Marvels of Wireless.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 August 1921, Page 3

Marvels of Wireless.

CHI KF TKLKGRAPH ENG INE EE ’ S EQUIPMENT.

WELLINGTON, August 17

[a his. house in a suburb of Welling- , ton, Air K. A. Shrimpton, Chief Telegraph Engineer, has what is known as a J chief postmaster’s wireless aerial eqmpI meat, with which he is able to listen to | the talk that goes on between, not only the southern wireless stations, but also that which comes from stations in the Northern Hemisphere., He can hear, says the “Dominion.” San Francisco ' chattering away to Kobe in Japan, Hoolulu sending Pacific news to Los Angeles, Guam the little ocean mountain peak in the centre of the vast Pacific, saying a word to Singapore; Suva’ “chinning” to Sydney and away at the back of the spectral voices is a deeper note: What is it- Listen: ”W1I” “WII”. “WIl.” Well, what is it,? Why, its La Fayette, in France one of the biggest stations of Europe j sending to Belmar (New Jersey). So j one skilled in the Morse code can sit | in Mr Shrimplon’s kitchen or study | and hear the cross talk of the nations j how the -‘Red -Seeks” were defeated I at, baseball in Chicago by “The Cluck- , oiks” ; What President Harding dad j between 8 p.m. and midnight e rb ro-j tiring in his bed of boughs in the Kntskills; and why King Alfonso cannot visit Paris this month.

During the lasffew nights Air Shrimpton lia/ heard the following stations j sending clearly enough for him t<> j read every letter, if that were noons- j sai-v, or if it were permissible to write . the air bortte words (which is not the . case). *La Fayette (France). Belmar j (New Jersey, 80 miles from New York): San Francisco, Los Angeles, Pearl TLti- j hour (Hawaii). Cavite (Philippines), ID- j tavia (Java), Guam (mid-Pacific), Her- ; mit Island aitd Ocean Island (Pacific), j Apia (Samoa), Raratotiga (Cook Group) Nukualofa (Fiji), Balboa (Panama), and | Ml the Australian and New Zealand j stations, as well as a dozen steamers. Only on Sunday night lie got the Mamma, Niagara, M.aheno, Port Lincoln ! and tin* Kekerangu. j ”ll is common,” said Mr Shrimpton "to hear half a down stations talking away, and it is only by filtering them out by tuning that you can get the one von want. Even then you may hear •videos’ awav at the back, but you pay no attenion jo them. It is like my talking to von, with two other people talking to one another at the opposite cud of the room. Aon hear their voices, |„,t you don’t take any notice of them, being intent on listening carefully to the one voice near you. 1 was rather sui prised the other night to get La Fayette. 1 heard a deep note sending DDDD, tuning up oh that letter, which wo don’t use. Then came the words in French: lam on my big antennae. Then came: \VII, WIl. DM DK, LY, LY, 1, ||\v, N\Y. The first letters were the Kavolte signal, and the last was the international ‘How now U In “Uier words, ‘Are you getting meU It was evidently the station experimenting on her big aerial. She was talking to Belmar. in New Jersey, U.S.A. ■’There is one big fellow I have been unable to identify so far. He comes in late at night, or very early in flu* morning, with a big booming note, but so far 1 have not been able to pick up his signal. I’ll get him yet.” The marvel of wireless is increased when Mr Shimpton says that anyone can hear wireless messages by perching on bis roof a two-foot square board, with wire coiled round and round, and ultimately leading to the receiver. By connecting bis receiver with the wire mattress on which be sleeps, he can • hear the station on the Tinakori Hill’-j speaking. That is independent of any exterior aerial device whatsoever. From the foregoing it will be seen l,„w very essential it is for restrictions to be placed on amateur wireless opera- . tors. That is why, when issuing per- j mils to people to erect receiving sta- j tions, the Government authorities in- J sist on certain rules being strictly re- / Maided. One ol the chief of these is , that no wireless operator to whom a permit is issued may write down a message of any kind,save in the case of meteorological or time messages, as such would he n breach, or might tend to a breach, of the secrecy condition.