BITS ABOUT BROADCASTS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 177, 26 June 1935, Page 3

BITS ABOUT BROADCASTS.

PROGRESS OF TELEVISION.

(By “Microphone.”)

The cable news during recent weeks has indicated the progress that is being established at Home in regard to television, though (as reported on Monday night) Germany is in-the lead, having performed the first ship-to-shore television broadcast. It is apparent that

in London there is a certain amount of competition, the Baird Company and the 8.8. C. advancing along different paths. The latter corporation has, naturally, had the benefit of a large staff and equipment for its experimental work, but it was in the earlier days that Mr Baird laid the foundations. By the end of next month, says one Sydney authority, it is expected that London’s first high-de-fimtion station will be in operation, and by the end of next year there are likely to be 20 transmitters in Britain. It is stated to be the intention to work the first station with the Baird and Marconi systems alternately in an endeavour to agree upon a definite installation for future plants. Recently a Scottish radio writer secured an interesting interview with Mr James Baird in which lie gave some of his earlier history, glossing over, however, his difficult struggles in his early experiments. “Needless to say success has not been achieved without a struggle,” he declared. “It was during my school days that I took my first step by getting a practical acquaintance of the telephone. It was after a period spent in Trinidad, when my health gave way, that I began my real work on television. My early experiments were made in a two-roomed attic with a wash-stand as bench. A biscuit-box was made into a P'rojfoctor ];amp-'hol<ier, and bull style lenses from the fronts of bicycle lamps proved exceedingly useful in building my first apparatus. This, by the way, is now in the British Science Museum as the first television apparatus in histm'y. The first face ever seen was the office boy in a cinema agency underneath my lalxiratory in Soho. He is now with our company. It is only a matter of time before whole families wdl be. able to sit in a drawing-room and see on a screen against the wall such events as a revue or a boxing match, besides listening-in. Londoners, may expect their first service towards the end of this year. As for the prospects in Scotland, much will depend on the demand for television in Glasgow and other populous centres. Each closely populated district, will require its own ultra short wave transmitter, and this is a matter requiring some expenditure of time and money.” 11l an old observatory building in Brisbane an experimenter has been working for some months. He is Mr T. M. B. Elliott, who claims that he has been able to transmit images through the air fit for publication, and declares that if sufficient encouragement were given by the authorities Australia could have high definition television now. Afr Elliott states that there are about 12 enthusiasts in Brisbane who received these images, and about the same number in Sydney and Alelbourne. From time to time he had received letters from them, and one who is connected with the Melbourne University declared that he received images in Mell>oufne with remarkable clarity. Air Elliott contends that it would be a simple matter to link up with A class stations in Australia and give the country practical television. THROUGH THE AIICROPHONE. Changes continue at 2FC Sydney, (Aiiss Elizabeth Elliott), who used to he heard in the children’s sessions with ‘•‘Bobby Bluegum” (Frank Hatherley), as a delightful duo of artists, is now heard over 2U\V Sydney. She is to broadcast in a special women’s session on Alondays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 3.30 till 3.45 New Zealand time. 2UW operates on 267 metres, 1125 kilocycles. Aiiss Ilildo Alorse, who also used to figure in the 2FC children’s hour, and, incidentally, conies from New Zealand, is now with 2UAV and is heard on Alonday and Wednesday nights in the children’s hour. A new broadcaster in 4AYK AVarwiclc, Queensland, is operating on 333 metres, 900 kilocycles. It uses only 50 watts.

Vagaries of reception locally continue to he noted by observers. While the Pacific Coast American transmitters—usually the source of a large amount of interesting programme material—have been heard only at weak strength if at all, some of the Eastern States’ stations have reached out with remarkable strength. It is an inexplicable phase of reception at certain periods. An interesting experiment on 5 metres is reported from Christchurch, wherein amateur transmitters endeavour unsuccessfully to secure a reflection of the wave from the moon.'.- Preparations had been made .for some months, but snow and other conditions spoilt the attempt. Through the snow up-country, it was impossible to take the receiving apparatus to Lake Heron, where it would have been shielded hy hills both from direct reception of the transmitted beam and from interference from power lines. So the transmitter had to be switched off before it was possible to listen for any reflections. Thus no reflections from the heaviside layer or any close objects would be picked up on account of their very small time lag after the transmitted signal. The attempt was made at 11.40 p.lll. on June 16, when the conditions were most desirable for the penetration of the earth’s heaviside layer. It was near the middle of winter, when the layer is at its weakest and highest for the year, and near the time of night when the layer is weakest. The sights on the beam aerial wire were set on the moon first, and then at various places round about it to allow for possible deflections of the wave, but on no occasion was the reflection picked up. It is proposed to make another attempt at the experiment next winter, when conditions will again bo suitable. If permission is obtained to exceed the licensed power of ZL3GD, it is likely, that a transmitter with a power of one kilowatt or more will be used for the next attempt.