Round the World on Short Wave

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 21, 5 December 1930, Page 30

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.

Short-Wave Topics

Canadian Short Wave Station. ‘A: CANADIAN Station is in the air with the call of VE9GW. ‘The wave-length is 49.22 metres. Reports of reception may be addressed to Route 4, Bourmanville, Ontario, Canada, New Schedules. The latest advice from stations W2XAF and W2XAD as received from the General Dlectric Co., at Schenectady is as follows:W2XAF, 31.48 metres. Daily 12 noon to 4 p.m. W2XAD, 19.56 metres, Mon., Wed., ind Fri, 7am. to 1 p.m. Tues., Thurs., and Sat., 11.40 a.m. to 1 p.m. (New Zealand Summer Time.) These WGY short wave stations are experimental, so this schedule may be changed or discontinued at any time. Changes at N.R.H. QWING to code interference, NRH has found it advisable to change his wave-length from 80.8 metres to 30.5 metres. He is now using 75 watts of power in a master-oscillator-power-amplifier circuit. Hours of operation are 10 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 8 p.m. (N.Z. summer time). Vatican Station. ACCORDING to reports in various overseas radio papers, this new station should be heard at any time now. Two wave-lengths are to be used: 19.84 and 50.26 metres. Power in aerial, 12 kilowatts. VK3ME, Melbourne. THIS station will be on the air next Saturday, December 6, from 10 pm. till 11.30 p.m. our time. Wavelength, 31.55 metres.

Log for Week Ending November 29

CONDITIONS are still bad for short Wave reception, most stations being weak during the early morning and more than a fair share of static later in the day. RiV15, Siberia, 70 metres. is still at maximum strength each evening. A Chinese session is sometimes heard from this station.

ZL2XX, Wellington, 62.8 metres.On Monday evening a test was well received. W9XF, Chicago, 49.83 metres: Not as good now as a few weeks ago, but up to R8 and R9 till 7 p.m. WSXAL, New Jersey, 49.18 metres: The best American station now. R9 till 6 p.m. Radio Saigon, Indo-China, 49 metres: Monday, Tuesday and Friday, after 10 p.m., volume and modulation very good, but static very bad. 8ZC, Christchurch, 46.4 metres (about) : Friday evening, R8, with severe fading. ‘Too close to the eighth harmonic of 2YA (46.3 metres) for clear reception here. 46.8 metres (about) : German talk at 6.20 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. R5, with lots of static. 45.4 metres (about): This stranger is still to be heard each morning, but not nearly so strong as when first reported. On Tuesday from about 6 a.m. short talks were heard, each followed by a few bars of orchestral music, similar to what has been heard from the Russian RV15. Perhaps this is Moscow, reported by a correspondent last week in these notes. VK3ME, Melbourne, 31.55 metres, broadcast a test programme on Saturday night till 11.80 p.m. Volume R9, with one audio. Reports from overseas listeners asked for. Address, 167 Qu*yu Street, Melbourne. W2XAF, Schenectady, 31.48 metres: Sunday and Saturday afternoons till 4pm. R4-5 at best, which was when signing off. Zeesen, Germany, 31.38 metres: Audible each morning, too weak. . WIXAZ, Springfield, Mass, 31.3 metres: Sunday and Saturday. Signs off before reaching good readable volume. , PCJ, Eindhoven, Holland, 31.28 metres: Friday and Saturday mornings, very poor. No sign of POJ on Saturday afternoon. HS2PJ3, Bangkok, 29.5 metres: Wednesday, 6.30 a.m.,, calling "Hullo, Bangkok here." R8-9. LS8 Buenos Aires, 29 metres.-Sun-day and Saturday volume increases to about R&S at 3 p.m. when they close down. Not nearly so good as they were a few weeks ago. G5SW, Chelmsford, 25.53 metresStill too much rapid fade to be readable from 7 a.m. WSXK, Pittsburgh, 25.25 metres.Monday R6 at 6.80 a.m. Other mornings very weak, but audible,

FIN, France, 24.46 metres.-Good volume on duplex nearly every evening after 10 p.m. KIXR, Manila, 24.4 metres (about). -Comes in at good volume on. this wavelength from 10 p.m. W2XAD, Schenectady, 19.56 metres. -This station is to be heard now during the early hours. The best reception was on Monday when they were R4 at 7.30 a.m. with a cathedral choir, increasing to R8 by 7.45 a.m. PLF, Java, 16.8 metres.-Wednesday, 10.80 p.m., musical items R8-9, very gushy, and again on Friday at 8.30 p.m., when they were excellent at R9, later talking to Holland. PCK, Holland, 16.3 metres.-Duplex with Java on Friday evening. Bxcellent at R9.

Shortwave Notes

BELOW are given extracts from letters received by Mr. A. D. Rogers (Wellington) from WIXAZ and Radio Saigon. "Many listeners in Australia and New Zealand have had the same trouble that you have-mistak-ing the last letter of our call signal, most of them getting it as ‘IXAV,’ Our transmitter operates on 9570 k.c. (31.35 metres approx.) at 4 maximum power of 10 k.w. However, at the time you report it we were using a power of 500 watts in the antenna. The calls of the other stations which you heard along with the s.w. station were WBZ and WBZA. The programme which you heard is our opening programme at 7.30 a.m., our time, or 10.30 p.m. your time. -Yours, ete., Philip F. Robinson, Plant Manager, WBZ-WBZA." "The aerial power of Radio Saigon is 12 k.w., and it operates on 49 metres. Call signal, F3-ICD. Call: ‘Hello! Heilo! Here is ’Radio Saigon.’ Transmitting hours: Hvery day excepting Wednesdays and Sundays, 7-10.45 p.m. ; Wednesdays, 6.30-10.30 p.m.; Sundays, 7-10.80 p.m. Local time is seven hours ahead of G.M.T." ‘The following is an extract from "Radio Saigon," a radio journal published in the station’s interests. Apparently tests were conducted during the week from September 30 to October 7, to determine if transm‘ssion on a different frequency would be advantageous. "The conclusions arrived at following these are that 75 metres has been much less successful than 49, owing to weak signal strength, bad fading and numerous in-

2 terference. We are therefore returne ing to our old wavelength of 49 metres, as we feel sure that the majority of listeners would prefer to receive ‘the programmes from Radio Saigon under good conditions. And now that our ; trials on 75 metres are ended, our readers would perhaps allow us to quote in its entirety a letter from one of our listeners at Tongking, China, who has been getting bad reception. ‘It is quite understood that you transmit only. for the amateur’ wireless enthusiasts of Tongking, but you have been guying them lately. From being sweetly satisfied with your transmissions, they have become rapidly discouraged. For myself, I dismantled my receiver this morning, and will not erect it until Shdnghai have commenced to broadcast. Now your transmission on Monday evening. September 29, was perfect. Why hale ou copied those idots at Manila? OS%5 metres reception is feeble and completely overwhelmed with interference. Kindly accept, sirs, my sincere greetings,’ "Our pleasant and humorous correspondent is now assured that after Monday he will hear us afresh." [V.W. (Auckland) also forwarded us particulars of Radio-Saigon, taken from recently received verification literature. ]