HISTORIC RADIO STATION

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 18820, 7 March 1931, Page 11 (Supplement)

HISTORIC RADIO STATION

DISCOVERED ON LONG ISLAND. A deserted shack which for years has stood neglected on Longj Island, U.S.A., has been suddenly discovered to be of great interest as an historical landmark of the early days of wireless. It has been identified as one of the first wireless stations in America, and was used by Marconi in 1900. The building has now been rem&Yed, and an effort will be made to restore it to its former condition as a wireless station. It was in the late autumn of 1900 or early in 1901 that Marconi located his Long Island transmitter near the coast line, where his wireless station might have best communication with incoming vessels while they were still some distance from New York Harbour. During the years that followed the building was abandoned for larger quarters.

HOUSE.** The British Broadcasting Corporation’s Christmas programme next year will come from the Broadcasting House, its new headquarters, near Oxford Circus. Broadcasting House will have 12 floors, three of them below street level. There will be 20 sfudioe, ranging in size from the small “news” studios to a huge concert hall big enough to house a full orchestra and an audience of about 1,000 people. The chief problem, and one which cannot be solved until the completion of the

building is the all-important one of acoustics. The studios will be separated from the streets bounding the site by a “buffer” building on all but the north side. This means in effect that the portion of the site that is occupied by the light well in an ordinary building will be filled with a huge brick tower enclosing the studios. Unfortunately. in the efforts to exclude noise, the architects could not entirely avoid the exclusion of light. It is proposed, therefore, to instal artificial daylight lamps, whose light will filter in through ordinary casement windows. Ventilation provided another difficulty. Great care has been taken to ensure that the air ducts shall not convey sound from one part of the building to another. Walls, ceilings, and floors, are all insulated within the great central tower. The tower itself is constructed in a special type of brick, without vertical steel work, though steel has been used in the buildings outside the central tower. In the battle against noise cellular concrete between which lay dried seaw r eed was used. Until the building is nearing completion no definite guarantee can be given about its acoustic properties. It could not be said even whether or not an organ, the one instrument missing from the musical armoury of Savoy Hill, might be installed.

It is stated that 2YA is receiving its annual overhaul. That may account for periods of weakness the station has shown lately. 4YA provided an excellent description of the Sanders Cup races. The radio-reporter who handled the yachting event knew his subject. The Dunedin station did not do nearly so well in connection with the amateur athletic championships, the broadcast being as indifferent as the Sanders Cup one was good. The main Sydney stations have been making a special of broadcasts of wellknown plays and operas. Last month 2FC put over “Monsieur Beaucaire,” “Gipsy Love," “The Vagabond King,” and “Lilac Time.” “The Sign of the Cross” was scheduled for Wednesday last, but it was “The Silver King" that went on the air. “Monsieur Beaucaire” is listed again for March 19th, from 2BL, and from the same station on March 25th “High Jinks” is promised.

If American claims prove to be well grounded, the problem of power for radio receivers in remote districts has been solved. What is styled an ‘‘Air Cell” receiver is announced, with an A battery that will run for a year without recharging. A two-volt valve is part of the outfit. The Air Cell battery uses a liquid electrolyte, but until placed in service it is dry. In the dry state it is inert; no depreciations occurs. It therefore may be placed in service at the end of any elapsed time after manufacture and still deliver its full quota of ampere-hours. To energise the battery for service it is only necessary to fill it up with water. It takes about 6 quarts. Distilled water is not necessary. Any water suitable for drinking will do. The battery consists of two cells, assembled in a moulded container and permanently connected in series. The nominal voltage of the battery is 2.5 volts. While the voltage is not absolutely constant in the strictest sense of the word, the decline in voltage from beginning to end of life is only a fraction of the decline in the dry cell and is well within the leeway of permissable voltage range of the 2-volt tube filament. The question of interference is likely to be a burning one shortly. The worst type comes from violet ray and kindred machines and leaks from power lines are a good second. Another source of annoyance is highspeed motors. The easiest method of dealing with interference from motors is the application of fixed condensers between the brushholders and earth. The condensers should be of high voltage test, at least double the rating of the actual voltage employed in the apparatus. The condensers should be fitted so that they make actual metallic contact to the framework of the 1 motor, and the framework should then be connected to a waterpipe or other , form of earth connection. The connection to the terminal of the condensers should be as short as possible. It is essential that the case of the condenser should be connected to earth.