Students want loan of crane

Press, 20 February 1980, Page 6

Students want loan of crane

Students, at the University of Canterbury have been having trouble setting up their radio station that will broadcast to Christchurch for three weeks from February 25.

An aluminium aerial at least 30m long, or a building crane, is needed if the broadcast is to be received clearly throughout Christchurch. Mr M. Higgins, who is organising Radio U. said that an .aluminium aerial would cost at least $3OO, and a crane would cost $6O a day to hire. The Students’ Association did not have enough money for either, and so it seemed that a rope would have to be suspended from the registry building to the Students’ Union building, with a piece of copper wire dangling between to carry the university broadcasts. “The old rope trick” did the job — it was resorted to last year, after a borrowed crane was taken back — said Mr Higgins, but it tended to

cause fading and crackle whereas an aerial standing upright or dangling from a crane would carry the broadcast further and give clearer reception. Mr Higgins would like to hear from someone who may have a crane to spare for three weeks or from anyone with bright ideas on how to arrange a clearer broadcasting system. The. station will be on the air at 1503 kHz from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day from February 25 to March 15.

Students at the Christchurch Polytechnic had also been planning- to broadcast for one week from March 3 to March 8, hut because the university students have already booked the air time they have decided to withdraw their application for a broadcast permit. The Polytechnic was to have been open to the public for a week in March but now will be open on March 5, 6 and 7.