Round the World on Short Wave

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 23, 21 December 1928, Unnumbered Page

Round the World on Short Wave

Notes of special value to short-wave enthusiasts are contributed

weekly to the "Radio Record" by Mr.

F. W.

Sellens

Northland,

Wellington. Observations from others are welcomed.

-_-- JRECEPTION has been poor from ‘most of the regular short-wave stations.at the usual time they are best heard in New Zealand. This appears to be general throughout this country by reports and inquiries received from various readers. : A revised schedule of transmissions of the short-wave stations W2XAD and W2XAF has just been received from The General Jlectric Company,. Schenectady, New York, dated November 3, 1928. The times are as follow in New Zealand mean time :- W2XAD, 21.96 metres. Monday: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday: 6.30 a.m.-8.30 a.m.; 10.30 a.m.-4.30 p.m. Thursday: 10.30 a.m.-4.30 pm Friday: 6.30 a.m.-8.30 a.m. Saturday: 10.30 a.m.-4.30 p.m. W2XAF, 31.4 metres. Tuesday: 10.30 a.m.-4.30 p.m. Wednesday: 10.30 a.m.-4 p.m. ¥riday: 10.30 a.m.-4.30 p.m. Sunday: 10.30 a.m.-4.30 p.m. These times differ slightly from the previous published list. nSw on its new waveleneth of 25.53

metres appears to be received in the morning about the same as that of 24. _ metres. It suffers from rapid fading just the same and is. not’ any stronger. It has been coming in at about R5 at 7am. On Tuesday and Friday, when testing with 2XAD, they have been better at R8. CJJ has lost its punch. Starting at 6 a.m. at about R8. it rapidly goes off. On Saturday it is not worth listening till the last hour or so. By ' the way, PCJJ did not appear. on the air as usual on Wednesday morning up till 7.30 a.m. It is unusual for this station to miss one of its regular transmissions. | KDKA, 2XAF and 2XAD- are all weak during the afternoon, except toward the finish. On the other hand, 2XAD comes in at least R7 with their duplex tests with BSW on Tuesday and Friday mornings till 6 a.m., and then again with their television test, followed by musical items on these mornings. A few weeks ago when reception was good in the afternoons from 2XAD it was very weak or inaudible during the early morning. 3L0, Nairob at its best is seldom better than R3. A correspondent to the "Radio News" (United States) reports-to that maga-

zine that he has heard a station on 245 metres operated by Societe Franeaise Radio-Hlectrique, 79 Boulevard Haussman, Paris. Perhaps this is our friend "Ici Par " } HE following is the new schedule for PCJJ, Eindhoven, Holland: Wavelength 31.4 metres;. Fridays 6 a.m. till 8 am., 11 a.m. till 3 p.m.; Saturdays, 6 am, till 8 a.m., 12 noon till 6 p.m., New Zealand summer time. Standard Telephones and Cables (Australasia) Ltd. were testing out a station on Wednesday afternoon and evening (December 12) on about 173 metres. The following particulars were sup-., plied by Mr. Keith H. Thow:-*"The transmitter used, with the exception of -eertain modifications, is a standard 50watt. equipment as manufactured by. Standard Telephones and Cables Ltd., London. The 50 watts rating referred to is the actual input to the aerial of the unmodulated carrier. If we can complete some experimental work we have on hand in connection with the

transmitter, we shall endeavour to be on the air again next Wednesday at 8 p.m. (December 19). We also hope to raise the wavelength to about 230240 metres, in order to bring our transmission within the tuning range of the average broadcast receiver. We should greatly appreciate reports on the transmission, particularly in writing (P.O. Box 688, Wellington), referring to the following points:-(a) Quality of speech and. music; (b) ‘stability of wavelength; (ce) amount of generator hum in earrier; (d) "sharpness" of tuning. It would also be. helpful if reports gave us details of the receiver, e.g, type, make, number of valves, ete. We are particularly interested to. receive reports of reception at distances greater than 50 miles."

RECEPTION of distant short-wave stations is still below the average. The only exception is RFM, Siberia, this station is far better than it has been for some months, My log for the week is as follows ‘-- Saturday, December. 8. PCIJT at 6.15 am. was R2-3, and only just audible at 7.15 a.m. 7TLO Nairobi about R2. KDKA was R2 at 3 p.m., increasing to RD at 5.8 p.m., when they signed off. During the same period 2X AD was slightly weaker. PCJJ was not audible till 4 p.m.; strength increased to about Rd at 6 p.m. Sunday, December 9. KDKA at its best was R7. The latter part of the transmission consisted of a message to members of the Byrd Hxpedition. 2X AF was weak till they . closed down, © |. . Monday, December 10. TLO, Nairobi, very weak. R2-3. 8LO with their weekly test on 32 ‘metres, were very good. Records and news items were heard. , REM were putting over a banjo solo at 10.15 p.m., which was heard at R9. Talk and musical itesus were given afterwards. |

Tuesday, December 11. At 5.30 a.m, 5SW and 2XAD were. carrying ot duplex telephony tests. The English station was’ R8 and the American R5, both 100 per cent. readable. 2XAD, which was transmitting on about 2 metres lower than usual, was faintly audible. through SSW. . They, 2XAD, were heard again later ov their usual wavelength (21.96). A station on about 26 metres was heurd calling "Achtung" and "Allo" at R3-4. At times it appeared as though duplex telephony tests were being carried out. | 7LO, Nairobi, was -R2. _5SW at.7 a.m. was about B5. Rapid fading spoilt intelligibility. ' 6AG, Perth, was testing till about 11 p.m. Reception was excellent at R8-9. ANE at-.R9 were’ very clear and steady. . Wednesday, December 12. TLO, R2-3. "Big Ben" from 58W at Tam. was

audible, but talk could not be -understood. , ae , At 8 p.m. 2MH, Sydney, was ealling AGB2, Berlin, Germany, but could not get a reply. Later 2ME had along talk with VOB, Suva. The Sydney station was R9 and Suva R7-8. Both were,.100 per cent. readable. _ On signing off at 10 p.i .. 2ME said they had a schedule ‘with Java and later with PCLL (Holland). Standard Telephone and Cables, Ltd. (Wellington), .were testing on 173 metres. On their first harmonic, about 86 metres, they came in at full speaker strength. Not having a coil suitable, I could not get them on 173 metres. Thursday, December 13.

PCLL was tuned in at 6 a.m. at R6 playing ‘records. Volume decreased rapidly. 5S W, before "going. over to London," were R5 and 100 per cent. readable, but as soon as. the relay commenced, signals were mushy and quite impossible to read. 7LO weaker than usual. R12. 2ME had apparently been talking to AGB2, Berlin, when I. tuned them in, but-I was too late to hear the ‘German. R¥FM was very good at R8. Friday, December 14. PCJJ commenced sharp at 6 a.m. with the Duteh National Anthem at R8, very clear and steady, talk being. 100 per cent. readable. At10 pm. R" was R9. A Fiji Shortwaver. Me. J. D. O'LOUGHLIN (Masterton) writes: On Tuesday, December 11 at 6.48 p.m.-I picked up another new station, viz, VPD, Suva, Fiji Islands, on 87.5 metres. He was testing ard came in at great strength. Modulation was good and the transmission W°s very steady. He was again heard later in the evening, closing down at 10 p.m. On Wednesday, December 12, 2ME was working AGB, Berlin, who was on morse, and calling AGC. Later

he worked VPD, Suva, ANH, J ava, and finally PCLL. VPD was again very

good, but faded slightly. According to 2MB, ANE now works on 15.74 metres, PCLL on 18.4, and 8MBE on 31.7. At 5.45 a.m. on Monday, December 11, a stranger was heard on 37 metres. He was very weak, but the call was partiall, heard. After three musical items, ly said: "This is station W--W." A short talk followed, but was not readable. He then closed down. On the 80 metre-band a station operated by Standard Telephone and Cables, Ballance Street, Wellington, was heard testing at fair strength. Harmonics of 4YA, 2YA, 1YA and 2BL have been re*her loud on _ -easions lately. ‘New, Stations on the Air. R. A. P. MORRISON (Brooklyn) writes:-On Saturday. nights at 12 o’clock a S.W. station is to be found on 52 metres. This station I have heard four or five times, but who he is I do not know. I can never get the station call, mostly foreign language is spoken and some nights quite good music and vocal items are heard.

His strength is about RG to R7 I think probably it is. AWK, Germany. | Has any other S.W. fan heard this | station? On Sunday, November 25, an American station. was logged at 6.55 p.m. on 42 metres and were broadcasting a dance programme. Quite good music was heard, but no announcements, but every now and then different ones would come to the "mike" and spy something humorous about what going on. This continued till 7, pm. and .then: the station was announced, but a Morse station started up and I lost most of what was said, but Warner Bros., Detroit, was men-. tioned and their time was given. This ° station I tried for. again last Sunday, but failed to find him. KDKA was heard on Sunday, December 2, sending out a. special programme to the Byrd~ expedition, both on 25 metres and 63 metres. This is the first time I have heard him on 63 metres, and on that wavelength he came through quite good about RS with me. sgl )

Mr. Sellens mentions in his notes last week of a number of stations heard, but too weak to get the eall of same. Lately I have been experiencing the same thing. It seems a great many foreign S.W. stations .are beginning to operate but on low-power, and it makes them very difficult to log. One instance is that an American station operates on 104 metres and I can pick him up practically any night from 7.30 till 830. I am quite certain he is a Yank because nothing else but jazz is played. We hope they will inerease their power. — SXAL I have not heard for some time now-not since it was stated he was going to increase his power. _ A good many New Zealand amateurs are coming in at good strength lately, especially 2B0, Wellington. I think perhaps he has that new transmitter working. © ; 2XG, Rocky Point, America, has been heard a good many times lately. He -also -seems to have increased power. Re Mr. T. Pascoe inquiring about 2 station on about 60 metres, I have heard this station and feel certain it is the harmonic of one of the Australian stations. : So Ly