Antarctic Exploration

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 13, 11 October 1929, Page 10

Antarctic Exploration

The "Discovery's" . Equipment. ‘HE bargue Discovery, now on 2 new voyage of exploration, is equipped with an up-to-date Marconi’ wireless installation to.enable her to keep in touch with the. outside world. The expedition, under the léadership of Sir Douglas Mawson, has been specially equipped for scientific and survey work, and the comprehensive wireless equipment will play an important part in maintaining communication with the scientifie world. For ordinary inter-ship and ship-to-shore communication a 1} kilowatt quenched spark and a ship’s receiver of the latest pattern have been installed. For special communications from the heart of the Antarctic, many hundreds of miles from civilisation, a short-wave telegraph transmitter is employed. In conjunction with this transmitter a short, wave receiver is fitted. A wireless direction-finder also forms an important part of the navigational equipment of the Discovery. The direction-finder has already proved of great value in Arctic and Antarctic navigation, and is widely used by whalers and other vessels engaged ~ there. The Moth aeroplane carried by the expedition is also equipped with a Marconi installation, The aeroplane is to be used for scouting purposes within a range of 100 miles of the Discovery, and is fitted with the new Marconi transmitting and receiving set specially designed for light aeroplanes. During scouting expeditions the pilot will thus be able to keep in touch with the base ship, which, by use of its direction-finder, will be able te locate ‘the aeronplane’s position. In case of a forced. landing, an emergency aerial can be rigged on the aeroplane and the generatot normally driven by © airscrew can be hand-operated. With the power thus supplied, a special automatic code sender will enable those on the ship to locate the missing ’plane.