Short-wave News

Radio Record, Volume V, Issue 39, 8 April 1932, Page 23

Short-wave News

Empire Broadcasting. CONTRACTS have been placed with Standard Telephones.and Cables Ltd. for the erection of the two short-wave stations at Daventry which, are to provide the Empire ‘with programmes throughout the twenty-four hours of the day. The B.B.C. hopes to have these transmitters in operation before the end of this year. . The aerial power of each will be 20 kilowatts, Greenwich Time Signal and Big Ben. ‘A LG short-wave listeners who have been lucky enough to listen to the London programmes via G5SW are familiar with the Greenwich time signal. The six "pips" give the seconds fifty-five, fiftysix, fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine, and zero of the hour. The error is generally kept to within one-tenth of a second, and the Greenwich officials state that the error is generally down to less than one-twentieth of a second. Near enough for us to correct our watches! Bit Ben is usually heard at the commentement and conclusion of transmissions by GSSW. A microphone is hung in a rubber bag:from a girder in the clock tower to pick up the sound of the bells. There is an A-type amplifier close to the microphone, and the output of this, through an L.F. transformer,.gzoes’on to a post office line leading to the control room in Broadeasting House. American Portable Short-wavers. 10XAA is a short-wave portable . broadcasting station of the National. Broadcasting Company, and W10XAOC is used by the Columbia Broadeasting System. Various wavelengths between 25 and 150 metres are used. These stations are used for relaying programmes of un‘usual nature. such as broadcasts from aeroplanes, ships, ete., where a stationary transmitter would not be possible, VESBY, Ontario, HORT-WAVE station, owned and operated by the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, broadcast on 34.68 metres each Tuesday from 7.30 a.m. till 8.80 am. and 9.380 a.m, till 10.30. On 46.67 metres each

Thursday from 1 p.m. till 2 p.m. and 2.30 p.m. till 3.30 p.m.; Friday, 11.80 p.m. till 12.30 a.m.; and Sunday from 12.30 p.m. till 3.30 p.m. On 62.56 metres’ they broadcast each Sunday from 4.30 pm. till 630 pm. ‘They ask for and acknowledge reports of reception, HAN, Madrid. A NEW Spanish station has been reported on 28.5 metres with the call EAN, .This station is owned by Transradio Jspanola at Madrid, who also operate EAQ. The time to listen for EAN is about 8.30 am. New Zealand time, EARSS8, Canary Islands. Fi ABSS, Teneriffe, Canary Islands, working on 41.6 metres, has been heard between 10.30 p.m. and 11. p.m, UOR2, Vienna. —

THE writer has reported this station several times recently as being just audible about 7 a.m. ‘The identity has only been guessed, as this station had been logged in Australia, My luck was in on Wednesday when, although only Just audible at 6.15 a.m., by 6.45 they were up to R4 and quite clear -with orchestral music. Only the names of ; the items were given, without any eallsign until about 6.58 a.m., when the hoped-for call, UOR2, was heard, followed by a few words in German. This was followed by, in Finglish, "This is short-wave station UOR2, transmitting on 49.4 metres--." The rest of the English was: lost in some interference. The cali was heard again later, but not any more English talk. At 7 a.m. volume was about R7-8 By 7.30. a.m. they were quite weak, but upto R5 by 7.45 a.m., going off again very rapidly after this time, Since this date they hare not been more than RIL or 2

An Interesting Relay. LATE on Saturday night PLY, Jaya, and VK2ME were having a chat, and several times Sydney called and talked to Amsterdam via Java. Again Sydney talked to W2XAF in Schenectady, who were trying to make contact with Amsterdam through the short-wave station W2XAD. It appears that Amsterdam could not make themselves understood across the Atlantic, so it was suggested that they try the long way round. That is, their (Amsterdam). signals to be rebroadcast by Jaya, picked

uP, by Sydney and then on to Schene®. y: The talk from Holland as heard from Sydney was loud enough, but not tooclear, so it would be poor quality as received in America, The stations. tak-. ing part in this interesting stunt were VK2MB, on 30.7 and 28.5 metres,..one station for reception in Java and the other in Schenectady; PLY, on 31.86 metres; W2XAF, 31.48 metres. all of which were well received here, W2XAD, 19.5 metres, was inandible at this end. and the Dutch station could not be lovated, only being heard via Jaya (PLY). WYA,: Paris, YA on 25.63 metres is improving. all the time now. On Saturday morning they were quite good strength and quality all through the session from 8.3¢ a.m. till closing with "La Marseillaise’" at 11.25 a.m. Volume was R8, increas-

ing to R8-9 for the last hour, I did. not listen to them all the time, but it was always talk when tuned jn, ‘except for the "Marseillaise’ at the start and finish. 12.25 a.m. the same morning FYA. on 19.68.metres was R9 with orchestral items till, 12.80 a.m., when they commenced their regular programme with the "Marseillaise" as usual, followed by "Hullo, Hullo, ici Paree, Radio Colonial," etc. FYA on 25,2 metres were on the air at the same time with the same programme, also received at R9, 8 Other Stations Heard. "A LL other. stations during the past week have been about the same as the previous week. The 25-metre band as been very poor during the early: morning from, 6 a.m. to 8 am, The 49-50-metre Americans continue to come in‘ well during. the late ‘afternoon, W2XAF reaches good volume on most’ days by 2 p.m. now, but has suffered. recently by a slight rapid fade. ~ ~ WIXAZ is very good from 11.30 p.m, with their early morning programme. © ae