N.Z. Amateur Radio Fans Doing Good Work

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 26, 4 January 1935, Page 10

N.Z. Amateur Radio Fans Doing

Good Work

Mr. Athol Gledhill, of Christchurch, one of the Dominion’ Successful Amateurs % %

(Written by

E.R.

B.

"Young lady, attractive, ‘refained, would like to meet young man; friendship, walks, dances, etc. View matrimony." OW often do such advertisements appear in the daily newspapers of New Zealand? Strange to say hosts of replies follow, asking for further particulars and-ungallant as it may seem-a photograph, details of age, temperament, financial condition and what.not. There is a comfortable safety in paying a shilling to a newspaper to acquaint the world with one’s suppressed longings in this direction, but what is going to happen when radio takes a few more inevitable forward strides? Very soon, at the present rate of progress, such advertisements may not be necessary. The young amateur transinitter will be able to answer for any of his amorous friends who experience difficulty in meeting a soul-mate, these questions literally at a glance. Through television the seeker after matrimonial bondage will be able to study at ease the difference between the false "camera smile" and the genuine article; the nagging potentialities or otherwise contained in the voice, and between sweet reasonableness und’ a ruthless determination to "take charge." This, of course, applies to both sexes. [Editor: What’s all this about? Me: Have patience, please.] ‘Radio for the amateur of to-day stands in an exceedingly interesting position. Although television is still more or less only in its infancy, its maturity cannot be very far off. Two-way speech, or even Morse code matter have been regarded up till comparatively recently as the prerogative of the stbstantial business man, or of the statesman who seeks personal grandeur through association with some important event. Few, outside the ranks of the professional and amsteur transmitters of the Dominion realise what can be done in this interesting sphere. Among those who have made great strides in the ractio hobby in Christchurch is Mr; Athol Gledhill, of Antigua Street, whose active experience is comparatively short. An

engineer by profession, Mr. Gledhill gives up all his spare time to radio work, and there are probably very few listeners in Canterbury who realise that, largely through his ingenu- . ity, 3YA has been enabled on many occasions to give unusually successful rebroadcasts of important overseas events. As in his, and in most cases, the seed of enthusiasm blossomed with the simple construction and operation. of the humble crystal set. He first found himself surrounded with bits and pieces, odds and ends, in 1926. This satisfied the radio hunger only temporarily, for he read of-the marvels -of shortwave work and set himself out to build.a shortwave battery receiver. After a short period of study he startled himself, his family and-his friends with a sample of Daventry testing with Schenectady befote the opening of. the telephone service between England and America, Of course shortwave work was then more or less in its infancy, but the Christchurch amateur was soon successful in hearing clearly several other countries testing. With keen: anticipation he prepared his apparatus for the Armistice Day celebrations in London in 1929 and, with the greatest clarity, received the service from Westminster Abbey. ? Believing, as everyone should, that variety is the ‘spice of life, he tried for other events and, with equal ease, heard the full description of the Heeney-Tunney fight in’ New York. Station 3YA officials were not behind-hand in hearing of Mr, Gledhill’s successful experiments, and one day a representative dropped in to ask him to glue his ears to the headphones for anything that might assist in rebreadcasts. There was no difficulty about this, and a line amplifier was installed at Antigua Street and coupled by -house telephone to 8YA. Then followed several eminently successful relays. Among them may be mentioned the celebrations concerned with the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge -the marvels of which are still poured into .the patient ears of visitors from New Zealand-and the performances of the All Black team in Australia, Mere receiving did not. bring contentment, and it was but a short step to the ranks of the (continued on page 21.)

N.Z. Amateur Radio Fans Doing Good Work (Continued from page 10.)

transmitters. A keen study of the mass. of Governmental requirements. brought its reward in the shape of a license to transmit, in 1932, and the building of a transmitting set early in that year.. This placed Mr. Gledhill in the happy circle that chats te its local and overseas friends’ nightly about everything from a forthcoming social affair to the name of the latest’ addition to the family of pet dogs. For ‘this he used a Hartley rig. Ambition made itself felt again, this time in the guise of proper housing for the plant, and the result was the erection of a smail building containing an apparatus of 15 watts, operating on 8? metres. To work all ZL and VK_stations was easy in the space of three months. Then came the building of a two-stage M.O.P.A., with an increase of power input to 60 watts. Rapidly it became child’s play to: work England. Mexico and Canada on the higher frequency band, and the operator found later that he had been verified in the United States of America on 80 metres -a performance distinctly unusual in the amateur: class. Being very close to the disturbing influence of the Christchurch Tramway Board’s overhead power lines, Le hac then to contrive some means of com bating a constant source of annoyance. and set to work to build a receiver of more modern design. ‘This, completed a few days ago, consists of a six-valve superheterodyne A.C., using a 57 first detector, 57 oscillator, 58 1.1, amplifier. 2A5 second detector, no audio stage,

and a 58 beat oscillator for receiving Morse code matter. 4 This receiver has giyen excellen: -results on all bands, and the little time and small expense involved in makiny it up have been fully justified J*re quently Mr. Gledhill gives the news papers shortwave items of interest, and he is now transmitting privately on the 80-metre bani. His hobby, has made him hosts of friends all over the world. and his leisure hours are constanftis interrupted by interested visitors to Christchurch.