USE ON MOUNTAINS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 135, 9 June 1932, Page 10

USE ON MOUNTAINS.

PORTABLE WIRELESS SETS. CLUB IN NEW PLYMOUTH. With the idea of being of service to mountain search parties in emergencies, a Radio Emergency Club has been formed in New Plymouth for use on Mount Egmont. It will be under the auspices of the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters. It is suggested that two portable transmitting and receiving sets should be carried by licensed operators with search parties. There will be a permanent station in New Plymouth, and all three sots would keep in touch with one another.

Tho idea in the first place was that of the Stratford Mountain Club. Operators in New Plymouth have made a fine response to the suggestion, so that there will be men available to cover all calls for assistance. One portable set is practical) v complete, and tho other will not take'long to make ready. Ultimately tho new club will be associated with the Taranaki Alpine Club and the Now Zealand Amateur Transmitters' Association. Tho club will use the association's guard lines, and other arrangements will be made so that the whole of the Dominion could be kept in touch with the situation if it became necessary.

Professor R. M. Algie, president of the Auckland branch of the Alpine Sports Club, said this morning that any device which could aid communication between searchers and those at the base would be of value. "If this is going to be of any use on Egmont," he said,

"it should be of much greater value at the National Park, where distances arc much greater and searchers would bo so much more widely spread." The scheme was not a new one, lie added, for it had been spoken of by his club before, but nothing definite liad been done about it. "We want more practical details," he added, "and then the executive can talk it over." He was

going to suggest that the New Plymouth Club"bo asked for the requisite information.