RADIO

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18897, 23 October 1929, Page 6

RADIO

BY

“ AERIAL.”

NOTES AND NEWS.

Reception Last Night. Although there was a slight improvement in conditions as compared with Monday night, reception last night was only so-so. Static had eased off a little, but it was still bad enough to upset DX work. However, there are indications of an early improvement which, at this season of the year, must not be expected to last for more than a night or two. -The bad period should soon be over, and listeners ought to once again enjoy some good entertainment from over the water. There is little doubt about SZC’s popularity among local listeners, judging by the many telephonic requests for favourite records received by the studio. It is understood that Mr Plominsky expects to be in hts new studio in a few weeks’ time, when listeners may expect 3ZC to exhibit further signs of its progress in the art of broadcasting. :: ' And while on this subject, several listeners yesterday wanted to know if ‘Aerial” was aware of any reason why 3ZC should not take the air with a musical .programme when 3YA is engaged (as on Monday < night) with a boxing relay all evening. There is no reason at all, of course, except that those in authority at P. and T. headquarters (or whoever controls these things) do not, in their wisdom, approve. The attitude taken up is ridiculous. The “B” class stations in this countrj>' are, apparently, considered to be run by a set of irresponsibles—judging by the restrictions imposed as to hours of broadcasting, etc. Surely, when 3YA is engaged in some nonmusical specialty, 3ZC should be permitted to provide an alternative programme? Had that been done last Monday, there would have been fewer —-by several hundred—disgruntled wireless fans in Christcjiurch that evening. The only other YA station worth! tuning in last might was 2YA. Static | was very bad until 10 o’clock, when | it eased off appreciably. Neither fad- J ing nor distortion was so pronounced j as on Mondav. • :: :: Tried the Australian stations at 9.10, 9.30 and 10.30, but it was quite hopeless trying to hear anj'thing through the barrage from the ethereal artillery. :: What absolutely utter piffle some of these jazz numbers are that ate inflicted on listeners from all stations during dance music sessions. It’s no wonder that many listeners in Australia and New Zealand welcome so enthusiastically old-time dance: music and songs. The contrast between the music of the ’nineties and that of the present day is so great that, alter a surfeit of jazz a night of old stuff is as a breath of new life.

Whalers on the Air. “Aerial, Junior” reports this morning having tuned in a very strong transmission on about 418 metres at 11.45. last night. After a while it was recognised as the whaler Kosmos talk-

ing to the C. A. Larsen—both en route at present to the whaling grounds in the Antarctic. As it was apparent that a conversation was in prog-ress. a search was made for the C. A. Larsen, and she was discovered, at fairly good audible strength. or about 425 metres. Speech w r as, of course, in Norwegian. No music was heard up to 12.15 a.m., when A.J. closed dc-wn. 5*5 53 55 Assistance to Shipping. The following is an extract from the August number of “Imperial Aiiways Gazette”:—“The flying boat ‘City of Athens,’ on the England-Egypt-India service, recently had a somewhat unusual experience which provides another instance of aircraft assisting shipping. Flying south from Athens, she passed, when ten miles south-west of St Georgia, a sailing ship which was completely water-logged, the hull being below the water, whilst the sails and masts remained standing. The flying boat flew low down around the ship to make certain that no survivors remained and immediately wirelessed to Athens the position of the wreck. Within twenty minutes Athens broadcast a warning to all shipping in the vicinity of the danger reported. The flying boats on the Mediterranean division of the England-Egypt-India route have now flown over 125,000 miles on their weekly mail journeys, maintaining complete regularity throughout.” These aircraft are fitted with Marconi A.D.S wireless telegraph-telephone installations, and it was by means of j this apparatus, of course, that the fly- | ing boat was able to communicate with | Athens. Some “ P.W.” Tips. A filter output circuit for the telephones will often improve short-wave reception. A great many failures to get good reproduction arise from carelessness with the grid-bias battery or its leads. When loud speakers are arranged in series with one another it is very easy to short one of them by means of an ordinary on-off filament switch. One of the best methods of arranging a loud speaker extension is by means of a plug and jack, the jack being of the type in which the circuit is closed when the loud-speaker plug is withdrawn from it. k A well-arranged choke output not ! only insulates the loud speaker from ! the high-tension supply, but it reduces j ; the possibility of losing high-tension j voltage bv leakage between the output I' leads. m ,< If you are using choke output for a short wave set to obviate threshold ( howl troubles, remember that a large 1 A.F. choke is quite and * an old A.F. transformer secondary will generally be found perfectly O.K. ,for the purpose. (

WIRELESS FOR BEGINNERS.

No. 33. Read article 32 again—there’s nothing like recapitulation for fixing things in one’s memory—then assimilate this: “ Due to the building up of magnetic lines by the accelerating electrons (started off on their rush through the coil, in our last experiment, by the closing of the battei-y switch), the effect of each turn of our coil upon the other turn is to resist such accelefaVons and the electrons, apart from the usual impediments in the way of resistance, find the other electrons in their path resisting their progress by trying to press backward—the “ reverse current ” mentioned in article 32. Now you should be able to realise that the effect of a coil of wire in a circuit is to give the “ reversing ” electrons a better chance to resist the eventual establishment of a steady march forward of the current fnoved electrons. Got it? Well, then, this effect has a name. It is called “ self induction ” and is analogous to “ mass ” in a physical sense. You have, perhaps, -watched shunters at work among the goods trucks at the railway station. You noted that it required several men to “ put their backs into ” a truck before it would move. They had to overcome the effect of the truck’s “ mass.” You also noted, no doubt, that, once the truck had been started off, it needed only a light push from one man to keep it moving. But see what happens if that one man tries to stop the truck. He can’t unaided—it needs a, brake. Consider, then, the effect of an “ inductance ” (in other words—a coil of wire) in a circuit. When you switch on the current the presence of the coil of wire—the “ inductance ” —makes it

difficult for the current to flow—get a move on—just like the goods truck. Once the current has got going, however, the “ inductance ” (just like the “ mass ” of the moving goods truck) no longer makes itself felt. Learn this: “Inductance in a circuit due to the magnetic lines collapsing tends to keep the current flowing long after the battery has been cut off. (To be continued.) STUDIO NOTES. New Zealand Stations. The very instructive talks which Mr Norman Kerr gives on “Physical Culture” will be continued this evening at IYA. The instrumentals on lYA’s programme this evening will be Mr Eric Maxwell (pianist) and Mr R. Sproul (trumpeter). The Asquiths will provide a thirty minutes’ drawing-room entertainment. There will be two duets by Miss A. M'Gruer and Miss B. Smith, who will also sing solo items. Solos will be sung by Mr S. Pritchard. There will be elocutionary numbers by Mrs B. Bell. A half-hour’s review of the latest recordings will be given by “A Commentator.” 4 Vt $5 j; Almost entirely operatic will be 3YA’s programme. This will be an entertainment of outstanding attractions to lovers of music of this class. Co-operating with the vocalists will be the Studio Instruinental Octet, under the conductorship of Mr Harold Beck, and Miss Bessie Pollard, pianiste. Solos from “Mignon” and “Lucrezia Borgia” will be sung by Miss Anita Graham. Miss Marian Woodhouse will sing solos from “Nozze di Figaro” and “Ballo in Maschera.” Donizetti, Verdi, Puccini and Leoncavallo will be represented in the songs which Mr Percy Nicholls will sing. Mr Clive Handle will sing “Oh Lady Bright,” “Song of Bacchus” and “How Badly is the Course of Life Adjusted.” The orchestral music has been specially chosen for the occasion. 3YA’s concert is to be relayed to 4YA.

Australian Stations. Miss Florence Roach, a young singer who will be a feature of 2FC’s programme to-night, is particularly effective in the songs she will include in her repertoire. In music which requires a well-sustained vocal line, also, Miss Roach shows to great advantage. She has musical intelligence of a high order, and a talent remarkable in so young a singer. In the recent Radio Eisteddfod Miss Roach was among the finalists in the soprano section of the competition She has often broadcast and is the soloist of the Teachers’ College Choir and a pup* l of the Sydney Conservatorium. Her voice is of a lim T pid quality, and which broadcasts very effectively.

This evening Mr Michael Sawteli will deliver from 2FC an interesting talk

’ on “The Philosophy of a Vagabond.” Mr Sawteli, the member of a wellknown Australian family, was educated at St Peter’s Cpllege, Adelaide. At an early age he ran away to the bush and was for many years a cattledrover, cattle-raising and prospecting in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Kimberley. For a few years he lived amongst the wild ndtives, near the Yamba Sound country on the Kimberley coast. Coming back to city life, Mr Sawteli went into business, at the same time devoting portion of his leisure to lecturing and writing. Mr : Sawteli is well known to Sydney audiences as a popular lecturer, giving many addresses on psychology, philosophy, literature and the Australian bush. :*: :: Before jVI. Hmelnitsky joined the Anpa Pavlova Company as musical director he was associated, in the same capacity .with Zimbalist, Heifetz, Chaliapin and Lipkovska. He toured the East, India and Egypt with Pavlova, and went to Australia with her when she visited that country recently. He has since been occupied making musicrolls for player pianos, and has recorded no less than seventy-five. This is delicate work which requires a firstclass musician. He has been booked to give a .series of thirty-five concerts throughout New South Wales, and will remain in Sydney for some time as a permanent member of the A.B.C. Musical Staff. He will give a Chopin recital from 2FC to-night, when listeners will have their first opportunity of hearing his piano-playing. M. Hmelnitsky recently toured the East, giving no less than a hundred and seven-ty-five very successful recitals. Dr Harold Norrie, who is a member of the Council of the Royal Australian Historical Society, will be heard from 2BL this evening speaking on “Outstanding Personalities of Australian History.” Dr Norrie will deal with Lachlan Macquarie, the “Building Governor” of New South Wales, Many of the early buildings of N.S.W. owe their origin to the enterprise and encouragement of Governor Macquarie. He encouraged exploration, road-making and building, and was responsible for the laying out of many towns and the erection of several churches. Lachlan Macquarie’s name appears practically all over the map of New South Wales, and on this account he has been accused of being a great egotist. Perhaps he was, but in many cases the name was given, to the place by others in order to win favour in the eyes of the Governor. Politically the outstanding feature of his regime in Australia was the establishment as free men and good citizens of many of those who had gone out as convicts, but who were often only political prisoners. For this he was severely criticised by the “Pure Merinos” TO-DAY’S PROGRAMMES, Following- are details of to-day’s programmes received from New Zealand and Austi'alian broadcasting stations: — IYA, Auckland (333 M 3.0: Afternoon session. 5.0: Children’s session. 6.0: Dinner session. 7.0: News and market reports. 7.40: Talk, Mr Norman Kerr, “ Physical Culture.” S.l: Vocal duet, Misses A. M’Gruer and B. Smith, “*I Wish I were a Tiny Bird.” 8.5: Pianoforte solo, Mr Eric Maxwell, “Humoresque.” 5.9: Baritone, Mr Stan Pritchard, “Brian of Gleriaar.” 8.16: Recital, Mrs Betty Bell, “Buying a Car.” 8.21: Trumpet solo, Mr R. Sproul, “ Softly Awakes My Heart.” 8.25: Soprano, Miss Alma M’Gruer, “ Hedge Roses,” “ Charm of Spring.” 8.32: Baritone, Mr S. Pritchard. “ The Arrow and the Song,” “Coming Home.” 8.36: Pianoforte, Mr E. Maxwell, “ Noel,” “ Finnish Folk Song.” 8.42: Contralto. Miss B. Smith, “ A Feast of Lanterns,” “An Epitaph.” 8.49: Recitals, Mrs Betty Bell, “The Woman who Took Advice,” “The Woman who Helped Her Sister.” 8.54: Trumpet solos, Mr R. Sproul, “ Polka les Folies,” “Parted.” 9.3: Weather report. 9.3: Vocal duet. Misses M'Gruer and Smith, “ Shepherdess and Beau Brocade.” 9.7: The Asquiths, Twenty Minutes’ Drawing-room Entertainment. 9.27: Gramophone records review, a Commentator, “ Latest Recordings.” 10.0: Close down.

2YA, Wellington. t Silent day. 3YA, Ch.ristch.urch (306M.—980K.). < Q 3.0: Afternoon session. 5.0: Children's 7 session. 6.0: Dinner session. National ; Symphony Orchestra, “La Traviata.” Violin, Jascha Heifetz, “On Wings of •_ Song.” Royal Opera Orchestra, “In the Hall of the Mountain King.” 6.15: ■* Virtuoso String Quartet, “ Mignon—l Gavotte.” Royal Opera Orchestra, t “ Berceuse." Male quartet,. Lough, Mallet, Dixon and Hastwell, “ Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes.” Victor Concert Orchestra, “ Minuet in G ” (Paderewski). 6.30: Violin and orchestra, Fritz Kreisler and Berlin State Opera. House Orchestra, “Adagio— Violin Concerto, Op. 77 ” (Brahms). National Symphony Orchestra, “Aida” selection. Grand organ, Edwin Lemare, Traumerei.” 6.45: Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, “ Invitation to the Waltz.” San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, “ Liebeslied.” 7.0: News sesr sion. 7.30: Addington stock market reports. 8.1: Studio Instrumental Octet, “La Source Ballet.” 5.9: Mezzot soprano, Miss Anita Graham, “Here . Am I in Her Boudoir.” 8.13: Piaro- . forte. Miss Bessie Pollard, “ Seux Sollets.” 8.18: Tenor, Mr Percy Nicholls, ; ‘‘ Spnito Gentil,” “ Questa o Quella.” [ Royal Opera Orchestra, “Faust Ballet Music.” 8.29: Contralto, Miss Marian \Yoodhouse, “ Voi Che Sapete,” ' -Jr ° „ V „ f- 8S: , Studio Octet, Maxell and Ilabanet'a, “ Toreador’s : S,? ns ’ Concerted, Victor Male Chorus. Pilgrims Chorus,” “Anvil Chorus.” 8.47: Baritone, Mr Clive Hindie, “Oh, Lady Bright,” “Song of Bacchus.” 8.54: Victor Symphony Orchestra, “Dance of the Hours.” 9.2Weather report. 9.4: Studio Octet! Second Selection from Gilbert and Sullivan Opera.” 9.16: Mezzo-soprano, Miss Anita Graham. “It Is Better to Laugh Than be Sighing,” “ Love the Jester.” 9.22: Pianoforte, Miss Bessie Pollard, “Toccata” (Saint-Saens) 9.26: Tenor, Mr Percy Nicholls, “Che Lelida Mamna, “Arioso.” 9.33: Studio Octet, “Barcarolle,* “Gavotte—Mig- ’ t 9 t -30: -^ oy , al . Opera Chorus, .Mum, Hum, ‘Tood Wheel, go Whirling. 9.43: Contralto Miss Marian Woodhouse, L’Heure Exquise,” “Saner Voreste.” 9.19: Studio Octet, “Laguna Lullaby,” “Serenade." 9.55: Baritone, Mr Clive Hmdle, llow Badlv is the Course of Life Adjusted.” 9.59: Royal Opera Orchestra, “ Faust Ballet Music ” J 0.3: Close down. 4YA, Dunedin (4613MC.—650K.). 3.0: Afternoon session. 5.0: Children’s session. 6.0: Dinner session. Symphony Orchestra, “ Artists Life ” Columbia Symphony Orchestra, A 1 Fresco.” La Nuova Orchestra, “Di Napoli.” Band of H.M. Grenadier Guards, “La Paloma.” 6.15: Ketelbey’s Concert Orchestra, “ In a Monastery Garden.” Jacque Jacobs Ensemble. “ Over 010 Waves.” 6.30: Columbia Symphony Orchestra, “ Badinafre ” Royal Serbian Tambouritza Orchestra “Kossovo.” Symphony Orchestra, “Tales From the Vienna Woods.” it at Grenadier Guards Band, “ Twist inci Twirl.” 6.45: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. “ Blue Danube.” Jacnue Jacobs Ensemble, “ Espana.” 7.0- News session. 8.1: Relay of 3YA, Christchurch. 19.0: Dance programme- Fox trots, “I Faw Down an’ Go Boom*” “ Building a Nest for Mary,” “ Wedding of the Painted Doll,” “If 1 Had You ” 10.12: Mouth organ novelty, p p TTopkinson, “Scottish Airs.” Fo\frnfc “Wake Up, Chillun. Wake Up,” “Kid ' dies Kabaret,” “ When Sweet cY.'YI 1 Goes Steppjn’ By.” Waltzes Vll Always Be in Love With You,”’ •• nVv 'Divine." 10.30: Vocal duet, Laytgn !' and Johnstone, * A Room With a View.” Foxtrots, “Mean To Me” “Guess Who,” “My Mammy,” “Who 1 "Wouldn't Be Jealous of You.” ro J Mouth organ solo, P. c. Hopkinson' Henv?n,” A 'Try to°*& , Waltzes, “ Lisette,” “My Dear ” ii nClose down. ,u * »

4QO, Brisbane (3853 W 780 K.). 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.: Dance night. Di

Ing dance intervals items will be given as follow:—Harry Gruden and Mark Solomon, Entertainers; Mrs Charles Willey (contralto), “Barbara Allen.” Monument and Harrow, an Argument. Daisy M’Dowell and Mrs A. F. Stoddart, vocal duet, “ I Sing Because I Love to Sing.” Mrs Charles Willey (contralto), “Perhaps.” Harry Borradale, Entertainer. Daisy M’DOwell and Mrs A. F. Stoddart, vocal duet, “The Wind and the Harp.” 12.0 p.m.: News, weather information, dance music. FOR THURSDAY. 3ZC, Christchurch (250M.-1200K.). 10 a.m.: “The Fire Bird”, Igor Stravinsky and Orchestra Symphonique. Tested recipes: Beef olives; lemon rice; plum cake. 10.25: “Valse Mazanetta”, Rudy Wiedoeft (saxophone); “Maire, My Girl”, Eric Randolph (tenor); “The Swiss Merrymakers”, The Trio Nuovo; “The Flying Dutchman: Steersman’s Song”, Francis Russell (tenor); “Killarney” and “Let Erin Remember”, PipeMajor Starck (Irish bagpipes); “My Wild Irish Rose”, William Thomas (tenor); “Minuet” (Beethoven), Rudy Wiedoeft (saxophone); “The Song of the Wild”. Eric Randolph (tenor); “The Scottish Merrymakers”, The Trio Nuovo; “The Flying Dutchman: Erik’s Song”, Francis Russell (tenor); “Rakes of Mallow” and “Wearin’ of the Green”, PipeMajor Starck (Irish bagpipes); “The Irish Emigrant”, William Thomas (tenor); “Fantasia on 17th Century. Music”, Band of H.M. Grenadier Guards 11.30: Close down. 12 noon to 1.30, news and reports session and programme of popular music.