RADIO

Taranaki Daily News, 17 October 1930, Page 11

RADIO

proposed change of control.

DIFFICULTIES IN THE' WAY.

The chief topic of interest at the present time is still the projected entry of the Government-into the broadeast field It is still inconceivable why the Minister saw fit to make the Innried announcement as he did. There does not appear to have been the slightest urgency in the matter, yet without anything more than a superficial outline of the proposals, beyond the fact that his department, intended running the. broadcast service, he threw this bombshell into our midst. Many rumours are afloat that the scheme has been , amended to 100 watt relay stations except in the ease of the Hawke’s Bay district, the constructional period to be spread over five' years. Viewing the proposal from every angle the writer fails to see one good point in any part of the scheme.. Two conflicting factions enter from every angle, the listener and the taxpayer. As pointed out in this column last week, the listeners represent a very small proportion of the population. . A few facts concerning what is involved in the transaction, apart from operation and programmes, will, the writer thinks, convince every listener that he should start, right from the jump and fight this proposal. Presuming that the income for the first year of Government operation is the same as at present, what expenditure has the department to meet? To start with the department will have to purchase from the R.B.C. all the plant in its possession, including the old scrapped transmitters which the company had to buy when it took over the broadcast service, a payment which will wvoWe something in the region of £60,000 to £70,000. Next, within a period of five years, the Minister has in mind the scrapping of all’this plant and the provision oT new stations the replace ment of the present stations, with t provision of a network of relay lines between all stations, a scheme which 'will involve an. expenditure ot approximately £200,000 or more. Take the present income from licenses as appioximately £60,000 and allow an annual increase bf 10 per cent, provided the programmes are worth listening o, sum received by the department for the five years will approximate £387,000, out of which £260,000 will represent capital expenditure. Expenses to be met involve administration costs, start salaries, maintenance and running expenses, no small item, and. other sundries without even thinking of programmes. Where are those programmes improvements coming from except out of the Consolidated Fund? The .figures' <riven are approximate only, but I beTieVe sufficiently correct to show what the Government proposes committing the taxpayer to. ' -• The combating of these proposals should prove strong ground for the formation of a Listeners’ League such as was recently started in Dunedin, and would gain it far more support than asking for advertising to be permitted over the air. The question of the actual programmes is another thing. Programmes of any sort require highly skilled experts to organise them. The cinemas and the theatres are not run by Government departments. It is the same with broadcast programmes. It would be fatal for the unimaginative hand ot Government officials to play pranks with one of the most delicate processes treated by civilisation. Programmes must be handled by those best able to understand the publics’ ever changing whims. There are several choices. They can be run by any of the well-known programme exploiting companies; they can be run by advertising firms, or they can be continued to be dispensed by the present company. In the case of 3LO Melbourne, the company originally providing the programmes was not responsible i'or the transmitting station. That was carried ;out very efficiently by Amalgamated Wireless. ■ The question of low-power stations also requires careful consideration., In Europe there has been a tendency to revert to having fewer high-powered stations. At one time there was much talk in England of low-powered stations being erected to cover local areas not then served properly. From the start all sorts of snags were discovered. The question of quality was not the least. Land lines feeding the programmes into the station produced bad distortion. The use of radio was worse because of fading, atmospherics, and the like. It was too costly to produce special local programmes every night. There were grumbles if this was not done, theie were grumbles if it was done. Each little station required a staff of its own. In the end it was found to be much cheaper and more satisfactory to increase the power of the main stations, site them more centrally, and feed these troublesome localities in that manner. It may be necessary to introduce this retrograde system of local stations into New°Zealand in certain .places, but it should not be done without careful thought. ... .. Anyway, the idea of bringing the whole of New Zealand within the range of crystal users requires little comment. This is an age of loud-speakers. Even a crystal set in rdcr to use a loudspeaker must make use of valves. It costs little more to turn the set into a I complete valve set. Indeed, results are | far better. Other countries have learnt by experience the fallacy of crystal range for all. Let us hope New Zealand, wilf benefit by their experience. At New Plymouth conditions have been fairly good during the past week, except for severe static on Wednesday evening. Programme standards have been well maintained at all stations, with the promise of further good ones to come. 2YB particularly has put oxei some very good programmes of late, and has been the recipient .of many congratulatory reports from various parts of New Zealand and Australia.

RADIO FALLACIES.

The scientist lias always been put in the background by the purely commer 1 cial man. This is not so much the fault

of commercial interests as the scientist’s own fault. The true scientist is usually an idealist and his work is essentially “art for art’s sake. - The following article from the pep of Mr. J. E. Strachan, M.A, of Rangiora, Canterbury, throws setae light on the question of who invented wireless as we know it. In 1896 Marconi, a young Italia”, after an interview with the British Postmaster-General and some business associates, took out a British patent fo a system of communication without wires, and a company was established to exploit the apparatus covered. by the patent. Since then the Marconi Company, enjoying Government P atro ” a <£> with ample financial resources, mainly British, and with a technical staff ot scientists almost entirely British, has made remarkable progress. It is not to be wondered at that throughoui British Empire the name of Marconi is almost invariably associated with the invention or discovery of wire ess telegraphy. Yet Marconi himself added very little to the science or technique <,f The re rell’ inventors of wireless, both before and after Marconi’s historic interview with the British General, were scientists, who, neither at the time of their discoveries nor indeed since, have received due recognition of their services to humanity. For the most part they have been interested in the advancement of knowledge for its own sake, and not as a commercial enterprise. Marconi was not and is not a great scientist. He was interested, in the laboratory demonstrations of his master. Professor Righi, repeated these experiments for hitase?f, saw their practical possibilities, and had the business sense to apply for the protection of a patent. The apparatus actually covered by the . 1896 patent was assembled by Marconi, but practically all of it was invented by others. His transmitter was a Hertzian radiation apparatus connected to a Rtahi oscillator with 'elevated antennaand earth connection. This earth connection was probably Marconi s idea, but even this is doubtful. The receiver was essentially a Branley coherer and decoherer operating a Morse telegraphic relay. The whole thing as assembled bv Marconi was a more efficient radiotele«raphic instrument than had been \ previously demonstrated to business men but Marconi’s claims as inventor arise from his having.taken out a patent for a commercial instrument ra.thei than from any discovery of principles or from the invention of any part ot that instrument. ~ It is an extraordinary fact that the British Postmaster-General at the time of Maifcdni’s visit was apparently quite ignorant of the fact that British scientists, notably Sir Oliver- Lodge, were already far in advance of Marconi. It was a British scientist, Clerk-Max-well,- who, in 1864, first pointed out that ether waves could be set up by high frequency oscillating currents. No way of detecting these waves was discovered, however,, until 1.888, when Her z in Germany and Lodge in England simultaneously detected ' them. Hertz s waves were space waves, whereas Lodge’s were linear waves on a wire, so that Hertz rightly claims credit . for' the first purely wireless demonstration. From 1888 onwards there matiy illustrious investigators, notably Popoff in Russia, Righi (Marconis teacher) in Italy, and Lodge in England. In 1896 Lodge was beyond doubt the most advanced worker in the. field. In 1894, if he had taken the advice of his colleague, Dr. Muirhead,. he could have given to business men a more convincing demonstration than. Marcon did in 1896. But as a scientist he was more concerned with perfecting . knowledge than with the commercial exploitation of that knowledge. So it is that his work was known to scientists but not to business men. In 1896 Lodg- was hard at work developing his revolutionary discovery or the principles of tuning. This was that. Marconi apparently knew nothing about, and yet, without it, neither the Marconi apparatus nor any other would ever have been of real practical use. In that year Lodge could have given the world a practical system of wireless communication wl«n the unexpected granting of patent monopoly rights to the Marconi Company took the initiative out of the hands of the men of science and placed it in the hands of the men of business. Of the following epoch-making advances in wireless since 1896 not one is due to Marconi. In 1897. Lodge published full particulars of his system of tuned (or syntonic) wireless telegraphy. Then Fleming capped all achievements in the way of detection by inventing the valve. Later, De Forest put the grid in the valve and made amplification possible. Armstrong, an American student, discovered the principle ,of regeneration that made it possible to use a vacuum tube as oscillator. Finally, as the result of a host of experiments carried out almost exclusively by amateurs, the world moved forwai’d to the era of world-wide shortwave radio communication. There is not a single thing in a modern wireless installation, except, perhaps, the not indispensable earth connection, that is the invention of Marconi.

TO-NIGHT'S PROGRAMMES

NEW ZEALAND STATIONS. IYA Auckland. Afternoon session.—3, selected studio items, including literary selection; 5, children's session; 6, dinner session; suite, Ketelby's Concert Orchestra; Columbia Symphony Orchestra; cello solo, Caspar Cassado; New Queen's Hali Light Orchestra; 0.30, New Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra; 6.43, J. H. 'Squire's Celeste Octet; Columbia Symphony Orchestra; 7, news and market reports; 7.40, talk, Councillor J. B. Paterson. ‘•Auckland Zoological Park.” Evening Session. —S, chimes, presen-

tation of a three-act plajf entitled “David Garrick” (Robertson), by the Auckland Comedy Players, under direction of Mr. J. F. Montague; overture, Berlin State Orchestra. Act 1, “David Garrick”; entr’acte, National Symphony Orchestra; Act 2, ‘'David Ga’rick”; evening weather forecast and announcements; entr’acte, National Symphony Orchestra; Act 3, “David Garrick”; finale, Victor Symphony Orchestra; 10, God Save the King. 2YA Wellington. Afternoon session.—3, chimes, selected studio items; 3.30 and 4.3'6, sporting results to hand; 5, children’s session; 6, dinner music session; Milan Symphony Orchestra, intermezzo; Herman Finck’s Orchestra; Herman Finck’s Orchestra; Rio Marimba Orchestra; 6.30, Bayreuth Festival Orchestra; waltz, Ed.die Thomas’ Collegians; Wurlitzer or.gan, Stanley MacDonald; Regal Orchestra; Rio Marimba Orchestra; 7, news session, market reports and sports results. Evening session.—-8, chimes, a programme featuring the Etude Quartet in vocal gems from the musical comedy, “Floradora”; during the course of the programme there will be a relay of a sound film feature from the Majestic Theatre; overture, 2YA Orchestrina; soprano, Miss Gretta Stark; piano, Mr. Gordon Long; duet for contralto and baritone, Mr. and Mrs. Ray Kemp; selection, 2YA Orchestrina; elocution, Mr. Will Yates; violin, Efrem Zimbalist; quartet, the Etude; soprano and tenor, Miss Gretta Stank and Mr. Will Hancock; selection, 2YA Orchestrina; weather- report and station notices; contralto, Mrs. Ray Kemp; cornet, and trombone, Brown and Remfrey; tenor, Mr. Will Hancock; selection, 2YA Orchestrina; elocution, Mr. Will Yates; baritone and chorus, Mr. Ray Kemp and Etude Quartet; violin, Efrem Zim'balist; quartet, the Etude; chorus. Etude Quartet; valse, 2YA Orchestrina; God Spavo the King. 3YA Christchurch. ' Afternoon session.—3, gramophone recital; 4.25, sports results; 5, childrens hour; 6, dinner session; Finck’s Orchestra; ’ Sandler’s Orchestra; violin, Lipschultz; J. H. Squire’s Celeste Octet; or “•an, John Hassel; Sandler’s Orchestta; 6.30, Regal Cinema Orchestra; violin, Lipschultz, Romani and Italian Orchestra; Berlin State Orchestra; Nullo’s Romani’s Orchestra; Russian Novelty Orchestra; 7, news session; 7.30, Mr. D. Cosgrove and Mr. W. Melbourne, “Radio Service”; 7.45, health week talk, Dr. H. T. J. Thacker. Evening session.—B, chimes, popular and dance programme; overture, Edith Lorand Orchestra; soprano, Miss Sylvia Marshall; violin, Miss Irene Morris; humour, Mr. H. Instone; dahce nueic, Bailey-Marston; male quartet, Ritz Quartet; 8.30, instrumental, Broadcasting Trio; humour in song and story, Mr. Jock Lockhart; soprano, Miss Sylvia Marshall; instrumental, / Broadcastink Trio; 9, weather forecast and station notices; chorus, Columbia Light Opera Company; dance music, BaileyMarston Dance Orchestra; 9.2i9, BaileyMarston Dance Orchestra; humour in song and story, Mr. Jock Lockhart; Bailey-Marston Dance Orchestra; chorus, Chas. Coborn and Company; dance music will be continued by the BarleyMarston Dance Orchestra until 11 p.m.

4YA Dunedin.

Afternoon session.—3, chimes, selected gramophone items; 4.25, sporting results; 5, children’s session; 5,. dinner session; London Symphony Orchestra; International Concert Orchestra; New Light Symphony Orchestra; 6.30, New Light Symphony Orchestra; Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra; International Concert Orchestra; Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra; 7, news session. Evening session.—B, chimes; special choral programme by the Caver sham Met'hodi&t Church Choir under the conductorship of Mr. J. Davidson; partsong; soprano, Mrs. Andrews; instrumental, 4YA Trio; part-songs, choir; baritone, Rev. H. Daniel; instrumental, Max Scherek and J. Wallace; partsongs, ladies’ voices; solo, Mre. John Davidson; part-song, choir; instrumental, Berlin State Orchestra; 9, weather report and announcements; solo and chorus, Mr. Stubbs and choir; partsong, choir; instrumental, 4YA Trio; solo, Mrs., Mercier; part-song, choir; orchestral, Victor Symphony Orchestra; solo, Miss Paine; part song, choir; instrumental, 4YA Trio; solo, Mr. John Davidson; part-song, choir; 10, God Save the King.