THE WIRELESS WORLD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22905, 12 June 1936, Page 2

THE WIRELESS WORLD

NEWS AND NOTES

By Magna Vox

Items of local interest are invited by " Magna Vox" for publication in tbis column. It is necessary that such matter Bhould reach this office by Tuesday of each week for insertion on the following Friday. 2BL, Sydney.—74o K.C., 405 metres. 2FC, Sydney.—6lo K.C., 492 metres 3AR, Melbourne. —630 K.C., 476 metres. 3LO, Melbourne. —770 K.C., 390 meares. SCL, Adelaide.—73o K.C., 411 metres. 4QG, Brisbane. —800 K.C., 311 metres. IYA, Auckland.—6so K.C., 461.3 metres. 2VA, Wellington.—s7o K.C., 526 metres. 3YA, Chrlstchurch.—72o K.C., 416.4 metres. 4YA, Dunedln.—79o K.C., 379.5 metres. 4YO, Dunedln.—ll4o K.C., 261 metres. " Oscillator," Owaka.—Your set will not oscillate on the 20 and 40 metre wavebands, because you are using a pre-set condenser of .003 m.f.d. maximum capacity instead of .00005. m.f.d. You can check up on this by removing the aerial. If the set oscillates, then the coupling between the aerial and the grid winding of the detector coil is too close, and should be reduced considerably. This can be done either by substituting a pre-set condenser of the correct value, or by attaching a 6in length of insulated flex with the aerial terminal. Twist the lead-in around this several times, loosening or increasing the coupling until the set oscillates smoothly over every waveband. R. M'A., North-East Valley.—You could use the two-gang condenser you are working with your present set. The difference in tuning ranges would be negligible, as the rating of your condenser is slightly lower than its actual capacity. There are no coil kits available for a three-gang condenser with a special oscillator tracking section. "Rattle," Edendale —lf the noise docs not occur when you touch the main tuning control, then there is something loose in the vernier drive. If your set is fitted with a separate vernier condenser, however, the plates of this may be dirty, or the wiper which makes contact with the moving plates may have become corroded or loose. By brushing between the plates with a pipe cleaner, and soldering a lead direct to one of the moving plates, with the other end connected with the frame of the condenser, the noise should stop.

R. C. P., Mornington.—You had better aek your friend what he would do. He is enjoying a joke, into which I have neither the time nor the desire to join.

BROADCAST FROM QUEEN MARY. The broadcasting of the arrival of the Queen Mary at New York, although successful, does not appear to have gripped listeners as have some other Empire efforts. Possibly the subject was in itself too huge. The broadcast was fairly clear at times, but the " effects" were weak. One heard the syren, admittedly. One also heard the aeroplanes, which, in fact, took possession of the background so much at times that the foreground was eliminated. Incidentally, there was a special Empire news flash of distance covered, behaviour of the ship, and other relevant matters at 12.20 p.m. each day of the voyage. One can nevei tell beforehand how well the Empire station will come in, and for that reason it is possible that some listeners were disappointed with the Queen Mary broadcast, although the description was well received and clear.

"AGIN' THE GOVERNMENT." There is little doubt that soon after embarking upon the purchase of a radio the average listener develops toward programmes that attitude said to be typical of the Irish toward any government. It must be conceded that it is impossible for any one programme to suit all tastes, except perhaps in a piecemeal fashion, but it would appear from a survey that the board is making some effort toward the provision of alternative evening programmes. The same, however, cannot be said of the day sessions, when adverse reception conditions necessarily limit most listeners to one station. It would not appear to be a very costly business for the board to run through the daylight hours the auxiliary plants and thus more nearly meet the needs of listeners.

EMPIRE TRANSMISSIONS. Many readers appear to be under u misapprehension regarding the shortwave transmission from Daventry, where the Empire transmitting plant is housed. Although New Zealand and Australia are supposed to be interested in transmission 1, there are actually 14 different wavelenghts, many of which have been heard in New Zealand. Transmission 1 consists of two stations, GSD, 25..0S metres, and GSB. 31.55 metres. Usually it is the last-mentioned station that is heard best by the average listener, although both come in at fair strength at various seasons of the year. The other transmitters work the remaining portions of the Empire at times suitable for local conditions. The station call-signs are GSA. 49.59 metres; GSC. 31.32 metres; GSE, 25.59 metres; GSF, 19.82 metres; GSG. 17.79 metres: GSH. 13.97 metres: GST. 19.66 metres; GS.T, 13.93 metres; GSL. 49.1 jjietres: GSN. 25.38 metres; GSO. 15.18 metres; and GSP. 19.6 metres. There are all told six transmission zones: Numbers 1 and 2 for *be southern hemisphere. No. 3 for India, No. 4 for Africa and the Near East. Nos. 5 and 6 for Canada. Listeners anxious to pick up these transmissions should note thnt transmissions 1. 2. and 5 can be well received in New Zealand. This means that there is usually something on the air from the Empire station so far as New Zealand is concerned between teatime and 7 in the evening, from 11 at night to 3 o'clock in the morning, and from 11 o'clock in the morning to lunch time.

CHEAP STANDARD SETS. A suggestion that is not likely to be well received by those to whom it is addressed was contained in the British Wireless Committee's report. The recommendation is that the 8.8. C. and the wireless trade should jointly consider the question of designing a standard receiver for sa.le at a low price. The suggestion briefly is to follow the German practice In that country a " people's" receiver has been made available for a few pounds, but the circumstances surrounding broadcasting there differ considerably from those in England and Australia. In Germany, broadpasting is largely a vehicle for Government propaganda, and the standard receiver was devised solely for the purpose of extending its influence.

A CROWDED LINE. The British Post Office is laying a special cable of the co-axial type between London. Birmingham, and Manchester. The result of this action is that Birmingham is expected to be provided with a television transmitting station as soon as the London apparatus is working smoothly, with Manchester next on the list. As the television services in the beginning will occupy but three hours per day. and the cable will cost about fIOOO per mile, it is stated that the cable will be extensively used for telephone and other post-office business. Because it can transmit such a wide band of frequencies. a cable of this_ type, working on the carrier or "wired wireless" system, cjQuld handle between 200 and 300 telephone conversations, or several times that number of telegraphic channels. Its use in this way may lighten the immense financial burden of the television circuit. TRIALS OF A DIRECTOR. Mr J. B. Clark, director of Empire services for the 8.8. C., in expressing his thanks to the press at Home and abroad for its warm support of Empire broadcasting, said he received each year 60,000 letters frojn listeners all over the world. One American listener explained that he -had tuned in London at 5 p.m., just as Big Ben was chiming, midnight. The sound of the chimes was heard by a Negro servant, who looked up and exclaimed. " Say. boss, that clock ain't right." ,It was explained that the clock was striking in London, and the puzzled negro then remarked, " Well, boss, that must be a mighty funny place. I don't want to go and live in a place where it is night in the daytime and to-morrow if to-day." Another listener in Kenya had asked that the announcer should say in each transmission the day of the month, as he was miles awaT from civilisation and unable to keep track of time.