1YZ Goes on the Air

New Zealand Listener, Volume 20, Issue 516, 13 May 1949, Page 9

1YZ Goes on the Air

> URING its first four days of trarismission, 1YZ, the new radio station built by the NZBS to serve listeners in Rotorua and the Bay of Plenty, received about 250 reports on its strength and clarity. It is still receiving them, and the remarkable thing is that, though the station is intended for local coverage, the reports have come from one end’ of New Zealand to the other, and so far every one has been highly complimentary. There have also been two reports from overseas-New Caledonia and Melbourneand these, too, are congratulatory. In the north Island, Kaitaia has received the broadcasts "better than those from 1YA, with no interference or fading." Wanganui reports that "every item came over the air as clearly as a bell," and a .New Plymouth listener wrote, "your reception was perfect with no fading." Listeners in the South Island appear to be equally happy about the new station’s transmission. "At an altitude of 2,350 feet, in the centre of the South Island, your broadcast was received with perfect clarity and volume" (this from Lake Tekapo Hydro, South Canterbury). Greymouth says, "Your station is coming through splendidly-as good as our own 3YZ," and its sister town of West-

port declares that only one word can describe the reception, and that word is "excellent." Queenstown, where radio reception is said usually to be difficult, reports that that from IYZ is "absolutely- marvellous.’ A Dunedin writer mentions "remarkable signal strength-equal that of 3YA as received in Dunedin," and in the far south, Invercargill reports "perfect reception-clearer than stations in Wellington, Dunedin or Christchurch." The Noumea (New Caledonia) correspondent wrote that he listened continuously from 6.0 p.m. to 9.0 p.m. (local time) and that the programme "came over in great strength and quality." Amalgamated Wireless (A/sia) Ltd., suppliers of the station’s equipment, received a cable from their Melbourne office, to the effect that réception there was good. Station. 1YZ was opened officially on April 27 by the Minister of Broadcasting (the Hon. F. Jones); and the Director of Broadcasting (William Yates) assured listeners that both at the studio and the transmitter the latest and best types of apparatus had been provided.