If they had only known says Mr. IVAN O'MEARS We would have been sent to GAOL

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 9, 12 September 1930, Page 1

If they had only known says Mr. IVAN O'MEARS We would have been sent to GAOL

says

Mr:

IVAN

O'MEARA

Z L2AC-thatis‘a call known to radio enthusiasts the world over. It sig-. nifies the amateur radio station of © Mr. Ivan H. O’Meara, of Gisborne, whose work has made him prominent as one of the world’s best-known amateur research workers. In the field in 1901, he has taken a prominent part in radio ever since, In each new development he has beert in the forefront-radio receptioncrystul detection-transmission-valve work-short-wave and ultra-short-wave below 10 metres. As early as 1927 he had contacted nearly 60 countries. This retrospective talk, given by Mr. O’Meara to the newly-formed Gisborne Radio Club, will prove of considerable interest to listener, experimenter and ham. ADIO, as the ordinary person knows it, is listening to broadcasts of football matches, musical programmes, fights, and many other items, but there is a more interesting side, said Mr. O’Meara. Greater interest lay in the communication with fellowtransmitters in various parts of the world. Y The world is a small place to wireless ama- ' teurs, for by means of the Morse code they could communicate with people of all nationalities. They could also converse by y¥oice, but, with the restrictions in the matter of wave length, this was not very successful outside Australia and New Zealand. Voices couid often be heard with clearness from America, although reception in America from New Zealand was not yet clear. ’ Fight for Existence. "THE amateur radio men had their organisation, both local and international, the latter having grown from a purely American organisation to one of 20,000 members all over the world. ‘The wireless amateurs had to fight for their existence, and at one time were in danger of being erowded out. The amateurs now made use of the shorter wave lengths of from 10 to 80 metres. With the use of very small power, they were able to cover great distances. Prior to the amateur, the low frequency or longwa lengths were in the greatest demand, the commercial stations using from 2000 metres down to 200. It remained for the amateur to discover that good results could be obtained from low wave lengths, with the result that now they were confined to a low range. In this low range, from 15,000 to 20,000 amateurs were operating, fortun-

@a@uciy MVE GL LIT Sailit Lillic, In 1901, when the present King and Queen were visiting the Dominion as the Duke-and Duchess of York on the ship Ophir, Mr. O’Meara made his first acquaintance of radio.

On that occasion he found the teleraph engineer at Gisborne trying to despatch ireless messages to the Ophir lying in the bay. The vessel, however, did not hear the messages. The aerial used on the Ophir was a piece of copper wire up the mast and dangling down about 20ft. The local apparatus was very crude, but the speaker thought then that it was "just the thing."

"THEN came the crystal set, and at that time it was a crime to make use of such things. Experiments, therefore, had to be carried out with great secrecy. A sort of secret wireless society existed at Gisborne, with its headquarters at Mr. P. Stevens’ workshop at Kaiti. The speaker himself had an aerial.in a tree, unseen. With his set in a small shed, he listened to the ships’ signals. He kept his set

specimens belonging to an Aucklander, who had a fine collection of minerals, consoling himself with the thought that it was all for the progress of science. One amateur had an aerial 800ft. long stretched between two trees. He later experimented with flying a kite, using for an aerial a No. 24 double cottoncovered wire instead of the string. People in

the neighbourhood thought he was either "not quite right" or had gone back to his second boyhood. He found out that the higher the wire the greater the signal strength. A War Time Incident. Now that they could receive signals, they tried to send them, and it was considered a great feat, and there was great excitement among the experimenters, when a signal from Kaiti was picked up at Mangapapa. In the early years of the war, when the Spy scare Was on, One of the members was seen with an aerial on the chimney. This was confiscated by the police, and the owner fined £10. Some of the evidence adduced wag claimed to be ridiculous. The papers here wert full of the case, and a copy of the "Herald" was sent to America, where one of the journals printed the case in full, and in italics, pointing ee ignorance «f such matters in New Zeaand. Later a radio valve was obtained from America, "in a very interesting manner," and was in use here while the Government stations were still using crystals. Later valves were to be obtained in small numbers, and subsequently, when American stations began to. sen" Press messages, nights were spent copying down these messages for practice. In one particular case, the news appeared here by cable five days later. . This led them to listen in to the big boxing bouts in America, and enabled the Press here to publish a full description in place of the brief cable messages obtained by telegraph. N.Z.’s First Radio ’Phone. "THE audio amplifiers then came into use, and Mr. O’Meara took -lis to Mr. Stevens’ shop one evening and made the first two-stage audio amplifier. Mr. R. Patty joined the investigating party at this stage. Mr. Stevens constructed the first transformer, and although it was not a great success, further attempts were made, with better results. Some of the transformers made then were better than certain ones on the market to-day. Mr. Patty made them, when there was,a demand, at £3 10s. each. They they tried marketing transmitters, and Mr. Stevens and he were able to provide the first radio telephone in use in New Zealand. Nothing was said about this in the Press at the time, because "we would have been put in gaol" if it had been given publicity. Repre- sentatives of the Press were present, however. . They continued experimenting without lawful right until 1928, when their efforts were legalised. ‘They were placed on 200 metres down to 160 metres. They then commenced testing between Australia and America. In May, 1924, North and South America carried out a number of test messages. On one occasion in that month he secured touch with an amateur in Buenos Avres. establishing a new record.

The next day he was asked by a radio journal in New York to rush details and a photo of himself to the paper, offering 25 dollars for the trouble. He did not accept the money. but asked instead that a 80-

dollar valve be sent. The valve duly arrived, but the filament was burned out, and was of no value. Naval Experiments. GHORTLY after the Buenos Ayres communieation, he tried experimenting on 100 metres, and then on 80 metres, on which he ‘gecured contact with (Concluded on page 2)

A Story of Early Radio

Early Radio

(Continued from page 1.) Connecticut. A South Islander late got into touch with England, this be ing the commencement of the international. telegraphy among amateurs, Later. they started working at 40 metres, then on 20 metres. It was at first thought that 20 metres would not be successful, but later it was found that ‘with very short wave lengths messages sometimes skipped distance at various intervals, It was discovered, however, that 20-metre signals were valuable for daylight messages where higher wave lengths failed. Some years ago he ‘worked Indo-China on 14 metres. An He then had the pleasure o# some experimental work with the Naval Laboratory of the United States. In 1925, when the United States’ battle squadron was in Australian and New. Zealand waters, a representative of the radio amateurs in America travelled with the squadron for experimental purposes on the short wave lengths. The powerful transmitters on the battleships were found useless. beyond 3000 miles, whereas the short-wave sets were quite effective, and: carried most. of the traffic of the fleet. This. demonstrated the wonderful usefulness of the short wave, and.was the start of the short-wave apparatus in the American navy. Great Britain was not far behind. He related a number of incidents of, long range communication. On og occzsion he relayed an important m@ssage from Paris to a French ship. at Shanghai, and dealt with the reply in about ten minutes. He also communie1ted with the MacMillan polar expedition and received a message from the leader of the party for the Governor-General of New Zealand. He had his first experience with commercial work in relaying corrections for 800. telegrams between Paris and Asia.