RADIO NOTES

Waikato Times, Volume 103, Issue 17365, 29 March 1928, Page 11

RADIO NOTES

The statement issued by the Broadcasting Company regarding its aims and aspirations was a comprehensive one, and I do not propose to review it at any length. However, the proposal to establish listening-in posts at various places is one that, requires consideration. Theoretically the idea is sound, but will it work well in practice? Those in charge of these posts are to act purely in an honorary capacity. Will they bo prepared to listen in and forward reports regularly without any payment? 11 will entail a lot of work, and methinks these honorary scouts will soon want payment. Then, of course, sets vary, and so do local conditions. One scout with a poor set, or who is surrounded by "howlers, ' might report most adversely en Ihc transmission, while if a report was received from the same, district from a listener with a good set, who was well out of the "howler" atmosphere, it would probably be very favourable. How can the company judge whether the transmission is good or bad? It must be remembered that only one official listener is to be appointed for each centre, and how he can give % fair report of conditions generally it is hard to understand. Without going further into the company's proposals it is not unreasonable to comment upon the fact that these official statements, indicative of what the company is going to do, are only issued when the Listeners' League makes a big noise. Listeners will remember that after the big protest some months ago the company told us what it was going to do. The League was gulled by the statement, but when it starts to assert itself again another statement appears. If the League had a meeting, like the last one, once a month, say, perhaps the company would give us monthly statements of what it intends doing, but rarely docs. You never know.

WHAT THE CHURCHES SHOULD DO. REV. L. B. FLETCHER'S ADVICE. The following is an extract from an address given by Rev. Lionel Fletcher at the Congregational Conference recently held in Christchurch, in which he urged that the Churches should confer for the purpose of facing up to the whole question of the broadcasting of church services with the idea of endeavouring to come to an agreement that all denominational references shall be cut out of the services that are to go over the air; that as far as \ possible, while retaining the dislinc- ! tive character of those services, whenever a service is broadcast it shall be a service in which the preacher shall devote the time at his disposal to pro- , claiming the evangel of Christ, so that all cause for suspicion shall be eliminated and the one object of bringing the people to know and serve our Lord shall be served; that the resources of the whole of the Churches shall be placed unreservedly at the disposal of the Broadcasting Company of .New Zealand, so that both morning and evening, if necessary, on the Sunday, services shall be scut out (at least during the summer, when people are away from the churches on holidays) ; and that at slated limes, cither in (he morning or evening of ordinary days, family worship shall be conducted, as i is done in America.

CHILDREN'S SUNDAY SERVICES. I The Auckland Sunday School Union J recently forwarded the following resolution to Rev. Lionel B. Fletcher: "At the meeting of the Union held last night I was instructed to express the sincere thanks of the Sunday School teachers of Auckland for the helpful service being rendered by you on Sunday at IYA. May your health permit you long to render such service."

WIRELESS AND THE FARMER. The Prusisan Government has appointed a scientific commisison to study

LISTENING IN POST. ! i

INTERESTING JOTTINGS. |

(By "Rheostat.") J

the wonderful results that have been obtained with crops in the neighbourhood of the wireless'aerials of Potsdam. The fields have been planted with wheat, rye, potatoes, and other vegetables, and in every case the crops produced by the land near the wireless aerials were richer than those produced by similar land some distance away. It has already been shown that crops can hi; increased by means of aerials supplied with high-tension elecU'ioily suspended over the ground, and it is quili' possible that the immense amount of energy dissipated in space by big wireless stations will yet be turned to useful account in this way.

ARTISTIC DISGUISE. The French 1 housewife's fight against unsightly loud-speakers is causing makers to disguise Ihcm in all sorts of artistic ways. The sounds of the radio set issue from a small marble fountain in a corner of the room in one radio set put on the market in France. WORLD'S GREAT STATIONS. MOST POWERFUL IN U.S.A. The three mightiest broadcasts in the world are located in the United WEAF, at Bellemore, N.Y.; KDKA, at Pittsburgh; and WGY, at Schenectady, N.Y., each have a capacity of 50,000 watts, and lead the field. The most powerful stations outside the United States are at Moscow, Russia, and at Motala, Sweden, each operating on 40,000 watts. A survey made by the electrical equipment division of the United States Department of Commerce shows that 085 of the 1110 stations throughout the world are located in the United Stales. Europe has 196, North America (outside the United States) 128, South America 52, Asia 18, Oceania 28, and Africa !). Daventry's Giant.

Davenlry, England, has a 16,000watt station, and a station of power ranking above 40,000 watts is reported to be under construction in the Netherlands. The biggest station in Canada is one of 1800 watts at Calgary. In Argentina, among the powerful stations, are two of 5000 watts at Buenos Aires. In foreign countries Governments own and operate 77 stations, associations and institutions 87, commercial and industrial establishments 09, broadcasting companies 127, and private citizens 33.

GENERAL TOPICS. A radio loud-speaker capable of broadcasting sound up to li miles, and yet retain the musical quality of the tune rendered, was recently demonstrated at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. The speaker can he mounted on a truck and transposed around, to be used at fairs, mass meetings, etc. The novelty js called the "Riesenblatthaller." The drum is the most difficult instrument to reproduce over the microphone. Excessive voltage or defective insulation will cause condensers to break down. Germany is said to be the most progressive European nation in the advancement of radio. There is a chain of powerful stations operating in the i ten or more leading cities. Canada has 75 broadcasting stations. There are 1,252,120 farms in the United States equipped with receiving sets. Upwards of 150 radio stations in the United States broadcast daily weather reports. Ten o'clock curfew for radio broadcasting is the newest pian in Italy in J in effort to stamp out imported vices, j such as jazz and dancing. [