Evening star., 1934-12-02

One of the leading radio compa-
nies has just issued a handbook of
short wave reception designed to aid
the untutored dialer. Among the in
structions and explanations set forth
are the following:
THE first rule for operating your
short-wave receiver successfully is to
tune carefully The selectivity is so
great that stations may be passed over
without being heard at all unless the
station selector is turned very slowly
and carefully. If slight whisper be-
comes audible. adjust the station Sc
lector very carefully in the region of
it, and you may find a receivable sta
ton there
ITO locate the most stations. tune
in with the volume control on the re-
ceiver turned on full. Then regulate
volume with volume control. Do not
reduce volume by de-tuning. Tune
for the best reception and reduce VOL
ume by means of the volume control.
Because of the great differences in
time between different parts of the
world, one must be familiar with these
differences and with the broadcasting
schedules of foreign stations to receive
programs from other parts Of the
world.
Weather and daylight conditions
must also be appropriate before the
reception of far-distant stations can
be accomplished successfully.
Ordinarily broadcast signals are
transmitted much better at night than
in daytime The situation is different,
however, with regard to short waves.
The preponderance of data is that
some of them are transmitted better
during daylight at the point of trans
mission and others at night. Ordi-
narily frequencies above 10 megacycleS
are not we'll transmitted after dark.
"If fading of a particular station is
Objectionable, tune to another station.
This condition is beyond the control
of the listener and is in no sense
fault of the receiver.
Static is at times much less trou-
blesome in the short-wave region than
in the ordinary broadcast region.
Especially in southern and tropical
localities. short-wave reception is often
quite satisfactory when reception on
the regular broadcast channel is i'm
possible.
There are messages in code and by
telegraph, but there are plenty OF
phone stations from which to make
selections"
EARLY last Fall the Columbia
IL Broadcasting System announced
70
listening by starting a program cam
paign which would bring outstanding
features to the airwaveS during the
morning and afternoon hours.
The first step was taken September
19 when, at the request OF Columbia
program officials, Kate Smith began
her Wednesday matinee hour as a
weekly attraction. The instantaneous
success of this revue spurred Colum-
bias efforts to provide other big day
time shows.
Now, IL weeks later, Is new and
novel programs, ranging from half
hour to an hour in duration, have
augmented the daytime schedule.
Such radio favorites as Fray and
Braggiotti, Vera Van, Johnny Green,
Freddie Rich and others now have
daytime schedules. Cobina Wright,
society entertainer and impresario,
has been introduced to radio audi
ences on her own variety hour. The
Two Doctors of the Laugh Clinic,
formerly known as the Three Doctors
a Modern Minstrel show of 35 black
face" entertainers, and the Country
Church of Hollywood all provide
attractive day dialing. Then there's
THE Joke Book Revue in which the
listeners get chance to write their
own comedy material and have it
dramatized in "blackout" form. In
other words-daytime radio entertain
ment is bigger and better than ever
y y X
yTJOMAN announcers and commen.
w tatorsT have been few on the
American radio, for the reason
that the broadcast impresarios are
convinced the listening public prefers
masculine voices When it comes to
broadcasting accounts of the Metro
politan Opera this year-well, that's
another matter. What better racon-
teuse could be chosen for the task
than Geraldine Farrar, the retired