THE WIRELESS WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19528, 10 July 1925, Page 5

THE WIRELESS WORLD.

SERVICE FROM ITA. By Magna Vox. Much to the general regret of listeners, IYB, Auckland, will cease broadcasting at the end of this week, states the Auckland Star of July 3. It is hoped to arrange that the Government subsidised station. IYA, will extend its service by providing broadcasting on six nights a week. This, of course, means additional expense, and there will be a request to the Post and Telegraph Department for an increase of the present grant of £ls per week, which each of the_ stations in tno centres is now receiving. This grant, a icmporary expedient, appears inequitable. t Undoubtedly the Auckland station is providing by far the best broadcasting in the dominion. It is using much higher power than either Wellington or Christchurch, has lately been supplying much better programmes, and unquestionably has a much greater audience of invisibles than any of the southern stations. Further, it is receiving far more local financial support than is being accorded to either Wellington, Christchurch, or Dunedin broadcasting. Probably, also, it costs from 50 to 300 per cent, more to run. Consequently its temporary controlling body feel that the” have every justification in asking for a large allotment from the license fees.

It is a pleasure to note any movement that tends to increase the standard of broadcasting in the dominion, and, so far as Auckland is concerned the increased service to bo given from IYA will undoubtedly bo welcomed by listeners in that province. The stated proposal to request for the Auckland broadcasting station an increased subsidy from a Government fund contributed to by listeners throughout New Zealand, however, is a matter totally different, and one for which the controllers can scarcely bo said to have " every justification.” The general statements put forward by the writer of the radio notes in support of the request will not bear analysis, and, in any case, are merely endeavours to prove that an increased service will require an increased maintenance cost—a statement sufficiently obvious to need no comment and one that is entirely beside the point. The question at issue really Is whether ono province is entitled to take an increased subsidy out of the general pool subscribed to by listeners throughout the country. The only possible justification for this step might be found in the number'of listeners in the Auckland province, which is. according to report, somewhat larger than in any other one province; but the writer does not mention this fact. The amount of the increase in the subsidy which is to be applied for is not stated but it is questionable whether the stated larger proportion of listeners in Auckland is enough to justify any increase. In any case, it would have been a courteous act on the nart of the controllers of XYA if they had advised other centres of their proposals and co-operated in an effort. to raise the standard of broadcasting throughout the dominion. AMERICAN BROADCASTS. An interesting schedule of United States broadcasting stations, heard by Mr E. H. Scott while in New Zealand has been published by ‘‘Aerial” in the Dominion. Listeners-in who delight in long-distance reception during winter months will ,be interested in the list, which is as follow*: KERU, Bristol, Oklahoma, 3SO metres; distance 7600 miles, Sundays to 9 p.m.; WON, Chicago, 370 metres, 8300 miles; Mondavs, to 8 p.m. WOJ, Chicago, 448 metres’ 8300 miles, Thursdays to 7.30 p.m. WEBH, Chicago, 370 metres, 8300 miles, Thursdays to 7,30 p.m.; Sundays to 8 p.m. KHJ, Los Angeles, 305 metres. GOOD miles Sundays to 8 p.m. KMX, Hollywood, 337 metres, 6000 miles; Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays to 7.30 p.m, K.GO, Oakland, California, 3GI metros, 6100 miles, Tuesdays,’ Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays to 8.30 p.m. KXAA, Cincinnati, about 323 metres, 8300 miles, Thursdays to 9 p.m.; Saturdays to 7 p.m.; Sundays to 8 p.m. K.FI, Los Angeles, 469 metres, GOOO miles, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays to 7 p.m.; Saturdays to 8 p.m. WDAF, Kansas City, 411 metres, 7GOO miles, Thursdays and Fridays, to 7 n.m.; Saturdays to 6.45 p.m. AVBB, Kansas City 411 metres, 7GOO miles, Mondays to 7.45 p.m. KPO, San Francisco, 420 metres, 6100 miles, Wednesdays and Thursdays to 730 p.m.; Sundays’ to S p.m. KOA. Denver, Colorado, about 320 metres, 7000 miles, Thursdays and Sundays to 7 p.m. Mr Scott also received the Canadian broadcast station CFCN, Calgary, 440 metres, 7500 miles, Wednesdays and Sundays to 8 p.m.; Saturdays to 7 p.m. BROADCASTING FLAYS. In connection with the battle now being waged between broadcasters and theatre managers and composers in Britain regarding the broadcasting of plays, the recent statement of Mr Leo De Forest, inventor of the audio tube, on this matter is of interest. Mr De Forest, in n statement replying to the complaint of composers and others that the broadcasters have been appropriating their labour and refusing them compensation for it, said, in part; Suppose that newspapers and magazines, as we know them to-day, wore just being introduced. The theatrical manager might just as logically cry out Ins alarm against the prospect of their ruining his business, what with their extended notices of the plays, the doscriptibn of the settings, and the criticism. Yet the theatrical manager spends large sums of money for the indispensable assistance of the newspapers, without which there would bo few theatres and fewer theatregoers. “Considering all these facts, I am inclined to believe history will repeat itself. Radio is hut a child, but it is growing mere rapidly than any other medium in the lives of the people. Its power for influence upon the public mind can hardly be estimated. It may ultimately require Government supervision to elevate it to the standard such a powerful influence musts needs have.” TELEVISION DEVICE. Dr Fournier d'Albc, who is well known tor his experiments with eelonium and its applications for a number of useful purposes in connection with olcctricity r has recently demonstrated the transmission of optical effects by means of sound waves, or a form of television. In the experiment a swinging pendulum was used, and its- movement was shown on a ground-glass screen at the other end of the room. For the sake of simplicity, four beams of light were allowed to fall on four selenium cells, each beam being rajridly interrupted by a rotating perforated disk. The electric current, as passed by the selenium colls, when magnified by an ordinary wireless amplifier and put into a loudspeaker, produced a musical chord. This chord in its turn caused four resonators —tiny mica reeds which individually vibrated to one only of the four notes in the chord—rapidly to vibrate four mirrors attached to their extremities and so throw four hands of light onto a ground-glass screen. The swinging of the pendulum across the original four beams of light stopped in turn the four notes of the chord given ont by the loud-speaker and so stopped the resonators, which in their tun, stopped the bands of light on tho ground glass, and so marked the passing of the pendulum. Dr d’Albe says ho has sent simple words such as “Hullo,” and hopes in the near future to he able to send a reproduction of a clock face with sufficient accuracy to enable one to tell the time within five minutes. Ho claims that his method has tho merit of simplicity in the great problem of television and that when fully developed it might bo adaptable to almost any wireless receiving set. DOTS AND DASHES. Mr Ivan O’Meara, of Station 2AC, Gisborne, has added another country to the list of those with which communication has been established direct from 2AC. The latest long-distance station to be worked is BAIG, in Algeria, which is operated by a Frenchman. Signals were exchanged on a wavelength of 37 metros. It is reported that the number of countries with _ which Mr O'Meara has established communication now totals 17. Last night a scries of 12 lectures of In terest to motorists was commenced from Station 2YK, Wcllincrton. A lecture will bo broadcast every Thursday evening at approximately 9 o’clock. 4YA Dunedin hag improved hia modulation tremendously, but his volume has been sacrificed in doing so (says a writer in a Southland exchange). However, it will be much better to have less volume and good modulation rather than all volume and no modulation, as has been the case in tho past. Some splendid items have been broadcast from this station during the past fortnight, and the announcer reported having received messages saying that tho modulation was perfect. Perhaps that is being a little too sanguine, but there is not the slightest doubt that there is a vast improvement in the transmissions. A new Australian broadcasting station, 4QG (Brisbane), will be on the air in a few weeks. This station will be unique in that it will be the only broadcasting station in Australia under direct Government control. It is being erected by Amalgamated 'Wireless for, and is to be oponted entirely by the Queensland State Government. The wave length of this station will bo 383 metres, and it will operate on a power of five kilowatts, the same as that now used by 3LO and 2FC. Working in conjunction with this station will be the Queensland Government Radio Information Bureau, where any inquiries regarding apparatus or broadcasting services can be made. This bureau will also sell sets to the general public, and, in short act as a general a-dviser to Queensland listeners-in. Three nominations have been received for the listeners-in representative on the Dominion Broadcasting Board of Control. They are those of Messrs Slade (Christchurch), Hollands (Wellington), and Sait (Auckland).