OVER THE AERIAL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 5, 7 January 1938, Page 15

OVER THE AERIAL.

RADIO NOTES.

FROM FAR AND NEAR.

(By TUXE-15T.)

During the past week the familiar voice of Mr. Culford Bell, principal announcer at IYA. has been missing. He left on Monday to enjoy a month's holidav leave.

Sascha, Berliner's Continental Ensemble, at present touring the YA stations, has been delighting southern listeners. This talented combination of overseas artists is to make its first appearance in the studio of IYA on Wednesday, January 10. at 0.20 p.m.. when a 30 minutes* recital will be given.

On Monday IZM. which now transmits from an aerial rigged up on the tall I\A mast at Henderson, is to lesiinip all its old and popular features. Over the holiday period the special prolamines broadcast by this station were bright and entertaining. IZM's "voice" is now bigger and clearer than ever before.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which operates under a charter very similar to that of the British broadcasting Corporation, has drawn up plans to ensure better coverage of the Dominion. The first two units, new 50kilowatt broadcast band transmitters, have been installed, one near Montreal and the other outside of Toronto, and were put into operation in the middle of October. Additional high-powered stations, many of 50-kilowatt aerial power, are to be located in the Maritime Provinces and in Western Canada. A powerful short-wave transmitter of 25 kilowatts is being erected at Pernambuco, Brazil. Jt will radiate on 410 metres, using an aerial supported by a single 240 ft mast and on 40.(i7 metres, employing an aerial suspended between two 130 ft towers.

According to a report from Italy, a very powerful short-wave broadcasting ■station is to be built at Prato Smeraldo. near Pome. The contemplated aerial power of the new plant will be at least 100 k.w.. placing the station in the forefront of the world coverage equipments. Although Turkey lias let a contract for a 120 k.w. medium-band radio station to be situated at Ankora, the short-wave station which was included, and -which will be erected on the outskirts of the capital, is to. be of 20 k.w. onlv. All three are due on the air about August, 1935. The Schenectady, New York, plants, operating under the call signs W2XAD (10.50 metres) and W2XAF (31.4 metres), will soon broadcast with vastly increased power. Th<» increase will be to 100 k.w. and wa* to oome into operation last week.

The mast successful combination of artists over to tour the national stations, the Comedy Harmonists, have returned to Australia after their New Zealand tour. The only complaint that was heard in Xew Zealand about the Harmonists was that at least on e good recital composed of good or "straight" music might have been given for the benefit of those listeners who felt that the \ iennese lingers were dissipating their gifts in singing jazz, as well as the better class of songs of the Schubert variety. At the farewell public concert given by the Comedv Harmonists in the Wellington Town Hall, Professor Shelley, Director of Broadcasting. announced that the Harmonists had signed a contract to return to New Zealand for a further tour in 1939.

Recent investigations Have suggested a cause for that type of interference in which signals from a local station are heard when a receiver is. tuned to another station differing from it widely in wavelength, or when two stations are hoard together at .a point on the dial which is a long way from those on which the stations would he heard normally. If the set is not defective, the trouble, it is concluded, is due to peculiar local conditions, in waterpipes. downpipes, guttering, electric conduits, or other metal structures in the immediate vicinity of the receiver. A poor contact in this system may act as si rectifier, and in the presence of the >trong t-ignal from one or more stations picked up in the metal structure a number of new frequencies may be created «nd reradiated to the aerial of the receiver. The cure is to find the faulty joint or contact between two different systems and either remove it or improve it. if necessary, by applying a low resistance connection across it. A general scheme of adequately bonding and earthing all metal structures in a building is helpful.

Tt is a highbrow (quite obviously) who submits theso definitions:

A '"highbrow" distinguishes between good and bad rriusic.

A "middlebrow" distinguishes between music he knows and mnsic he doesn't know. A "lowbrow" distinguishes between bid music he knows and good music he doesn't know.

FROM IYA NEXT WEEK. Sunday—P.o a.m., recording's; 11.0, morning: service, relayed from tlie Epsom Methodist Church; 1.0 p.m., dinner music; I'.u to i.30, selected recordings, featuring, at 3.30, a group of Chopin preludes, plaved by Allied Cortot. pianist; 6.0. children's song service; T.o, relay of service from >t. Andrew's Presbyterian Church; g.ao, concert programme of recordings, featuring the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra; Lottie I.ehmaim, soprano; Sergei Rachmaninoff, pianist, and Heinrich Schlusnus.

.Monday—from 11 a.m., commentary on P'ay in tlie Plunket Shield cricket miitcli. Aui-ki.md v. Canterbury, relayed rrom Lden Park; 8.0 p.m., ro:.cert programme, featuring a recorded dramatic nresentatlon, ••Captain Blood, " and at 9.. i, a "talk by Mrs. .>011(1 Porter, - A Holiday in tlie Dutch Kast indies"; the studio orchestra and Mvra Hooth. soprano; Airied U. Thompson, bassbnritone; 10.0 lo 11.0, music, mirth and melody.

Tuesday—From 1 1 a.m.. commentary on plaj in the Plunket shield cricket match, Auckland v. canterbury. relayed rrom Kden Park; 7.30 talk by the gardening: expert; 8.0. comer: programme, featuring Barbara I.,me. E.igllsh soprano, and Cuthbert Matthews, Fnglish baritone, in solos and duets; y.io to 11.0, dance music.

Wednesday—-S.O p.m., concert programme. featuring- Molly Atkinson, mezzosoprano; Mary Martin, violin, and Owen Jensen, piano, in "Sonata for Piano and \ lolm in A Major"' by Caesar Franck, and recordings; n>.a to 11.0, music, mirth and melody.

Thursday—B.o p.m., concert programme, featuring recordings by Alfred Cortot, pianist; Elizabeth Schumann and Gerald Moore, and rrom 9.20, band music, interspersed with items by Barbara Lane soprano and Cuthbert Matthews, baritone; 10.0 to 11.0. Benny Goodman's orchestra and quartet, and Tommv Dorsev's orchestra, with interludes by Bing Crosbv.

Friday—7.3 0 p.m.. sports talk bv Gordon Hutter; 8.(1, concert programme, featuring an hour or reading of prose and verse by D'Arcy Cresswell, with appropriate musicMadame Annette Chapman, mezzo-soprano : 10.n to 11.0, music, mirth and melodv

Paturday—B.o p.m., concert programme, featuring Dorothy Buckingham, sopranoLeslie Russell, tenor; Leo Foster, baritone, followed by recordings; 10.10 to 1115, dance music.