AERIALISMS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 843, 11 December 1929, Page 16

AERIALISMS

When ever an audio amplifying valve is used it should have a “C” battery. There are two good reasons for this *‘C” battery greatly reduces i lie drain on the “B” battery, and improves the tone from the loud speaker. There is now on the air a B class station at Invercargill. The call sign is 4ZI, and it transmits with a power of 50 watts. The owners are Bathchelor’s Radio and Gramophone Supplies. It is understood that a 3 a result of the opening of this station some crystal sets are appearing in the Southland capital. Probably the power of 4ZI will be increased later.

At Station 2YB New Plymouth recently the whole of the evening’s programme was provided by the station staff. “Ginger,” the station mascot, gave the “star turn” and received no fewer than three “special requests.” The same station on the evening of the Donovan-Leckie fight at Ashburton rebroadcast 3YA, the Christchurch station receiving by relay a ringside description of the match, which was made use of for the benefit j of New Plymouth listeners. * * * Mr. Clive Drummond, the announcer, J station 2YA Wellington, was one of the radio pioneers in New Zealand, and during the war was attached to the wireless operators’ division of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. His “g-o-o-d night” seems to carry a personal and reposeful retiring message to all listeners. « « * The short-wave station, KZRM, at Manila, Philippine Islands, continues to be heard at fair valume from 10 p.m. (New Zealand time). This is equivalent to 6 p.m. at Manila. The station is on the air from 4 to 5.30 p.m. (Manila time) every evening, except Sunday, but signal strength previous to 10 o’clock in New Zealand is not very good owing to the daylight hand the signals pass through. The transmission wave-length is 45.8 metres. The transmitters are on Manila heights, seven miles from the studio, which is on the top floor of the Manila Hotel. The power used Is 1,000 watts. * * « Conditions on short-wave remain more or less unfavourable, and static is more noticeable than usual. This may possibly have some connection with the present disturbed condition of the sun's photosphere, and the result that this has on the magnetic condition of the earth’s atmosphere. The Siberian station RA97 at Khabavosk, is one of the best of the distant stations at present. Its latitude is about the same as Adelaide, that is 21 hours behind New Zealand summer time, so that by 11 p.m. New Zealand time, or 8.30 p.m. Eastern Siberian time, the signals from RA97 would travel through darkness for the whole journey and thus account for the better signals. The wave-length is 70.2 metres. This station is transmitting more music and less speech than formerly.