RADIO SPARKLETS

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 215, 11 October 1929, Page 4

RADIO SPARKLETS

Efforts are being made to arrange for regular talks to ianners from 4YA, Dunedin, on similar lines to those given from the Christchurch station. Dr. Cliarles C'hilton, formerly rector of Cauterbury College, who is acting as organiser under the Canterbury advisoiy committee, is to go'to Dunedin short]y and will address a conference of agricultural interests on the subjeet ^ * * A southern paper declares that New Zealai.d is missing a fine opportunuy for cheap national advertising. It suggests that ^lie Government should erect a powerful short- wave broadcasting transmitter through which infonnation about New Zealand could be spread all over the world. Such a station, it thinks, would do more than auything else to put'New Zealand "on the map." vf- * * In order to counteract a deeline m amateur set-building, which it believes has set in, the Christchurch Radio Society lias decided to hold _a competition for the best home-built ' broadcast set and another for the best homebuilt short-waver. Tn the fonner, sets with ope valve and upwards _may be entered. A member of the society has offered a special prize, consisting of _a set of valves, for the best "receivor in either class made with English or'Anstralian parts alone. Tlie- competi tions are not restricted to members of thc society.

The relay from tho Waitomo Cave.seeins to have annoyed toine listener&, judging by letterg to the newspapers liroadcasts from unusual places, sucli as tlie boDtom of a nnne, tiie cabm oi an aeroplane or the inside of a diver's helmet, have often been arranged U> the B.B.C. in Britain and by tlie Au& tralian stations. So far as can bi learned, listenfers have liked suci, novelties Perhaps New Zealanders ar more "canny"' and want oniy sucii "stunts" as provide entertaumient 111 trinsically different from the ordman fare. As regards tlie cost of the Wa tomo concert, of which some lettei writers complamed. it is a fair mfei ence that as the enterprjse was carrieout with the Tourist Departme'nt's en thusiastic co-oj>eration the expense tc the Broadcasting Company was — weti not excessive 1 There is' a liniit to' the 'anioufit o1 amplification ;that should be. emplo.w on radio receivers. and this linu't 1reached when the quality of tbe mu.-- ■ is being impaired. to produce volumt It is well to bear in mind that tlu slightest noise in the receiver detrat from the beauty and quality of th' music The proper procedure in . tboperation of a radio set. for lon ' speaker reception is to adjust th volume to a point where the noise in the backsround and at tio time '• comes sufficiently severe to impair t'nuality of the music or speecb. Wh the volume is increased beyond th ooint the noi«:p will increase in prop tion, and will. have a greater mterfe imr eflfect as it becomes more audib!; Therefore adjust the receiver to t.h» point where acceptable music is to bc obtained * * % In Australia arrangements are n"" i'n vog'u'e whereby a !telephone snh. srriber may yifig up a'commercial radio . station and dictate .a messaoe- fof ; 'transrn'ission 'to a ship at'sea."/ SimileVly,''th.e -return. messa'ge may' be"' tele-: nhohed_ to the suhscriber's horp.e p.r 'offife. " - -- '• ' . ■ * * * ' For long-distnnce recention a m-i/V ■'"ik valtie mav he as hjrh as cpt-eri ,-t oSn-ht ■mcghoms. h"t on locnl-etat'mi rh nowerful signalg tlie ralue'mu's't he re duced to V t- ^ .meuhoms."