The WORLD on SHORTWAVE

Radio Record, 17 July 1936, Page 49

The WORLD on SHORTWAVE

Conducted ly then

N.Z. Shortwave Club

Shortwave Club Notes

From the Secretary’s Pen

(By

A. B.

McDonagh

, 4 Queen Street,

Wellington, 11. HE address of 9MI is:-Miss Foley, Radio Director, Station 9MI, SS. Kanimbla, c/o Messrs. McIlwraith and McHachern, Ltd., Melbourne. Mr, B. M. Samuel, of Wellington, has arranged a special broadcast for New Zealand listeners, and I will notify the date later. Members. are asked to note that the wavelength I gave them for the Moscow daily tests should have been 31.6 metres. Mr. Henderson gives the call as RAN, The station mentioned by "All-waver," Dunedin, in last issue is probably Java. This is a new station which has been operating for a week or so on approximately 26 metres. Mr. Henderson says the call is PMO. Probably this is the Same one which was on about 45 metres for a time, . From August 1 to 18, Germany will broadcast the Olympic Games, beginning and ending with the "Olympic Fanfare." At’ the present time pre-Olympic talks are being given in English, Spanish, and

Portuguese, the commentators being Messrs,, Jones, Don Hnrique, and Silva, in the order given above. Those who pick up the will hear the Band of the Infantry Training Battalion at Doberitz, and, should a bell be heard, it will be located in a 250 feet tower at ‘the stadium. The German News Bureau advises that they have received many letters regarding the lessons in German (see "A little German A B O," in the programmes in this issue, for times), and it is possible that these lessons will be. repeated. The National Broadcasting Company of U.S.A. and the Soviet Government arranged to pick up the eclipse proceedings im Siberia for rebroadcast over the network. If any listener heard any of chews broadcasts, he heard the voice of Donald Menzel, of the Harvard ExPrague, in Czechoslovakia, is supposed to come on the air in August. Owing to mountainous conditions they will also make use of telephone lines and loudspeakers for those whose location prevents reception. A special listening post will be used for foreign relays. No doubt the coming 40-hour week will stimulate DX work and probably Friday night will be the all-night sitting in pre- ference to Saturday, when there does . not seem to be much doing. Sunday night from midnight seems to be the peak night of the week. During the week the fun seems to start about 2.30 am. At 3.45 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7, a Speech by Herr Hitler came through at R8, QSA5, and the gathering, which was a Reich festival, sang the two German National Anthems, accompanied by a band. Of Daventry’s sessions for New Zealand, owing to the early broadcasts which seasonal conditions necessitate, the bulk of the listeners miss many interesting items owing to their hours of work. Some excellent lectures on shortwave and its problems have been given, and it is a great pity that these cannot be recorded and rebroadcast at a suitable ‘time, for not only is the information valuable, but the Empire service would be greatly assisted. I receive requests from overseas that listeners enclose any cuttings which make mention of the station’s activities, also " snapshots. For instance a snapshot of the listener and his outfit or a view of the locality would tell the engineers at Daventry a great deal. The Amateurs of the World. Bach week I receive letters regarding reception of amateurs, particularly on 20 metres, but to mention every one received would take pages. When conditions are good, almost any hour, one or

two of the 60,000 odd amateurs may be heard, particularly on 20 metres. Through the courtesy of Mr. J. V. McMinn, I have been able to supply addresses, but for those who wish to have a list of addresses ready to hand I have found the price of the complete call book to be 7/6 posted. After about seven years’ experience of shortwave club work I have come to the couclusion that there is not a great deal of difference as regards reception in most parts of New Zealand. But those who are situated like myself, in an area surrounded by all kinds of electrical disturbances, cannot achieye ‘the best of results until most of the noise has ceased. Therefore, some of us in the cities are biased toward dwelling somewhat on late night reception or that obtainable in the early morning, At the present time reception is better from early morning until about 6 p.m. From then on we depend mainly on Australia, Japan, and Java, but after 10 p.m. there are signs of the winter conditions becoming better. Germany is making an appearance, and they will be followed by Daventry, France, and Holland. Later on, as conditions improve, the number will be added to, and, for night listeners, there will be more doing than at present.