AMATEUR WIRELESS.

Waikato Times, Volume 100, Issue 16712, 30 January 1926, Page 15 (Supplement)

AMATEUR WIRELESS.

ENTERESTIWG JOTTINGS. (By "Vernier.") The two Auckland broadcasting stations arc "on the air." One of these was testing on Saturday night, and apparently has no call-sign allotted to it. The other station, IYD, is transmitting on 330 metres on Wednesday and Saturday evenings. Both stations are operated by local radio dealers. The housing for the transmitting plant of the new Auckland station VLAP has been erected. The roof is of corrugated iron, an almost certain source of eddy current losses. It will be interesting to see whether the engineer installing the new plant will prefer other roofing material. The controversy regarding Exhibition broadcasting from VLDN drags on from day to day, champions for and against making their appearance before the public. Certainly the transmissions are much better since the introduction of the Western Electric amplifier, which has done a great deal towards eliminating the bad effects of varying volume of tone from the band and other items transmitted from various parts of the Exhibition. Recently an amateur suggested that news items should be broadcasted from he Exhibition each evening, together • with the ordinary Exhibition programmes. In fairness to Mr Webb It must be explained that some time ago he attempted to put such an idea into operation. The Exhibition authorities were approached, for without their help little 1 could be done, but they did not agree to lend any assistance, and the idea was abandoned. Certainly Mr Webb cannot run a broadcasting station and be a news gatherer at the same time, but it is possible that next week an attempt will be made to establish a news ser- ' vice. Dame Clara Butt's Opinion. "What effect do you think broadcasting will have upon the concert stage?" asked a "■.northern interviewer of Dame Clara Butt. "There is a great deal of controversy about that," said Dame Clara, "and many managers are refusing to let singers perform for broadcasting. I must confess to being a revolutionary. I wanted some money for charity, and I got it through broadcasting, although my manager was annoyed about it. It will have to come, and the people are foolish to try to slave it off. Personally I do not propose to broadcast except for charity. I have made my reputation without any aid of that kind. The people who will have to be reckoned with, I believe, "are new singers who will make their names solely through broadcasting, just as Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin have through the motion pictures. They will have audiences of millions. Think what an advertisement that will be!" "But what will happen to the ordinary concerts?" "I expect that' an entirely new kind of concert will be created,", said Dame Clara. "If Mary Pickford, or Charlie Chaplin came here in person everybody would throng to see them. It will be the same with broadcast singers. A concert will be held in a hall and will also be broadcast. Those who wish to see as Veil as hear may come if they arc wise, But It will not matter whether the hall is full or empty —broadcasting will provide the artists' fees. To sing for broadcasting is a wonderful experience. I shall never forget my feelings when I sang in the great station at Cheltenham. The room was no bigger than this, but I knew the audience reached away to France, and even to Scandinavia. Somehow I felt closer to my hearers than 1 have ever felt in a concert hall." Adellade's BUI of Fare. On January 13 SCL tried the experiment of a Wagnerian night, when some of the better known selections from the works of that master of music were broadcast. Some of Adelaide's foremost vocalists and musicians contributed to the programme.

With the swimming season in full swing great interest will be shown in the series of instructive lectures to be given from SCL by a noted authority on the subject, Mr Boatwright, who is well known to listeners-in through bis association with 2BL. Every Thursday at 8.30 p.m. prominent medical men will broadcast, in simple language, lectures on various aspects of physical and mental wellbeing. 5CL's Time Signals. A great improvement has been noticed in the transmission of SCL since they have been broadcasting from their new studio in Franklin Street. A singular incident in the position of this studio is that the chimes of the post office clock can now be broadcast without the use of a land line. All that is necessary is to open the studio door and the chimes from the clock, which is only 200 yards away, strike the microphone and are quite easily reproduced. Lectures on Poultry Raising. So informative have been the chats from SCL by the poultry expert, Mr A. M. Whittenbury, every Thursday night, that his advice regarding breeding and management is still being eagerly sought. This station intends to continue the feature for some weeks. Mr Whittenbury has started a poultry club among listeners-in, and Hie membership, stimulated by the chats over the air, is constantly increasing. American Tests. Working on a wave length, of between 4 50 to 455 metres, w. Lew super power station of the Radio Corporation of America, situated at Boundbrook, New Jersey, has been transmitting tests to Australia, using the call signs WJZ or 2XAR, between 10 a.m. and 2.30 p.m., Melbourne lime. It is worth noting, by the way, that the American pronunciation of the letter Z is Zee, not Zed, as in English. This is probably the most powerful broadcasting station in America, and should, under favourable conditions, be heard in Australia. The coils required will be slightly larger than those used for 3LO and smaller than those for 3AR. Any persons hearing this station are requested to communicate with Amalgamated Wireless, giving details of the reception. Buried Treasure. Station 2BL announces a new series of lectures beginning almost at once under the intriguing title of "The Romance of Buried Treasure." The lecturer will be Mr G. G. Barnes, president of the Independent Thcosophical Society, who has made a study of this subject. Listeners will bo taken to treasure troves, in Egypt, Peru and Mycene, 1.0 deserts and places beneath (he sea. Spanish gal-

Tutankhamen, of 'Course, not being forgotten.

Radio Question Hour.

The talks on Foreign Affairs by Mr J. M. Prentice (2BL) continue to excite the utmost attention, especially the answering of questions, in which the speaker shows great resource as well as a fund of knowledge. Many people have expressed amazement at the fluency and assurance with which the most penetrating questions are instantly answered, and this has led, to the idea, in some quarters, that the questions arc prepared beforehand. This, however, is not so, as Mr Prentice will prove to any doubter who may desire information. It is only as the result of great study of foreign politics, spread over a number of years, that Mr Prentice has obtained the intimate knowledge of persons and policies that distinguish his talks. Tuesday evening in each, week is the Radio Question Hour at 2BL. Radio and the Trawling Industry.

At last radio has been accepted by the trawling industry,' according to Mr Stevens, the control engineer of SLO. Mr Stevens was in charge of the radio equipment on the first trawler to be fitted. Radio telephony is used, so that the commander may speak directly to his seniors on shore. It also enables the various ships of the fleet to communicate with each other, so that when a shoal of fish is found those ships not so favoured may also obtain a good catch. By means of radio trawling is becoming less of a gamble than previously. There are indications that several of the Victorian trawlers will soon be fitted with a low-power transmitter. A new system of radio-telephony has just been installed in the trains running between Hamburg and Berlin, Germany, as the result of experiments lasting six years. Passengers while travelling are able to call up telephone subscribers at any of the exchanges, and can themselves be called up. The innovation is to be intrdouced on all. the main sections of the Government railways. Passengers will also be able to communicate from one train to another. ' Schools Teach Wireless.

Nearly 70 schools throughout Great Britain now teach wireless, giving instruction in theory and practice. They include schools of all grades, and a feature of the scheme (because the whole matter is properly organised and co-ordinated) is that it has nothing to do with other parts of scholastic life and work. It is all carried out under the schools' section of the Radio Society of Great Britain. All schools can come into the scheme provided they have a recognised radio society and a master in charge to take authority, and see that the objects are properly carried out. The society aims at teaching boys and youths the essential points of the science at a time when they can learn under the best conditions. i