Round the World on Short Wave

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 36, 21 March 1930, Page 32

Round the World on Short Wave

France on Short-wave ON Thursday, March 13, from 9 p.m. to 9.30 p.m., two stations were testing. One on 24.5 metres gave the call "Tei, Paris,’ the other on 25.3 metres, ‘Tei, St. Gall, Switzerland." French was spoken from both stations. May I make a suggestion? Would Mr. Sellens write up his S.W. notes as he used to do, i.e., Monday’s reception, Tuesday’s reception, etc., instead of heading up with the name of the station, as those of us who keep a log find it much easier to check results? Wave-lengths do not need to be submitted, and I am sure it would make much more interesting reading. I have just received confirmation from W3XAL; no information about station was given. elow is copy of the letter: ‘Thank you for your report of reception of the short-wave programme as broadcast over Station W38XAL. We are always interested in knowing just how these broadcasts are being received, and. appreciate your writing.-Cordially yours, National Broadcasting Co. (Inc.)." The address was: National Broadcasting Co. (Inc.).

711 Fifth Avenue. New York~

H.

F.

Adcock

(Masterton).

An American Amateur } R. R. LESLIE JONES, of Lyall Bay, Wellington, writes: In two letters, dated February 4 and 10, received from Mr. Fred Easter, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.A., says conditions are improving for short-wave reception there, summer months from March until October being the best period. He has heard the German station on 31.88 metres very loud on speaker after 22.00 G.M.T. Mr. Seater acknowledged several illustrated booklets on New Zealand, remarking thereon that he was surprised. to learn of such high mountains.. He heard a broadcast by 2YA, Wellington, through VK2ME (Sydney) on February 4.° His district suffers from interference from W2XAF on the Zeesen station, in the form of cross talk at times, his receiver being 650 miles from W2XAF. "W2XAF sure has a wallop here," says Mr. Waster; "it comes in like a ton of bricks." He has not’ heard any Java stations on phone for a long time, owing to poor conditions; on the previous summer he heard. PLE every morning, but he states it has a very poor and unsteady wave. The best he has ever heard this station was about QSA38. PLG on 18.88 metres last spring was clear at fair volume; but he has not heard PLG since May. 1929. He has not heard PLE. The United StatesLondon phone stations, such as GBU, WMI, ete., are using a "distortion" system now that muddles their talk so that

it cannot be understood by anyone who does not have the proper receiving equipment to straighten the talk out again. This "‘distortion" system is evidently being tried out occasionally only, "I hear -all the short-wave stations in Wellington at good strength," states Mr. Waster, ‘Plectrical QRM is very bad in Cinginnati on the short-waves, and a Jot of interference from harmonics from stations operating on the 200-500 metres band; and-we sure have a number of them (about 600), and harmonics are plentiful here on the short-wave bands." Mr. Easter mentioned that there were 17,000 licensed amateurs in America, also a great many in Canada, and QRM makes it difficult to hear local hams in the evening. He uses a screen-grid radiofrequency stage. GBS, GBU, and GBW (English stations) work the trans-Atlan-tic *phone service with U.S.A., and use different wave-lengths at various periods of the day. according to conditions. Christmas Day, the National Broadcasting Company relayed PHI, G5SW, and Zeesen, Germany. Stations GSSW and PCJ are best in America from March to October. Stations are piled on top of each other, making it difficult for foreign stations to get through. The Radio Commission has lately granted permission to amateurs to use the 20metre band (14,000-14,300 k.c.) for *phone transmission. H5-1PJ, Siam, broadcasts on 16.7 metres, and should come in close to PHI on 16.88 metres. The A.C. set has become so popular that battery sets are a drug on the market; some battery sets originally costing 200 dollars two years ago being sold for 5 dollars now second-hand." Short-wave Notes N last week’s issue Mr. C. R. Clark (ZL2ZAW) states that the record for reception belongs to Mr. J. Mills, of Hastings. He has received 56 American stations and has 42 verifications. Well, I must congratulate Mr. Mills on that lot! His log beats mine by seven; my reception of the broadcast band isfteludes New Zealand, Australia, Philippine Islands, Japan, America, Canada, India, and Marid, A seribe in one of the local papers Was @& little doubtful of my hearing one of the Spanish stations. To make sure. I lost a little more sleep and logged the station on two more occasions, a witness being present on one of them. Mr. Clark glves an account of amateur transmitters received and of stations he has worked. I also am interested in that section, but did not include amateur stations in my reports because if one entered up every Morse station the log would soon total four figures. _ Regarding W7AMP, of Alaska, it is quite possible I made a _ mistake when I stated that this station was working with 150 volts instead of 150 watts. Mr. Clark mentions in his report that with 150 watts power it could easily reach across from Alaska to New Zealand. Well, I do not think a New Zealand ham _ has reached across’ to . Alaska per phone on 80 metres with 150

watts power. If so, I would very much like to see a verification for same. No doubt Mr. Clark read my report wrongly, and thought I meant I had heard WT7AMP Alaska by Morse code, but same was received by phone. Perhaps this is the first time an amateur in Alaska has been heard in New Zealand on phone on 80 metres. , ; Mr. Clark mentions that Mr. has a very fine phone _ station, and probably the best in New Zealand. My opinion is that he has the finest phone on the amateur band at the present time. His modulation is always perfect, and a pleasure to listen to. L would give 2AX, Palmerston, second place, then comes 2A W Wellington, 2BY Wanganui, and 2AB Otaki. Another station that comes through with plenty of kick is 2BB Hastings, but his modulation needs a little cleaning up. Last year we used to hear some fine work on 80 metres from. the Australian. Amateurs, but so far this year nothing is doing, although some are heard on 40 metres. On account of interference from Morse stations they are not worth listening to. So far I have not heard any amateur phone on 20 metres. The station I reported through Mr. Sellens’s notes (operating on 90 metres), I have since heard. Hiis call is WCIX "Tiandly Radio," and Mr. Sellens tells me the station is operated by the police department of a State of America, . This last week or so I have heard two stations working on 10 metres -I think on duplex. Fach speaks in a foreign language. but on March 6, at 11.85 p.m., one of the stations announced in English that "This is experimental station EN, making’ experiments on 10 metres." A few words were then Morsed, and I caught the words ‘"Mareh 25." Probably his tests will continue till then. I listened to him for two hours, but could not log his call correctly, and could not get his locality. The other station works one degree above him, but is not quite so strong. Strength’ from the 10-metre station was at R5 to 6, and very steady. On Saturday, March 8. two new stations were heard, one on 31 metres. The operator gave his wave as 33 metres, but he was working just below PCJ Tolland. At the time I tuned him in, a little after p.m., he was thanking listeners in America for donations (what for, I did not hear). He asked for reports from

anyone hearing this transmission, re signed off then with ‘‘Good-night, everyone." His call was given, but I could not understand him. He was also heard on Sunday, March 9, but still no call was heard. Also on March 8 another station was heard on 48 metres, approximately. °Musical items were announced in a foreign language, but before he signed off he made an announcement in broken English. The call sign was given as X' and a number was given, but did not catch it. He also mentioned that the station was situated on the borders of Central America. He also spelt the name of the city where it was situated, but reception was not too good, and I could not follow it. I think this is a station situated in Mexico, because of the two first eall letters, . W9ZF, of Chicago, has temporarily closed down, and’ is making

Also W3XAL was also heard testing, ¥the former on 6020 Ke. and the latter on 6 Ke, I would ask short-wave listeners who can tune their receivers down to 10 metres to search for the two stations mentioned above, usually on the air after 11 p.m. It seems this is the time of the year when it is best to be picked up, because of the report in the paper this morning of the Auckland amateur and his two-wav conversation on 10 metres for antenna design, and was heard ‘ ing on Wednesday, March 12, at 00

with Hrance-

A. P.

Morrison

(Wels

lington).

Australian I ndustry AN industry in Australia which is | particularly active at i ent is the manufacture of nsmitters. Among recent orde¥s for transmitters is one for the New Zealand Government's new lighthouse steamer at present under construction in England; one for the West Australian police, one for use at Cockatoo Island, off the coast of West Australia, one for Samoa, one for the New Zealand Post Office, and one for the Pacifie Islands service. The police equipment comprises a two kilowatt transmitter, which will be installed at Radio Centre, Perth, and two short-wave transmitters for use on the police patrol cars. The plant for the New Zealand lighthouse steamer is a 1j-kilowatt C.W, and I.C.W. valve transmitter tuned for 600, 705 and 800 metres. It comprises also an emergency set utilising a small accumulator battery and a 100 watt dynamotor for driving the ‘main set: This equipment includes also receivihg apparatus covering a range of from 10 metres to 25,000 metres. . The Samoan transmitter is a 1}-kilowatt instrument for communication mainly between Apia and New Zealand. It will link up also with the transmitter mentioned above as intended for the Pacific Islands service. "THE radio station rt Berlin: recently transmitted an interesting item, in which an ex-convict, introduced to listeners as such, gave his views on prison life. The occasion was a dual broadcast discussion of prison revolts, of which there have been several: more or less serious examples recently in the United States and Berlin. HE Swiss broadcasting system is being thoroughly reorganised under the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs; in this connection a site has now been found for one of the two his’gmower stations in the region of Mow erection of this station is to ‘pt com-. menced forthwith,