Listen In!

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20126, 20 April 1928, Page 10

Listen In!

¥ NOTES AND PROGRAMMES *8? (By "Detector.”)

More than 1500 radio pirates were rounded up by the British police in 1927—that is, radio users who have not paid the Government license fee—are located by means of post office direc-tion-finding vans. Owners of receiving sets in and around Sydney have on some night as many as Hvr local stations to steer through. No wonder Sydney people I who own good sets have few opporluni- | ties of listening to 2 YA, and other New i Zealand stations. I Beginners who have lately purchased multi-valve sets will probably be somewhat disappointed with, the interference caused by static, but as soon as the winter season rets it will probably be found that static will diminish, and many enjoyable nights of radio entertainment from distant .stations tv ill result. Most of the Australian stations have been coming in well during the week. 3LO, Melbourne, in particular, has I shown a decided increase in volume and I is* really worth tuning in to now.

j Mr Jack Cannot, comedian of the J. ‘ C. Williamson Company, who has been acting as announcer at 2BL, has gone on a theatrical tour, and someone else is now officiating in his place.

Because of its formidable list of high quality features the Crosley Six has been hailed as the finest set yet produced. With one of these remarkable instruments in the home -he best programmes are always at your disposal—- | distance, volume and clearness are as- } sured. Arrange for a demonstration ’ from D. A. Morrison and Co. now.* I Most European countries show a de- I ' cline in the use of British apparatus, J I while, strangely enough, British exports ! j to America last year showed an in- I ! crease of £14.000. Increases were also; 1 recorded in the export trade with Ini dia, Japan, China, .South Africa, and j New Zealand, while Australian imports, declined by about £SfiOO. this large decline being accounted for by the drop in wave-length in Australian stations, which brought into use the American | sets which lormerly were useless for ■ the higher wave lengths. The smallest I export, one of-£4, was to Morocco, and j the largest to Australia, £211,392; JaI pan next with £.197.297; India and New ! Zealand following with a little over | £50,000. I Revolutionary Jahns -.ire made for a j new valve, possessing one filament, and | specially constructed to operate as a ■ detector and amplifier. Remarkable I loud-speaker reception is said to be ob--1 tainable with a one-valve set to be • put on the market, using this componi ent and embodying an entirely new circuit, which does not re-radiate. It is said that wireless, by causing people to spend their evenings at home, listening-in, is responsible for a re- | markable “boom’’ experienced in the j slipper trade in Great Britain. j So long as insulators and connecj tions are kept clean and bright, it does i not matter much if the aerial wire bei comes tarnished or soot-laden. Of course, corrosion will sooner or later < reduce the diameter of the wire and impair its high-frequency carrying capacity; but this is due to reduction of surface area, rather than to deposit upon the surface. Complaints, fully justified, are heard on all sides about the quality of the transmissions of the New Zealand stations, states the Taranaki News. At the present time there is no doubt that ! the position is most unsatisfactory, i Even in Wellington, 2YA is distorted j and noisy. IYA is quite as bad. If the , engineers of the company cannot find ! out what is wrong —and they have had I ample time now to do so—the Post and I Telegraph Department, who are supposI ed to see to listeners’ interest, should ■ appoint a qualified radio engineer to | report on the technical operation of the stations. As Mr Thow the expert of Standard Telephones Ltd. is still in New Zealand he might in the interests of his firm be prepared to make the necessary adjustments at least to 2YA, were he granted facilities by those in authority to do so.

The Gilfillan Neutrodyne Broadcast Receivers are the standard quality throughout the world and due to their extreme efficiency, combined with great simplicity of operation and attractive appearance, are undoubtedly the best known and most popular receiver on the New Zealand market, rnthusiastie appreciation of the performance of the Gilfillan Neutrodyne Receivers is daily being expressed all <ver the Dominion. A Gilfillan Neutrodyne is properly eon structed and adjusted so that under no circumstances can it howl or squeal, causing trouble to the user and to his neighbour. In addition, it possesses a higher degree of selectivity than other types. It is extremely sensitive and the quality of its reproduction of sound ; is unusually fine. Emmett’s, Radio . Specialists, 62 Victoria Avenue, Wauj ganui.*

The Westinghouse station at Pittsburg, KDKA, is now working on increased power. Previously the station used 30,000 watts, hut. it is now one of the most powerful stations in the world using as it does 50,000 watts.

Tn connection with the Presidential election in U.S.A., stations are being leased for political propaganda at a fee of £7O an hour. Here is one infliction from which New Zealanders are fortunately spared.

The reasonable expectation entertained when the Indian Broadcasting Company started daily broadcasting from its Bombay station last July and when the Calcutta station was opened in the following month are not being realised, owing to lack of public support. Only about 2000 licenses have been issued in the whole of British India. There is reason to believe that piracy is rampant.

Another progressive step indicated for 2YA is the provision of ‘’dinner music.” The children’s session will be advanced an hour, and from 6 to 7 p.m., without any breaks for announcements, there will be transmission of special “ subdued” music from gramophone records which are being import-

Next Week’s Sporting Attractions Monday, April 23: Marlborough Racing Club’s Meeting —2YA. Saturday, April 28: Wellington Trotting Club Meeting—Hutt Park —2YA. Saturday, April 28: Rugby Football —Athletic Park—2YA. Saturday, April 28: Rugby—lYA.

Here is commendation indeed from the secretary of the Empire Broadcasting League: “Looking back now at my visit to Australia, I believe that the Commonwealth has nothing to learn from any other part of the world, so far as local broadcasting is concerned.”

The Balkite “A” Battery Trickle Charger entirely eliminates the worry of wondering whether the “A” battery is up to strength, and does away completely with the necessity of carrying the battery to a charging station. Once connected to your “A” battery the Balkite Trickle Chai; will automatically keep your batte. • at full power. It is noiseless in opcl Vion, so that it may be used during the operation of the set. It operates at extremely low cost. Morrison and Co. arc the agents.* The numbers of licensed listeners in the different Australian States at the (•nd of February were: Victoria, 136,410; New South Wales, 75,212; Queensland, 24,813; South Australia, 19,388; i Western Australia, 3820; Tasmania, ’ 2720. The total for the Commonwealth

ASSISTING RADIO

SCHEME OF CO-OPERATION Two schemes for co-operation between the Radio Broadcasting Company and listeners and other interested parties have recently been made public. The plan devised by the Auckland Listeners’ League calls for a National Radio Advisory Board different from that in existence earlier in having its powers exactly defined, as well as district advisory committees at each of the four broadcasting stations. The Broadcasting Company’s scheme provides for the setting up of a number of committees at each station. The powers of these local committees have not been defined by the company, and because of this and the probability of a number of committees rendering the whole system unwieldy and inoperable, the league has suggested there should be one local committee only consisting of the district radio inspector or his deputy, the station director at IYA, and a representative of Auckland listeners. The committee would have power to co-opt others whose advice would assist its deliberations.

Such a committee, owing to its limited size, would be able to approach representative interests, such as musical societies, religious and sporting organisations, with a view to arranging suitable broadcasts, and could probably make decisions without the need of protracted discussions. It is not intended, however, to discuss at present the relative merits of the schemes which have been brought forward, as this can be left to listeners, but it will be apparent that the ideas of the Broadcasting Company and of the Auckland Listeners League as to the ideal method of co-operation are widely divergent. That a satisfactory scheme of co-opera-tion is in the best interests of New Zealand broadcasting cannot ,be doubted, and it now remains for a reconciliation of the ideas which have been put forward.

SHORT-TERM LICENSES

SYSTEM OF ALLOCATION Various statements are m cii that part-time renewal licenses have been granted, and the conditions under which such licenses are obtainable is apparently not understood by listeners. The whole question was submitted by a Wellington writer to the Secretary of the Post Office who, in reply, stated the regulations provide that the fee shall be £1 10s a year, and that all. licenses shall be in force, from the date of granting thereof until March 31 following. “As many persons take out licenses on a date later than April 1, provision had to be made for the issue of licenses for a period of less than one year, consequently it is provided in the regulations that for a period of less than one year the fee shall be 2s 6d a month, with a minimum of 7s 6d—that is, the minimum period is three months,” the Secretary of the Post Office continued. ‘‘This has given rise to some misunderstanding on the part of certain listeners, who appear to be of the opinion that the issue of threemonthly licenses is authorised by the regulations. “When the regulations were gazetted there was no intention of issuing licenses for a period of less than one year, except in the case of those who applied for licenses later than April 1. However, in exceptional circumstances, such as temporary hardship, as a concession it was agreed that one short period license might be issued, but any subsequent license to be lor the full period ending on the succeeding March 31. The issue of short-period licenses increases the clerical work tre mendously, and in the event A f appli cations for licenses for periods of less than one year becoming general it would be necessary to abolish the concession, or to increase the fee for such licenses.”