DUNEDIN BROADCASTING: STATION

Evening Star, Issue 18257, 23 April 1923, Page 1

DUNEDIN BROADCASTING: STATION

FIRST TEST TRANSMISSION. SUCCESSFUL RESETS. Listmiers-in on Saturday evening were (surprised and gratified to hear music and speech louder and clearer than any transmitted before in Now Zealand, j A few minutes after the first item reI ports commenced to cor]ie in from all I over the city and suburbs, and throughout the evening the telephone rang incessantly, reporting very satisfactiry results, j The first report was from North-east Valley: “'Perfectly clear and distinct; 'easily the- best music yet heard by wireless. The next was from St. Clairs i “ Absolutely beautiful; the whole house filled with music.” At Wakari the music could be heard 200yds from a receiving set with loud speaker; and at Roslyn, with a 50ft aerial and crystal receiving set, the music could be heard 6ft from , (die phones. At one crystal receiving set in the city the music was so loud that a loud speaker could be operated, then not, of course, loudly. Those with three-valve sot and loud speakers heard every word over the whole house, and in one case the doors had to be shut and the set tuned down to avoid Availing the baby. | The transmitting was done from the 'local broadcasting station, the occasion being the first tost transmission on high power. This station has been under construction for the last few months, the whole of the plant, with the exception ; of valves and microphone, being designed 1 and built by the staff of the Radio Supply Company, under the direction of Mr Norman Arundel. The construction of this station has involved a tremendous amount ;of research and experiment, being based on fundamental principles, and utilising r large number of original and novel devices. Dunedin has had the reputation ol leading : n wireless ever since the experiments inaugurated by Dr Jack, of Otago University, and the fact that it is the first city to have a modern high-power broadcasting station constructed entirely iiv local engineers certainly Justifies ting belief.

.Mr Arundel has developed several improved methods of modulation, and from the reports regarding the clarity of the speech and music heard the transmissions from the local station will be of a very high standard. There is still a certain amount of adjustment to be done before regular programmes commence, the final power being five times that used on Saturday. During the evening tests were made In connection with the broadcasting of the Savoy Orchestra, and at times the orchestra could bo heard beautifully clear, though further experiment is required to obtain perfection. Gramophone records were much clearer than the actual record in the gramophone, the scratching of the needle being entirely eliminated, while the speech modulation was remarkably effective.