SHORT-WAVE TELEGRAPHY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19730, 1 September 1927, Page 15

SHORT-WAVE TELEGRAPHY.

NEW ZEALAND EXPERIMENTS. ; COMMUNICATION WITH SAMOA. BY IHEHMIONV The annual report of the Post and Telegraph Department says that apparatus lor i experimental short-wave transmissions is now being installed at Radio-Wellington, VLW, with a view to providing direct short-wave communication with the Pacific islands in which New Zealand is inter- . ested. Experiments with improvised apparatus have for some time been carried out between Awanui, New Zealand, and Apia, • Samoa, with very satisfactory results. During the course of these experiments it has been clearly demonstrated that shortwave working with low power is frequently .practicable when atmospheric interference renders high-power, long-wave working an impossibility. If the 'results of further experiments •which are to be conducted shortly are as satisfactory as is anticipated, and certain difficulties confronting simultaneous commercial and short-wave communication can be successfully overcome, it is probable that short-wave signalling will be utilised by New Zealand coast stations to a much . greater extent thai) in the past. Since, August, 1.926, tests have been made with a view to ascertaining the extent to which the transatlantic telephone transmissions between Rugby and New York could be heard in New Zealand.

The tests clearly indicate that speech can \ be received when conditions are favourable. but many difficulties will have to be overcome before ;:peech can be reliably received over such an extreme distance. .

IMPROVING PROGRAMMES.

LISTENERS MAY CO-OPERATE.

Last week members of the executive committee of the. Auckland Listeners' . League had an opportunity of discussing the broadcasting situation with Mr. A. R. Harris, general manager of the Radio Broadcasting Company. Mr. Harris expressed his willingness to undertake reasonable co-operation with the league with a view to improving further the service from IYA. Sines the interview, the league's executive has spent no little time in formulating a scheme of co-operation with the local, station director. If the idea is accepted then it is the league's intention to shelve, for the time being, its policy of endeavouring to obtain a 6imilar control of New Zealand broadcasting to that obtaining in Great Britain. THE HOWLING VALVE. DEPARTMENTAL ACTIVITIES. The Auckland Listeners' League recently suggested to the PostmasterGeneral, the Hon. W. Nosworthy, that, with a view to avoiding some of the - present howling-valve interference, a stage of neutralised radio-frequency amplification should be made compulsory. In the course of a reply, Mr. Nos"worthy gives an insight into the activities of his department in endeavouring t.o suppress the trouble. He says: "It may be realised that my department is by no means unaware,of. the position. It is*, however, pointed out that in no country in the world has the radiating receiver nuisance been entirely eliminated, although it is hoped that by the following means better conditions frill be obtained in the future:—(a)' Education of the listener, {b} Prevention of the use of notoriously offending sets by providing for the testing of sets which it is proposed to submit to the public for sale, (c) Inspection by radio inspectors, including the int vestigation of complaints made to them by listeners, (d) The gradual improvement in the design of sets on the market. This is already noticeable. (e) The increased power of the broadcasting stations.

•"It- will be evdent that your association has great opportunities for assisting my department under certain of the above headings, and,-it may be stated the departmental inspectors are at all times prepared to do all ir their power to supply any information that you may desire."

PHOTOGRAPHS AND MORSE.

NEW TELEGRAPHIC SYSTEM. A remarkable advance in the science of radio was foreshadowed in recent cable news when the announcement was made that photographic facsimiles are to be transmitted instead of Morse signals, for long-distance beam wireless transmissions.- The Marconi Company, has, in i conjunction with the Radio Corporation of America, for months past been using radio for 'the sending of pictures between London and New York. The photographic representations so transmitted have been so accurate and reliable' that this means has been adopted for the sending of cheques between the two cities. New York and Chicago drapery establishments, desirous of having the latest particulars concerning Paris fashions, _ have had the -models photographed in Paris, copies of the photographs sent by aeroplane to London, and thence sent by radio to New' York and Chicago, thus enabling replicas of the models shown in Paris to be on exhibition in the American cities next morning. The cabled information indicates that there have been improvements in the method of photographic transmission to an extent that h will be cheaper and quicker to send photographic representations of the messages handed in by subecribers than to have the messages/ punched on, tape for Morse transmission as is being done at pi'esent. It is intended to adopt the new system at the British-Australian beam stations as soon as possible. SHORT-WAVE PROSPECTS. A MISLEADING STATEMENT. * . A number of extraordinary statements were made during; the course* of the recent discussion in Parliament on New Zealand broadcasting. One such statement was made by a member of the Government in saying that our broadcasting stations might very soon become worthless in view of the activity being displayed in connection with short-wave transmission. A:o unconsidered statement of this nature is not likely to assist the development of broadcasting in the Dominion since, if it were true, the general pulilic would refrain from becoming listeners due to the prospect of present-day receiving sets also becoming obsolete. ■ ' There is practically no possibility of short-wave broadcasting replacing the present system. Listening to distant short-wave transmissions is certainly interesting, but alter the novelty has worn off it is realised that defects are.present which destrov to an extent the musical value of the broadcasts. The' causes of the defects are apparently atmospheric and it will be probably many years before effective means of meeting the difficulties are found. , There is another and more important objection to a sftort wave superseding - tbp present broadcasting wave-length. The special feature of short waves is their ability to cover large rather than small distances. Jn fact, on many of the shorter wave-lengths'communication over short distances is found to be entirely impossible. It - naturally follows that short-wave broadcasting would be practicallv useless in a country the size of f N<i',v Zealand.