DX NOTES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 31, Issue 800, 19 November 1954, Page 15

DX NOTES

ADIO AUSTRALIA, the ABC’s international service, will carry continuous commentaries on the Tests. The main transmitting station is at ShepParton, 117 miles north of Melbourne. This is the home of the three main Stations, VLA, VLB and VLC. Another transmitter, VLG, is at Lyndhurst, 25 miles east of Melbourne. Internal broadcasts to the outback are made from there. VLA and VLB are of 100 kilowatts, VLC is of 50 kilowatts, and VLG of 10 kilowatts. The Shepparton station covers almost one square mile and cost

about £500,000. VLC was built by the Radio Corporation of America, but everything else was made in Australia. Each station broadcasts between 1642 and 19 hours a day. The complicated aerial system consists of 19 panel arrays and _ four rhombics, which

concentrate the signal in a narrow beam in the direction of the area for which | the broadcast is intended. The panel | arrays are of the Koomans or "pine- | tree" type, and consist of two, three or four tiers of dipoles arranged in lines | of four, end to end. All aerials have reflectors and the gain varies from 1242 to one to about 20 to one, depending on the frequency for which the aerial is designed. The higher the’ frequency, the bigger the gain. Supporting masts are 210 feet high. The distance between the masts varies up to 650 feet, allowing two aerial arrays to be slung between each pair. Australia has its electricity troubles, too. In case of a breakdown, two 800 horse-power diesel engines are used to generate power for the stations. Around the World Switzerland: The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation’s new show A Penny a Song is desiged to help the work of the Red | Cross. Listeners are requested to make | a donation to the local Red Cross and | send the receipt to the SBC at Berne, together with the item they want to hear. The session will be heard in New Zealand on Mondays at 8.0 p.m. on 11715 ke., 11865 ke, (25-metre band) and 15315 ke. (19-metre band). Lance Tschannen, who will run the new programme with his partner Isobel, has been heard on most of the Swiss request shows, including the old _ favourite Dancing in Switzerland. Ecuador: HCJB Quito, using its new 100 kilowatt transmitter, provides New Zealand listeners with excellent reception of its 630 p.m. Southern Cross Salute. Programmes by Billy Graham are heard on Thursdays at 7.0 p.m. Best frequencies are 11915 kc. (25-metre band) and 9745 kc. (31-metre band). Australia: The request show My Song Goes Round the World includes many requests from New Zealand listeners. The session is broadcast on Sunday mornings at 9.15 on 11760 kc. (25-metre band). Another popular session, the Radio Australia Hit Parade, is heard at 8.2 p.m. on Mondays on 11760 ke., and at 7.0 p.m. on Tuesdays on 9580 ke. (31metre band).