WIRELESS NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 19352, 11 September 1926, Page 17

WIRELESS NOTES

BROADCAST RECEPTION [By Elect eon.] I have been travelling about this last week, and tlierefore cannot give any complete account of reception, but X know that last Saturday brought the worst static that we have ever experienced, and, what is still more remarkable, it had practically cleared away by Sunday, and reception was excellent again ' In the country it was possible to receive only an occasional rote from the strongest stations amongst the static, while the crashing and grinding could bo heard continuously. During tho afternoon of Saturday heavy storm clouds were gathering over the horizon, and I felt that we might have some static, but never imagined it would be as bad as it turned out to be. The only consolation we had was the novelty of hearing static at its worst. It could not possibly be any vorse. Stations that on Sunday were audible hundreds of yards from the loud speaker were unable to push a note through the static on Saturday. I notice my remarks on reception at Queenstown have brought forward a letter from one of the local enthusiasts, but this does not alter my record in any way, and if any radio man is thinking of taking a radio set to Queenstown ho can be assured of the wildest interference it is possible to imagine; and, as for demonstrating a receiver, I think it would be better not to try in the meantime. I am told that when one of the local men desires to receive any particular item he taps vigorously on his grid as an indication to some of tho others to ease off a little! The new Christchurch station is coming in well, but is having a little trouble at present. The wave length does not seem very suitable, being too near to 4QG and 4YA, but no doubt this will bo altered. The Auckland station is maintaining a good schedule, and is coming in with ample volume. Yanks have been very good, new stations heard including KMO, KSWI, KSVVD, KFSTZ, VVLiB, and several as yet undistinguished. At 8.30 last Sunday KMO was coming through with great volume. Tho chief items from 2BL, Sydney', this month have been :—Wednesday, Ist inst., City of Sydney Baud; Thursday, studio concert; Friday, Broadcasters Minstrel Troupe; Saturday, studio programme; Sunday, lecture recital from King’s Hall and Manly Municipal Band; Monday, orphans’ wail from Warnngah Hall, Neutral Bay; Tuesday, studio concert, featuring Miss Gladys Verona, followed by Elite oldtime dances from Marrickville Town Hall; Wednesday, City of Sydney Band, talk by Miss Mary Edwards on painting Red Indians; Thursday, classical programme by tne salon quartet and studio items; Friday, Hoyt’s Laperial Orchestra and talk on valve sets. RADIO N.Z. The latest number (No. 8, vol. I.) has arrived, the main features being 1 Radio News of tho World,’ ‘ On Fading,’ ‘ How . Broadcasting May Be Enjoyed,’ ‘ Professor Coop’s Marvellous Set,’ ‘Making Fixed Condensers,’ ‘ Broadcasting News,’ ‘ Broadcasting Schedules,’ as well as the usual excellent collection of news and information items. 1 notice that the Wellington Hospital radio fund has now reached over £500; tho complete installation is expected to cost £2,000. The Christchurch fund has reached £4OO, and this is sufficient for this installation in the meantime. £IOO has been donated towards tho Auckland fund, and arrangements are being made to increase this, while, as far as Dunedin is concerned, the scheme has only been pro posed. BRITISH BROADCASTING COMPANY. 7he third, and probably the last, annual general meeting was held last July. In spite of tho Postmaster-Gen-eral’s restriction of the 8.8. C. animal revenue to £500,000, excellent work has been done. The revenue from license fees alone amounts to over one million pounds, while the amount sjxent on construction and equipment reaches £271,448. The expenditure on programmes amounted to £500,000. On December 31 tho 8.8. C will cease to exist, and its functions will bo taken over by tho British Broadcasting Corporation, consisting of five or six paid commissioners to be appointed by the Government, and to bo sot up by Royal Charter. Tho present plant and staff will bo taken over complete, and there will be no stoppage in the broadcasting. It is stated that the 8.8. C. when taken over will be worth ten times tho original issued share capital, and that on tho open market, as a going concern, the 8.8. C. would fetch more than one and a-half million pounds. SIMULTANEOUS BROADCASTING. A simultaneous transmission of two different programmes on two different wave lengths from the same aerial was recently carried out by tho 8.8. C., and from an analysis of 10,000 loiters re reived it seems that 7ft per cent, ol crystal sot users and 96 per cent, oi valve set users were able to separate the two programmes, and listen to the one they wanted by eliminating the other. It is the intention of the B B.C, to install a number of these double wave length stations outside the ihiokly-popuiaiot! areas. Tho deference in wave length will he such that all sets except those using very flat tuning will be able in eliminatt one or other of the two programmes. 2BL, SYDNEY.

To-night the programme, from 281 will bo transmitted fiom ’farce during the evening, the usual sporting feature.' being transmitted from tho city during tho day. The Now South Wales Government Tourist Bureau is co-operating with flic engineers at 2BL in ordei that a programme of unique inferos! may ho presented. On Sunday the entire transmission will bo from ’farce. As 'farce is over 25(1 miles north by rail from Sydney, this transmission will bo very inteVesting. NEWS ITEMS. 2BG, the Sydney Thcosophical Society's new station, using 1,50 U watt) on 32G metres, has boon heard in New Zealand. GNRV, a broadcasting station operated by the Canadian National Railways at Vancouver, has been heard in Nelson by Mr E. Tt. Thomson. ’1 lie station shut down at 0.15 p.m. A listener at Lyall Bay, Wellington, offers £lO reward for any information loading to the conviction of a listener in that district who is spoiling reception for others. The Telegraph Department has the matter in hand. Many complaints have been hoard lately regarding one or two particularly bad offenders in Dunedin. There is one on whom several amateurs are concern trating at present, and every assistance is offered by tlio Telegraph Do partment in locating and taking action against these “spoilers.”