RADIO LOG BOOK

Evening Star, Issue 23657, 17 August 1940, Page 4

RADIO LOG BOOK

Car radio sets are banned in Britain, and stringent measures tire being taken to enforce the prohibition. The ban applies to Car sets not in use, and the police have power to search garages and premises

Scarcely as large as a packet of cigarettes, a diminutive permanentmagnet speaker has a full-floating cone only 2in in diameter and capable of high output and frequency response. With a special transformer it becomes a dynamic microphone.

Statistic fiends have arrived at the conclusion that of the 9,000,000 radio sets licensed in Britain only 600,000 are in homes with incomes of £lO or more; 2.250,000 in the £4 to £lO class; 4,250,000 in the under £2 10s to £4 class; and 2,000,000 in the under £2 10s group. Then it is found that a majority of listeners on the highestincome section are tuned in up till 11 p.m., and that most of those'in the intermediate group sign off at 9.30. There is nothing surprising in these figures. The £2 10s to £4 section is the largest, and naturally has most receivers; and as its members probably have to begin work earlier than their wealthier neighbours, it is natural that they go to bed sooner.

The German short wave radio reaches the fantastic when it quotes alleged extracts from a Geneva newspaper, describing “ a London revolt against plutocratic cricketers by people who tried to destroy their playgrounds at night time, resulting in a state of war between the population and the English sporting clubs.” The radio added: “ It is typical of the mentality of the sons of moneybags that they want their plutocratic entertainment to prevail even at the most serious moment—even at a time when people feel that the water is slowly mounting to their necks.” The truth, of course, is that the “ sabotage ” on cricket grounds was perpetrated by the British Government. Some grounds have been converted into potato patches, and othershave been ditched to make them unsuitable landing grounds for planes.

The Australian Broadcasting Commission has 26 transmitters in regular operation, but it only two evening programmes. One is known as the National, and is networked over 2FC Sydney (610 ke.), 2CY Canberra (850 kc.), 2NR Grafton (700 kc.), 3AR Melbourne (620 kc.), 2CO Corowa (670 kc.), 3GI Sale (830 kc.), 4QG Brisbane (800 kc ), 4QN Townsville (630 kc,). 4RK Rockhampton (910 kc.), 4OS Dalby (760 kc.), SAN Adelaide (890 kc.), SCK Crystal Brook (640 kc.). 6\VF Perth (690 kc.), 7ZL Hobart (600 kc.). The other is cdlled the Alternative, and is relayed over

2BL Svdney (740 ke.), 2NC Newcastle (1,230* kc.), 2CR Orange (550 kc.), SIX) Melbourne (770 kc.), 3WV Horsham (580 kci), 4QR Brisbane (940 kc.), SCL Adelaide (730 kc.). 7ZR Hobart (1,180 kc.), 7NT Launceston (710 kc.), 6WN Perth (790 kc.), 6WA Wagin <560 kc.), 6GF Kalgoorlie (720 kc.). « • • »

The 8.8. C. has no liking for women announcers, but it employs two wellknown commentators, Janet Quigly (an Irish girl) and Joan Littlewood. Away from the mike the corporation employs a host of women. Miss Sprott is the power behind the microphone _in the Press section. In the publications and Press bureau costuming and stage departments, and in office, typing, telephone, and other sections there is a small army of them.

An article on ‘ Photoelectric Taperecording ’ in ‘ Electronics ’ discusses an interesting system of recording on an acetate-base tape rather similar to a motion picture film. The material has three layers, the acetate base, a centre layer of special emulsion through which the cutting stylus can cut freely, and a third layer which is very thin and very densely opaque. This thin layer is removed by an ob-lique-angled cutter to form a variablewidth sound track. The advantage of this method of recording is that the tape requires no further treatment afer cutting and may be played back immediately. The tape is wound olf one drum on to another passing a photo-electric cell and light source which forms the pick-up. 'File tape lends itself very readily to editing, as it is only necessary to cut the tape and rejoin it to eliminate any unwanted parts of a programme. An example of this occurs in a case where one member of a east used the word “ Mrs ” instead of “ Miss.” The portion of the tape containing the second syllable of “ Mrs ” was eliminated, and the script corrected with no trouble. It will be obvious that in the production of recorded broadcast programmes the ease of patching up the recording in this way will save much time and expense. The depth to which the stylus cuts is determined by the amplitude of the signal and because of the wedge-shaped cutting surface more of the opaque layer is removed when the tape is cut to greater depths. However. even for signals of the greatest amplitude the motion of the stylus is but a few'thousandths of ah inch.