SAFETY SERVICE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 183, 20 August 1937, Page 14

SAFETY SERVICE

Cont!nuousf Radio Listening in N.Z. A 24-HOUR DUTY In maintaining a continuous radiolistening service at its Auckland, Wellington and Awarua commercial radio stations, the Post Office plays an important part in the organisation of the great safety service for shipping. Tt is the rcsponsibility of the Marine Department to see that the regulations regarding wireless equipment on ships are observed and that the radio watches are kept, and the Post Office completes the organisation with its constant watch on operations. All calls associated with sllipping are made on a wave-length of 600 metres although this medium wave band is not necessarily utilized for messages after communication has been established. There are radio operators at cacli of New Zealand's three stations during the whole 24 hours listening on the 600-metre band recording particulars of all the calls heard. The air is so husy that even in this remote part of the world hardly a minute passes during which notes of some signals are not entered in the log. The daily record of any of these continuous listening stations will show entries indicating tlie names of ships calling each. other ur calling shore stations. Everytliing is briefly scheduled, and a comparison of the logs of Auckland, Wellington and Awarua frequently shows that these stations all pick up the same message. An average daily log from Awarua, a particuiarly good listening point, fills 25 siieets each carrying about 335 entries. Distress signals have been recorded in New Zealand from ships in the China Seas, and the operators follow up such calls, however remote, to ascertain if they are acknowledged from a nearer station or a ship able to give prompt assistance. When the distress call is near at liand, Wellington, Auckland or Awarua sends out a warning to stop all transmission on the 600-metre band in order to clear the channel for communication by the ship in distress. There was a recent instance of a steamer being on fire in the neighbourhood of New Guinea when all three New Zealand stations heard the S.O.S. calls and 'the acknowledgments showing that rescue arrangements were proceeding. There are silent moments in the ether on this busy medium wave band. From 15 gninutes to 18 minutes, and from 45 to 48 minutes past each hour of Grenwich mean time all calling on this 600metre band is suspended. Only a ship in distress may use these periods for signalJing. Therefore the call for help comes out clearly to all radio operators who are waiting for the three-minutes silent period to elapse before resuming normal working. If any operator hreaks the rule of silence the official listening stations make a note of this fact and steps are taken to enforce the strict observance of an international rule framed for the safe-guarding of life at sea. The majority cf ships are not required to maiutain a radio watch throughout the 24 hours, but a distress signal can secure attention from a number of these vessels through the medium of a remarkable nutomatic radio alarm. In calling for assistance a ship first sends out hy radio twelvo dashes so spaced as to occupy one minute in transmission. Then follows the wellknown S.O.S. distress call and, if possible, an indication of the ship's position and other information. Tho original twelve dashes will actuate the automatic alarm service of every ship so equipped withjn range, ringing a bell in the radio office and also in the operator' s cabin.