ON THE AIR

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 7 January 1928, Page 16

ON THE AIR

/ (By “Wavs Length.")

“Wavelength” Invites readers to forward short accounts of their experiences In reception, and Items of Interest on any subject likely to Interest their fellow radio enthusiasts.

The" Radio Broadcasting Company rose to the occasion on -New tear’s Eve. The rour stations operated by the company were on the air in the evening witn programmes, and three o‘f tne stations continued until after midn.gm-. As the midnight hour drew near, dIA Christchurch, switched over to a. miciopiioni in the Christcuurch Cathectrai .square- The Cathedral chimes came tiirough with good loud-speaker volume a cove tne dm of the crowd which was making merry in tlie Square. Tlie frequent explosions of large crackers ana mi mature bombs, a tin-can band, cheering, and a thousand and one noise® created to give the Old ¥ ear a good sendoff all d the New Year a fitting welcome, were heard with good voume irom the .oud-speaker. The announcer said that .. <j¥A .suddenly went off the air, listeneiy.; would know that the microphone nad been put out of action by a bomb, as some iolk were throwing this type of fireworks at the microphone. Tuning over "to IYA, Auckland, brought in lively music from the dance orchestra, followed by a veritable uproar, comprising the noises in the street in Auckland. The last minutes of this old year were marked by the broadcasting by 2YA Wellington of the watchnight service from St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. The solemn tones of the organ were in striking contract with the tumult of revelry which, issued worn IYA and 3YA. Most appropriate was the Prime Minister’s New Year s meetings to the people of Now Zealand, read out from 2YA, Wellington, just on the arrival of the- New Year. We - iington’s big station was in particularly good form, and as static was singularly guieseent. 2YA must have been heat d v.itli good volume and clarity for many .uindreds of miles per medium of multivalve receiving sets. The ushering in [of the New Year was well done by the Broadcasting Company, and it seems chat the company’s efforts were widely appreciated. # # #

The contract for the installation of radio equipment in the Wellington Genera’ Hospital was handed to the National Electrical and Engineering Company. Ltd., last week, by the commi'ttee which has been responsible for tlie raising of money and settlement of details concerning the installation. It Is due to come into operation on March 10 The final returns for the vear 1927 have not yet b3en completed, but according to the latest return, for the v.eriod ending December 23. 39.223 licenses have been issued in this Dominion. It is possible that the returns up to December 31 will -show that 40,000 licenses have been issued. The returns for the individual districts are as follow : Auckland District 13,861 Canterbury District 5,140 Otaco District 2,310 Wellington District 14,y0i Total 39,223 * * * * * "But in the matter of teaching adults I register delight to learn that the study of English by radio is spreading on the Continent.. This means more comfortable travelling for the English. . Our language is being taught wirelessly in Spain, Germany. Poland, Denmark, Lithuania and Czeeho-Slovokia. It’s a compliment, but is it intended for us or the U.S.A.? —Extract from an English wireless magazine. *** * - * Sometimes when a loud-speaker is placed on top of a radio receiving set the vibrations from the loud-speaker cause the internal elements of the detector valve to vibrate in sympathy, and a kind of howl or whistle will be heard. In this event the loud-speaker should be placed away from the set; some sets will howl even when the loudspeaker is pointed towards it. The obvious cure is to turn the mouth of the loud-speaker away from the set. Mohanimendan priests in Svanetia, Caucasus Mountains, look upon -wireless as a "spirit speaker.’’ A receiving set was recently publicly damned and then thrown down the mountain side.

Comprehensive arrangements. for world .broadcasting on a scale hitherto unattempted have 'been completed by 3LO Melbourne. A weekly programme will be broadcast by the big Australian station on a wave-length of 36 metres. The service has been inaugurated, and will be continued every Monda v morning between 4.30 a.m. and (5.30 a.m., Melbourne time (corresponding to 18.30 and 20.30 Greenwich mean time every Sunday), slight variations possibly being necessary from time to time to meet changing circumstances. Thus it should be practicable by continuous testing to perfect short-wave transmitting to such a degree that world broadcasting will become possible with satisfactory results. In taking this important step, 3LO Melbourne is demonstrating still further its pioneering enterprise in establishing > a short-wave service for listeners not onlv in the British Empire, but everywhere. Reports have already been received by 3LO from various parts of Great Britain, U.S.A., Alaska, Japan, China, India, Java and the Pacific Isles commenting very favourably upon the reception of the short-wave service, and it is hoped that each weekly effort will result not only in improved transmission, but in better reception consequent upon continued short-wave experiments by listeners throughout the world. An American .journal says: "It took the automobile industry twenty years to learn the fallacy of the ‘yearly model’ plan, anti wo hope that the radio industry will be quick to perceive the hazards and pitfalls of that system. Lot us put a stop to the yearly model plan lest it bring us that millstone of the automobile industry —the ‘used model ’ business. A radio receiver does not seriously depreciate in use, and hence a used receiver business, the inevitable by-product of the yearly model plan, is of advantage neither to the dealei nor to the set owner.”