SUNDRY JOTTINGS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 16 August 1929, Page 7

SUNDRY JOTTINGS.

(By “Triode.”)

From authentic information recently | received (writes “QST” iu the “ Ta- { ranaki Herald”), it would appear that there are now simply hundreds of unlicensed receivers being operated in New Plymouth and the surrounding districts. * * * • •

At a recent meeting of the executive committee of -the North Taranaki Radio Society, controlling 2YB, it was decided that the Saturday night dance programmes would be resumed as soon as the response warranted the expense. * * # * *

Station 3AR. Melbourne, was taken over bv the Commonwealth Government last Thursday. Other stations which have not already been taken over will come under Government control on the expiration .of existing licences. In the case of SCL Adelaide the date will be January 1, 1930.

six tenders lifive .been received by the Australian Director of Postal Services for a wireless, telephone service between Tasmania and the mainland of Australia. it is understood that a duplex telephone channel will -be provided so that dhe department may be able to- superimpose a telegraphic service on either channel.

The Radio Society has in mind the linking up of Parihaka Pa with the station in New Plymouth by landlines, and the broadcasting of a concert and other interesting matter which will actually be performed in the historic pa of Parihaika itself. It is even suggested that, on that occasion, Parihaka will be connected by land-lines with the bigger stations at Wellington and Auckland. If this ambitious scheme is carried out then Parihaka will have the unique honour of being the first real Maori pa ;,> broadcast. There is splendid ralenr available amongst the -Maoris associated with I’arihaka. and considerable interest will attach to the broadcast by reason of the surroundings. tt # • * # The highest fee paid by the New South Wales Broadcasting Company, which has now relinquished control of 2PC and 2BL. was 2nd guineas for a broadcast programme by Toti dai Monte. A fee of 100 guineas was paid to .Mr, Percy Grainger, the pianist, while the highest offer made to an artist was dfiO guineas to I’rit/. Kreisler, but the violinist objected to being broadcast on nnv terms.

A new system of issuing broadcast receiver licenses is expected to bo intro luced shortly in Australia. At present licenses are obtained at post offices. The department is considering a proposal to authorise radio dealers to issue them, although so far no definite decision has been reached. If this scheme is adopted it will greatly facililale the taking out of licenses by new listener 1 -. The issue nf a ji case would

be simultaneous with the purchase of a receiving set. The directors of the! Australian Broadcasting Company, J which is now supplying ,programmes for the new national broadcasting service, recently 'conferred with Melbourne radio dealers, many of whom expressed their willingness to sell licences to purchasers. Radio Language. The following, taken from an English wireless magazine, is of more than passing interest out here, where wo use both English and American terms- — sometimes to the great confusion of mind of the newcomer to radio. The article referred to reads: — Occasionally ! see one or other of the American wireless papers and T find them very interesting except that J am often puzzled by their radio terms. Could you translate some of them for me?

Let. us begin with the high-frequency end of the receiving set. The aerial is always known as the antenna and the eartli as the ground. The expression “loop antenna" rather stumped one. Well, that ’s a frame aerial.

What is a. tickler* The tickler, is the reaction coil—rather a good name for it. don‘t you think?

Tubes, f suppose are valves? Yes, and you will sometimes find them called audions as well. Do you know what, a binding .post is?

I gather that is must be some special kind of terminal. .

Not a special kind, but any terminal. You see. in America, the word “terminal” means what we call a terminus, a railway station at the end of a line.

Don’t make the mistake of ordering a dozen.

What is mean! by impedance coupling? Strictly speaking, all 'couplings be-, tween valves are of this kind, for you must bare an impedance in the plate circuit. But the Americans often use the term for resistance-capacity coupling.

Now for batteries. These are called “A”, “B” and “C”. “A” is the low-tension. “IB” the high-,tension, and “iC ” the grid battery.

Then I suppose that a “B” elimin ator is a high-tension battery eliminat or and so on?

Quite right. And what, please, is a socket-plug radio? “A radio” is often used by Americans for “a wireless set”. A socket plug radio is what we should call a mains receiver. You push the plug into the socket and there you are. What, please, is a tabic-talker? Simply the familiar loud-speaker. In constructional articles I see various sizes of wire mentioned. Arc the American guagej the same as ours? No, we use the standard wire guage whilst they use the '.American wire gunge, sometimes known as Brown and Sharpe’s. How do they differ? Roughly speaking, for all the ordinary sizes from 14 s.w.g. to 30 s.w.g. their equivalent is about two sizes less than ours.