ON THE AIR

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 24 March 1928, Page 8

ON THE AIR

(By "Wave Length.")

"Wav<l<rt»th” Invites readers to forward short accounts of their experiences in reception, and items of Interest Oft any Subject likely to interest their fellow radio enthusiasts.

NEWS AND NOTES.

A diminutive moving picture of a mailing, gesticulating gentleman waveredl. slowly within a small cabinet in a darkened tooiu of -the General Electric Company's 1 radio laboratories- this afternoon and heralded another human conquest of space (states a special telegram from Schenectady, N.Y. State, to .the “New York Times,” dated January 13). Sent through the air like the voice which accompanied the picture, it marked, the demonstrators declared, the first demonstration of television broadcasting, and gave the first absolute proof of the possibility of connecting homes throughout the world by sight as they have already been, connected! toy voice. While a score or more of company' officials', ‘engineers and newspaper - pica in the darkened room heard and saw the radio announcer in another section of the laboratory, other groups in three Schenectady homes gathered about their receiving sets, the old loud speakers and the now television receivers, and joined in the reception of the dual breadcasting programme.

The moving picture of the announcer, seen -within the aperture .three toy three inches in each television cabinet, would float back and forth slowly as if on a screen, tout it came clearly and distinctly, every motion being visible in all its details.

In their seats before the cabinets the groups in the hemes' had the drama of the laboratories brought before them. Although the apparently simple instruments gave no hint of the years, of experimenting and the tedious process' of trial and error, they produced the combination of sound and appearance ■which meant success, a man smoking a cigarette and! commenting on its taste, and an ukulele player humming a song. The device failed to reproduce colours; one performer hold a brightly-coloured cravat in front of the transmitter’s eve, but to the receiver it appeared only plain, cloth, without distinguishing colours.

New Zealanders listeners are looking forward keenly to the forthcoming Australian grand opera season. It is' understood that within the next two or three months, two grand opera, companies will be hoard in Sydney and Melbourne, and one at least, probably both, will be broadcast. Listeners will remember the extraordinary boom in radio in Australia which was the result of the grand opera season of Toti del Monte three or four years ago, when nearly .everybody in Australia rushed to buy a radio set. receivers have improved immensely since that date, and although so many persons now have their homos equipped with radio that no one expects l a similar boom, it is believed that thousands in Australia who have never yet had ,a radio set of their own will become listeners within the next month or two.

As a preliminary to the Australian grand opera season, both the Sydney A class broadcasting stations are giving listeners' something of grand opera. Station 2BL .'has been specialising in ■the works of German, italian and French composers, and 2FG now announces that the works of the great masters will be explained Loth literally and musically, listeners being told of the plot of the opera, and the .principal parts being played with full orchestral effects. Station 2FC has engaged Signor A. Folli and Mr Carlton Fay especially for tho grand opera season. These artists each have a distinguished career, and their work will surely be appreciated by listeners who are lovers of high-class music.

Mr Joe Aronson and his famous jazz band have concluded their engagement with 3LO, Melbourne. His company is now playing at a fashionable dance cabaret in Melbourne.

Novices often express curiosity regarding the reason for valves having a silvery appearance. This silvery coat you see is nothing more than the deposit of magnesium, which accumulates On the inner surface during the process of getting rid of gasses inside the glass bulb. That is, after the valve has been evacuated as much as possible with mercury pumps, a small .piece of magnesium which is attached to the .plate of the valve is heated with a radio frequency coil, until it vaporises and then flashes. When this happens, thc mcital is deposited on the inside of the glass walls, at the same time combining with any of the gases present and completely eliminating them. The degree of silvery deposit is not a factor.

In the summer, if a metal plate, or tt petrol tin filled with coke, buried in the ground, is used for an “earth,” reception sometimes becomes difficult, on account of the increased resistance of the dry ground in contact with and surrounding the plate. A great improvement can often be .effected by thoroughly soaking tho ground with water now and then.

The regular broadcast of the Wellington G.P.O. chimes by 2YA has created some interest in the words that go to the chimes. Uncle Sandy has on several occasions' given those words, and this -was gracefully acknowledged in the Wellington Press by a correspondent as follows: —

Uncle Sandy, of 2YA, has twice, in the last few months., recited this verse to the children “over the air”: —

“All through this hour, Lord, be my .guide; And by Thy power No foot shall slide.”

Uncle Sandy is full of unusual bits of quainit information that are very interesting both to the children anti their parents, and he is much appreciated.