Listen In!

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 95, 23 April 1930, Page 14

Listen In!

▼ NOTES AND PROGRAMMES "9 (By "Detector.”}

Inexplicable Restriction. It is ridiculous that the name of the artist recorded on a disc should be announced, yet a local performer should be denied the consideration of being named on the air. This consideration, be it noted, is extended to lecttrers, and to special announcers, but not to vocalists and instrumentalists. Is the Broadcasting Company ashamed of the paucity of the talent it is employing? Distant listening has been less attractive during the past week, as static has been rather severe. The early evening sessions from Australia have been fairly good, but as the night wears on they get steadily worse. All stations have been at good strength and programmes have been good. The local station, 2ZK, put on an exceptionally fine recorded programme last Wednesday evening, and those responsible for the selection are 'to be congratulated. The first Victory. What may be termed “the first win” in connection with the forthcoming British Rugby tour has occurred before the team has set foot on our shores. The win goes to the credit of the Broadcas’ing Company, which, after good team work, has secured the right to broadcast, free of charge, running accounts of matches against the visitors. The right means much to both listeners and company. The former are naturally delighted to know that there will be Rugby in the home each Saturday. They will be even more delighted if they are aware that the descriptions put out by one station will be sent by land line to the others, since but a small minority will be able to pick up a station such as 4YA, at the other end of the Dominion. It is to be hoped that the procedure followed in the SarronDonovan boxing contest will be adopted during “big Rugby 11 this winter. Tb« Broadcasting Company should also be delighted at the success of their campaign, for such a strong additional attraction on the air, featured at a time when licenses are being renewed, must mean quite a considerable increase in revenue. It is a pity that regulations forbid —if they really do—the broadcasting of political speeches. Ten minutes on the air by each of the three candidates in the approaching by-election would provide an interesting variation of programme that would be listened to t all over New Zealand. Ten minutes would probably be quite long enough for each candidate. A new “B* 1 class station, 6ML, Perth, Western Australia, has just commenced operation. The transmitter is reported to have an aerial input of 2500 watts. The oscillator *tage is crystal-controlled, and there is 100 per cent, modulation at a lower-power level.

Australia’s Record. That Australia stands high in the wireless affairs of the world has been shown lately in several ways. Firstly, it is significant that Australia has secured several contracts for complete transmitting and receiving stations t< be delivered on the other side of the world. In competition with British, Continental and American manufacturers, the Australian senii-Government organisation tendered successfully .or elaborate installations on the Adelaide Company’s new motor vessel, Manunda, and the Huddart Parker liner, Riverina. The gear was made in Australia and installed in Scotland. With it some remarkable records in transmission and reception have been achieved. At the present moment there is being built in Sydney a 14 kilowatt C.W. and I.C.W. valve transmitter for the New Zealand Government’s new lighthouse steamer. The order for this equipment was obtained in competition with the whole world. The completed apparatus is to be fitted in England. In similar circumstances there was recently built in Sydney a 3 k.w. transmitter for the New Zealand Post Office.

PHI, the Dutch short-wave station on 16.88 metres, will be on the air with special broadcasts at 1.45 a.m. (New Zealand ne) on the following dates of this month: —23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 28th and 30th. Anzac Day Broadcasts. All the most important Anzac Day functions in Wellington will be broadcast by 2YA. In the morning the children’s memorial service held at the Cenotaph, Government Buildings, will be relayed. The memorial service, which is held in the Town Hall in the afternoon, will be relayed, and in the evening a sacred concert held under the auspices of the Returned Soldiers’ Association. A Way They Have in U.S.A. “Witnessed by city officials, a squadron of police and members of the fire department the biggest burning of obsolete radio sets in the history of the industry was held near City Hall, in Philadelphia, recently,” states a writer in Radio News. “One thousand radio receivers, adjudged obsolete, went up in flames, after scores of other sets had been saved for the hospitals and the poor of the city. A representative of the Mayor’s office presided at the bonfire, which attracted thousands of spectators during the afternoon of the spectacle. As ninety per cent, of a radio receiving set is metal, a large quantity of parts which remained after the fire was sold for junk and the money realised in this manner was turned over to the Philadelphia Christmas Seal Relief Fund.”

Some listeners may wonder why the day and date are announced during the evening news session of 3LO Melbourne. It appears that many boundary riders on the horse ranches in , the wilds of Central Australia have their own radio sets, d owing to their remoteness from civilisation have some difficulty in keeping tally of the day of the week and date. Their plight was communicated to 3LO, Melbourne, and that station now supplies the required information. Dunedin Radio Exhibition. Details Of further arrangements made in connection with the radio exhibition to be held in Dunedin at the end of this month are anno ced in the Evening Star. Broadcasting will take place from the exhibition building from the moment the show opens in the morning until 10.30 at night, so that dealers will have continual music for demonstration purposes. It has been arranged that the B class stations will handle the transmissions, 4ZL being on the air on Tuesday and Thursday, and 4ZO on Wednesday and Friday. In '.ddition 4ZM will conduct short-wave transmissions on a wave-length of 49 metres every day and evening, and will be known as ZL4ZM. Arrangements are being finalised to have these short-wave broadcasts picked up in other parts of New Zealand and Australia and rebroadcast on local 5-watt transmitters, so that the two countries will know all about the exhibition in Dunedin.

The Thrill of Short Wave. There is not one of us who would not get a thrill £ rom hearing the voice of the announcer in far away Russia, Holland, Peru, New York, and the striking of Big Ben in London. This is not possible, of course, with the ordinary broadcast receiver, which is designed only for wavelengths between 200 and 500 metres. But with a specially designed receiver, such as the Ultimate, stations working on wave-lengths as low as 15 metres can be tuned in from the other side of the world with as mhch clarity as many of the Australian stations on the ordinary set. In addition to the many distant stations that can be tuned in on the wavelengths of between 15 and 200 metres that the ordinary set will not reach, all the New Zealand and Australian stations can also be tuned in with full, deep tone and volume equal to the finest standard of reception as we know it to-day. The set is housed in a beautiful cabinet, containing the powerful super-Dynamic speaker, and can be tuned by the merest novice. The Ultimate is setting a new standard of radio reception everywhere it has been shown and cannot help but captivate the most sceptical with its marvellous tone and performance. Any prospective purchaser of a radio set will be well advised to inspect this wonderful achievement of modern radio. There is no doubt it is the set of the future.*

This winter promises to be the biggest radio season yet and many hundreds of new names will be added to the already large list of Dominion listeners. The general tendency i> toward the all-electric set, preferably with screen grid radio fr juency amplifiers and dynamic speakers, but it will have a very serious competitor in the combined long and short-wave receivers which are becoming very popular.

The next sporting broadcast of '’ote which is being looked forward to with considerable interest is the SarronDonovan fighf, which is to be broadcast by 4YA. SCL, Adelaide, is now coming in well on the loud-speaker after 11 o’clock nightly, and in a month or so the whetfe evening’s programme should be available to listeners with a set.

200 KILOWATTS THE WORLD’S BIGGEST. THE NEW WGY PLANT. The world’s biggest broadcasting station, and by a long way the biggest in power, is the new transmitter of WGY, Schenectady, New York. It underwent tests recently, but the latest newspaper reports indicate that it will not be used for some time yet for regular broadcasts. The first test was made at 4 a.m. on Sunday, March 9, and for the first time in the history of radio, speech and music ere transmitted with a power of 200 kilowatts (2YA is 10 kilowatts). It far surpasses the other powerful stations ir the country such as WEAF, 'JZ, KDKA, WLW, WENR, and several others which have worn the crown of high-power broadcasters, because of their fifty-kilowatt outputs. Some experts contend, says the New York Times, that such high power will overlay other channels and cause interference. However, the engineers at WGY are confident that, with the latest deeviees, they can control this mighty newcomer so that it will render greater public service over a vast area, serving all listeners within its wide range with excellent signal strength. They will not allow it to run wild. The waves from WGY have always been troubled with fading, especially in the New York district. It is hoped that the big transmitter will overcome this trouble.

A Progressive System. The engineers pointed out that tests on 200 kilowatts have been reached by easy stages on progressively higher power. In July, 1925, WGY was the first station to work on 50 kilowatts, and since that date many stations have been licenced by the Federal Radio authorities to use what was once regarded as super-power on their regular programmes at all hours. In August, 1927, WGY advanced to the next stage—loo kilowatts. Early in January, this year, without any prior announcement and without informing listeners what power was being used, WGY, on its licence W2XAG, broadcast a series of recorded programmes on 150 kilowatts. Letters were received from hundreds of listeners in the Far West, particularly on the Pacific Coast, reporting a signal of unusual strength and clarity. A listener in Hilo, Hawaii, stated that the signal strength was equal to the output of a Pacific Coast station. Now the General Electric engineers have instituted tests with their latest achievement. The transmitter is located a few miles south of Schenectady, where facilities are available for the power and cooling requirements of a large number of transmitters. There are for example, four steel aerial towers, three 300 ft. high, and one 150 feet high, and in addition a large number of small masts, between all of which are many different types of radiators or antennas. At the main power house one of six rectifiers is capable of supplying 750 kilowatts of direct current at 20,000 volts.

TO-DAY’S PROGRAMMES 2ZK, WANGANUI (505 Metres). 7.0: p.m.: Programme of Columbia New Process Records supplied and arranged bj Dobbs Bros.. Columbia Gramophom Depot and broadcast by Messrs D. A, Morrison and Co. IY.-, AUCKLAND. (333 Metres; 900 Kilocycles). 3.0: Afternoon session—Selected studio items, including literary selection by the announcer. 4.0: Close own. 5.0: Children’s session conducted by Uncle Tom. 6.0: Dinner session. 7.0: News and market reports. 7.40: Talk—Mr Norman Kerr, “Physical Culture.” 8.0: Chimes. Presentation of orchestral concert by Ley’s Institute Orchestra and assisting artists. 9.0: Evening forecast and announcements. 9.2: Continuation of programme by Ley’s Institute Orchestra and assisting artists. 10.0: God Save the King. 2YA, WELLINGTON. (720 Ki’ocyeles; 420 Mctrei-I Silent day. 3YA, CHRISTCHURCH. (980 Kilocvcles: 3U6 Metres). 11.30: Results of N.Z. Metropolitan Trotting Club’s Autumn Meeting (second day) interspersed with music from studio. 5.0 (approx.): Children’s session—“ Uncle John.’* 6.0: Dinner session. 7.0: News session. 8.0: Chimes. Studio concert. 9.1: Weather report and announcements. 9.3: Relay from Jellicoe Hall of annual smoke concert to members of the Returned Soldiers’ Association (reunion of Canterbury branch). 9.33: Tenor —Mr W. Bradshaw, (a) “Ever of Thee I’m Fondly Dreaming” ; (b) “My Pretty Jane.” 9.39 : Instrumental—Studio Instrumental Octet, (a) “True Love” ; (b) “Extase.” 9.47: Contralto—Mrs D. W. Stallard, (a) “Vale” ; (b) “Out on the Rocks.” 9.53: Instrumental—Studio Instrumental Octet, (a) “March” ; (b) “Air de Ballet”: (c) “Angelus.” 10.5; Humour—Mr Frank Moran, “Tony the Swiss Mountaineer.” 10.11: Instrumental—Studio Instrumental Octet, ‘Remembrances of Brahms.” God Save the King. 4 Ya- DUNEDIN. (650 Kilocycles; 463 Metres). 3.0: Chimes. Selected gramophone items. 3.15: Talk—Home Science Extension Department of Otago University, under the auspices of 4YA Primary Productions Committee, “Rest and Restful Pictures.” 4.25: Sporting results. 4.30: Close down. 5.0: Children’s hour, conducted by Big Brother Bill. G.O: Dinner music. 7.0: News session. 7.40: Talk—Dr. J. E. Holloway, Otago University, Plants as Indicators.” Given under ausdees of 4YA Primary Productions Commitiee. 8.0: Chimes. Studio concert interspersed with dance nusic. 9.0: Weather report. 9.2: Studio concert continued. 9.30: Dance session. 11.0: Close down. God Save the King. 2FC, SYDNEY. (451 Metres). 5.45: Children’s session. 6.45: The A.B.C. sporting service. 7.25: Special country session. 7.58: To-night’s programme. 8.0: A classical programme arranged by Gerald Peachell. It being St. George’s Day and also Shakespeare’s birthday, the programme will be drawn from British composers. 9.0: The country man’s weather session. 9.2: Sidelights of old Sydney. 9.17: The studio orchestra, conducted by E. J. Roberts. 9.24: Two Australians visiting London. 9.54: Wil7frid Thomas, Lasso—(a) “The Hurdy Gurdy Man”: (b) “Shepherd, See Thy Horse’s Foaming Mane.” 10.1: Vincent Aspey, violinist— (a) “Serenade”; (b) “Tambourin.” 10.5: Answers to correspondents. 10.15: Announcements. 10.20: A rest hour in radio music. 11.30: Close. National Anthem. 2BL, SYDNEY. (353 Metres). 6.15: The A.B.C. Instrumental Ensemble. 6.45: The Boys’ Radio Club, <onducted by Mr Norman Lyons. 7.5: The country man’s market session. 7.20: The A.B.C. Instrumental Ensemble. 7.45: Austradio musical reproduction. 7.55: What’s on the air tonight? 8.0: The Sevoyans greet you in n symphony of sound. 8.7: “Gipsy Life”—A musical masque in one act, by Frederick

4QG, BRISBANE. (385 Metres).

Aarons. 8.37: The two magpies chat the matter over. 8.44: The Savoyans will play "The Blue Danube Waltz.” 8.48: An interlude for the music lover—The A.B.C. Instrumental Ensemble—(a) “Rhapsody Slave”; (b) “Pleading.” 8.53: Barend Harris, baritone— (a) “Bedouin Love Song” : (b) "The Song of the Watchman.” 9.0: Madame Evelyn Grieg, pianist—(a) “Rococo” ; (b) “The Sea.” 9.5: Beatrice White, contralto—(a) “Through You” ; (b) “The Rose Over the Way.” 9.11: In lighter vein—The Savoyans. 9.18: A radio comedy—“ Mixing Things.” 9.28: Weather information for the man on the land. 9.30: Don Royal, xylophone solo—- “ Kewpie.” 9.34: One of the magpies in meditative mood. 9.39: Lionel Hart, violinist—- “ Serenade.” 9.43: Barend Harris, baritone—- “ The Drum Major.” 9.46: “The Supper Party”—A radio play in one act, presented fry Bert Gilbert, in association with Arnold Ashworth and Doris Lascelles. 10.1: Terry Wyndham, saxophone solo, “You’re Always in My Arms.” 10.4: Beatrice White, contralto— (a) “Still as the Night” ; (b) “My Treasure.” 10.11: Th Savoyans. 10.25: Late news from the Evening News. Late weather forecast. 10.30: National Anthem. z

6.0: The Chimes. 6.1: Railway, mail and shipping information. 6.10: Austradio Musical Reproduction. 6.30: Bedtime stories by “The Sandman.” 7.0: Market reports, weather news and commercial information. 7.23: Late news supplied by courtesy jf The Telegraph. 7.30: A review of the latest news Bulletin issued by the Minister for Markets and Transport. 7.43: Time signals. 7.45: Sporting notes. 7.55: .’rogramme announcements. 8.0: The radio atmospheric—“St. George for England,” based on the imperishable story of “The attack on Zeebrugge.” St. George’s Day, 1918. A programme of national music. 9.0: Metropolitan weather forecast. 9.1 ‘ Movements of the lighthouse steamers. 9.4: Studio concert. 9.44: Our letter bag—An A.B.C. feature, 10.0: News service supplied by courtesy of the Telegraph ; cable news (copyright) Sun-Herald News Service Ltd., and Australian Press Association ; British official wireless news; weather information officially supplied by the Commonwealth weather bureau. 10.15: From the Carlton Cabaret—Ernest G. Mitchell and his Hotel Carlton Orchestra —Dance music. 11.0: Close down.