A NEW DISTURBANCE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16200, 25 November 1926, Page 3

A NEW DISTURBANCE

WAIKAREMOANA BLAMED. The peaceful tenor of the listener’s way lias now boon disturbed by a newkind of interference, which has no connection with the much-abused “howler.” For several nights Gisborne enthusiasts have been at a loss to understand the cause of a noise termed “flipping” in the language of broadcast programmes. The noise is something similar to i that emitted by jho exhaust of a \ motor-cycle, or the constant clicking of the join in a driving belt passing i over the pulley, and has caused so . much disturbance on some occasions j that some listeners have considered it bettor to close down. If appears to : be at its worst in wet weather, and on ! Friday and Saturday nights last was j particularly annoying. Those who have had experience in j wireless lay the blame on one of the power stations in the North. Island—- ! which one it would be dillicult to say ! —and it is generally believed that the I offending station is one supplying alternating current, which at once removes any blame from the Gisborne power-house, supplying direct current. Moreover, it hits been proved that; the disturbance extends well beyond Gisborne, and is ns loud in tlie AVairoa j district as in Gisborne, if not-louder. ' Country listeners are not immune from lit, and a listener at Tiniroto says j that he finds the noise very loud there. I From the reports from Wairoa it would j appear, that the Waikaremoana power ; station is the offending one, but no I word has yet been received from the north, and it. is equally.dikoly that the , interference conics from Horaliora, or some other station.

| Wherever it comes from, the distur- ; banco is evidently conducted by the j telephone lines, as has been proved by ! a Gisborne radio dealer. The dealer 1 decided to make some experiments in an endeavor to ascertain the source of the interference, and he found that by placing the loop-aerial of his superheterodyne receiver at right angles' to the telephone lines the noise was almost inaudible, whereas when the loop ! was parallel with the lines it was deafening. This is acknowledged as proof that the lines are carrying the disturbing i n fluenec. i The trouble is set down to a leakage in one of the transformers at a power station, for by emitting a spark this leakage would constantly be making and breaking the current, thus becoming a transmitter of radio waves. It is hoped that the interference will be traced soon, for it is fast becoming unbearable to listeners, whether they employ single or multi-tube receivers.