RADIO AMATEURS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26620, 17 November 1947, Page 4

RADIO AMATEURS

AID FOR STORM-BOUND VESSEL USE OF OLD ARMY SET P.A. ROTORUA, Nov. 15. How an ex-army hand generator radio transmitter saved the lives of 27 people and guided a ship to safety in the islands early this month is told in a letter received by Mr D. W. Tapp, of Rotorua, from Mr S. Kingnon, the meteorological officer at Rarotonga for the New Zealand Government. A few weeks ago, Mr Kingnon, who is one of a number of amateur radio hobbyists in the Rarotonga group, sent a message to New Zealand DX operators for an army hand generator transmitter for experimental and emergency work. Such sets are very scarce, but it happended that Mr Tapp had one. The set was placed on board an inter-island vessel which, when nearing Rarotonga, ran into heavy weather. Some of the crew had been amusing themselves with the transmitter on the voyage, and tests with the island had been carried out, but now it ceased to be a toy. With 27 passengers and cargo, the vessel flashed urgent messages for help to Rarotonga. The islands, as well as having amateurs, are • also fairly well served with commercial stations which operate on a single wave bank. Directions were flashed to the ship from all shore stations. Then the weather took another hand. All the commercial stations “ went haywire ” and this left only the amateurs with their small sets of powerful, but limited, range. The hobbyists , directed planes to watch over the vessel and contacted ships in the vicinity. They sent navigational directions and were kept informed of the ship’s progress. For 57 hours contacts were maintained. It was a triumphant day for the amateurs •when the vessel entered port safely.