Wireless On "Westralia"

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 4, 9 August 1929, Page 2

Wireless On "Westralia"

Direction Finder Included

HH new Huddart Parker liner ‘"Westralia," which is due to sail from the Clyde for Australia about the end of July, has been fitted with one of the most up-to-date wireless equipments of any vessel afloat. ‘ The contract for the work was entrusted to Amalgamated Wireless, the owners having accepted the tender of the Australian organisation rather than that of oversea radio manufacturers nearer at hand. & The main transmitter is a contpfete 1 OW valve instrument with a power of 13 kilowatts covering the wave pand of 580 to 800 metres. The Westralia is the second vessel to be so equipped, the first being the new Adelaide Company’s new motorship Manunda, Commercial receivers have . also been provided capable of receiving stations anywhere on the wave bands between 25 and 26,000 metres. For the entertainment and information

of passengers, a broadcast receiver 1s installed and in conjunction with this is a band repeater by means of which the radio programme can be amplified and broadcast anywhere on the ship as may be required. The band re peater will also be used to amplify an¢ repeat the music of the ship’s orchestra, goucerts, ete. Perhaps most important is the direction-finder similar to that installed in the Manunda. In this connection it is of interest to note that the shipping companies are anticipating the Commonwealth Government. Di-rection-finders are used in conjunction with coastal stations or wireless beacons, it being a simple matter to take bearings from two or more stations or beacons and so fix the position of the ship in any weather. Im thick fog when lighthouses are no longer of assistance, the direction-finder does the job unberringly. Up to the present little has been done by the Government to establish the necessary radio beacons. ©

There are Amalgamated Wireless coast stations at many points, and the operators will, if on duty, always send out their call letters when asked tqyenable ships to take bearings. he trouble is the attendants are not always on duty. . The need felt by shipping (and insurance) companies is for inexpensive automatic beacons at various places-~ about 20 , would cover the whole Australian coast-so that as soon as the weather thickens the. light attendant could start the automatic signals for the protection of shipping.. Radio beacons, -in conjunction with directionfinding apparatus, wotild have saved: the Kanona and the Riverina from becoming total wrecks near. Wilson’s~ Promontory and Gabo Island respéttively. About 470 British ships carry direc-tion-finders, and no doubt the equipping of the Westralia and Manunda similarly will encourage the Federal Government to act in this direction.