On Shortwave

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 32, 24 February 1928, Page 3

On Shortwave

MR. SELLENS’ REPORT A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER Mr. F. W. Sellens reports :- During the week I received a card from PCLL, Holland, containing the: following particulars: "QRA:;: Radio-. Laboratory, Parkstraat, 29 The Hague. . Transmitting station located at Kootwijk, Holland. QRH: 16,600 kilocycles; Power 82 k.w.; Beam-aerial: Direction Holland-Java. An acknowledgment was received from Marconi Works, Cheimsford, of report sent in reference to reception of their test on November 5 from noon till midnight through station 5SW Philips Radio also wrote, but were not able at the time of writing to give any particulars of date of opening of their new station er the wavelength to be used. On Saturday afternoon, February 11, @XAD was heard, but was weak. KDKA was louder but speech and tuusic were muffled,

@XAF was fair speaker strength to- | ward the finish of their transmission on Sunday afternoon. Orchestral music was being broadcast. REN was heard during the evening after being missed for a week or two. He was working on about 70 metres, and I do not think up to the usual volume. Monday morning found 80 testing en 82 metres from.7 a.m, as usual, at good volume and modulation RFN was on 70 metres. At 10.40 p.m. JHBB, Japan, commenced their test. About 50 per cent. of their English talk was understandable. Good strength and modulation, but a noise like a pump going all the time. ANE was on the air on ‘Tuesday morning. They went off at 6.15 a.m., but were heard again later on. The 40 metre stranger was heard, but I could not identify him,

This station was heard again on Wed- | nesday morning when I heard ‘"--RC --’ later "New Zealand, Australia." Here comes --’" ‘Radio Station." PCJJ was tuned in at 6.28 a.m. when a violin solo was heard at good strength, which gradually decreased tili 7.30 a.m, when I closed down. At 10.42 p.m. JHBB was tuned in. Talle was heard till 11.836 p.m., when their musical programme commenced with a stringed instrument. Volume which was good at first, increased as the time advanced. On ‘Thursday morning the elusive 40-metre station was again heard. About 6.25 a.m, another stranger on about 31 metres was heard calling "Hullo, Hullo," this: he repeated many times, saying it in different tones, and sometimes singing it, and a whistle at times, but not a clue as to the identity. RFN was heard on 70 metres during the evening, 40-metre station again ou Friday morning. PCJJ was _ first hoard at 6.28, but they started before this. Some fine organ music was heard at first. Volume at this time was fair plone, which continued till avout 7 a.m, At 7.25 a.m. strength

had increased. This is quite unusual, ag volume as a rule goes off as the sun gets higher, While listening to YA a friend rang up to say that the 3i-meire "Funllo"’ station of ‘Thursday morning was on the air calling various countries at good strength. I tuned him in at 9.10 p.m. just ia time to get him at the finish, but | did not hear a call. Volume was very good. I believe this station is the one I often reported as singing "‘Au Japanese."2 ‘Lhe voice appeared the same. _ At 10.47 p.m. JHBB commenced talking, after putting out some morse, giving his cali and address, Something was said about last day of test, also "‘listeners-in-tesults of our test." "Broadcasting station of JOAK." Esper-anto-national language.’ Speech was spoilt by a pumping sound. Volume was quite good. On Saturday morning at 6.15 a.m. 5SW and 2XAD were talking. The carrier only of the latter station could be heard. 5SW was readable, but was unsteady and weak. . The "40-metre station was goimg strong, but talking a foreign language while I was listening.

Another Report. Mr. H. Churton, Mount Eden, Auckland, writes:-In one of the late issues of your paper you request reports from short-wave listeners, but Mr, Sellens seems to be the only "live"? one in New Zealand. Perhaps this report may be interesting enough for you to pubish. I have a liome-made thrée-valye ‘‘all wave" receiver, the wiring of which is very rough; nevertheless, the results are extremely good. ‘The aerial used, botts for short and long waves, is 45 feet high, 80 feet long, and only a single | wire. The coils are home-made, being "air supported" {ie,, mo coil former), ‘and are plugged into the ordinary three‘coil holder. The wave-length range is from 15 to 600 metres. Every one of the stations heard has been picked up on two valves, and if loud enough, put on the speaker with the second audio stage,

The following 1s the ist Of Statiolis heard:-Broadcast wave-length: I1YA, OYA, SYA, 4VA, 1ZQ, 1ZB, 2YK, 2FC, QBL, 2GB, ACY, 2UW, SLO, BAR, 3DB, 40G, 5ClL, 7ZL. Short waves: OZ’s, 1A1, 1AL, 1A, 110, LIFE, 11, 1FK, IEP, 1AR, 2AB, 2AL, 240, GAT, QAY,. OBR, IBY, WGC, BJ, BAP, BAU, BAZ, AAR, 4AM. OA’s: 2CM, 2FC, oHM, SHS, 2LG, 2WC. BBY, KR, 30, 5X8, 4NW, 4PN, SRT, S5DX, GAG, 6WP, 7CW, THY. Ont of Australasia: RFM, ANE, OXAD, IXAF, OSG, PCT, SSW, the one in Japan, which, according to Mr. Sellens is JECBB. There are a number of stations that I have lieard, but unfortunately missed the call sizn. On Friday, February 38, at about 7.50 a.m. a station was heard on about 26m. Unfortunately I liad to leave at 8 a.im., but my brother listened to it till 9.45. Musical numbers were heard at first, followed by what was apparently a children’s session, as a lady and a man were giving a children’s entextainment, The call sign sounded like WBOQ, but I could not be sure of this. During the announcement the call signs OSAF and QXAD were mentioned. On Wednesday, Pebruary 8, at 6.55 a.m., a

station on about 25-24m. was heard giying "test words" like No, 2XG. Could not get his call sign, but when he finished "est No. 107" he switched over to Morse and kept sending V’s and OJ. lf this letter is his call sign, the station is one of the beam systems in Canada. At 7 o’clock this morning a station was heard on abont 38 metres, when a lady was talking. The strength was R5-6 and modulation nearly perfect. At 7,10 a man commenced to atmnoutice, beginning "Achtung." After about five minutes of this language the station commenced V’s and AFK on Morse. ‘The ATK identifies it as being in Germany. The Japanese Siation. J. W. Rait (Brooklyn): Re Japanese station operating on about 38-40 m., I: endorse Mr. Sellens’s remarks referring station operating on abont 38-40m., 1 received then: on Morse and afterwards by voice. Different languages were used, the English being very hard to under-. stand. The musical and vocal items are far from being enjoyable, it being typically Oriental, and the singing sounds like a fish hawker. Reception mwas very good considering; modulation conld be a bit better, no donbt, but the strength of signals were quite possible. ‘Last Thursday, 9/2/28, 6 a.m., I heard a station in Morse send AFK innumerable times. Short talks or speeches were all that were heard, ‘fick’? being heard on several occasions. Strength of signals Se RT. A slight fade. Modulation was | j. M. C. Tingey (Green Island) : Having seen many reports concerning the reception of a Japanese station testing on a wave-length of 37.5 metres, I may say that I have picked up that station on several evenings last week. While listening to it last night at about 11.50 o’clock I distinctly heard the call JOAK, repeated slowly, twice in succession, As I have often heard this station on the broadcast wave-length, I have no doubt in stating that it was the station mentioned. I have a short-wave adapter, constructed by myself, aud during the two weeks it has been in operatien I have had stations REN, PCJJ, oL0, ZAQ, JOAK, together with several other modulated carrier-waves on the 30-metre band, on the speaker,