minute energy, transmission is reported to have been substantially better than in ordinary radio broadcasts while—a blessing, truly—fading was entirely absent. • ,'•'.. There seems little advantage, states an American commentator, in using these micro-waves for broadcasting - . Their real utility will be found under other circumstances where their ability to concentrate the waves into narrow pencils (beams) like searchlight beams is of more importance.

Nevertheless, that handicap is more apparent than real, as it would, be :i simple matter to cover great distances by means of relays—Britain to China, say, and at a very much lower initial and recurring cost than. Jβ the case of telegraph and telephone cable over the same route. ■•

i Commercial television receivers operating on the Farnsworth principle are now being manufactured in U.S.A. The Farnsworth system utilises a cathode ray tube and an electrical scanning that dispenses with the whirling disc incorporated in many of the televisors now in experimental use. The creation of a Broadcasting Board is likely to be followed by immediate action to secure certain officers for the filling of important posts. Already the suggestion is put forward that a directing radio engineer should, be obtained from England. There is not much time available if such an official is to take charge at the beginning of the year. The necessity for such an appointment is naturally a matter for the board itself, but it must be borne in mind that there are men in the Dominion, and in Australia also, who have all the necessary technical qualifications for the post. What is more desirable is an officer with overseas experience in the art of presenting the best possible radio programmes with the talent available. WHAT ABOUT B STATIONS ? A perusal of the Broadcasting Bill discovers no reference to the B class stations—a term borrowed from Australia. The board is entitled to obtain from the Minister licenses to operate stations, but whether it will exercise any control over operating hours, wavelengths, etc., of those broadcasters who are on the air as private concerns remains doubtful. A statement issued by the Wellington Listeners' League, which is strongly championing the new scheme, reads as follows: —"No restriction is placed on the' board with regard to control of broadcasting or its policy. The Minister has stated that the board would take over the B stations. This is as it should be. The location of some of them may be the subject for consideration of the board later." It may be assumed that the P. and T. regulations appertaining to broadcasting are likely to receive additions and amendments if the bill becomes law. FROM SYDNEY NEXT WEEK. On Sunday night at 10 the Elder Conservatorium String Quartet will provide instrumental items from 2BL. 2FC is to present "Ben Hur" at 10.15, and to relay community singing from Mosman on Monday night. On the same evening, at 11, 2BL broadcasts "Raffles." The A.B.C. Old-time Dance Band is scheduled from 2FC for Tuesday. On Wednesday the Sydney University's Musical Society supplies the 2BL programme, and from the same station, on Thursday, "Irene," musical comedy, will be presented by the A.B.C. Company.

POINTS IN THE BILL. The Broadcasting Act, 1931, to give tho bill its' short title, contains little of interest to listeners, other than provisions for the constitution, and definition of the powers, of the Broadcasting Board of four members. These, it is understood, will represent each postal district, holding office under Government nomination, as election would be both difficult and costly. The chairman, at £600 a year, will, like the other members, be appointed by the Governor-General. AH officers will be chosen by the board, to which they will be directly and solely responsible, but neither members nor officers will be Civil Servants through virtuefof their positions. The board is given full power in the creation of district advisory committees, and it has discretion as to whether such positions may be honorary or otherwise. The wording of clause 13, which indicates that the board may enter into agreement with the Minister for the payment to it of "portions of the fees received m respect of licensee in relation to wireless ' telegraphy." eeems somewhat indefinite. Presumably; "wireless telegraphy" is a term which includes ally, telephony. Nothing is specified as to the proportion of each license fee that will be available for the board, and there is no provision defining the amount of such fe;e, or allowing for its readjustment from the existing rate. It. would seem that the question of annual royalties paid in reepect to patent rights (at present 3/ a set, from the Government's 5/ share of the fee) will be a matter left for negotiation between Minister and board. The new body will be required to take over broadcasting, plant; etc., from the Minister, at a price to be fixed by him. This.condition arises because the Government has, by the terms of the present agreement, to purchase the Broadcasting Company's equipment at valuation. It will thus be acting really ae an intermediary for the board, though there is no stipulation that it cannot charge a higher, price than it pays. The board is prevented from dealing in radio apparatus through a clause which denies it the right to hold a dealer's license, but it is given authority to carry on any such subsidiary business as may be necessary in the pursuance of its main objective. In the matter df finance the Broadcasting Board may receive advances, with Ministerial sanction, to enable it to function effectively on January 1, but its borrowing or mortgaging activities are dependent upon Ministerial approval. An annual report, a balance-sheet, and a profit and loss account, must be submitted each year. Generally, the bill indicates that there will be effective control over expenditure, and that in the matter of negotiation or arrangement on broadcasting conditions with other countries, Government approval must be obtained. Otherwise, very full and complete powers are conferred * upon this new authority for the running and extending of a New Zealand broadcasting service under the necessary restrictions laid down hy the Post and Telegraph regulations.