The WORLD on SHORT WAVE

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 37, 22 March 1935, Page 48

The WORLD on SHORT WAVE

Conducted by

the N. Z. Shortwave Club

Club Notes From the Secretary’s Pen. (By A. B. McDonagh, Sec., N.Z. S.W. Cc. " 4 Queen St., Wellington). ‘(OSE who look for W1XAZ on the 31-metre band at midnight will miss the station call, which has been’ changed to W1IXK. (Note, many people confuse the letter "I" with the figure 1; e.g., :it is "I"2RO, not twelve RO. ‘The prefix "T" identifies the Italians. S soon as the last "Radio Record’ was published I was asked to make my note re the International Short Wave ©lub plainer. This does not refer to the International Dxers’ Alliance, but to a radio club which has added . another word to the ILS.W.C.’s title. This latter club is-connected with a radio station and does not issue a magazine. Nearer home many people confuse the issue. I am’ a. member of the IiS.W.C., which was formed: a few months prey ious to the N.Z.S.W.C. ; JR. F. N. ROBERTSON, of Christ: church, advised hearing | arrangements for a weekly broadcast to VK2MU from a South American about 10 a.m.' our time, Good wishes for a pleasant. furlough came over thé air to Mr. Far-. mer, VK2MW’s popular announcer. (CHANGES are to take place in shortwave radio stations of the Dutclr East Indies, where a number of ‘sta-

tions operate, Different wavelengths and powers will be used. I hope to in-’ clude these in the ‘members’ station list which is now being prepared. ‘ I WAS interested to read the note re t F81CD returning. We: have: heard a newcomer from 11 p.m.; he is above W3XAL on the 49metre- band, with characteristic Annamite music, but nothing like the strength of the old‘"Alls, allo, here is Radio: Saigon," and the familiar gong. ‘This station used to come on with a."swish," and could not (be missed. The radio operator of the Discovery told me that, down in the: Antarctie, it was just like a local. O* Thursday, March-14, at 10.25 p.m. I. understood VR3MB :to say: that they. would..be on the air every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and--Saturday ‘at 8 p.m., Melbourne time. We are :certainly getting a number of -reguldr shortwave broadcasts at night nosy. Shortwave Jottings (THE following shortwave notes are from Mr. H. I. Johns (N.Z.171W.), Wanganui) :- — SUNDAY, MARCH ‘10. The best morning stations are GSB (31.dm.), GSD (25.5m.), and) W3XAU (31.35m.). IRM, Rome, and FYA are inaudible. Conditions were very poor on | Sunday morning. . , : FYA, 25.60m.: Just signing off at 3 p.m, with ‘the National Anthem.: Only R+, QSA5, but. at 5.80 p.m: was R8, QSAD5. ‘ i W2XAFP, 31.48m.: Programme of dance music, Clear signals ‘at. R6, QSA5, 3.40 p.m. ae . W8XK, 25.5m.: Also dance music. Signalg R4, QSA4, at 3.48 p.m. ‘ ; RNE, 25m.: Not heard to-day at usual sour, . WSXK, 48.9m.: Dance music .programme. R6, QSAS at 5.35 p.m. WOXF, 49.18m.:;. Also dance programme, R6, QSA5 at 6.2 p.m. WSXAL,.49.5m.: Also on.a dance programme, -R5, QSA4, at 6.5. p.m. . ‘VK2ME, 31.28m.: Programme of good | recordings. Good voiume, but.some slight fading at times. Signals RS, QSA5, at 6.10 p.m, . .

' MONDAY, MARCH 11. 2RO, 30.im.: With a programme of good. music at 8.am. RZ, QSA5. GSB, 31.5m.: Putting over a religious service. © Signals fairly weak, only R6,, QSA5,. at 8.5 p.m. GSD, °25.5m.: Religious service’ "as above, but signals bette and clearer than’ . GSB. R7, QSA5, at'8.10 am. ~ "FYA, 25.60m.: Taik in French: R5, QSA4,' 8.15 am. a ; WSXKx, 48.9m.: With ‘usual ‘dance musie, ' Very clear: Signals at RT: QSAS;: 5.43 p.m: . and. WS&XAL: Very weak .today; have not beer up to standard ‘for some days: W2XAF, 31.48m.,: Dance thusic str tion also very weak Signals > only Ro, QSA4, at 5.47 p.m.WS8XK, 25.5m.: Dance music..; Best American station to-day by far. Sig-. nals at RS, QSA5, Very’ clear. signals at D. 51 p-m. ‘GSB, 31.5m.: Giving out a" running deseviption of footbali "match, Treland v.’ Wales.: Very good signals, RS, QSA5, at p.m. League of Nations from VK8LR came over yery well. The usual address was given .on the working of the. League. Signals were very good, 95 per cent. readable, ‘ ' ; SUESDAY, MARCH 12, GSB, 31.5m.: With good musical pro- ' gramme: Signals k7, QSA5, at 8-d.m-‘2RO, 30.7m:.: With good musical prog¥amme, easily the best morning: station,’ with wonderfully: clear signals, at -R8, ,QSA5, 8.7 a.m. Station :held till 9.20 am. at good strength. FYA, 25.60m,: Talk in "French; ‘sta: tion noisy. Signals R6, QSA5, .at 8,10 am. WY¥A’s best ‘session is from 4 to 6 p.m. GSD, 25.5m.:: Musical programme ‘at RG, QSA5, at 8.12 a.m. . No station on the: 49m. band audible _ this. morning at S8-a.m. WAXAZ, 31.3m.:. Heard at 9.15 a.m, with musical programme at fair speaker strength. ....... FYA, 25.60m.: Heard giving talk in French at 9/20 a.m. Signajs R6,. QS.A5. At 10.5 -a.m,:'Rd5, QSA4,-.. .-- ‘ W2XE, 25.36m.: Heard with musical ’ programme. ‘Clear signals, R4, QSA4, 9.24 a:m. W2X:AF, 31 48m.: ‘Pr rogramme of: dance music: R7, QSA5, at 5.10 p. m. a 48.9m.:°- With a programme of dance music from‘ Pittsburgh, "Very clear signals, R7, QSA5, at: 5.42 p.m. ‘VPD, Radio- Suva, Fiji, 22. 96m.: Still carrying out the tests on. above wavelength from: 5.30 till 6.30 p.m. our time. Asks for reports from S.W.L.’s on ‘stvength and quality of signals. The writer ‘of the‘above notes will be absent from Wanganui for two weeks. On his. return. the shottwayve notes will be continued as usual.

f ( i ™ Reception on the 20 and 40metre Bands R..J. ¥:%. McMINN, N.Z.14W, reports: _ a8 follows :- COC, Havana, 49.9 m.,-on Sunday way} ‘heard signing off at p.m. after giying a programme dedicated to all shortwave clubs. -They reached R8 with excellent quality. Reports should be sent to Box 98, Havana, Cuba. . HJ1ABB, Barranquilla, 46.5 m., from 6 p.m. at Ri, broadcast rumba dance | music and announced call, which is given as "La Voz de Barranquilla, HJ1ABB," and can be easily recognised. They were 6till on the air at 7 p.m., but local code’ QRM was bad. , JVH, Nazaki, on 20.5 m., was working: London and Berlin at midnight in preparation for the opening of the new Anglo-Japanese phone circuit. JVH reached RS, while the other two stations were just higher in frequency and slightly weaker, but very clear, HAS3, Budapest, 19.51 m., was heard from 1.15 a.m., being R6 with rapid fading, but a clear signal, Orchestral music was broadcast and a lady announcer gave the call and wavelength in English at. this. time. They dropped to R5 by 2 a.m., remaining on the air. Power 20 k.w. W5AFW, on 75 m., phone was working ZL2ZBE, and arranging a schedule. At 12.30 p.m. his phoné was a steady R6, but slightly distorted. On March 3 from 8.20 to 9.50 p,m. VK3ZX was heard sending a "special" to the International Dxers’ Alliance and W. Club of New York. I would be pleased to supply information on the above combined organisations to both broadcast and shortwave listeners, Address: 12 Edge Hill, Wellington, C.3. Reception at Stewart Island ME. M. F. TAYLOR (NZ148W) reports from Half Moon Bay as follows :- 80 metres: The "Yanks" have been at good volume lately. Latest loggings are WdAEM, W2CTY, W4NU], Wé6EUK and W8BIC, VK2EX and VK38EU. RV15, on 70.1 m., has a very good programme. . At 10.30 p.m. he is usually R8, QSA5, with plenty of QRN. 49 metres: WSXAL never more than R7, QSA5. WO9XF, R8,. QSA5, announces in foreign languages when closing each evening. WS8XK ‘est station on this: band, usually R8-9, QSA5 by 6 pm. Relay from the new * "Cascino" Hotel St.. Paul, St. %aul. QRN pretty heavy on this band from about 4.30 p.m.‘ PKiWK, most. evenings at 10.30 p.m.

has an R8 carrier, but R6 speech, with heavy QRN. A Japanese on 47 metres (approx.) has been heard on the last few -nights (probably 44-metre one, who seems to be missing), with an R8 carrier, R6 speech, QSA4, giving Bnglish news at 9.30 p.m. on March 12. A stranger on 38. metres (approx.) plays native music. R5, QSAS, 9.45 p.m. March 7. Heterodyned by some other station. 31 metre band: VK2ME R8, QSA5. every Sunday, 10-12 p.m. VK3SME; Thursday, March 7, 10 p.m., R7, QSA5 (seems to have .changed schedule), WK3LR, coming in better, but still a little erratic. Heard them working "Radio Nations" on March 6 at 7.80 p.m., when they were. .R9, QSA5. "Radio Nations" (9595 k.c.) worked 83LR on March 6. R7, QSA5, close to 3LR; with slight heterodyne. GSB, easily best station on this band, being R9, QSA5 at 7.15 p.m. most evenings, fading to R8 by 9.15 p.m. Only R6.in mornings at & a.m. and usually very gushy. DJA, R8, QSA5, 8 a.m., with fine orchestrall music. Only about R5, QSAS8 at best.on New Zealand programme at 9 p.m. Bad heterodyne most evenings by unidentified station. W1XAZ is R5, QSA4 most days when closing in afternoon. W2XAF is R6, QSA4 when he signed off at 9 a.m. on March 6, saying that dealers throughout Canada and the United States of America. were conducting a listening. test that morning. 25 metre band: FYA "Radio Coloniale" best station on this band, especially from 4-6 p.m., when they are R9, QSA5, Usually R7-8 on session which concludes at 3 p.m. W8XK, rather weak on this band at present, best day being March .11, when they were R7, QSA5 at 6 pm. GSD still fair, but not as loud and steady as GSB on No..1 transmission. DJD, R5, QSA4 most mornings at 8 a.m. with slight ‘surging usually. Early-Morning Shortwave HE following notes on shortwave reception are taken from the log of Mr. I, Henderson (Wellington), for Monday, March 11. FYA, 19.68m. (15.24 meg.), opened with the Marseillaise at 12 midnight. This was the only station to be heard-on the 19 metre band this morning. R7, QSA5. English news given out at 1.35 a.m. RV15, 70.2m. (4.27 meg.): ‘This station is improving. Statice not so notice able. At 12.15 a.m.. R8, QSAS. ’ YDA, 49m. (6.1 -mex.) was fair, with musical programme, R7, QSA5. This station is moving to a lower frequency shortly. RNE, 25m, (12 meg.): French session at 12.40 am. R8, QSA5. ‘This station . has a ‘session in. English at 8 a.m. GSE, 25.28m. (11.86 meg.) only R35, QS:A4, at 12.45 a.m. Had a musical programme, GSF could not be heard. DJN, 31.45m, (9.54 meg.) and DJA 31,38m. (9.56 meg.) opened at -1 a.m. with. a shepherd’s folk song. RS8, QSA5. DJA was heterodyning VUB, otherwise reception was perfect Announcer stated that» DJE. 16.89m. (17.76 ~ meg. ), was | transmitting same programme to South America. DJE not heard. News bulle tin ‘in BEnglish at 1.485 a.m, from DJA only. | VUB, 31.36m. at 2 a.m, R7, QSA5. Native music. PHI, 25.57m, (11.738 meg.) was R7, QSA5 at 2.10 a.m. GSE, 25.28m, (11.86 meg.) and GSB, 31.55m. (9.51 meg.), at 2.15 a.m. started relay from Belfast studios;’ GSH, R5, QSA4, and GSB R7,.QSA5.