Round the World on Short Wave

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 26, 10 January 1930, Page 32

Round the World on Short Wave

HIS ‘page’ is conducted 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 in paragraphs of general interest.

Canadian Short Wave. [THE short wave station CJRX has ’ been transferred from the Grain Exchange Building, Winnipeg, to a new building about twelve miles outside the city, and is again on the air on 25.5 metres, the power being 2 kilowatts. The owners of the _ station, Messrs. James Richardson and Company, Grain Exchange Buildings, Winnipeg, Minitoba, ask amateurs in any part of the world who may receive their transmissions to let them have a report as to reception obtained. Dutch Apparatus for Siam. , AN ORDER has been placed by the ‘ Siamese Government for a twin wave-length broadcasting plant at Bangkok, which will transmit, on 300 and 30 metres simultaneously. Intermediate Waves from France, RAMOPHONE transmission on 175 metres are given on Wednesdays and Saturdays between 9.30 a.m, -and 10.30 a.m. (N.Z. summer time) from a small experimental station at* St. Quentin. The call sign is F8GM. New Empire Broadcasting Scheme. HE following from a recent issue of the "Wireless World" will be of particular interest to New Zealand short-wave listeners :- "In the editorial of Wednesday last, the ‘Wireless World’ criticised the B.B.C’s. policy in regard to Empire broadcasting, and urged the new chief engineer and. his staff to show the same degree of enthusiasm for achieving an Empire short-wave service as on other wave-bands, has already, won for British broadeasting a reputation second to none." , oo: . . Subsequently a note appeared in the daily Press suggesting the strong possibility that the present Empire experimental short-wave . broadcasting service from G5SW, Chelmsford, will shortly be superseded by regular impire transmissions from. By new ‘B.B.C. short-wave station. A statement was made to "The Wireless World" by the B.B.C. at the time of going to press to the effect that the corporation is considering the future of short-wave broadcasting from this country and is already negotiating on the question, but that no decision has been taken to build a station at Daventry or elsewhere."

LGN, Bergen, Norway. Me. M. WIFFEN (Blenheim) reports hearing a station at 6.15 a.m. to 6.30 a.m, on,January 2 on about 31.3 metres transmitting items by a choir and thinks he heard. the, call sign LGN. As this station fs listed as working on 31.25 metres, it appears fairly certain that it is the one Mr. Wiffen heard. The same correspondent also reports weak foreign station the same morning on about 42 and 46 metres, Has any other reader heard LGN? ‘The writer was still in bed at this time. Berlin calls Bangkok. R. W. R. SMYTHE (Greymouth) has heard a German station, below 15 metres, working Bangkok from 10 p.m. till 11.30 pm. The German station -(which I expect is DGW, Nauen, on 14.83 metres) comes in very clear and loud. : Reception During Week Ending January 4, 1930. ECEPTION has: been.. about the same during the past week with but little variety. in the nature of new stations. RA9%; Siberia, 70. metres, continues to come in well with the usual amount of static . W9XF, Chicago, 49,83 metres.-This "International Relay Transmitter," as they call themselyes, has come in well after about 6.30 p.m. each evening. They.are audible before this. time, but too weak to bother with as a rule. W3XAL, Boundbrook, New Jersey, 49.7. metres.-Thursday was the only day I heard this station, They stated then that they were transmitting daily except Sunday.and Monday (Monday and Tuesday here). Volume and quality were quite good, being. R8 at 6 p.m. when they signed off, it being 1am. EFastern Standard Time. W2XAF, Schenectady, 31.4 metres, was fair strength on Sunday, but with a "gurgle." PCJ, Eindhoven, Holland, 31.4 metres. -On Friday PCJ was R8-9 when they commenced at 6 a.m., but decreased to R3 by 7.30 a.m. Reception on Saturday morning was similar, except that it .was slightly weaker all through. During the, afternoon session they did not reach. readable strength. Zeesen, Germany, 31.38. metres.More has been heard of this German during the week. He starts at about 6 a.m., average volume about R77. On Thursday I was up late, and found they

were not audibie at 6.50 am., but at 7.30 a.m. dialogue and music was well received at R.8. This was only temporary, as by 8 a.m, they were mushy at R38. 7LO, Nairobi, East Africa, 31 metres, has been heard each morning at. about R8, except .Monday, when they were R4 at 6 am., increasing to R5 at 6.30 a,m., when "This is 7LQ, Nairobi, calling," was distinctly heard. It is a rare thing to hear more than odd words from Nairobi on, account of static and Morse. VK2ME, Sydney, 28.5 metres.-On Thursday evening a strong carrier was on for a long time, but uid not hear any talk. , ; ‘KZRM, Manila, 26 metres (abopt).This is still the best short-wave station transmitting music. The Java-HoHand stations are excellent as a rule, but are nearly ‘always on duplex. KZRM is not much before 10 p.m., bvt after this they come in at R8-9, always "transmitting simultaneously from Manila and Cebu." Regarding this last place, there has been some mystery. It always sounded like Kaboo; correspondents as well as myself have searched maps, etc., but could not ond such a place. .If it is Cebu, and if one listens carefully, I think that is the name. It is the capital of the island of Cebu, one of the Philippine Islands, with ‘a population of 46,000. G5SW, Chelmsford, England, 25.53 metres.-I tried 5SW on Wednesday at 12.80 a.m., and found volume quite good, being R8, but very gushy. Big Ben was heard striking the half-hour (12.30 midday in London). . This was followed by an organ recital. Strength is better now at 7 a.m., when they open up, but rapid fading as a rule spoils reception. ON Thursday morning, at 7 a.m.. they were the best fo: .a long time. Before going over to London. something was said about an _ international concert on Friday,’ at 8 p.m. Big Ben was R7-8, followed by a talk about the Italian works of art which are now on exhibition at Burlington House, London. HIS talk, which was from 75 to 109 per cent. readable, was. very interesting and continued till 7.25 a.m A talk by the Rev. — Hutcheson followed. Readability was not so good, as a morse station came insalmost on top of 5SW. KDKA, Pittsburgh, 25.4 metres has varied a lot. On Sunday they did not reach readable volume, while on

Thursday they were only R3-4 and gushy at 4.30 p.m., but perfect at R78 by 4.80 p.m. till signing off 5 p.m. w, te "Best wishes for the New Year Saturday was not so good, again RS at 5 p.m. when concluding their "Slumber Music" and signing off. + W6XN, Oakland, California, 23.35 metres was: very good on Sunday, R2 at 2 p.m., increasing to R8-9 by 6 p.m, and then slowly decreasing in volume, W2XAD, Schenectady, 19.5 metres, is ‘still glmost impossible during the afternoon. On Friday morning they were tuned in at 6.25 am. at RT-8, when it was announced that the orchestral musi¢ was. from the main dining room of the Hotel Pennsylvania, New York. The Java stations, PLG, PLF, PLE and PMB, and the Dutch: station ¥CK were heard on duplex telephony several evenings during the week, DGW, Nauen, 14.83 metres, is oxten on the air for a long time without.anything being said. On Thursday, at : 10.20 p.m., they were calling repeatedly: "Hullo Bangkok, here is Berlin." Unidentified Stations. ' A Californian amateur on about. 83 metres was heard on Saturday evening, signing off just after 8 pm. . Readability was spoilt by some interference, a high wind was causing an outside electric lamp to swing and. crackle. 35.3 metres (about). A weak foreign voice was heard at 6.15 a.m. on Saturday.. 24.3 metres (about), An interesting talk was. heard on this wavelength on Saturday from 11.380 p.m. It was duplex tele- | phony, the voice from the _ station tuned in was R6, while the other person could be faintly heard at times ¥" through the same station. (I could not’. locate the other station, unless it was one of the Jaya or Dutch stations which were on at: that time). Some ofthe talk was in English with | a foreign accent. They were still going at 12.30 a.m., but could not be certain of the call. He said at times: "Alloa! Alloa; here is -?" Sounded like 6HI or 6XI, but am not certain: They were also on for a time on Sunday morning (January 5), going off (Concluded on page 31.) ,

Short-W ave

(Continued from page 32.) about 9.80 a.m. The interference re ferred to on the Californian was also troublesome on this stranger at night, but was absent on the following morn. ing, but signals were weaker then. The 20.5 metre Trans-Atlantie Telephony Station was heard several times, but like the other trans-Atlantic stations on 32-38 metres, the carrier is on for hours at a time without a word being ‘spoken. : :