GIANT TRANSMITTER.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 262, 18 August 1936, Page 5

GIANT TRANSMITTER.

I NEW ZEALAND RADIO STATION. I I ' ._- i LARGEST IN THIS HEMISPHERE. I I ‘_— ; MAST 700 FEET HIGH. I . |(United Press Association—Copyright.) SYDNEY, August 17 .y I At the invitation of Amalgamated Wireless (Australia), Ltd., reporters to-day viewed the giant broadcasting transmitter under construction for the New Zealand national broadcast—ing service. The transmitter, which is expected to be shipped to New. Zealand in the middle of September, and to be working by the middle of DecemIber, will operate with the enormous [power of' 60,000 watts unmodulated power, in the aerial. 'lt will be "the: tlargest broadcasting station in the _southern_hemispllere,' and equal to any 1011 medium-wave band in the British ’Empire. ‘ " , _ ‘ " I The power draWn from the mains Ito operate the transmitter will he 1350,000 watts, the 60,000 watts, rating representing the- ‘unmodulated Ipower. fed _to the aerial under quiesI'celit ' conditions. To .ensp-re‘ that transmission will be of the highest quality, the system of series modulus ‘tion is employed. This system is employed bypractically all stations ‘.operated by the British Broadcasting corporation. W'hen the new trans-. mitter is fully modulated to 100 per C'en‘t‘.‘ the instantaneous power fed to the aerial on. the peaks of modulation will be 240,000 watts. A single ~ mast will carry the aerial system. It will be 700 feet high, and will be situated approximately 0. 400 ‘ yards from the transmitting house. The mast has been designed to- withstand a. Wind veloczity..of 110‘miles an hour. It 'will stand".oil insulators, and every guy will also heinsulated, the insulatedl portions being so proportioned that there: will-be no risk of fundamental 0r harmonic radiation taking place, tending to distort the shape of the radiated wave.

The new Wellington station will be erected on an eminence north of Titahi Bay. ' Mr A. S. McDonald (assistant manager of Amalgamated Wireless), at r luncheon to the reporters, said that in obtaining such a powerful station the: New Zealand broadcatsing author'[ities were at least as progressive as those in Britain. They were to be congratuiated on their enterprise, and the company Was proud to secure the contract in face of world-Wide competition. The new station would‘ have programme value in Australia. ..