RADIO

Taranaki Daily News, 5 December 1930, Page 14

RADIO

. .' / /SHOCK FROM ‘RADIO /SET.J ; /I AUCKLAND CASE.:DISCUS;SBD. ‘ An: elderly woman. in New Zealand recently received such a ehock while carrying her loudspeaker, that, she was thrown to the ground and could ndt let go. -Without a careful, tcet being made of the radio eet it would be impossible to discover what caused the shock. There are two possible sources of shock in. a mains set. A shock may-be received from the mains themeelves owing to a breakdown in the set. The voltage in this case- will be 230 watts, 50-cycle alternating current. Under certain conditions a shock from the mains may be powerful enough to cause death. On a dry wooden floor when the person is not in contact with any earthed mehal. objects the result of a shock from this' source, although uncomfortable, is usually slight. The second possible source of shock is the rectified current used for feeding the plates of the valves.. Voltages up to 300 or even 400 are- used '.on the last . valve of many powerful sets. The loudspeaker is > always isolated from these dangerous voltages by a condenser or a transformer. These components can, however, break down. It is unusual, but not impossible. The result in that case would be that the full feed voltage would find its -way to the loudspeaker. The windings of the loudspeaker when subject to a high voltage of this, nature in their turn are likely.'to leak badly. The result to anybody holding the speaker and standing on concrete, damp wood or.-on the grounl 1 would be a most severe shock. In modern sets the loudspeaker is generally of the'moving-coil type built into , the set. Under these conditions it is unlikely, that. much harm would be done to an individual,. Us it is unusual to carry about sets of this type while,they are working.- In order to avoid accidents it is just/as well tp let some responsible, service station test out the insulation resistance of the.out-; put system at least once a year. Any signs of a fault should be remedied instantly. ■ -•/ ' , //.:■; A - point, •that .is: rarely appreciated must not be forgotten. In powerful modern sets the output valve generates speech-frequency voltages of considerable power/ A nasty shock-.may be obtained from them if/the/loudspeaker . is defective/and is touched.'/,’lt is,’’.always, wise^ 1 to; /Awit'ch; ‘off/’jjefore' njqving/a. loudspeaker. ■..-As' / with.’ all/- /of perfection;; few people trotible to/follo.w this advice. 7 ’ / ' ■ . . ; ROMANCE OF A SULTAN. ; '. / • /SCOTTISH • BRIDE CHOSEN. . ‘. ■ His' Highness, 'Sir Ibrahim,.’Sultan y of. the- State and Territory .of - Johore, in the. Malay ■ (Peninsula,, was niairied at' Prince’s Row Registry . Office /in - London, to/Mrs,.- Helen .VVilson, on. October 15 last, 'there is romance behind this news,' writes a News Cjirdnicle represent tatfye..; The Sultan, whose age is 'o”,. ; and .who. rules :over. one of the richest* of' thtr Afala'y','Stites, arrived in/Eo'ijdon • after an 8000 inilesyjoufqey, accompanied by his . secretary and his valet.' ‘ He*•'went straight to Grosvenor -House,//which Mrg,: Wilson/make's her headquarters in London, y He proposed/ and- immediatelyapplied for/a' marriage licence.. ~/ •’ ‘Tt,'is a . real -love/match and -every-, one it very . pleased with the. new.-,” a close - personal - friepd-'-. of the Sultan told,me. /“Mrs. Wilson is .very popular in 'Johore,/and' hast- hosts of friends there.” //.- ; ■ /-/•”• / 7/ The friendship between, the Sultan and Mrs. Wilson dates back -yer' 20 years, .when - Mrs. Wilson, the daughter of a .Kilmarnock (Ayrshire), business man,’journeyed to Singapore to marry a young Scottish doctor whose father had been a Government do'etor at .Johore. Mrs. Wilson, frequently, met the Sultan socially in Johore and Singapore, where she was a well-known hostess. Later ehe returned to England -when her marriage .was dissolved,' /'' / ■ ’ ■ Mrs. Wilson Was presented by the Sultan after the engagement with/some beautiful' jewels bought in London. 'Slim and she .has. Beautiful fair hair, and a fair/skin.7'7'77 Sultan Ibrahim is one of the wealthiest of the Eastern potentates, and rules a rich Malay 'State. He is extremely friendly towards Britain, and presented the Empire - during the war wi th 14 aeroplanes, which cost 'him £30,000. Despite his wealth and the luxury at his disposal, he prefers living, in the wilds, wandering, about the jungle, big game hunting, or motor racing in powerful cars, to the splendour*, of 'an Eastern Court. 'He has shot scores of elephants. Frequently he disappears for days in the jungle, and always-hunts-.on* foot. DIFFICULTY OF/ ’PHONE WQRK. SHORT. WAVES ''.ACROSS TASMAN. Judging, by the. small number of /progressive- faqts /that - leak out regarding' the new radiophone service io Austra-: lia, the authorities; .like the amateurs,/ are finding Jtrans-Tasman':- talk, beset with fickle itriqks./ It. would be unfair to blame/either' ’the apparatus -or- the engineers concerned' for this trbuble. The odd. hundred thousand amateurs of the world have known for three' or' fouryears that short-wave work is a mass of ups and downs. One day a station on the other side of the world comes in as if its transmitter was in the next room; the' next day or the riext;>w‘eek it does not come in at all/- /■ . ' 7'7 It is much the same with the shorter trans-Tasman s'bort-wavc work.. Ifj any-/

.thing; *a short distance of this nature is more difficult to bridge on the short waves than,greater world-spanning distances./ The only reason why these huge/ distances are spanned at all on these wave-lengths is thanks to the lieaviside layer. For short distance of a thousand miles or so the effect of this refle'ctive layer is less noticeable.

It has been discovered in similar cases that in order to ensure more or less continuous working several wavelengths must be used at different hours >f, t'he day. While one wavelength comes in strongly in the morning, a higher or a lower wavelength must be used in the afternoon or at night if consistent, results are to be obtained. All this sort of experimenting takes time. The best wavelength or best wavelengths must be found by patient experiment. At this moment experiments are still continuing from Sydney to England in order to bridge a silent gap that persists at certain hours. 'Similar problems beset trans-Atlantic short-wave telephony at the start. It is a case where mathematics cannot provide a short cut. After this initial work has been done the problem is (by no means finished. Talking by radio links from one 4 rt of the world to another is very .difficult from connecting one part of the world on to another part of the world’s - telephone service. Operators have to be trained in a new sphere of duties. To a certain extent they must know the telephonic geography of the place called, they must recognise differences of time and space, grasp differences of speech and master the art of plugging Mr., Blank of Pctone through to his friend in Upper Tooting, -London. Although .these problems seem'simple when e verything is in proper working order, it is astonishing what small details of feedback and other incidentals can upset the best-laid plans of-short-wave telephony. TO-NIGHT’S PROGRAMMES - NEW ZEALAND STATIONS. .7./' / ■ IYA Auckland. Afternoon sei-sion.—3.o, selected .studio items, including literary, selection; s.o,;.children's session; 6.0, dinner session; Classical- Symphony Orchestra; Band’ of the Garde Republicaine; Her/man/FinckOrchestra; piano with orchestra, Gil Dech;' the Rhythmic Troubadours; . 6.30, London Theatre Orchestra; .Rhythmic Troubadours; Rio Novelty. Orchestra; Herman Finck’s Orchestra;, piano with orchestra, Gil - Deck; Rio Novelty Orchestra; 7-0. news and market reports; 7.40. Mr. E. R. Field, “The .History of the Earth.” ; .Evening session.—-8.0, chimes; Novelty instrumental, the .Harmony Five; soprano,- Airs'; D- .-.M-'Je Pine; vocal. and •instrumental, Salon Trio; baritone, Mr. Victor-'; Baxter; 8.33,' novelty, the Har.nibny, 'Five; ■ soprano, 'Mrs. ' D. , AL. Je ’Pine; 'Air. A. B. Chappell, 'M.A., “Topi;ca! Talk/'; 9'.1, evening'weath'er forecast '• and-, announcements;. vocal/and • iiistrumenta], ’cello solo/ baritone/Air. Victor ■ Baxter.; ‘novelty, the Harmony. Five; 9.31,: Afr. Karl Atkinson, /gramophone lecture recital ; 10.1, God Save'the King. ’■/ ' -.'■ -2YA’ Wellington;/- - '/. .

Aflcriioon session.—3.o. chimes; selected studio items; 3.30 and 4.30, sporting' results; s.o,.children’s session; 6-.0, dinner muejcp'Reginald King's Orchestra; . organ;-Ed ward.O’Henry; Marek ■Weber’s Orchestra; organ, Edward Q’ljenry.; Tnteinational Novelty Quartet; Marek.Weber's Orchestra;,,.National Symphony Orchestra;; International Novelty-Quartet; 7.0. news session, market. reports and sports results; 7.40, Mr. Colin Smith, Radio Talk.

. Evening session.—B.o, cliimee;. a variety and dance-prog'rann'ne. Note: Programme is subject tn .interruption for relay-of a sound .film; overture, Orches*trinartGonJiictpr Signor A. P. Truda); mezzo-contralto, .'Miss Katherine Baskette ;■ ban jo, .Mrs. H. ■ G; Reeves; songs at the ..piano, Mr; Billy Hart; selection, Orchestrina; humour, Mr. and Mrs. E. Myers; baritone, Mr. Ken Rigby; fantasia,'Orchestrina; weather report and station .notices;,, mezzo-contralto, Miss Katherine. Baskette;-' banjo,. Mrs. H. G. Reeves; selection, Orchestrina.; humour, Mr. and Mrs. E. Ransom, Myers; baritone’,. > Mr.- Ken ' Rigby; waltz, Orchestrina;: 9.30, dance programme until 11 p.m. - ....?. 1 . . : ; • 3i’A Christchurch. . i Afternoon, session.—3.o, -gramophone . recital;; 4.25, sports: -results); 5.0, children’s hour’; 6.0, dinner ' session; ■' Great Symphony Orchestra■; Jacques Jacobs Ensemble; Band of H;M. Grenadier Guards; Jacques Jacobs Ensemble; Plaza Theatre Orchestra;' Jacques Jacobs. Ensemble; ' 6.30, 1 Symphony Orchestra;' Jacques 'Jacobs Ensemble; 8.8. C. gyniphony Ofcli'estra; - Band of lI.M. Grenadier Guards; Plaza,' Theatre Orchestra; 7.0,. news session. ' ' ■ : Evening’ session.—B,o, chimes; ~ overture;' 'Herman ' Finck’s • Orcliestra; so-prano,'.•'-Miss, Lucy Fullwood; bass, -Mr. E. J?.'Johnson; Valencia • Quartet; cornet,- Mr.' 'Fred Fos;;.. 8.29, humour, Mr. Jack Darragh; mouth organ, ; Mr. J. Woodham; 'contralto, Miss Jean. Johnson; 'tenor. Mr. ,T. G- Rogers;: Valencia /Quartet; : . 9,0, weather .'report and station notices; selection, London Theatre Orchestra; organ, Quentin Maclean; so-prano,-Mjss Lucy Fullwood; bass, Mr. E- J.‘ Johnson; Valencia Quartet; 9.29, .clarionet, Mr. M. E. Withers; contralto, Miss- Jean Johnson; tenor, Mr. T. G. ’Rogers’; selection,' Charles'A.hcliffe’s Orchestra;‘l'o.o, God Save the King. 4 YA Dunedin. Afternoon session.—3.o, chimes; selected gramophone ~ items; 3.15, talk, Miss Buceleugh, “Fashions”; 3.25, sporting results; 5.0, children’s hour; 6.0, dinner session; Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra.; Salon Orchestra; New Symphony Orchestra; Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra; National Military Band; De Groot and Piccadilly Orches-| :ra; 6.30, Marek Weber’s Orchestra; ionophone Salon' Orchestra; New Sym-

phony Orchestra; .7.0, news session. Evening session.—B.o, variety/' programme; overture, Keteibey’s' Concert Orchestra; soprano, Miss D. M. Sligo; eelections, the Orchestra; recital, Miss Anita Winkcl; 8.32, bass,. Air. -R. B. MacDonald; violin,. Miss' •B. Garland; popular vocal and .'guitar,' Mr. Norman D. gcurr; selection, Orchestra;- contralto, Miss Mary Somerville; 9.1, weather report; selection, Australian Commonwealth Band; soprano, Miss D. M. Sligo; selections, the Orchestra ; ;ree,ital, ‘. Miss Anita Winkel; 9.30, bass, Mr. R. ,B 1 MacDonald; violin, Miss 8.. Garland; popular vocal and guitar, Air. Norman D. Scurr; march, the Orchestra; contralto, Aliss Mary Somerville;, selection; Band of Grenadier Guards; 10.1, God Save the King. , . , / . . ; .