WIRELESS PROGRESS IN AUSTRALIA.

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 19, 2 October 1930, Page 11

WIRELESS PROGRESS IN AUSTRALIA.

WONDEBFUL COMMERCIAL

STATIONS

A few years ago, when. Amalgamated g^*.Wiieless was entrusted with the develop Jttoot of wireless in Australia, it became -•^parent that in order to efficiently -develop wireless it would be necessary for the capital cities of Australia to provide many services and it also appeared) that this would make it necessary to erect many stations.

This not only meant great expense, but it greatly increased the possibility of interference ,and there was the real difJieulty of securing suitable sites accessible to the cities. ;

Mr E. T. Fisk, Managing Director of Amalgamated "Wireless, decided to abandon the old practice of separate stations, ■and evolved a new scheme of centralising the activities into three groups — a transmitting centre, a receiving' centre, -WEtdi a control office. The development 61T this system has reached such a stage of efficiency that to-day all the wireless stations of New South' .^jftesjafcre iocat--«d at two sites and operated from a centrial contrl office.

Under the old arrangement it:would Jkave been necessary, to have liad ata site for each of the services ;condtated from Sydney.

The transmitting centre is located at Pennant HUls£some 14 miles from Syda/ffi wnile the A.W.A. receiy"^^ centre is situated at La Pei-ouse, overlooking B*taay Bay v and, the/.Pacific Ocean.

Ajpart f^om the economy both" in. equipment and personnel) the operating:: ef--fiaieney of all the services has been vastly improved >iby. the centralisation. •C ttietivitiek*

Another important feature of the SydJM{f system is that even if the station is ■fling any or all of the various transmitters, it can be interrupted by a ship in distress desiring immediate attention.

Ail the apparatus at A.W.A. Badio Stanaznitting Station at Pennant Hills ttad at the Beceving Station at La Pier-

<jase was designed and manufactured at the A.W.A. Badio-Electtic Works at Sydney.

A.W.A. TBANSMITTING CENTBE PENNANT HILLS Tlmj •poa.i-n mast at Pennant JHills is 400 feet high and has been a landmark for

jtaany years, but several additional masts ~\}f 200 ft have recently been1 erected. Krom the main mast to smaller masts there is now suspended & multiplicity of aerials of every description, each adapted to some special service. The Amalgamated Wireless Transmitting Centre at Pennant Hills is to-day tiie largest and most modern transmitting station in the Southern Hemisphere. •Che principal services are:— The wireless telephony service to Great Britain and 22 European countries. The Beam Feeder Transmitters operating with Melbourne. The Island Eadio service comiStmicating with A.W.A. Stations at Pt. Moresby, Babaul and. Fiji. The Coastal Badio Service communicating with Adelaide, Perth, Townsville «ad Brisbane. The service to Noumea, New Cale<icmia. . ' >'•'■■' ' : - .■. ■■.- The Marine Wirelesss Services to ships -at sea. - : The N.S.W. Police Transmiters communicating with police patrol cars in the city of Sydney. Sydney short wave telephony transmitters communicating with trawlers , operating off the Australian coast, "> Broadcast Transmitters of the AusBroadcasting Company's Station 2FC. 20 k.w. Short Wave Transmitters for experimental telephony and world-wide broadcasting. Practically the whole of these services are operated either from the A.WJL Eeoeiving Centre at La Prouse, (some 16 stales distant from fhe Transmitting Station) or from A.W.A. Headquarters in the city of Sydney. The Police TransjEoutters, however, are operated from Police Headquarters, Sydney, while the Australian Broadcasting Company's programmes emanate from their studios. a.w:a. receiving centbe at lapeeouse The Sydney Eeceiving Cenjtxe of Amalgamated Wireless is the most important receiving station in the Southern JQCemisphere. The equipment installed at

the station, though comparatively small, in appearance compared to the transmitters at Pennant Hills, is of the most advanced design. Messages are received there from a network of services, and duplex telegrapphy and telephony working is maintained by means of 'remote control." An operator sitting before a receiver at La Perouse and receiving a message from a ship can, at a touch > of a keyboard in front of him, actuate the Marine Transmitter at Pennant Hills, and forward a. message to the ship. At another moment ne is in communication with Noumea and as soon as the message has been reeeiveci, he turns to a keyboard and with a few movements of the key the Coastal Badio Transmitter at Pennant Hills is sending out its messageto Noumea. ' And so it goes on—-day and night — La Perouse Station carrying on. nine services: The principal functions of the station comprise: . ' J "The -wireless telephony service frdin Great Britain and the Continent of Europe. , ■ : • The Beam Feeder Service from Melbourne. ■;. ■ ■ The; Coastal Radio Service communicating with Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, and Townsville. ' f The; Isdand Radio Service communicating, with' Pf. Moresby^ Rabaul and Fiji- ..'■'... ,' ■■.' -■'■ ' ', The long distance short wave Marine Service. ' , Marine Serviefe to ships, at sea. 1 The Trawler * Telephony Service for .communication with trawlers operating off the Australian coast. ~ The reception, of press messages from the British Station at Bugby, and from other parts of the world. The reception , of broadcast programmes from England anoi America for rebroadcast by local broadcasting stations. The apparatus in use at La Perouse has successfully received messages from Australian ships transmitted from the . docks at Tilbury London) and also messages from ships in harbour at - Van: couver and San Francisco as well as main taining communication for the whole period of the voyage to and from Sydney. .