WIRELESS NOTES

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 11737, 26 January 1924, Page 9

WIRELESS NOTES

By

RADIO.

LEPERS LISTEN IN Now that Quail Island, the leper settlement near Lyttelton, is equipped with wireless apparatus, it is interesting to know something about the set they are using. In, the design of a wireless set consideration must he given to such factors as distance from transmitting station, power used in transmission screening, strength of signals required, etc., and it will be found that, with a .given amount of apparatus, totally different arrangements may be necessary to get the best results under different conditions. INFLUENTIAL FAGTORS Some of the factors which influence the choice of circuit for use on Quail Island are indicated below:—(a) Telephony and. long-distance reception required; (b) unfavourable position of the station regarding surrounding hills; (c) facility for experimental work; (d) facility for addition of more valves functioning as radio frequency amplifiers, audio frequency amplifiers, or both; (e) conformity to regulations. THREE COIL ARRANGEMENT The sketch shows that the basis of the circuit is the three-coil arrangement of primary, secondary and tickler. This circuit has given; very satisfactory results on the reception of spark signals, continuous waves and telephony, and may be used on either short or long waves. For short-wave reception only, however, better results are obtained hy using a loose coupler or vario-coupler, with one variometer on the plate circuit and another in the grid circuit. The grid circuit variometer may he short-circuited if not required, and the variometer in the plate circuit is terminated on a plug which fits into the tickler coil socket of the three-coil mounting. GOOD WORKING Concerts have clearly been heard using the above arrangement, and with suitable honeycomb coils and the same variometer good signals are received on 600 meters from ships stations working on the Australian coast. Using the three-coil arrangement, a chorus of American continuous wave stations may be heard. The terminal T.2 has been- added to facilitate the addition of further valves as high-fre-quency amplifiers should it be desired to experiment later when those operating the set have become more experienced. In consideration of the probable use of the oscillatory circuit XY in the plate circuit of a radio-frequency amplifier, the grid leak has been, joined direct from grid to filament. THE BATTERY By this arrangement, if a common B battery is used, positive potential from the B battery is prevented from being impressed on the grid through the grid leak. Should a separate B battery be used, there would be no objection to joining the grid leak across the grid-condenser, as the fall of potential across the inductanoe of the oscillatory circuit would only be a fraction of the volt, and, in any case, would be, if anything, an advantage. NEW STATION AT ’FRISCO A New Zealander has reoeived a letter from a friend in California, in which he says that amateurs in Australasia should endeavour to bring in the snper-broadcasting station recently opened at San Francisco. A thousand watts is the power to be used for a start, to be increased up to 5000 watts at an early date. The wave length is between 450 and 500 metres, probably nearer the 450 mark, in order to avoid jamming with ship radio traffic. It is an every-day eervioe, extending from 10 a.m. until midnight. This corresponds with 5.30 a.m. and 7.30 p.m. on the succeeding dajf in ! New Zealand. Operations were to have commenced in October, but were unavoidably postponed till the end of i the year. Has anyone in New Zealand heard this station yet! l If so, will they communicate results to “Radio,” who reported the advent of this station months ago ? I I HAMILTON AGAIN Two amateurs in Hamilton have brought in hiusic from the radio station ! at Key West, Florida, U.S.A., using a !De Forest Reflex set. The music was first picked up at 6.30 p.m. By the way, how is the new Hamilton Radio Club progressing? | HELPS THE FISHERMEN Use of the radio telephone for reporting schools of herring has been devel oped by Sweden, whose Government radio station broadcasts daily reports to the fishing fleet, the approximate locations and directions of movement-ol all schools as reported to the Government and transmitted by Tadio to enable the fleets, equipped with receivers, to waste little time in hunting for the fish that is so important an article in Swedish commerce. In addition to . the herring news, the weather reports, i forecasts, and storm warnings give the I fishermen time to seek shelter before ! the gales themselves give notice of approaching danger. News bulletins also keep the fishermen advised of daily happenings of importance in. Sweden and throughout the world. BROADCASTING A splendid programme was broadcasted from the studio of Wellington Broadcasters. Ltd., 2.Y.8. on Friday, as follows: —Recitation, ‘The Whitest Man I Know,” Mr Dan Patti, of Gaiety Follies and The Dandies; piano selections, Mr S. Rubenstein; song, “Friend Oj Mine,” Mr P. South; recitation, D'in,” Mr Patti; piano duet, selections, My Rubenst-un and Mr Guntripp; song, “Mate O’ Mine,” Mr P. South ; recitation, “The Parson’s Son,” Mr Patti: piano solo, , “African Dance,” Mr Rubenstein. NEW BROADCASTING COMPANY Mr C. 33. Forrest, of the International Radio Company, who was in Napier last week, was back in Wellington for |t!C week-end, but left ■edk'iin fior Hamilton and {Auckland,, from where he is expected back this week-end. Is this a preliminary to the formation of the new broadcasting company which ia to undertake the whole of the broadcasting in the Dominion. Jf so, it will be interesting to hear what progress has been made in this direction. , Once the company is formed it should not bo a long job to get the regulations framed and the licence fees settled. There will no doubt he another meeting with the Postmaster-General on the subject of the division of the sports.

THE AERIAL Ihe Quail Island set has been constructed along these lines. The aerial consists of a single wire, and is of the inverted L .type, having a horizontal length of 90ft, and a down lead of 00ft. It is intended at a later date to install a loud speaker, and to have separate telephones in each house. PICKED UP LOS ANGELES Mr William Ward, of Tariki, Taranaki, using a four-valve receiver, with spider-web coils as tuners, has received a full programme from K.F.1., the station of Earle C. Anthony, known as Radio Central Station, Los Angeles, California. RADIO FOR THE DEAF While emphasising that- radio will not cure deafness, Dr Harold Hays, an eminent American authority on the subject, declares that radio offers a source of happiness to the deafened which at present is unrealisable. One of the directorS"of the New York League for the Hard of Hearing has been hopelessly deaf for years; so much so that he can only understand when an electric device is attached to each ear. Although in the music-publishing business, he had not been able to hear music for over 20 yearn. A friend suggested a radio receiving set. To his amazement he could hear so well that he now sits in his easy chair of an evening with headphones {clapped on his ears, and hears concerts, speeches, market reports, jazz, and bed-time stories. What, says Dr Hays, does this mean for the future? It means untold' happiness to those whose minds have been in darkness for many years, and it means that they or the experimenters in radio may discover some new method for alleviating deafness.

Dr Hays goes on to say that at present the New York League is experimenting with a radio set, working in conjunction with skilled radio engineers. They wish to amplify sound so that the hearers will not only be entertained, but their ears will receive exercise at the same time. However, he wishes to emphasise particularly the fact that in 90 per cent, of cases deafness begins in childhood. In many cases it is preventable at that time. It is not preventable later in life, and, unfortunately, neither radio nor any other means has been found to increase the hearing. He sincerely hopes that radio will solve the problem to some extent, but if it does nothing more than give that added happiness of which the deaf have so little, it will have done a great deal. DIFFERENCES OF OPINION' Radio matters seem to have a 'great interest for some of the patients. in a certain institution not far from Wellington, judging from the following letter received from one of them:— “I would very much like your opinion on a very vexed question that has been the cause of heated argument between myself and another amateur, and moreover, I have taken this view, that should we proceed in putting up two outdoor aerials things will be very unsatisfactory. I have a plain threevalve Bet, detector and two audio-fre-quency ; while my friend has a fivevalve set, detector, and radio-frequency, and three audio-frequenoy. Our 6ets are only 12 feet apart, and I feel great difficulty in tuning in. “At present he is using a loop, while 1 am using my bed springs. Just with, that I get all the squealing of his set, and it’s useless for me to listen for music. -In the near future we are having two outdoor aerials erected, and I would like your advice:— “If you would please tell me the hest means of counteracting his squeals ? I cannot get up and fight him, both being cot cases; anyhow, he is bigger than I, so that’s a wash-out. He is sure the sets will work together, and I am sure they won’t. He is on the best side having the stronger set, and not being satisfied with clearness he goes for loudness, upsets his own tuning, and all within Sounds like war.”

Yes, it looks-like war all right, but. we hope it will not come to that. Both of you can work amicably and satisfactorily together so long as your valves do not oscillate, and so long as you keep your valves well aw&jr from the point of oscillation. Otherwise the only remedy seems to bo for someone to put in for a transfer. Write again ind say how you get on.