Radio IN THE HOME

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18382, 28 September 1929, Page 16

Radio IN THE HOME

(By “Microphone.”)

TIMARU RELAYS. The second relay of the Timaru Orchestral society’s concert last Monday evening was a thorough success from every aspect. Weather conditions for reception were well-nigh perfect, and there was little static to mar the items, which came across the air with a reality only equalled by the actual performance. I am quire sure that local listeners who stayed with their sets enjoyed the concert quite as much as those who fared forth to the theatre, since the modulation and volume left nothing to be desired. SUVA BROADCASTS. Last Sunday, at 12.30 p.m. New Zealand time listeners were treated to a splendid church service from the Jubilee Church, Suva. It was announced that .this particular church was well known throughout the world, and that visitors to Fiji made it their duty to pay a visit to the Jubilee Church. The whole sermon was about 80 per cent, readable, and loud enough to be heard from a loud-speaker. Special mention must be made to the singing of the choir. It was very fine indeed, and quite a treat to those who had not heard a native choir. The writer has heard some excellent broadcasts from Suva (VPD). Listeners should not fail to tune in on 20.79 metres now and then. W6XN. On Sunday afternoon, between 2.30 p.m. and 6 p.m. (N.Z. time), station W6XN (KGO Oakland), was quite O.K. The whole programme was most enjoyable, being 100 per cent, readable, and loud enough to work a loud-speak-er. KDKA. This station was very good on Sunday afternoon; in fact the writer preferred it to either W2XAF or W2XAD. PCJ. PCJ (Holland) —This station was up to its usual standard. Very good. W2XAF AND W2XAD. “Microphone” has heard both these stations in better broadcasts. W2XAF was the better station of the two. The latter was spoilt by a Morse station and swinging. The attempt by our own stations at relaying was good considering the conditions for relaying. Other short-wave stations during the week have been fair. THE YA STATIONS. Someone has been finding fault with the programmes as transmitted by our own stations. The writer does not agree with “Someone.” Considering the available talent in the Dominion, the Company is to be congratulated on its programmes. lam not saying that the programmes have always been excellent. There was a time when they were fairly bad. Those who do not like the YA programmes should tune in the Aussies. You may strike all good programmes, and again you may strike none to your liking, and yet Australia has six times our population, which includes some of the finest talent in the world. Of course, the above is my opinion. It used to be different, but when one learns the facts he must honestly say so. 73s to every one. IN CHINA. I The Chinese Minuter of Com--1 munications at Shanghai has issued ! instruction that all Chinese oceangoing vessels of 500 tons and upwards must in future be equipped with a wireless installation. ! Faulty switches in the house-lighting | circuit will give rise to clicks and noises , j in the loud speaker, owing to sparking occurring across the depective points.

THE NEW MERGER

The recent announcement that His Master’s Voice Gramophone Company has acquired the Marconiphone Company is an items of news of considerable interest to the world of wireless. This association marks a very definite step in the progress of the fusion of interests of wireless and the gramophone. It may be recollected that when broadcasting started there was a very general impression created that the development of listening-in, would mean disaster to the interests of the gramophone, but as time went on it became apparent that, instead of being rivals, the one was complimentary to the ether, and that as the interest in broadcasting grew and provided the means of widening the interests in music, so the demand for gramophone reproduction was extended. Now r that the electrical gramophone is setting a standard of reproduction so that it is likely to supersede the mechanical instrument generally, there is another bond between the two industries. Nor should we overlook that electrical methods are now employed universally for gramophone recording, all the problems of which are closely allied to the everyday problems met with by the radio engineer. IMPROVEMENTS IN RADIO RECEIVERS. Improvements in almost any art come slowly and are almost obvious a year or two after they have become universal. Take the automobile, for example, and consider merely the body design. One can hardly believe that the astrocities of twenty years ago could be sold for real money to intelligent purchasers. To-day’s body lines would seem to be be the most natural form that a designer would sketch. Also, knowing the vagaries of our climate and the fact that the sun is hot in summer and the air is cold in winter, that snow or rain is not infrequent, a closed body for any vehicle would seem the most natural thing, especially as railroads had gone from open coaches to closed cars. Yet autos went twenty or twenty-five years before closed cars became even an occasional sight. Radio receivers have little to guide them in appearance except that, as they must be furniture for the present, they should be pleasing and look like the rest of the furniture. The insides of the set, however, do not matter so long as a certain result is accomplished. That certain result is to get a wide range of programmes with pleasing fidelity and proper volume. When that is accomplished, the search is to do the thing with a minimum of effort. In other words, the aim of every device sold to the public is to do something automatically and with certainty. We are close to that point in radio to-day. The only thing that has reached that point absolutely is some-

thing like a river which flows forever. In man-made machines the iceless refrigerator or the electric light comes nearest. Even a pair of shoes have to be put on and taken off. The two things that radio lacks to be almost at the stage of perfection within its limited receiving range is remote control and automatic volume control. It can be switched on and olf at a distance now. Some sets can be! tuned at a distance to a limited group j of stations. Remote control is on thej way. The problem of automatic vol-J ume control has been worked out. It, I too. is on the way. Engineers and designers are now studying what effertl this will have on set appearance. Perhaps it will make the set something toj put in the cellar with the furnace orfl in the closet with the vacuum clean e- ' Nobody wants the set around unless/ you have to get at it. If it maintains , its volume automatically and a little I slab on the arm rest or on the table j will tune it, why have another piece ot ; furniture to be dusted? | This brings us back to the autor.ioi bile. To-day’s body design came from I the fact that some one decided to put , the engine out in front instead of unj der the car. That gave new lines a d longer lines. It lowered the body au.c made posisble the putting on' of a top. Small changes in methods of opera.: n may make enormous changes in the appearance of anything.

Interference between neighbour .ig Bets is not generally troublesome unless ! an unnecessarily large amount of reu.ocion 1.0 used.