Naval Morse Interference

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 16, 31 October 1930, Page 7

Naval Morse Interference

Wellington Society Assured of Satisfactory Arrangements

"THE postponed monthly meeting of the Amateur Radio Society of Wellington was held on Tuesday evening, October 23, at the Congregational Schoolroom, Cambridge Terrace. Mr. I. M. Levy, president, occupied the chair. IN connection with the complaints made at a previous meeting, regarding the telephonic dialling noises that form a background to the transmission of 2YA, Wellington, it was reported that the trouble was on the land-line betweei? the studios and the transmitting station. This land-line is supplied by the P. and T. Department, it was explained. The Broadeasting Company’s engineer had, how: ever, tackled the problem by removing the amplifier from the transmitting station to the studios in order to further increase the volume of music and speech above the extraneous noises picked up by the land-line. The P. and T. Department was responsible for any land-line troubles. THE chairman reported that he had interviewed Commander Webster, R.N., Secretary of the Navy Office, and also lodged a written complaint with him regarding the serious interference with broadcast listening during the evening sessions, occasioned by morse transmission by H.M.S. Dunedin while in port at Wellington. The following reply had been reeeived :-

Ivan M.

Levy

sq.,

President, Amateur Radio Society of Wellington. Dear Sir,-lIn reply to your letter of September 25, 19380, I beg to inform you that I have received the following remarks from the Commodore Commanding New Zealand Station, to whom the matter was referred :- "All transmissions by H.M.S. Dunedin, whether on long or short wave, are bound to interfere with local broadcasting, as they are all made- on power. "While H.M.S. Dunedin is’ within ‘interference range of any New Zealand broadcasting station steps have been taken to discontinue all traffic with H.M. ships Philomel, Laburnum,

and Veronica during broadcasting hours, except in the case of important messages, Which require to be transmitted. Further, any important messages for the Commodore Commanding the New Zealand Station from H.M. ships will be broadcast if transmitted during the hours in question, and H.M.S. Dunedin now only answers after the broadcasting station has closed down. "These arrangements should eliminate a considerable amount of interference. "The remaining transmissions, which take place between 1800 and 2400, are all short wave schedules ordered by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, and a proposal has been forwarded to the Admiralty to amend these schedules during New Zealand broad- _ casting hours." I hope that the above arrangements will prove satisfactory and that your society will have no further cause for complaint in this respect. Yours faithfully,:

J.

WEBSTER

Naval Secretary. The meeting expressed satisfaction with the results of the president’s negotiations with the Navy Office, and the secretary was requested to convey the appreciation and thanks of the society to Commander Webster and the Commodore Commanding the New Zealand Naval Station. The chairman mentioned with regret that the honorary secretary, Mr. J. Hooker, had tendered his resignation. Various reasons for this step were mentioned, but Mr. MHooker’s main eause for his resignation was that the work interfered too much with his present position. General regret was expressed by those present at the meeting, in view of the capable manner in which Mr. Hooker had acquitted himself during his six months’ tenure. At the request of the meeting Mr. Hooker consented to continue in office until the next monthly meeting of the society. Mr. Preston Billing, technical adviser to the society, gave an instructive discourse on various matters concerning radio reception, and answered many questions interestingly. With the aid of blackboard diagrams he elucidated several knotty problems.