RADIO

Taranaki Daily News, 16 May 1930, Page 12

RADIO

INTEREST IN RUGBY BROADCASTS. TROUBLE AT YA STATIONS.

(By

“B.C.L.")

Listeners who are Rugby football enthusiasts will be overhauling their sets in anticipation of the series of matches with the English team whose arrival on Wednesday was broadcast; by 2YA Wellington. A special announcer and relay operator is to accompany the team, and broadcasts are to be carried out wherever possible. 2YB is to participate in at least two *of the matches. A land line will bring a description of the first match from Wanganui, and later the match played against Taranaki at Pukekura Park will be broadcast. These broadcasts should give a boost to radio in New Zealand. Conditions for reception have improved considerably during the week. _ A feature has been that the Australian stations have been coming in at greater volume and clarity than any of the YA stations. On Tuesday 2YA had a serious breakdown and except for short spasms was off the air during the whole day. Repairs were effected in time to broadcast the arrival of the English footballers on Wednesday morning, but the station was far from normal. v IYA Auckland has also been weak and variable and far from pleasant at times.

Reports are of improved reception of 2YB since alterations were made to the aerial system.Several American stations have been received with great consistency lately, KNX and KHJ being perhaps the best performers, followed by KGO. In short wave receivers a.c. hum may often be troublesome, even though the set be battery operated. Wherever a.c. carrying leads are installed near a receiver, be sure that they are twisted together. Failure to do this will result in very bad a.c. interference. A faulty earth connection may result in bad a.c. interference. Interference of this kind will prevent the satisfactory reception of weak short wave phone transmissions. . \ SETS WITH FEWER VALVES. A year or so ago American manufacturers seemed to vie with each other as to the number of valves they could cram into a receiver, and some weird and wonderful circuits were evolved. In the majority of cases the valves were doing less than half of what they were capable of, the loss of efficiency being tolerated to pander to the popular fancy. With the introduction of the a.c. valve with its heavier initial cost, a reduction of the number of valves was necessary to keep costs within reasonable limits. ■ i

The most popular circuits this year incorporate two or three stages of screened grid ILF. and a power detector followed by the stage of 245 pushpull. Recently a new arrangement of A.F. amplifier has been introduced known as the Loftin-White direct coupled amplifier. This circuit requires only two tubes, a screened grid detectoramplifier followed by a single 45 output tube. This arrangement gives the enormous A.F. gain of 300 with, it is said, improved tone over the present popular push-pull arrangement. Therefore it is safe to say that shortly the average receiver will be back again to five valvee, with a rectifier in the power pack, a far more efficient and economical arrangement than the 9 and 10 valve sets of yesterday. IS “DEADENING” ADVISABLE? At the time when the studio of IYA was equipped, it was an almost universal procedure for rooms which arc the source of radio programmes to be heavily draped, with the object of precluding any possible echo of voice or instrument, states a writer in the Star. The writer is not aware whether this procedure is still adopted in the big broadcasting studios where mo it careful observations are made of all transmissions, but comparisons of studio and relayed items by the same local performers indicate that there is better resonance observable when a vocalist or instrumentalist performs, say, in the Town Hall, than when the same artist is heard from IYA studio. If listeners take the trouble to listen to a singer at one of the municipal concerts, and then later hear the same singer from the studio, the difference in tonal quality is immedihtely noticeable. The studio at 2YA is not “deadened” to the same extent that the Auckland one is, or was. This may to some extent account for the superiority of tone noticeable in both the orchestra and the trio at Wellington, when comparing them with their Auckland counterparts. CRITICISM OF CRITICS. This extract from the Radio Times, a publication of the British Broadcasting Corporation, deals trenchantly with crFticism of radio programmes. “No audience is so critical as a wireless audience. The ear, it would seem, is a more critical approach to the outside world than the eye. Or is it simply that, when one sense is closed, the other becomes more responsive, and, hence, moro critical? Anyway, the wireless audience is, willy-nilly, highly critical.- - “A critical faculty, however, where

. there is no cultural background, is like a dog biting at the air. That is why so many of° the letters written to the Press about broadcast programmes rouse, in the really intelligent reader, more pity than anger. The writer was, when listening, critical enough; but, when it came to writing, his .criticism was revealed as lacking in any wise standards of value. He was, in fact,, snapping at the air. “It is one of the happiest things about wireless that, in time, it must create not only more critical people, but also & finer standard of values whereby that criticism may be gauged. Hence the absolute necessity for broadcast programmes not to pander to a quick popularity; those who mould the broadcast programmes of to-day mould, at the same time, the general cultural level of to-morrow.” REMARKABLE WIRELESS FEAT. A remarkable wireless feat is reported from Canada in the accomplishment of two-way telephonic conversation between a high-speed express train on the Canadian National Railways and cities in Great Britain. In the presence of a group of Canadian and American newspapermen 60 telephone calls were put through from the speeding train and recipients in Great Britain. The conversation throughout was reported to have been clear and distinct, like any other telephone conversation. The process by which this feat was accomplished was perfected and manufactured by the fchief engineer of the Canadian National Railways, Mr. J. R. Burkholder. This achievement is certainly of a very outstanding character, and indicates a marked advance in radio equipment. ADVERTISING BROADCASTS.' An interesting development is reported in the British and Continental radio world. As is well known, advertising, either direct or indirect, is banned from the programmes of the British Broadcasting Corporation, while in America the sponsored programme plays a very important part in catering for the needs of advertisers —in fact, it provides the great bulk of the American programmes. Owing to technical changes recently, it has become possible for a large section of the British listening public to hear Continental stations, and on Sunday, when the British broadcasting stations provide a' minimum service, the practice is growing for powerful advertising corporations to employ Continental stations for the diffusion of sponsored programmes. The first arranged was a series of concerts on alternative Sundays from a Dutch station. Announcements were to be made in English and in Dutch. This hour of music, including many “by request” items, proved popular, and it was extended and broadcast alternatively from the Dutch station and from a French station, under the auspices of the sponsoring firm. The time was also extended to two hours. A radio publicity organisation was then formed with headquarters in Paris, and a company arranged, through this? organisation, for a Sunday concert from’ Radio-Paris. It js interesting to note that British newspapers have refused to publish advertisements giving details of these broadcasts, but what is more curious is that, despite its antagonism to radio advertising, the British Broadcasting Corporation is permitting advertisements of these publicity concerts in the Radio Times and other 8.8. C. publications. The actual publicity of these Continental broadcasts is confined to the announcement of the name of the firm and a reference at the conclusion giving the address to which listeners may send requests for particular items. SPEEDING UP NEWS. Radio has now been adapted to working automatic printing machines a-t widely scattered points. The device, is intended to serve/the purpose of facilitating the distribution of news items to neivspapers. From a central bureau, all news items as collected are put out on a special wave, and those waves at the receiving points operate locked printing machines to the extent of actually working apparatus to print on sheets of paper the news received. This deviee-has been perfected over a period of ten years, and the receiving apparatus' can now be installed at a cost of £l5O. Application lias been made to the Federal Radio Commission, U.S.A., for two specialised wavelengths outside the ordinary radio channels and- commercial channels- for . use in connection with this apparatus. It is claimed that it is impossible for any unauthorised person to intercept' the signals and interpret them. ! The receiving machines are locked on I a definite wave length, and cannot be I interfered with when once set. This device will do away with the need for | an attendant being available at the rel ceiving point, and the machine in ef- i feet becomes a radio tape machine on an i improved basis. ' | TO-NIGHT’S PROGRAMMES j NEW ZEALAND STATIONS. IYA Auckland.—3 pan., afternoon session; selected studio items, including literary selection; 5. p.m., children’s ses-

sion; 6 pan., dinner session, “Columbia” hour; instrumental, J. H. Squire’s Celeste Octet; musical Art Quartet; violin, Yvonne Curti; 6.30 p.ni., instrumental, J. H. Squire’s Celeste Octet; Aiello, W. H. Squire; instrumental, J. Squire’s Celeste Octet; 7 p.m., news and market reports; 7.40 p.m., talk, Mr. Arthur Fairburn, “Talk on National Park”; 8 p.m., chimes; relay from the Lewis Eady Hall of the latest vocal and instrumental music; 8.30 p.m., presentation of play, “Paolo and Francesca,” a tragedy in four acts; orchestra, Royal Opera Orchestra; 10 (approx.), God Save the King.

2YA Wellington.—3 p.m., -chimes; selected studio items; 3.30 p.m., and 4.30 p.m., sporting results; 5 p.m., children’s session; 6 p.m., dinner music session, “H.M.V.” hour; band, Creatore’s band; orchestral, Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra; orchestral, Marek Weber and Orchestra; 6.30 p.m., orchestral, New Symphony Orchestra; orchestral, Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra; piano, Wilhelm Backhaus; orchestral, Marek Weber and Orchestra; band, National Military Band; orchestral, Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra; 7 p.m., new session, market reports and sports results; 7.30 p.m., lecturette, Mr. Dan McKenzie, “The Amended Rugby Rules for 1930 —with special reference to the British Rugby Team’s Tour”; 7.45 p.m., Icoturette, Mr. N. R. Jacobsen, “Simple Explanations of Scientific Phenomena”; 8 p.m., chimes; overture, 2YA Orchestrina; soprano, Mrs. M. J. Goodson; baritone, Mr. A. W. Beckford; piano, Miss Christina Conlon, L.T.C.L.; tenor, Mr. Harry Phipps; selection, 2YA Orchestrina; 8.38 p.m., soprano, Mrs. M. J. Goodson; baritone Mr. A. W. Beckford;

selection, 2YA Orchestrina; tenor, Mr. Harry Phipps; weather report and announcements; 9 p.m., a special programme of “Parlophone”. Maori recordings; God Save the King.

3YA Christchurch. —3 p.m., afternoon session, gramophone recital; 4.25 p.m., sports results; 5 p.m., children’s hour; 6 p.m., dinner session, “H.M.V.” hour; waltzes, Marek Weber’s Orchestra; waltz, Hilo Hawaiian Orchestra; 6.30 p.m., instrumental, New Light Symphony Orchestra; violin and kinema organ, Elsie Southgate; instrumental, Ne°w Light Symphony Orchestra; instrumental, Jack Hylton’s Orchestra; instrumental, Salon Orchestra; waltz, Hilo Hawaiian Orchestra; instrumental, Jack Hylton’s Orchestra; 7 p.m., news session; 8 p.in., chimes; popular and dance programme; orchestral, Savoy Orpheans; tenor, Mr. Douglas Suckling; violin, Miss Irene Morris; mirthful moments, The Humorists; 8.38 p.m., dance music, Bailey-Marston Dance Orchestra; soprano, Miss Hila Hutt;

instrumental, Studio Instrumental Trio, Three Dances; 9.2 p.m., weather report and announcements; dance music, Bailey-Marston Dance Orchestra; tenor, Mr. Douglas Suckling; instrumental, Studio Instrumental Trio; humorous sketch, The Humorists; 9.33 p.m., dance music, Bailey-Marston Dance Orchestra; soprano, Miss Hilda Hutt; xylophone, Sam Herman; dance music, BaileyMarston Dance Orchestra; bass with chorus, Paul Robeson, Plantation Songs; Dance music until 11 p.m.

4YA Dunedin. —3 yp.m., chimes; selected gramophone items; 4.25 p.m., sports results; 5 p.m., children’s hour; 6 p.m., dinner music, “Columbia” hour; Plaza Theatre Orchestra; J. H. Squire Celeste Octet; 6.30 p.m., regimental Band of H.M. Grenadier Guards; Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra; J. H. Squire Celeste Octet; Halle Orchestra; Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra; Regimental Band of H.M. Grenadier Guards; Herman Finck’s Orchestra; 7 p-m., news session; 8 p.m., chimes; overture, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; soprano,- Miss Dorothy M. Sligo; trio, 4YA Studio Trio, recital, Mr. Angus Gorrie; 8.34 p.m., violin, Jascha Heifetz; tenor, Mr. Alfred Walmsley; balalaika, Kirilloff’s Balalaika Orchestra; contralto, Miss Mary Teviotdale; trio, 4YA Studio Trio; baritone. Mr. William Ruffell; 9 p.m., weather report; orchestral, Berlin State Orchestra; soprano, Miss Dorothy M. Sligo; trio, 4YA Studio Trio; recital, Mr. Angus Gorrie; 9.32 p.m., tenor, Mr. Alfred Walmsley.; violin, Jascha Heifetz; contralto, Miss Mary Teviotdale; trio, 4YA Studio Trio; baritone, Mr. WXiam Ruffell; orchestral, Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra; 10.3 p.m., God Save the King.