THE HOWLERS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 1, 1 July 1926, Page 14

THE HOWLERS

"Fed-up" writes as follows:—

"I desire on behalf of myself and several friends who all have receiving sets to draw attenJ'on t-' the question of 'howling' that.ha 3 been mnst pronounced of late. Last evening, 25th Juno, it was a perfect nigh^m: ;:; and something will have to be done to put a stop to the practice. Wo all have our views on this important matter; and some of us havo a shrewd suspicion who is causing the trouble. The position has become so acute that several residents .with sets, in desperation, say that if ever they locate for certain the culprit they will make it hot for him. ■If he be an absolute novice he should have the assistance of someone with experience to guide him as to how to tune in; if he be experienced, ho wants dealing with severely. It is absolutely wicked for us to have to put up with this infernal howling and squealing night after night; and last night we wore so exasperated that had it not been late we should have made an attempt to definitely locate tho offender. The trouble seems to be in Lyall Bay; and, in addition, residents in the city also complain. Last night's Australian concerts were absolutely 'jammed,? the noise of', howling was deafening, and with guests specially invited to hear the 'set', working, you can imagine one?s feelings. My set was not working;1 but I with others w visiting a friend to hear his set working.

.•"I am prepared to offer a reward of ten pounds for information that will lead to the detection of the offender or offenders, and if it can be proven that tho culprit or culprits are novices, then one of us will assist him or. them to learn the proper way to tune in. If, on the contrary, the offender or offenders are experienced people, we intend to take the matter further, and ask for an injunction to stop the trouble once and for all. £120 spent on a receiving set,vand all one gets on many occasions is this exasperating 'howling and squealing'; is it a fair thing, I ask? From about 9.15 o'clock every night almost the same person—who we can vouch for —starts this infernal noise, and he keeps it up until practically the finish, of ...Australian transmission. Can you assist'- us to put an end to this trouble?" /

A remedy for the howling nuisance is very hard to '.suggest, though while conditions remain as they are in New Zealand, with ' its low. power stations, "silent nights," and a comparatively few listeners. Apparently '. the great multiplication of listeners has tho effect of creating „so strong a public opinion, that the- nuisance becomes greatly reduced. Good powerful local broadcasting every night greatly reduces it, because a large proportion of those who are responsible aro merely incapable manipulators who are struggling with inadequate apparatus to hear distant music, and who would be only too glad to listen to a local programme if there was one.

A partial remedy lies in tho hands of the i aggrieved listeners themselves, but emphatically it requires first an attitude of mind quite different from ■ that which suggests offering rewards for information for the detection of the offenders. If' an offender can be located, he should be sought out in a friendly way and shown where he is going wrong. Ho may be a nastyminded rascal who deserves to "havo

it made hot for him," but in all probability he is not, and. is cither untaught, silly, clumsy, or inconsiderate. Any decent man would be only too glad to be helped out of either of these categories by someone who know how to do it without "rubbing it in."

There is a regulation against causing unnecessary interference, and like another regulation lately under public notice, its infringement renders the offender liable to a penalty. So far, nobody seems to have been proceeded against under tnis regulation, and a, f?w prosecutions might do good. But it is not so easy to prove offence as it sounds. Probably the only real and final cure for this great defect in wireless would be a law'putting an absolute prohibition on the use of any receiver used on the broadcasting wavelengths capable of creating interference. It is ono of the comedies of the business that every beginner, once he has decided to go past the crystal receiver, is recommended to take up a type of receiver which is tho chief criminal, when it is perfectly obvious that tho first thing he will do is to make . a beastly nuisance of himself. Tho regenerative receiver using a plain detector valve is a wonderfully simple and economical instrument, but to handle it properly is no job for a raw beginner of average capability. Without a good deal of practice ho can neither get the best out of it nor avoid causing interference; and far from being boomed as it usually is, the use of such receivers should be heartily discouraged.

It would really bo no very great, hardship if the use of single valve re J eeivcrs with reaction was absolutely barred now that two valves can be bought for less 'than one cost a few years ago. The solution of the interference trouble is the general use of a stage of high\ frequency amplification, properly neutralised to prevent its circuit from oscillating. There is absolutely no difficulty about building the circuit, it costs very little, and it works wonders. - Coupled with that, one can use a regenerative detector as one likes, and those peculiar people who like to have their reception mangled by oscillation can do so without hurting anybody. With but little trouble a two-valve set can be made which will work a loud speaker Well from a local station and will give really good telephone reception of others far distant.