Evening star., 1929-06-30
McNAMEE'S QUESTION
BOX

Graham McNamee receives a great
deal of mail. but each week he will
publish the answers to those questions
holding the greatest amount of general
interest. All questions should be ac-
companied by O. stamped, self-addressed
envelope, and addressed to Graham NC
Nance, TIL Fifth avenue, New York
City, or in care Of this newspaper.
Please make your questions brief.
A. Does receptiveness in broadcasting
vary in different parts of the world?-
G. l.. Forsyth, Boston.
A. Yes, decidedly. Polar expeditions
In the Far North find that the inas..:,cccs
travel toward the southwest. A blOao-
cast from somewhere up near the Pole
is apt to be caught in the American
Northwest. The Carnegie Institution
Of Washington has made extensive
studies of this phenomenon, but has not
yet announced results. 1t is believed
that Heaviside surface may be partly
4 accountable for the variations.
@. What is meant by "Dx"?-Mrs.
G. p. MCGUIRE, Birmingham, Ala.
A. ID" Is the symbol for distance
and "X" for unknown quantity. Hence
"DX" is the outreach for undetermined
distances.
published?-M. F., Minneapolis.
A. Minneapolis must be going musi-
cal This is the third inquiry about
songs which have had from this city.
Write any one or all of the following
New York song publishers: Leo FeiSt,
Inc, 235 West Fortieth street; Harold
F1ammer, Inc, 109 West Firty-seventh
street, and G. Schirmer, 3 East Forty
third street. Don't use up too much
time shooting your songs around at ran
dom. Get some expert advice. Remem-
ber that the big song factories generally
work up words and music together at
the home plant, and do not be down.
hearted If your song makes round trip.
Later on in this column expect to take
up this story Of how modern songs are
made. 1t seems to interest radio fans
intensely.
@. Do you like to have people point
out to you some special times when you
have done excellent work?-Orsie B.
Pressey. Atlanta, Ga.
A. It just spoils my day. CON the
record, my Atlanta correspondent said
some nice things, which I deeply appre-
ciate. Most Of us broadcasters, for the
sake OF what Is supposed to be good
form in the studio, toss aside the bou-
quets lightly, but we secretly gather
them up and put them under our
pillow)
@. have led an orchestra for IS
years. but my eyesight Is failing Where
can I dispose Of q Cremona violin, made
In 1645?-H. S. Jones, Jefferson, Ohio.
A. Write to Nikolai Sokoloff, con-
ductor of the Cleveland Symphony Or
chestra, Thirty-fifth street and Euclid
avenue, Cleveland. Ohio, or, if possible,
call on him, since you live in Ohio
am writing Mr.. Sokoloff in your behalf
@. I am in the penitentiary for life,
and am now 81 years old. The radio
has been a blessing to me. Can you
or any one help me to get some A and
B batteries?-No 29968, State Peniten-
tiary, Jefferson City. Mo.
A. (To radio fans). This Is a con-
densation Of several letters which I
have had from No. 29968, and also from
No. 3i570. The latter is trying to get a
radio set and now has only 81. have
made some inquiries, and have been in
formed that both these prisoners have
good records and deserve q helping
hand from the outside world. Do any
OF the fans, anywhere, want to Join
with me and flx the boys up? Letters
win reach tl1ei-. 1t the above numbers.