Round the world on Short Wave

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 3, 2 August 1929, Page 40

Round the world on Short Wave

PIs page is coriducted in the interests of shortwave enthusiasts. & A weekly log comprising notes of reception and interesting topical events is contributed by Mr. F. W. Sellens, Northland, | Wellington, but all listeners are invited to send i in paragraphs of general interest.

Topical Events. A LETTER just received from Phil- ~* ins Radio, Holland, gives their latest broadcasting schedule of PCJ as follows (New Zealand time): Fridays, 5.80 am, till 7.30 a.m.; 10,3C a.m. till 2.80 pm. Saturdays, 5.30 a.m. till 7.30 -am., and 11.30 a.m, till 5,30 p.m. Reports of reception are appreciated and a practice is made of calling by name all persons whose reports were received by the last mail. Mr. W. Wiffen, Blenheim, has Kindly forwarded me a letter received from thé British East. African Broadcasting Company, Ltd. Nairobi, Kenya Colony. They say, in reference to TLO, "For your information, we transmit on a wavel*ngth of approximately 31.4 metres with a power of 2 kilowatts, and. our times of truusmissions are from 4 to 7 p.m. G.M.T., or 5 to 8 p.m. B.S.T. daily, including Sundays." This is 8.30 am. to 6.30 am. New Zealand time. ; , New Polish Station. A NEW station at Posen is by this ™ time probably in operation. It is to be of a 750 watt output and used for telegraphy as well as for broadcasting. The first transmissions are to be experimental, and will be made on’30.5 metres or 38.5 metres, or else under 20 metres. . Transmissions will be made-in Polish, German, French, and English. _ New U.S.A. Shortwave Station. "THE Radio Engineering Laboratory, New York, is "going. on the air" with a new station under the call of W2XV, transmitting on a wavelength ‘of 30.2-metres. ‘This station will .retransmit local. New York stations between 6 p.m. and 1 p.m. G.M.T., e@xcept Saturdays and Sundays (New Zealand time 5.30 a.m. till 10.30 a.m. except Sunday and Monday). The power will be 750-1000 watts. on .the aerial. Reports will be welcomed at Wilbur ‘Avenue, Long Island, New York, The following extract from "The Listener In" in reference to the recent "thanksgiving service" broadcasts is interesting, as the remarks by the writer were also applicable to New Zealand :- _ Thanksgiving Broadeasts. as an experiment, the attempt to broadcast to Australia. the Westminster Abbey thanksgiving service was extremely interesting: As

a demonstration to broadcast listeners of the value of shortwaves it was a complete failure, The hour at which the broadeust was staged-9.30 a.m., London time-made the tasks -of the radio engineers difficult, because the geographical relation of Australia and Great Britain is such that it is nearly impossible to select a shortwave length which Will give satisfactory results during the timéS at which the latest broadeast wes c&rried out. In an attempt to overcome the drawback of unsuitable time, portion of the service was relayed to Australia through the Canadian beam station, CJA; located, just outside Montreal. Very little is known in Australia of the means used to link Westminster Abbey with Montreal, but it is probable that the service from the Abbey was sent via the trans-Atlantic telephone system to Long Iislund, New York, and thence by land line to Montreal. Radio Between Germany and the Argentine. A DIRECT telephone service, by wireless, has been working between Berlin and Buenos Aires since December 10 of last year. A wavelength of 14.53 metres is used, and very successful transmissions are taking place. There does not appear to be any doubt that the station reported several times en about 24.2 metres is KZRM, Manila, Philippine Islands. It seems that I have missed reception from this station when it has been at its best.

Beside confirmation by correspondents to the "Record" direct, I have received one from Mr. A. R. Cranston, Auckland, who has heard KZRM once between 7 a.m. and 7.30 a.m., and at a later date between 8 and 9.30 p.m., when the full callsign and address were heard, with a request for reports. SSW has been spoilt now for ‘some days by a Morse station that ¢ommences soon after the English sition comes en the air. This interference continues without a. break. ‘I understard that, although the call has not yet been heard, it is believed to be a Russian, and that as soon as its identitv is known, steps will be taken to try to remedy the trouble. The Log for Week. AATURDAY, July 20: PCJ from 6 a.m, till 7.30 a.m. was very good. Strength R8&, increasing to RO. SSW at 6 a.m. was too weak to be readable, but increased to RS by 7 a.m, The ripple reporied before was still there, but not quite so bad. VCJ at 1 p.m. ‘was R3, increasing slowly, RS-0 by + p.m. after which signals strength decreased slightly. At 4.15 p.m. the announcer told his listeners "That a balloon is coming down about 200 yards from the transmitter. It will be interesting to know where it came from;’" ete... He said it was a fine morning, with the sun overhead, nearly five o’clock. W2XAD, on 19.5 metres, was RS at 1.30 --p.m., transmitting the "General Blectric’ programme, Dance music was heard from the Hotel St. Regis from 2.80 p.m. till 3.80 pam. at R9. Reception is spoilt often from 2XAD by morse right on. top, the offender being, I believe, VLW, about half a mile away from the receiver. KDKA was good yolume, but spoilt by a strong roaring noise. KZRM .(%), speech and music, was. just audible, but not readable, on about 24.5 metres, during the afternoon. On abont 20.4 metres at 2 pm. a woman was talking ‘(foreigner), at ld. Appeared to be duplex telephony. 3dZC, Christchurch, was good strength but fading was bad. WLW at 5 p.m. was R3-4-unsteady. -T hung on to a station at 11.30 p.m. | on about 49 metres, which was coming in at R5 for some time, waiting for a eall. When it came it was 4QG, Brisbane.. This is the first time I have had a harmonic of this Queensland station, but have heard 2BL, 2FOC, and 5CL at times,

Sunday, July 21, The usual programme of music was heard from W2XAD last hour front the ‘grystal toom, De Witzler Hotel, Albany. Ri ‘"W2XAF, same ‘programmé as . above, reception not so clear or loud. . KDKA, volume good, but as clear ~as it could be. A special "Byrd" programme to conclude the transmission. Was not listening much on shortwave to-day. ° . Monday, July: 22. UNING in on about-32.8, metres, just after 6.30 a.m., a woman was speaking in a foreign tongue at R&> very. clear. This‘ station went off the air almost as soon as it wus tuned in. On the previous Monday a station started at the same time on approximately the same wave-length. Was not listeni-r again till 11.80 pm., when.a forei ¥ "was talking on about 20.5 . metres. Strength was RT. Tuesday, July 23. 5sw at 6am. R5. Rapid fade very bad, not one’ word of talk readable. ‘(Concluded on page 39.)

Short-W ave

(Cqntinued from page 40.) , "F258 am.: "Another. foxtrot — apnounced, quite good compared with recent, reception, ’ This was the only station hegrd, Wednesday, July 24. BSW -was fidst tuned in at 5.40 aum., when a talk was in progress at . R&. . Reception the hest for some ‘time, except for the morse station an top all the time. On ahout 54,5 metres at 6 a.m. musie and talk were heard at R2-3. Static fairly had, ° KGOQ was not quite readable at 6.30 v A man and woman were talking : this time. At 6,20 pm, this Caliarnian short-waye station was RT, was . Taushy, with a slow fade, Gonditions * goon. improved, the latter part of the programme being well received at R89. , , "VIE2MBE was heard on 28.5 metres -at R9-with gramophone records. Did not hear if he was testing with another station on account of listening te 28 for All Black result, Thursday, July 25. AT am, 5SW was RS. Morse QRM again very bad; makes recaption impossible. moo AGO R2 with music. A German was heard on about 3,75 "metres. An orchestra at 615: a.m, was followed by "Achtung," ete, and. a long slow talk. This will prohably be ene of the stations ysing AFK as the eall, ag they have one working on 87.65 metres, Reception was excellent at. R8. Friday, July 26, AT 530 am. Big Ben was heard from 58W, followed by conclu: sion of piana sola; R&, "This is London calling. . . Fortnightly critic: ism of new novels by Mr, --." The talk was 100 per cent. readable, being very cleay and steady, and at this time free from morse interference. At 5.45 a.m. gramephone records, — two negra spirituals, were annousxeed, Columbija recoyd 5194, These were followed by a talk by Mr, McComry on "Laziness as a Fine Art," At 6,14 o eean naman reemrmanaatenstenn — et, ne = — pee

a.m. London announced that ‘All stations will continue with their r espective programmes,? A concert * from" the studia (Londen) followed. Up till 6.35 a.m, reception was excellent at; good strength; from this time fill T closed down at 7.90 am. the morse | ‘station was a nnisiiice. POF commenced at 5,38 a.m. at R&S; 9, and continued till 7.80 ‘am, Reception excellent except for slight slaw fade. AFK was again heard on 87,60 metres. At 5.40 a.m, a lady was singing. This was followed by ‘Achtung’ and talk, R5-6, Modulation was good. 54 metres (about), music and talk was just audible. PCK, Kootyijk, at 8 p.m, was heard on 16.38 metres ealling "Hullo, here is PCK, Kootwijk," followed hy duplex telephony... _ 20:2 metres (about) a lady was heard talking in a foreign language.