Radio IN THE HOME

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18536, 5 April 1930, Page 13 (Supplement)

Radio IN THE HOME

(By “MICROPHONE.”)

ON YOUR WAVELENGTH. J ~ I We are now into a new broadcasting I .ear, and I hope we have no pirates amongst us. Although we have criticised the Company during its past twelve months of activity, we cannot let the occasion past without congratulating them on their work, and, I might add. thank them for the pleasure we have derived from their broadcasting. Sometimes modulation has been bad. sometimes programmes have been poor, but what of that? Many times cvr yt'iing has been perfect. It’s impossible to please all. especially where nvs. v. h concerned, but I'm sure the majority of us will admit that the New Zealand programmes are second to none—considering the talent at the ; disposal of the Company. Mr Harris and his staff have done everything : possible to make the transmissions a i success, and we can look forward to this year being a record in every way. The Broadcasting Company has my sincere wishes for a successful year. We are able to say quite nice things this week, because “Tom” is suffering from an overdose cf static and dithermy machines. I trust his disability will not affect, his knowledge of radio, even though it be small. We all wait patiently for the decision re the football broadcasts, and I think we can leave the issue safely in the hands of Mr Harris and Company. I must congratulate the South Canterbury Rugby Union on its broadmindedness in instructing their delegates to vote for the broadcasting of football matches, and ditto to Otago. I’m sure we all appreciate their action, and we all hope that they profit thereby. i THE TRUTH. Nearly 2000 years ago ‘'Cicero” said: “Our minds possess by nature an insatiable desire to know the truth.” To-day the human mind has fundamentally the same desires. Will the Post and Telegraph Department tell us the truth? Can they silence the man-made static that is prevalent in Tixnaru. I refer to the dithermy machines. Is it because they are net capable of going it, or is it a question of £ s. d.? If it is the latter, then why not use the five shillings collected for licenses? There are at least 300 licensed sets in Timaru, and that means £75 revenue to the Post Office. The Bay di-thermy can be silenced for about £25. Now what about it? If the Department forces the listenter to pay 30/- (the five shillings they retain), then i,t, is their honourable duty to give the listener something for his money. Reception has been excellent during , the past week. “Microphone” noticed a decided improvement in modulation from all Y stations. IYA—Good clarity, good programmes, fair volumes. 2YA—Strong volume, good clarity, and good programmes. 3YA—Everything quite O.K. I like the 6 to 7 p.m. session particularly. 4YA—An improvement in clarity, and i a slight increase in volume.

2ZM—From fair to good. 2ZF—Good at times. 4ZL—Quite O.K. 4ZP —Not as good as usual. KGO —Shows move volume. WENR —Not nearly as strong as usual. 4QG—Not the old 4QG. 7ZL —Very nice in every way. 2BL —Perhaps not as strong as usual. 2FC —Quite O.K. programmes and volume. 2GB—Still good. Programmes excellent. 2HD—Spoilt by generator hum. 2UE—Fair volume. 2UW —Great modulation, 3BD —Good clarity and fair volume. 3L.O —Weak at present. sCL—Gone off in volume. SHORT WAVES. ! It has been remarked to the writer c:i several occasions that he is inclined to dwell too much on short waves in his notes. To a few I may appear to do so, but we must cater for all classes of listeners. For my part, I find short wave work a thrill and a wonderfully interesting branch of radio. For instance, the writer tunes in SSW (London) at 7 a.m., and enjoys the programme during breakfast time. During the afternoons (Saturdays and Sundays) I get programmes from W2XAD, W2XAF. KDKA, W6XN and PHI. At tea time I tuns in WSXN or WSXF, and enjoy their music. Later in the evening, most interesting programmes may be heard from Japan, KZRM (Manila) or R 97 (Siberia). Apart from the stations mentioned above, there are dozens of others to be heard from all over the world. Let's mention one or two Zeesen (Germany). 7LO (Nairobi), PCJ (Germany), OWBXF, CYA, etc., etc. There are times when one goes to his set that he may hear duplex telephony between GBX, GBP (London), and VK2ME, or between PCJ, Zeesen, W2XAF and VK2ME. On top of all this, one is astounded at the clarity and volume when Marconi speaks from his yacht in the Meditarranean to Sydney. I think all this wonderfully interesting. VK2ME —Excellent on duplex work. GBX—Greatly improved in volume; too loud for phones. SSW (London)—Now as good as any short-wave station. Last Tuesday morning from 7 to 8 a.m., the writer was able to work two loud-speakers. PCJ—Shows consistency. W6XN—Much better volume. KDKA—Not very strong at present. W2XAD—Very fine indeed. R97—Spoilt by static. KZRM—lmproving in volume. W2XAF—Not strong lately. Zeesen —Very strong. Ici, Paris —Fair volume. INSULATING SCREW DRIVER BLADES. We know that “to err is human,” but when the result of our error of our ways is calculated in terms of hard cash we resolve once more to adopt those precautions which will prevent a recurrence of such happenings. How often has the wireless enthusiast burnt out valves, short-circuited accumulators or batteries, etc., through his neglect to render the set “dead” by switching off before he attempts to make any adjustments or alterations inside the cabinet.

In making these small adjustments it happens invariably that a screwdriver is called into play, and the metal blade has been the means of inadvertently metallically bridging contact points which should be left open.

In my own case I find it an excellent plan to render screwdriver blades nonconducting, as then accidents will not occur even if the receiver on-off switch is not operated when making internal adjustments. There are several ways of carrying this into effect, one of the easiest being to wrap black adhesive tape round the blade. If this covering exhibits a tendency to be tacky outside, dust it with powdered chalk, or wrap a strip of oiled silk over the tape. Only the tip of the blade is uncovered, and this is hardly likely to large enough to cause any accidents.

When the driver blades are narrow enough, Systoflex sleeving may be slipped on and held in place by Chatterton compound; or rubber tubing will serve the same purpose in an admirable manner. The little trouble necessary to carry these suggestions into effect will be well repaid by the reduction in the possibility of accidents from short circuits, and merits the attention of all readers. SCREENED-GRID BIAS. A reader sends me a note of a simple arrangement whereby the positive bias for the operation of a screen-grid receiver in a very easy way. Many power units do not provide for the proper screen-grid voltage. By means of a suitable rheostat (preferably one of the stepless variety) connected as a potentiometer between the negative terminal and the maximum positive terminal of the power supply unit, the grid biasing potential may easily be obtained. The biasing potential which is obtained in this way should be by-passed with a fixed condenser of, say, 1 mfd. connected between the slider of the potentiometer and the negative terminal i ox the supply unit.

WAVELETS. A New Year’s greeting in thirteen languages was broadcast over a coast-to-coast network cf stations in America recently. Station W2XE also transmitted the programme on shortwave for the benefit of other countries. Ten musical organisations, each playing musical selections representative of the countries reached by the broadcast were heard during the presentation. An amusing sidelight on the practical applications of television comes from Chicago. Mr Austin Rahe, a New York television expert who was present at television demonstrations at the Annual Chicago Wireless Exhibition, said; “If actresses do not put on make-up and plenty, of the blackest kind, they are going to look like animated pumpkins on the television screen, and if they do put on plenty of make-up they will look like aged walruses in the studio! It is just about the most disconcerting problem which television has ever met.” From this it would seem that the actress may pay her penny and take her choice as to whether she will look her best or her worst in the studio or on the screen; she cannot have it both ways. U.S.A. CABLES AND WIRELESS. The unification of the American wireless and telegraph communication system to meet foreign competition was advocated before the Senate InterState Commerce Committee on December 9th by Mr Owen D. Young, chairman of the Radio Corporation of Amehica. He said that Great Britain and France had already introduced unification, and Germany was doing so; in Italy and Japan the services were unified under Government control. He declared that it was impossible for competitive companies in America “to meet these consolidated units in other countries from the standpoint of national interest.” WIRELESS IN LONDON SCHOOLS. The L.C.C. Education Committee, reporting upon the use of wireless apparatus in elementary schools, says that it has been the general practice to decline applications for the fixing of wireless apparatus to electric light installations, but in view of the general tendency of manufacturers to construct sets which require no batteries, the committee considers it desirable that such facilities should be provided for the use of the most modern apparatus in the Council’s schools, provided that its chief engineer is satisfied about the suitability and saftly of the apparatus. The cost of the electricty used by wireless apparatus is practically negligible, but the committee does not undertake to defray the cost of the apparatus.