WONDERFUL WIRELESS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 966, 5 November 1910, Page 9

WONDERFUL WIRELESS.

OESOVA SPEAKS A THOUSAND MILES. The Marconi wireless operator on the R.M.S. Orsova, Mr. A. Irvine, had a busy time on the voyage out to Sydney, which terminated 011' October 26. There were some racing people amongst'the Orsova's passengers 011 the voyage out, including the owners of the racehorse Alawa, and the result o£ the Caulfield Cup was anxiously awaited as the mailboat approached Fremantle. The operator picked up the R.M.S. India, then lying at Fremantle, when 200 miles off the port, and the result of the big race was reoeived by wireless. ■, When the Orsova; was in the Bay of Biscay she spoke the R.M.S. Amazon, a trans-Atlantic liner, 1000 miles off. The Amazon was at the time off Madeira. Steaming through tho Mediterrauean she exchanged messages with Bold Head, Dovon, a distance of 700 miles, and when off Capo Otway, approaching Melbourne, was in communication with the Royal Moil steamers Zoalandia .and Orontes, then in port at Sydney. She also spoke the Zealandia at Brisbane, when she was 100 miles south of Sydney Heads. The China was also spoken some 800 milesfnff in the Indian Ocean.

The operator explained that at present Bd. per word is charged for ordinary aerograms ship to ship, with on extra charge of Is. to covcr cost of transmission by land stations. When the land stations are established oil the Australian coast, however, it is expected that the companies interested will fall in with the International "Wireless Convention, in which all the big European countries aro interested. The charge under this system is 10-' id. per word, to cover everything, and the messages will then be from ship to shore direct.