Our Short Wave Corner

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 52, 13 July 1928, Page 16

Our Short Wave Corner

Mr. F. W. Sellens writes :-~ A letter from the British Broadcasting Corporation (B.B.C.) was received by the last mail, The times of transmission are given as follows: New Zealand mean time, 5.30 till 7.30 a.m.; %.45 am, till 10.380 o.m.; and Ii p.m. till 12 p.m, except Sunday and Monday. ~ hese times are are previously given, ‘except for an interval of fifteen minutes from 7.30 a.m. till 7.45 a.m. _A correspondent asks for the signal strength of stations heard to be given sometimes. Ag this may be of interest ‘to others, I will do so. Perhaps it would be as well to publish the British "R" system, which has come into general use in all countries. The meanings of the several "R" signals are as follow :- R1i-Faint signals, just audible. | R2-Weak signals. barely readable. R38-Weak signals, but readable. , R4-Vair signals, easily readable. R5-Moderately strong signals. R6-Strong signals. R7J--Good strong signals, readable through lots of interference. RS-YVery strong signals, several feet from the phones stuff. R9-Extremely strong signals. Readability or intelligibility is also important. The strongest signals are not always the most intelligible; this may be the fault of modulation at the transmitting station, but more likely in the case of such stations as 5SW, PCJT, 2XAF¥, etc., caused by interference or atmospherics. The system I use in reporting to stations received is the one I have heard 5SW and 2XA¥ using during their two-way telephony tests, that is, the percentage of readability. While writing of reports to stations, I think it is "up to" all listeners to send in reports to distant stations, It is the one thing he can do to gSsist ‘them to improve their transmission. A system appreciated is a graph, showing on the top Greenwich mean time, and signal strength in the "R" system down the side. This shows at a glance the variation of volume from time to time, and is both instructive and interesting to the sender and ,receiver. My log for the past few days has been bare of anything of import‘ance, the "flue’ being hard to get rid of. As briefly reported last week, the proceedings (latter portion) were heard of the Democratic convention through 2XA¥F and KDIA. A news"paper representative gave a summary of the day’s business, and in his de‘geription said the business had been very orderly, ete. As a correspondent . from Cromwell, who was "on the air" earlier than me, said there were a few fights, and some of the delegates had to be ejected, and that the uproar was terrific at times, the speaker must have been "pulling our legs." This was the first time that KDKA, "on about 26 metres, has been heard for a long time. After the convention finished, they gave the weather report, and then closed down at 84 past 3 a.m. _by a gong. . Saturday, June 30. 2XAF on 31-4 metres, were heard -with their usual "Palmolive Hour," closing at 2.31 pm. R2. KDKA were , also heard about the same strength, and signed off at 2.55 p.m., at about strength R38. PCIJT commenced their _ special New Zealand and Australian programme at 3.380 sharp, with the National Anthem, ‘Their volume at _ this time was very loud; with two _ Stages of audio it was comfortable loudspeaker strength. The full programme, which consisted of gramophone items, _ and ealis to towns and individuals, was Clearly audible on the speaker till I _ closed down for tea at 5.30 p.m. On _ returning to the set at 6.15 p.m., an _ Aussie was on this wavelength without any sign of PCJJ, so they had either "faded out or gone off the air before * their due time-6.30 p.m. At 3.30 p.m. it was the loudest and clearest of any short-wave sfation received excepting ‘3LO and 2MB, which are next door neighbours as radio goes, Sunday, July 1. 2XAKF was heard at good strength relaying an hotel orchestra. The crowds at the hotel were very noisy, * apparently having a good time. An amateur spoilt the latter, and best part of this transmission by calling "Hullo" on the same wave-length, Strength. R 5-6, Monday, July 2. 9LO Melbourne, with its weekly test, was quite good, as usual, but faded alot. Ro. Tuesday, July 3. SSW was tuned in at about 6 a.m. at It.1., and increased to about R3 at 7.25 aam., when an orchestra was weak but clearly heard,

Wednesday, July 4. BSW was heard at vetter strength, but was subjected to a lot of interference. The German station thought to be RSR on about 41 metres, was putting out a lot of talk. Strength about R4, PCIT was first heard at 5.50 a.m. at R4 and increased to about RT at 7.38 a.m, when they closed down with the Dutch National Anthem. ‘There was a slight fade. Intelligibility abont 90 per cent. During the evening there were not any §.W. stations heard, but harmonics of 4YA could be tuned in almost as easily as those of 2YA; in fact, reception was better on a harmonic than natural wave-length. Thursday, July 5. RSR was again heard, but only talk. R2-3. SSW was R1-2 at first, and improved to about R4 at 7.380 am., when a lady was giving a monologue which was about 50 per cent. readable. 2BL, on its harmonic, about 44 metres, was fair speaker strength. Some good band selections were heard from REM on 70 metres, but static was very bad, too much so for listening-in. Friday, July 6. PCJI was about R5 at 6.80 a.m., increasing to R6 at 7.30 am. Fading very slight. 5SW was spoilt by morse. There is a powerful morse station very near 24 metres, which causes a lot of trouble when trying to listen to SSW. Mr. Sellens in Reply. I should like to take this opportunity’ of thanking those of your readers who have protested against the recent remarks made by Mr. Olaf BK. Stout, both through the "Radio Record" and direct to myself. Criticism is not objected to, but surely if it was thought necessary, it could have been expressed in another manner. Notwithstanding Mr. Stout’s statement that the "Short Wave Corner" "consists in the main of uninteresting and bald statements of fact, ete," I have received & number of letters asking me to continue. . I agree that there is often a lack of "newsiness," but one can listen quite a lot to ordinary programmes and not hear one item of real news. Again, when something of importance is heard, it is often not fully intelligible, as, for instance, a speech heard recently from a university dinner through 5SW, when the _- speaker's name and the name of the university was missed on account of surging, which is nearly always noticed on short-wave reception, especially when signals are weak. The writer belongs to both classes of listeners that Mr. Stout refers to. From 8 till 10 p.m. the dials are not twiddled, but the full evening's programme, usually 2¥A, is enjoyed. When it comes to short-waves I am a "dial twiddler" out and out and enjoy it. Where the entertainment comes from does not matter, a local amateur or the most distant station, "Chinese, Dutch or Yiddish." By the way, the Dutch are about the most progressive people under the sun as regards short-wave transmission, two-way telephony tests haying been overheard between Holland and Java some months ago. As suggested, descriptions of shortwave stations would be yery interesting, but where is this information to come from? "The Radio News" (U.8.A.) recently commented on the lack of news in this respect. This is where the "dial twiddler’ scores. Stations are heard and located before any mention of them is seen in the Press. ‘In looking through the latest issue of an American call book (distributed in Wellington to-day) at least two short-wave stations had their wavelength wrongly given, both having been heard within the last week or two and waye-length noted. This proves that reports in this instance appearing in the "Short-Wave Corner" are more up-to-date. The other suggestions are good, and | perhaps Mr, Stout will start the ball rolling with a contribution. Full descriptions, as. far as possible, have been published from time to time of broadcast items of special interest, and you will probably remember that the writer has been lucky enough to have been able to supply quite a number of news’items at various times, and hopes to be fortunate enough to be able to do so again. This is usually not so much skill, as luck in being on the job at the right time.-i, W, Sellens. Appreciated in Christchurch. N reading your issue of the 22nd inst., 1 was surprised, to say the least of it, to see a scathing criticism

by Mr Olaf IE. Stout, of the shortwaive corner of the "Radio Record." I do not know if that gentleman was "pulling our leg’ when he wrote that, hut I would like to say that the shortwave corner is the best article in the "Record." As a short-wave enthusiast, I appreciate Mr. I’. W. Sellen’s weekly reports very much aud they are the first columns I read on buying this publication each week, and I find the notes very valuable. As an instance of this, I tuned in a station on 41 metres last Thursday morning with all announcements in a foreign language that I .could not recognise. On referring to the short-wave corner, I noticed that Mr. Sellens had heard a station, RSR in Germany, on the previous Thursday on approximatelr the same wave-length and at the same time. In this manner I am able to identify many stations, thanks to Mr. Sellens. I am not the only enthusiast in Christchurch who appreciates these notes, as I have heard expressions of appreciation on many occasions from other listeners regarding the corner. As a further proof of their value, I must say that I keep all the back numbers with the number of the page containing the short-wave corner marked in blue pencil on the front so as to enable me to refer to any of these notes at. any time without the trouble

of lunting through the pages.

R. T.

Stanton

(Christchureh)

New Short-Wave Station. ON reading your letter in the "Record" abont the short-wave station, I wish to tell you that I, too, have picked up this stranger on about 24 metres, One morning I listened until about 3.25 while the station was at good strength and modulaton. As Mr. MeDiarmid (Iamilton) siuys, it was much louder than PCJJ, This

station is Jnst above OSsW..

D. R.

Gardner