TRANSMITTERS THAT SAVE MANPOWER

New Zealand Listener, Volume 19, Issue 480, 3 September 1948, Page 14

TRANSMITTERS THAT SAVE MANPOWER

Remote-Control Units for New Stations

N unusual feature of the new or improved stations at Nelson, Timaru, Whangarei, Wanganui, Hamilton, New Plymouth and Gisborne, is that their transmitters will be unattended and operated in each case by remote control. Although this type of transmitter is new to New Zealand radio, similar types have been in use for some time in overseas countries. The advantages of unattended transmitters are obvious enough. They economise on staff, and hence on manpower, without any loss of efficiency. A man at the studio can operate the transmitter, which may be many miles away and in a relatively inaccessible region, simply by dialling a number.

The remote control unit which enables this to be done was constructed by NZBS engineers, It consists of two small metal boxes about the size of an"average radio set, and two telephone dials, which? @re installed at the transmitter and the studio, Working on the same peieeiila as an automatic telephone exchange, the remote control unit cam perform ten different operations. When the © radio technician arrives at the studio to start the morning’s transmission, he dials "one" on the remote. control dial to check that the electric power is switched on at the transmitter. He then dials "two" to warm it up, and after he has dialled "three" it is ready to broadcast. At the end of the day’s broadcast all he has to do to close down the transmitter is dial "four" on his remote control unit. Other numbers on the dial can be used for such operations as checking that the transmitter is not overloaded, connecting up the manual telephone, and switching on alternative units to overcome minor faults in transmission.