Untitled

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 5, 16 August 1929, Page 32

Topical Events. , DANISH short-wave experimental station installed at Lyngby on several occasions has rebroadcast the Copenhagen programmes on wavelengths in the. immediate neighbourhood of 80 metres. «It is stated that, in future, these relays will be carried out on 19 metres, at ‘irregular inter*vals for. the present, and that the power of the transmission will be raised to some 10 kilowatts. , -. "Tristan" Tunes In. . As reported .some‘ time ago, the Joneliest island in the world, that of Tristan da Cunha, will now be able’ ta listen in to BSW; for, early last

January, the inhabitants of the isiand were presented with a short-wave set. | ~ (he receiver was taken out by the Rev. A. G. Partridge, when he.sailed to assume the chaplaincy of the parish of the island. On the way out the Rev. Partridge was given detailed. instructions.on the operation of the set. There was some trouble at first, ‘but this was found to be due to a fault. The set eventually operated excellently, and between Monte Video and Tristan reception of 5SW at 6000 miles _ was constant every night, often at good loudspeaker strength. ; ; Vienna Concerts. GHORT-WAVE experimenters will be interested to know that Vienna short-wave transmitter tests every Tuesday and Thursday on a wavelength | of 49.4.metres. This will probably be extended to include Wednesdays and Saturdays. (New Zealand listeners should tune in for this station during the early morning of Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.) A correspondent has reported a stranger on about 50 metres during the early morning; possibly this is the station. The "following extract from a Tecent issue ‘of "The Listener’ In" (Australia) under the head of "Wireless Institute of. Australia" should be of interest to all short-wave listeners in New Zealand :-_ Golf aecns "Sinee the Federal president inaugurated his weekly schedule of *phone transmissions on the 42.6 metres and 21.8 metres band, he has been nearly inundated with ‘reports from both metropolitan, country,’ and inter-State listeners, which goes to show: how much interest is being take’ in short-wave Te-

ceivers at the-present moment. It is also safe to assume that’the. majority of them dre not able to read a word of code, but being interested in shortwaves, are also interested in the problems the institute "is. attempting to solve... The transmissions of VK3BM will therefore be continued from about 1.80:p.m.-on every Sunday afternoon 5 (3 pm. New Zealand time) beside the transmission of gramophone items, it is the intention of H.K.L. (H. K. Love, Valency Road, Hast Malvern) to put over some educational talks on the subject of ‘short-wave radio, and the work of the institute. After closing down he will change over to the receiver, and listen for inter-State trans--mitters, and will then work two-way conversations for the benefit of listeners, so that they may tune in both stations and know how it is done." Vagaries of Short-wave Reception. "THE following, by W.L.S. in "Modern * Wireless" (England) "is of interest :-- os "Wlil anyone ever be able to advance a satisfactory theory for some of the amazing variations and freaks noticed exclusively on short-waves? I could go on repeating instances of them until I had both’tired myself and my reader. _ I could spend years trying to tabulate: them and bring some semblance of order into the happenings, but we should be no nearer an understanding. "why, for instance, are some of the most powerful American amateur statiots only;just audible on a night when W2XD is roaring through, while on another night. they are rattling the ‘phones over here when "W2XD is a still. small voice?

"Why, on a morning when only the United States ‘6’s and 7s’ (down the Pacific Coast). are coming through, does. a solitary ‘4’ in Florida suddenly arrive at .enormous ‘strength, although there are hundreds .of others in: his. district all working at the same time? I -.won‘der whether a grand series of orgaaised tests. by all enthusiastic shortwave receiving stations in the country (such as, RSGB, TRS’s) would help to straighten matters out at all? The most puzzling feature of all is the extraordinary way in which -receiving conditions vary in a quarter of a mile er even less. ne, "I have come upon a most extreme case ofthat this month, in which one receiving station heard shoals of Australians and New Zealanders one morning, while the. other did not log one, put heard, United States and South America, neither of Which. could be heard at the first station. The distance apart ig albsut 150 yards. That

is enough to make one sceptical about whether there is any rhyme or reason in the whole business." . The writer has noticed the same applies here when comparing notes: with friends and correspondents. ° , The Week. HAVE ‘not been able to listen much . @uring the past week. During the afternoon of Saturday, August 3, POJ by the way of a change, during their special New Zealand-Aus-tralian programme departed from the. usual gramophone items, and transmitted a few items by the "Philips Happiness Boys." Reception, which was good before, went off about this time-4.30 p.m. } . The Graf Zeppelin. "THROUGH the kindness of Mr. Mor‘yison, who rang me up saying that 2XG was talking to the "Zepp.," I was able to hear what was said. On Sunday, August 4, from before 8 p.m. onwards W2XG, on about 44.5 metres, was calling "Hullo Denne" (the call letters of the Graf Zeppelin). "Please advise us if you get us. Let us have your position and probable course. Please communicate with us on ’phone on 68 metres." The message was repeated many times, with slight variations. DENNE could not be heard on, 63 metres here, nor apparently by the American. station, as they were still. trying when I gave it un. — "GBX, Rugby, England speaking," has been heard, several times recently, testing with VK2MH, Sydney. The test consists of readings with the call at intervals. _ GBX comes in at good strength, with at most times a noisy background.