Poverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE, TUESDAY, SEPT. 26, 1933. RADIO INTERFERENCE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18203, 26 September 1933, Page 4

Poverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE, TUESDAY, SEPT. 26, 1933. RADIO INTERFERENCE

Radio listeners of this district arc to he congratulated for having decided to make a combined effort, at their own expense, to eliminate some of the. major causes of interference with reception. The problem 'with which thev are confronted is bv no

means easy of solution, but with the expert assistance that is available there is no reason why conditions should not lie materially improved.'

To those who possess receiving sets — and the number is increasing all tin

time —it. is not necessary to remark that daylight reception in Gisborne is

poor, and that at night it is far from being as efficient as it might be. There are, of course, some forms of

interference which cannot be overcome, but this fact, in itself, is a strong argument in favor of doing all that i.s possible to minimise noises which can be brought under control. The greatest factor which has to he contended with is that of direct current, motors, of which it is estimated that there are about, three hundred in Gisborne. These can be effectively silenced, from the radio point of view, by the installation of filters, the cost of which is not large, but which the owners, it is staled, are not, in a majority of cases, prepared to bear. It is now proposed that the listeners themselves should provide the finance for making the necessary adjustments. This spirit of self-help i.s highly commendable and provided there i.s the necesaiy co-operation excellent results should be achieved. It, is important, however, if the confidence of listeners i.s to be obtained, that a definite plan of campaign should bo mapped out. At the outset, the committee should not concern itself with what i.s known as local interference-, but should concentrate on removing disturbances that affect a wide area; nor should it. trouble in the meantime about faults that are apparent in the day time only. The immediate objective should be to ensure the most efficient, night-time reception for all parts of the district. As a start in

(his direction the two local bodies directly concerned should be npproaelied for their assistance. 11 is asserted in some <|iiarter,s that the uiusi persistent and most far reaching interference orgi nates at the power house, where the offending motor is running 21 hours a ‘ day. If this is the case, it might almost lie taken for granted that the Power Board would gladly take steps to overcome the difficulty, for obviously it would be bad policy for the board to attempt to sell current for the operation ol radio sets and; then impair the efficiency of them —and, consequently, t ho eonsumption of power—through neglecting to make the necessary adjustments to its own plant. Another general ground for complaint by listeners is the intermittent running of motors at the various pumping stations controlled. by the Borough Council. In this case, it is true, the-council would obtain no direct, return for whatever expenditure, might be involved, but it would, at least, earn the goodwill of a very large proportion of the public.

It is beside the point, or should be, 1 that these local bodies are under no legal obligation to study the interests of wireless enthusiasts, who are not confined to a small section of experi-j mentors-, but comprise what, is possibly > the largest, body of collective interest within the district, and whose welfare should be the direct concern of their elected representatives. The opinion is held bv some listeners that if the

power house and pumping stations arc attended to a.s much as 75 per cent of the night-time interference will be re-

moved, so that if action is laken in

this direction an immediate improvement in reception should be effected. Moreover, the removal of these major grounds for complain! will greatly facilitates the investigation of minor

ones, which, at present, cannot be dis

tinguished by the average listener from those which are general in their effect. To-dav, for instance, every

listener in the district, did he think anything would be gained by it, could report that his reception was not. what il should be, and in this welter ot complaint's the committee would not know .where 1o make a start in applying remedies. If, however, il is pos-

sible lo remove the main sources of trouble, the number of complaints will be greatly reduced, and, with the cooperation of listeners, it. should be

comparatively easy to ascertain which wore the mosl noxious disturbances and deal with them in the order of

I heir seriousness. Unless a system ol

this nature is adopted il is to be teared that the impression will gain

ground that, lit 110 progress- is being made, or that in the haphazard attack preference is being given to those who tire most persistent in demand-

ing attention. The use oi: radio today is so nearly universal that consideration for the welfare of listeners is little short of being a public duty. There is no doubt but that in the near future legislation will be enacted for the protection of listeners from unnecessary interference, but until that time comes it is a matter lor Iho co-operation of those directly concerned. Owners of sets have indicated that, they are willing to do their part, and they have every right lo expect assistance from the local bodies. Moreover, il will probably lie I omul that, when the committee reaches the stage of dealing with the private owners of motors—and, after all, most of the interference from this source is restricted to the day-time—there- will

be a ready appreciation of the need for a public-spirited attitude and a general desire to eliminate any cause for annoyance.