RADIOCITIES

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 160, 22 June 1935, Page 12

RADIOCITIES

Substantial Retainer. It was stated in the Supreme Court, Sydney, recently that Di n Bradman was paid £lOOO a yea r for his broadcast talks through station SUE. Mr C. V. Stevenson, manager of the station and managing director of the company, who made the statement, said that Bradman’s engagement was responsible for a big increase in business. Emergency Radio. The well-known radio enthusiast, Mr H. B. Arthur, has been rc-eloeted as the officer commanding the New Zealand Radio Emergency Corps. The 11 votes cast in his favour represent 11 sections from Auckland to Invercargill, each section being allowed one vote. Each section comprises 12 members, including officers. The Bost and Telegraph has to date allotted the Radio Emergency Corps 51 special call signs and also a special band of frequencies on which to operate those stations. There are 17 sections altogether "with throe stations each. Tho New Zealand Radio Emergency Corps is unique throughout the world in that it is so far tho only organisation of its kilid to receive official recognition. Although only a comparatively new organisation, it has already proved its national value, having rendered valuable assistance in earthquake disasters, also aviation and bush accidents. For tho past ten years Mr Arthur has been actively connected with radio transmitting, having operated the station ZLIAN since 1925. Question of a Name. While on the subject of television, the naive suggestion in the 8.8.C.’s latest list of pronunciations that it is not unlikely that the man in the street will hit upon a better word than the officially recommended “televiewer,” is a reminder that it io an Advisory Committee and not the corporation itself that propounds these recommendations. The corporation has never relied on the judgment of the man in the street. For the present “televiewer” must serve, the hope being expressed that it will rapidly learn to disguise its mongrel origin by shedding the prefix and showing itself to tho world as "viewer.”

Identification Signals. The following identification signals will bo helpful to short-wave listeners: —PHI sighs off with the Dutch National Anthem, Java begins each session with three automobile horn notes, Russian stations start and finish with “The International,” 2ME broadcasts tho laugh of the kookaburra, SME begins with clock chimbs, W2XAF and W2 XAD begin each programme with a discharge of 10,000.000 volts, WBXK and W9XF sound peculiar chimes, XEBT starts by sounding sharply an automobile horn and signs off with "Ave Maria,” PRFS has three chimes followed by an announcement in English, TGX has two-tone high frequency signals, VE9CB sounds two bells between items, VE9HX gives four strokes on n gong at the beginning of each transmission. Daventry—"London Calling,” WIXAL announces WIXAL BosWn, FYA. begin? and ends transmissions With “La Marseillaise,” DJ stations announce and sign off in English, and 2RO announces "Radio Roma.”

Aeroplane Equipment. The radio equipment used by opera tor Stannage of the Southern Cross’s last flight was exhibited at a Sydney radio show, and attracted much attention. It. is a modern one of a type developed in England for use on regular air liners. Capable of almost unlimited range on the short waves from 40 to 80 metres, it. will transmit and receive also on 600 and 900 metres, and telephon v was possible on all waves. S(annage describes it as the most, satisfactory he had ever used, as never before on the Hovt’-crn Cross bad be been able to receive short wave si"nals owing t« induction noises from the plugs and magneto, Modern aircraft have their magnelo and electrical systems elect rieallv screened, but Kingsford-Smith’s machine is a long way from modern and may ne'. er fly again.