Our Short Wave Corner

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 44, 18 May 1928, Page 5

Our Short Wave Corner

The number of those interested in short wave reception is steadily expanding, due, wiguestionably, to the charm of thus being able to make .-¢ontact with world centres, The service available from overseas stations is steadily growing, and in view of the experimental work being carried out, the time would seem not far distait when even better service will be available. This'section is therefore being set aside for reports on interesting receptions from shortwave listeners, and. discussion by enthusiasts of their special problems, Contributions should reach us nof later than Friday to be sure of insertion in the following issue.

Mr, I. W. Sellens reports :-A ]. "QSL" card was received from ANE, Bondoeng, Java, recently, They give the times and wave-lengths of telephony tests as follows :-31.86 metres 1640-1840 S.M.T. (4.10 till 6.10 a.m. N.Z.M.'T.) and 15.93 metres 1240-1440 S.M.T. (12.10 till 2.10 a.m. N.Z.M.T.). "It is not stated if these tests are daily, |: apparently not, as ANE has not been heard recently that I am aware of. "A ecard was also received from JHBB, Japan, to whom I sent detailed report of a series of.tests they conducted recently. Nothing is said about future transmission. Listening to 2FC one evening during the week on their regular broadeast wave-length, it was announced that. "In. the near future short-wave stations will be erected in Sydney and Méibourne for the purpose of broadcasting programmes to. be picked up and rebroadcast by: interstate stations." The above statement was made after the wonderful success of the recent short-wave tests made by OME through 2FC:and:3ME through 3LO had been referred to. A short-wave station in New Zealand would be a good advertisement for this country. 3LO and 2FC are heard all over the world, which no doubt is good publicity. Another week has passed without anything new to report, although I believe a. powerful American station has been heard at the time I am usually: listening to 2¥.A, 8 till 10 pm. I very seldom go on to the short waves during this period, and probably miss something at times. Saturday; May 5. On tuning in 5SW at 6.10 a.m., a lecture was just concluding. This was followed by several songs. PCJJ was listened to from 12.45 p.m. till 1.45 p.m., and I was surprised at the strength they came in considering the time of day. Volume increased from tuning in till signing off and was quite good phone strength. Selections from the "Mikado" were particularly good. Speech was about 75 per cent readable. Once before, some months ago, I tried them about that time, when they | were testing, and it was only possible to hear them very faintly at times. Instead of 2XAD being on the air as usual, it was 2X AF on 31.4 metres. Reception was yery weak. They signed off at i minute past 11 p.m. Eastern Standard summer time (2.51 N.Z.M.T.). At 7.30 p.m. a German was picked up on about 14 to 15 metres, speech was very clear, but not understood by me. Talks were heard by at least two voices, and the call "Achtung! Achtung! AGA" (Nauen) was heard

several times. Music was not heard. REM was heard at 10 p.m., but was weak, Sunday, May 6. Each of three short-wave tests of 38LO were listened to, They were 11.15 a.m. till 11.45 a.m.;.2.15 p.m. till 3.15 p.m.; and 6.15 p.m. till 7.15 a.m. The latter one was the loudest, but nothing to be compared with their regular Monday morning transniission. 2XAF was heard at 11 a.m., which is the earliest I have picked up this station. They were soon too weak to hear; got them again later on. They signed off just after midnight ES. Daylight Saving Time, after relaying dance. music from an hotel. 4AN Auckland, 3AU Rangiora, 3AJ Rangiora and 2BO Wellington were heard testing on telephony, the latter coming in like 2YA, with gramaphone selections. Monday, May 7. 2NM (Marcuse) was very weak-just audible. 8LD, through 3ME, commenced at 6 am. It came over very fine, but there was slight fading at times. They stated that a cable had been received from London in reference to reception of the tests on the previous day; one test (I did not make a note of which) was received very tvell. 5SW at 11 p.m.was too weak to understand what was on. Tuesday, ‘May 8.

DSW Was Tuned ih at v.00 AD, We piano items were on. A talk followed, but although of fair strength was not clear enough to understand. I was not on the air in the evening. Wednesday, May 9. PCIT was not as strong as usual, 5S W had more than their usual share of talk session. Besides the regular lecturettes, a talk about "Railways’" was on from 6.30 a.m. till T a.m., which is the first half an hour of the evening musical programme. During the evening I listened-in on the broadeast set, and did not bother with the short waves, Thursday, May 19. 5SW was weak, but improved after 7.30 am., when I had to leave. Did not hear anything in the eyening except Morse.

Friday, May 11. Big Ben was heard at 5.80 a.m. through 5SW. A talk on music followed. PCJT were very good, but again, with me, they were not so strong as usual. REM, in the evening. was louder than he has been of late, but static was bad. 2AH testing was very good. 5SW was only just audible at 11 p.m. PCII. Cable advice has just been received that PCJT wave-length has been altered | to 31.4 metres; no alterations in of transmitting. | DAYLIGHT RECEPTIONS. Mr. S. Saunders writes regarding short-wave stations received for the week ending Friday, May 11, 1928:Saturday, May 5.-PCJJ, Holland, from 12.30 till 145 p.m. some items "Bohemian Girl’ vocal. Speech in foreign language. At 4.50 p.m. I got a station on word tests-about 38 metres; closed down 5.40 p.m. Sunday, May 6-WGY, 2X AF at 10.30 am. just audible. At 2.30 p.m. band items from WIFBR came in, Dance orchestra, Statler’s Motel, Schenectady, orchestra and singing. "Tyon’t You Remember,’ piano and saxophone solo (some player), "Sugar," "She's a Great Great Girl," Van Schelor’s Orchestra, ‘‘Happy-go-lucky Day,’ Van Schelor’s Hotel, "where they dance by the candle light." Call signs WIF'BL and WFBR closed down 12 p.m. set N.Z. 3.30 p.m. Sunday night 3L0O, Melbourne, special transmission from 6.15 to 17,15 pm. N.Z, time. A programme of records, Got station on 383 or 384 metres. Talk by a man and orchestral items till 10.30 p.m.

Monday, May 7-38LO, Melbourne, | announcer said: "The test carried out} at 445 to 5.45 pm. Sunday was received in Bngland very well. It is nearly six months since we started S.W. work. He also said 38AR was to amalgamate with 3LO. Speech was given by Rey. J. Il. Cane, president of the Church of Western Australia, and they closed down 8.10 a.m. _ Tuesday, May 8-5SSW was on the air, The carrier wave has been very wavery lately. Wednesday, May 9.-PCJJ, Holland, good strength. Calls South Africa, Canada; thanks for kind appreciation ; hope you enjoy this programme. 2XxAl, WGY at 2.45 p.m. not very plain, Wurlitzer organ and orchestra with singing. Piano solo, "When Day is Done and Night is O’er." Organ recital, Albany Theatre. Orchestra, Buffalo Theatre. Buffalo Symphony Orchestra, overture, "Raymond." | Quartet sings "Wearying For You." Orchestra, "I’m More Than Satisfied." This was 2 midnight programme from |the Buffalo Theatre Orchestra, under | the direction of Herbert Strouse, the

programme being provided by WLHA for WGY.. Closed down 15 am. Set N.Z. 4.85 p.m. Numerous "Hams" were heard during the week. Also a report that a Moseow wireless station with the call sign SOC on 55 metres, 87 metres and 23 metres, Radio Society of Soviet Russia, would give a monthly test talk. Look out for it. The strength of stations "heard on May 11 was as follows :- 5SW, Chelmsford, from 5,30 till 10.80 a.m. Medium strength, diminishing after 9 a.m. PCIT, Holland, good strength at 6 o'clock till 7.80 a.m., when it is medium strength. 2X AT, America, medium strength at 2.30 p.m., but mostly good strength after p.m. till closing down, 2XAD, weak at 2.30 p.m., but gains strength at 3 p.m. when it is medium. 3LO, good strength at 6 o'clock, but inclined to fade; medium at 8 o'clock. 2FC, good strength right through; mostly at night from 9.30 till 12 p.m.

AMERICAN GIANT HEARD. A. P. Morrison (Brooklyn).-On May 3 I had reception of a new American short-wave station. This station was logged at 8.30 pm, A talk on short-wave broadcasting was the first thing heard, which lasted for ten minutes. Nothing was heard again till 9.25 p.m. (the station being on the air all the time). At 9.25 p.m. an an‘nouncement was made to the effect ‘that it was 8XL (? 3XN), Brambrook, New Jersey, U.S.A. testing. . From then on musical and vocal items were heard, announcements being made re identity of station between items, but no mention of the wavelength The transmission continued on till 10.30 p-m., closing down with 3XL, Brambrook, New Jersey, signing off goodmorning. The strength of the station was above anything I have heard on the short-wave band before, but modulation at times was not of the best. {It was recently reported that a station 3XN would be operating on 50,000 watts.-Ha.]

A little time ago I received a letter from them Crosley Radio Corporetion, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.A., in reply to reports sent in by me regardin reception of their short-wave station, WLW, with information which might be of interest to short-wave lis-teners:-‘Our short-wave set operates on 52.02 metres, 5764 K.C., with a power of 250 watts only. We are doing some experimenting with this set, and expect to increase the power to 500 watts as soon as possible. The call letters announced are usually just WLAY, although sometimes it is announced SXAL when making tests. The programme broadcast on this transmitter is our regular WLW programme after 7 p.m, E,S.T." Now that the winter months have set in, all short-wave stations are coming in at great strength, especially the Americans. I now find it possible to tune-in 2XAD, Schenectady, N.X., as early as 11 am. No doubt strength is not equal to the afternoon, but speech and music is quite audible, using ’phones. | A station I have not heard very much lately is ANE, Jaya. If they are operating still it is not on their usual waye-length. I heard JHBB, Japan, testing a few nights ago on about 37 metres, but modulation was very poor, On Friday, May 8, the Dutch station, PCJJ, came in with good streagth, and the announcement was made that they were operating on 30.4 metres, not as usual 830.2 metres. I have listened to 59W, 24 metres, Chelmsford, England, at 11 p.m., but their strength is not equal to early morning transmissions, although quite audible. On Sunday, 6th, after listening to 2XAF for a while. I tuned my re-. ceiver to about 50 to 60 metres, and found a weak carrier wave, after a little tuning, organ music was heard, then an announcement was made that the organist was Stephen Boisclair, and that another selection would be played, the item being "The World of Memory." After this item the station was announced IXAB, Massachusetts, Ainerica, and it was mentioned that the programme was coming from WBZ. Mostly dance items were heard. After this it was mentioned in one of the announcements something about their transmitting. Their wavelength was given as 54 metres. The station closed down at 3.45 p.m., New Zealand time. On looking up an American magazine I find that this shortware transmitter is owned by the Westinghouse Electric Company, East

Springfield, Massachusetts,

U.S.

A.