RADIO PROGRAMMES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 286, 31 October 1934, Page 3

RADIO PROGRAMMES

Radio programmes for to-night are as follow: IYA AUCKLAND (461.3 metres, 650 kiolcycles).—s.o: Children’s session. 6.0; Dinner music. 8.0: Chamber music. 9.0: Weather report. 9.2: Talk. Air Alan Aiulgan, “World Affairs.” 9.20: Dance music. 11.0: Close. IYX AUCKLAND (340.7 metres. 880 kilocycles).—s.o: Selected musical programme. 6.0: Close down. 7.0; After dingramme. 10.0: Close down. _2YA WELLINGTON (526.0 metres, 570 kilocycles).—s.o: Children’s session. 6.0: Dinner music. 8.0 : Records. 10.0 : Alusic, mirth and melody. 10.30: Dance • programme. 11.0: Close. 2YC WELLINGTON (356.9 metres, 840 kilocycles).—s.o: Alusical session. 6.0: Close down. 7.0: After dinner music. 8.0: Alternative concert programme. 10.0: Close. 3YA CHRISTCHURCH (416.4 metres, 720 kilocycles).—s.o: Children’s session. 6.0: Dinner music. 8.0: Relay from the Radiant Hall of jubilee concert, by the Christchurch Liedertafel. 9.0: Weather forecast. 10.0 : Dance music. 11.0 : Close. 3YL CHRISTCHURCH (250 metres, 120 U kilocycles).—s.o: Light musical programme. b.U: Close. 7.0; After dinner programme. 8.0: Alternative concert programme. 10.0: Close down. 4YA DUNEDIN (379.5 metres, 790 kilocycles).—s.o: Children’s session. 6.0: Dinner music. 8.0: Relay from 3YA. 10.0: Favourites, old and new. 10.30: Dance music. 11.0: Close. 4YO DUNEDIN (263 metres, 1400 kilocycles).—s.o: Light musical session. 6.0: Close down. 7.0: After dinner music. 8.0: Alternative concert programme. 10.0: Close down. 2ZF PALAIERSTON NORTH (312.3 metres, 960 kilocycles).—6.3o: Children's session. 7.30: Early musical session. 8.0: Relay of 2YA. 2FC SYDNEY (451 metres, 655 kilocycles).—B.o: National programme, From the Sydney Town Hall, concert by New South Wales State Conservatorium Orchestra, in conjunction with A.B.C. (Sydney) concert orchestra. 10.32: Aleditation Music. 11.30: Close. 2BL SYDNEY (351 metres, 855 kilocycles).—B.o: Vaudeville, presented by Fred Whaite and his theatre orchestra, a burlesque on an old-time Alusic Hall, giving our listeners an idea of how a cheap London Alusic Hall entertainment of 30 or 40 years ago would sound to our pre-terit-day audiences. 9.0: Interlude. 9.10: Programme by the National Alilitary Band, assisted by the Studio Alale Quartet. 10.30: Close. EAIPIRE SHORT-WAVE STATION. TRANSAIISSION 1. G.S.D. (25.53 m) and G.S.B. (31.55 m). 8.0; Talk in the Nightmare Series. 8.15: BBC Dance Orchestra. 9.0: News. 9.15: Close. Note. —New Zealand summer time is two hours ahead of eastern Australian time, and 12 hours ahead of Greenwich mean time. BITS ABOUT BROADCASTS. AIR RACE TRANSAIISSIONS. (By “Aliorophone.”) The Centenary air race brought to light a large amount of interest in the realm, of radio which had not been realised in quite the same manner previously. Probably the greatest disappointment was the way in which the National broadcast of the landing of Scott and Black at.Laverton (Alelhourne) reached Dominion listeners. As on other occasions Christchurch provided a little improvement over 2YA, but in no case was a good standard reached. It appears that the fault demonstrated a peculiarity of short waves. A listener of long-stand-ing in this branch states that at 4.50 the signals from the Australian station were excellent —as loud as those on the broadcast band from 2YA —but 20 minutes later were almost a negligible quantity. As a result the engineers had to boost the volume once it reached the transmitters and exercise the greatest care to obtain anything like readability. As a contrast, London received the signals with splendid volume so that a recording of the transmission was

taken at Daventry. Such is the vagary that the Palmerston North listener the next morning heard front the Empire transmitter incomparably clearer and stronger signals than he had from Alelbourne the previous evening. In one case, too, a distance of 26,000 miles had been covered (to England and back again) and in the other only 1200 miles separated the listener and broadcaster. The broadcast front the Alelbourne hotel on Wednesday evening was also very disappointing, but sufficient compensation was secured on Sunday night when the Alanawatu airmen spoke, after a day spent in arranging the hook-up. During these transmissions there seemed to be a howling valve impinging on the signals, hut the whistle was due to a short-wave station in close proximity to the Australian one preventing ■well-defined reception. On Thursdav night listeners to any of the National stations in Australia included in the network will for the first five minutes after 10 o’clock hear an address by the New- Zealand Prime Alinister. This will be on the occasion of the first “goodwill” broadcast to the entire world from the Dominion, 2YA acting as the medium for an hour after 10 o’clock. The amateur operator continues to find his happy hunting ground m America. The latest returns show that there are at present 46,390 licenses in force for the operation of stations, 8782 of these coming into force in the year ending June 30 last Alany of these are splendidly equipped plants with high powers, so that at suitable times New Zealand listeners on short waves (and amateur operators especially) secure excellent reception. Not only the 8.8. C. “cans” its programmes for subsequent broadcast. 2UAV Sydney has installed a special piece of apparatus that enables a record to be made of race commentaries so that later in the day a series of these may be broadcast, though they have been secured from different courses. It is stated that the plan works well. In about 10 weeks a commercial station will be opened at Tamwortli, New South Wales. Under the call sign ol 2WO, the transmitter will operate on 1740 kilocycles (204.1 metres), with an aerial power of 50 watts. Shortwave listeners will probably have noticed the changes made in the schedule for the Empire transmissions. The latest announcement received from the 8.8. C. gives the transmissions as follow, New Zealand summer time being stated: —Transmission No. I (New Zealand and the Pacific), 7.15 p.m. to 9.15 p.m., 25.53 m and 331.55 m; transmission No. II (Alalay and the Far East) 11 p.m. to 12.30 a.m., 16.86 m and 19.82 m. 12.30 a.m. to 2 a.m.. 19.82 m and 31.55 m; transmission No. 11l (India and the East), 2.15 a.m. to 3.45 a.m.. 19.82 m and 25.30 m, 3.45 a.m. to 5.45 a.m.. 25.30 m and 31.55 m; transmission No. IV (Africa and the Near East), 6 a.m. to 10.45 a.m.. 25.53 m and 31.55 m; transmission No. V (Canada and America), 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., 31.30 m and 49.59 m. A German investigator, Ernst Lenz, has suggested there is another conducting layer in the atmosphere in addition to* those known as the E and F layers (or Heaviside and Appleton layers), which are held responsible for long-distance communication and fading. According to Lenz, the third layer is only about 15 miles above the earth, less than one-quarter of that of the lower of the other two, but it has no appreciable effect on short and broadcast wave lengths, being most effective on wave lengths of 5000 metres or over. American reception has been very poor of late, in the writer’s experience, but on Monday evening at 7 o’clock there was promise of fair volume. WLW Cincinnati (near 3YA) was audible at very fair strength, and KFI Los Angeles was discernible in the vicinity of IYA. One other heard appeared to be KPO San Francisco. Air L. R. C. Alacfarlane, of Christchurch, a member of the New Zealand

Broadcasting Board, returned from Englancl the other day after an absence of five months. He said technicians were experimenting with new directional waves to give better reception in New Zealand. Graphs he had seen showed that reception had improved considerably in recent times. A big globe was used for demonstrating the directions in which waves could be sent. New Zealand had been receiving by way of the North Pole, but there were other directions to send, and they were all the subject of investigation. “REMEMBER THIS RADIATION.” Remember that the National network system followed in Australia whereby the various States relay from one of the others the programme for the night, rebroadcasting it through one of its A stations, often enables passable reception when static is bad. Often when it is ■ impossible to secure good reception on the lower end of the band a station further up the dial will give satisfaction with the same items; the position is at times reversed whereby the lower-placed transmitters come into their own. N.Z. DX RADIO ASSOCIATION. i * AIONTHLY MEETING. One of the largest and most enthusiastic meetings of the Alanawatu branch of the N.Z. DX Radio Association was held in the Farmers’ Club rooms on Friday last, Mr J. C. A. Donaldson (president) being in the chair. Alembers from Dannevirke, Woodville and Feilding were present and a warm welcome was extended to them. In writing a letter of sympathy to this branch, trusting that members had suffered no loss during the recent hurricane, the secretary of the South Dunedin branch was apparently under the impression that the Alanawatu and Wairarapa were identical. The gesture was appreciated and the writer reassured. Numerous letters of appreciation were received relative to the branch broadcasts given from the local station, and the Auckland branch secretary wrote seeking information on the scheme. A lengthy letter was received from the 60cretary of the South Australian branch giving a wealth of information regarding the Australian amateur transmitters. At a suitable juncture the president took the opportunity of presenting the silver cup donated by Mr Jno. Renwick to Mr J. E. Larsen, who submitted a total of 90 verifications received in the six months ending September, and thereby won the junior competition. The method of conducting the various branch competitions came up for discussion. It was decided to conduct senior and junior overseas competitions for fix-monthly periods. ' Points will be awarded for the best verification each month and totalled at the end of the period, the winner to receive a trophy. _ A separate competition lor the Australian VK’s was also decided on, the conditions to be the same as those for the overseas trophies. A lecturette and demonstration on the latest superheterodyne receiver was given by Air C. L. Kenning. The speaker dealt with the circuit and types of valves usod and kept his audience interested. At the elope of his talk, Mr Kenning answered a number of questions. He was accorded a vote of thanks. . . Alembers were served with supper,_ and general DX topics, combined with an interest in the progress of the Alanawatu entrants in the air race, were discussed, lhe results of the branch competitions were announced. The placings for the month were: Overseas (senior) : Messrs Donaldson and Alasters, JOQK, equal, 1; Air J. Donaldson, JOJK, 3. Overseas (junior) : Air 1. J- Aitken, KFAC, 1; Mr W. Schwarz, KHJ, 2; Air J. Larsen ICGB, 3. VK competition: Mr J. VK4PK, 1; Mr J. Renwick VK7J \\ , 2, Air J. Ranwick, VK2ZF. 3. Methods of raising funds for the branch were discussed. A scheme of improving the finances has been made possible owing to tho generosity of three wellwishers.