Five Continents Heard in One Day

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 14, 19 October 1928, Page 32

Five Continents Heard in One Day

New African Station Heard on Loud _ Speaker

Mr. F. W. Sellens writes :-- A letter received from N. V. Phillips Radio, Endhoven, Holalnd. during the past week, confirms the schedule of transmission from PCJJ, published 4 fortnight ago. Mr. White, Takapuna, has heard the German station working at about 41 metres, give the call RSR, also their address. This station has often been reported, but the call has not beer heard by the writer for some months. Mr. White heard RSR on October 5. at 5.15 a.m., and again at 5.30 p.m. the same day; also on Saturday, October 6, at 5 a.m. The station reported last week, call not heard, but thought to be ANDIR. on 38.5 metres, proved to be PCLL, Kootwigh, Holland, it being heard again this week with the call given on elosing down. This Dutch station has been heard before, but.on 18.07 metres.

HE past week has, I think, been a record one for interesting reception. T last Africa has been heard in New Zealand transmitting speech and music, not a freak reception, but on three consecutive mornings. The new short wave station, TLO. of the British Kast Africa Broadcasting Company, at Nairobi, Kenya, was picked up first on Wednesday morning, October 10, at 5.45 a.m., on about 33 metres. The call, TLO Nairobi, was heard once only. This station was heard again on Thursday and Friday morning. The best reception was the last, picked up at 5.15 a.m. at R4, when what appeared to be market reports were heard. static spoilt intelligibility: shipping news followed. and an announcement in deference to future transmissions (this was not readable, except for odd words).

From this on till 6.30 a.m., musical items were heard, the call being given after every second number, with the name of the last two, and of the items to follow. At 6.30 a.m., a clock struck 10 p.m., the closing announcement following, that it was TLO, Nairobi, short-wave station of the British East African Broadcasting Company. wayelength given was 82-(the = fraction was missed, but my calibration chart shews it near enough to 83 metres), closing down till 7 p.m. to-morrow-Good-night. Strength at finish was about R8. Very steady, static troublesome, when signals were weaker, but cid not increase with the volume of reception. According to this, TLO is to be heard here from 3.30 a.m. till 6.30 a.m., New Zealand standard time.

Five Continents Heard in One Day. This was achieved on Friday, Detober 12. Europe: 5SW, England; PCJJ, Holland; Asia: REM, Siberia, Africa, 7LO, Nairobi; America, 2XAD, Sehneectady; Australia, 2HC, New South Wales, and 2- Goulburn. Each station was heard at least a part of the time on the loud speaker, loud enough to be readable several feet AWAY.

Special Farewell Programme from KDKA, to Commander Richard E. Byrd and party. This was heard from 3.80 p.m. till £30 p.m. on Sunday, October 7, 1928. trunsmitted by the Westinghouse Company’s station, KDKA, East Pittsburgh. Pa. U.S.A., on 25.4 metres At 3.38 p.m. a fifteen minute proeramme of music was announced from the William Penn Hotel, Pittsburgh. This ineluded "Teach Me to Smile," "Indian Cradle Song." The last item was called "Good Luck," an original lyric by an American composer (name given, but not noted). The first speaker was Mr. Russell Holland, of the "New York Times." He gave the names of the party and their various duties and qualifications, also the purpose of the expedition. He described the bases at Ross Bay and the Bay of Whales. The dangers which Commander Byrd and party would eneounter both by air, land, and sea were mentioned. A message from Commander Byrd was read for the whole world.

A message from Mr. H. P. Davies, of the Westinghouse Company, who was termed "The Father of Radio Broadcasting," was read. Other messages were read from various people to Commander Byrd and to individual members of his party. One request was for a chip of the Pole to be brought back. It was announced that this was the first of a series « weekly broadcasts to be carried out on both long and short waves for the benefit of the entire world. Mr. Patty, of Gisborne, an amateur of Montreal, and members of the American Radio Relay League were thanked for their valuable services. The addresses were given for friends of members of the expedition to send their messages to be transmitted each week. The wavelengths to be used by KDEA are 316; 62.5 and 25.4 metres. Power, 40,000 watts in the antenna. The latter is the best for reception in New Zealand. The whole of the preceding transmnission was heard at good speaker strength, crystal clear, and very steady -iin fact, perfect reception. Other stations heard are as follow :--

Saturday, October 6. SSW was RS when tuned in just before leaving home. 2XAD at 1.30 pm. was R 3-4 with rapid fading. Their volume increased to R9 by 4.30 p.m. Dance musie from the Hotel St. Regis was heard during the last hour. KDKA’* was tuned in first at 1.30 p.m., when they were R3. An orchestra at the William Penn Hotel was responsible for the latter part of the programme. Strength when closing down at 4.10 p.m. was R6. PCJJ were much weaker than usual at 3.3C p.m., being ahout R4. Maximum was reached at 6.40 p.in., when they signed off. R 8-9. Both Morse and statie’ interference

were bad. RIM was good volume, but spoilt by static.

Sunday, October 7. 1AR, Auckland, at R5, was heard in the late morning. 2XAF was only listened to for a few minutes on account of the special transmission from KDKA. This was at 2 p.m., when they were very weak. The carrier of KDKA was audible at 1) a.m. At 1.80 p.m. talk was barely readable; by 2 p.m. volume was good enough to hear, understand announcements, etc. The special programme commenced at 3.30 p.m., reported earlier in these notes. RFM on its first harmonic-35 metres, though weak, was clearer than on 70 metres, static being very bad on that wavelength.

Monday, October 8. At 6 a.m. a station on 82.5 metres was heard transmitting music and talk. Static was too bad to get a eall, it was probably TNM, England. 8LO was R&. A Morse static was troublesome. They closed down at 7.30 a.m., after the Melbourne Observatory time signal was given. RIM at R9 was very good, but spoilt by static. 2AJ, Wellington, was heard calling 3KB, Melbourne.

Tuesday, October 9. At 5.45 a.m.. from oSW :"‘1, 2, 8. 4, ete., Monday, Tuesday Wednesday," ete., then "This is Charlie calling 2XAD." was heard. This was another of the twoway telephony tests we used to hear before daylight saving time came in last year in Britain. The American could be beard faintly through 5SW, but not direct. He apparently had trouble m hearing the Englishman at times, us he asked for quite a lot to be repeated. SSW was 100 per cent. readable here. In the future these two-way tests are to be commenced at 5 p.m. instead of 5.15 pm., "British Government Time." This was then amended to Greenwich mean time, which I understand is the same thing. At 6.30 a.m. Big Ben was heard at R9. A talk. on books followed. French was spoken from 6.45 till 7 a.m.. probably a Jesson in this language. as these are given weekly from London. A relay followed.

Wednesday, October 106. PCJJ from 5 a.m. till 7.30 aon. was excellent at even volume RS8-9 all through. There was a slight fade and static. ANE on 15.93 at R8 was unsteady. RSR also R3. Statice very bad. PCLI on about 38.5 metres was RS. A woman was heard talking, calling

"Hullo!" with a few words following. then another voice. much weaker. Probably duplex telephony, with ANE,

" Java, which was on the air at’ the same time. Statice bad. 38LO, Nairobi, tuned in first at 5.45. QRN and QRM both very bad. Orchestral items and talk were heard. There was slight, rapid fading. ‘The call only heard once, and then did not believe it could be Africa till econfirmed the next day by better reception. DSW after Big Ben at 6.30 a.m. broadcast a debate between Miss Ellen Wilkinson and Mr. . of the National School Teachers’ Association. Subject: "Should Women be Paid as Much as Men?’ A very interesting talk followed. Musie and talk followed. R8. 2XA}F were picked up at 7 a.m. just above PCJJ, too weak to be readable. At 7.80 they were R4-5 and were describing what I took to be a baseball match. It was, he said, the "last half of the second innings." Hits, misses

and errors were mentioned, the crowd could be heard shouting at times. The description was about 50 per cent. readable. At 3.p.m. KDKA were relaying dance music from the William Penn Hotel at R6; this increased to R8 by 3.36 p.m. At 3.82 p.m., "This is the champion weather man speaking," was heard. He gave the weather forecast. Sports results and the schedule for to-mor-row was given, closing down at 6% minutes past 11 o’clock, E.S.T. Call given-8XK on 62.5 and 20.4 metres. 2XA¥F till 4 p.m. transmitted danct> music from -- Hotel, New York. After that they announced they would

carry out their schedule television test till midnight. A station, believed to be 2XAL, on 30.91 metres, was faintly heard about R2. 2AH was tuned in at 8 p.m,

Thursday, October 11. 5.00 a.m. ANE, 15.938. metres, was heard calling "Hullo! Buenos Ayres," several times. R7-8, very clear and steady. At 5.50 a.m. an orchestra was heard on about 3.85 metres at R8, splendid reception. The call given when signing off at 5 um. was PCLL, Kootwigh. TLO, Nairobi, was first heard at 6.10 um, RT. Their call was distinctly heard soon after, with one of the last items as "In An Oriental Garden," and two x trots to follow, by the Savoy Orpheans. I left them at 6.20 for SSW. and on returning found TLO had closed down.

6.30 a.m.-5SW. Big Ben. Mr. , who is too well known to introduce to you, will tell you his impressions of the 9th Assembly of the League of Nations Conference. just concluded. Gramophone records followed at R7. RFM during the evening was R8 on (Concluded on page 31.) \