The Shortwave Bands

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 223, 17 June 1936, Page 5

The Shortwave Bands

(Bv

Ether.)

Caught in flic Ether. The Hou. H. G. Menzies, AttorneyGeneral of the Commonwealth of Australia, was recently entertained iu England at a luncheon of the Royal Empire Society. Listeners were able to hear his speaking to “down under” last Wednesday. It was interesting to hear his microphone style. Perhaps not so long from now we shall be tuning in to the Empire station to hear members of our own Government. The talk, “From the Woman’s Point of View,” that came lust Friday from the Empire station was given ly Miss Pamela Murray, social correspondent to several famous newspapers. The subject may have been topical in England, but “The Season” is not of any very great interest to the average farmer in New Zealand, or for that matter anyone else. Those who listened to “Starlight” last Wednesday heard an interview, and, so to speak, a running commentary, from Percy Hutchison, one of the most travelled actors of all times. This scries puts one in touch with leading personalities ou the other side of the world. For that reason there is little doubt that it has gained a corner in the Empire programmes. Unfortunately there was no commentary or description ot the Mightman Cup contests from transmission one. Possibly sonic readers picked it up in one of the other transmissions. One feels that the Wightman Cup is of far mor e general interest m Now Zealand than the London season. • Stations Testing. Listeners who make a habit of searching the short waves may be interested to know that just above JVM, 3’okio, a new Russian station may be heard at nighllijne. This station may be in 'Turkestan. I hoc-e who have not heard any shortwave s,nt ’ on H s-hould tune just above •"'J cll ’°urne. Au Italian, probably Iripoli, transmits music from time to time. On the 31-metre band CQN, Mtieao, can also be heard about 11 p.m. There is a Swedish experimental station now transmiting on 7.21 megacycles at 1. a.m. on Sundays. Station TF.i, Reykjavik, Iceland, has resumed transmission on I_._4 megacycles. This station may be heard about 3,00 p.m. speaking a foreign language. A special longslistauee programe is transmitted from Costa Rica 011 d'f* ant ' 5.94 megacycles between 5 and 11 p.m. on Sundays. A new trans-

milter .’it Shanghai is now in action using a power of 2 kilowatts instead of 500 watts. The call is XGOX and the frequency 9.64 megacycles. This station has been heard testing round about 7 p.m. At. 3.30 p.m. on May 31 station RNE, Moscow, announced a daily test on new > wavelengths between 41 and 44 metres. The teste will be carried out at 11.30 a.m. { Reliable Stations. Listeners about to invest in a shortwave set or attachment may be in doubt as to what can be beard on these waves. Possibly they will be interested in the following list. It has been compiled by a member of the New Zealand Shortwave Club as an agerage sample of reliable shortwave stations. Conditions vary from day to day, but on most nights a fair number of the stations mentioned can be heard with tlie average shortwave set. Here is the list (the figures in parentheses show the the wavelength iu megacycles) : —• GSB (9.51) and GSD (11.75), 4 to 6 p.m. DJA (9.56) aud DJM (9.54), 5 to 6.30 p.m. Radio Coloniale (11,90) and (15.25), 5.30 to 7 p.m. 3LR (9.58), except Sundays, 7.30 to 10.30 p.m. VK3ME (9.50), except Sundays, 8.30 to 11.30 p.m. VK2ME (9.59). Sundays only, 5.30 to 7.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m. to 1.30 a.m. JVN (10.55), 8.30 p.m. to midnight. GSB (9.51) and GSD (11.75), 5.30 to 9.30 a.m. Radio Coloniale (11.90), 5.30 to 9.30 а. DJD (11.77). 5.30 to 8.30 a.m. DJC (6.02). 6.30 to 8 a.m. HVJ (5.97), except Mondays, 6.30 to б. a.m.' 2RO (9.61). 6 to 9 a.m. ORK (10.33), 6.30 to 8 a.m. RNE (12.00), 6.30 to 9.30 a.m. Radio Coloniale (11.70). 10.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. DJA (9.56), 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. GSC (9.58) aud GSD (11.75), noon to 12.30 p.m. EAQ (9.86), noon to 2 p.m. Radio Coloniale (11.70), 2.30 to 4.30 p.m. DJN (9.54) aud DJD (11.77), 1.30 to 4 p.m. GSC (9.55) and GSD (11.75), 1.30 to 3.30 p.m. W2XAF (9.53), WSXK (6.14). and W3XAL (6.10), 3.30 to 4.30 p.m. Eavesdropping. ■

A remarkable feature of the short waves is that one never knows what is in the air. Some days all the stations seem to have shut up for a holiday; the next the short waves are full of activity. It may have been coincidence, but last Saturday evening was one of the last-named periods. Somebody seemed to be on the job in every wave bund. Between the hours of 5 p.m. and f> p.m. listeners who troubled to tune in to the short waves found themselves in touch with the world. There were the usual big guns of Europe in action. Possibly the Empire station was the best of this bunch. Not far away in dial tuning, but thousands of miles in distance and right round the clock in lime, Suva could be hoard playing music. There is no mistaking Suva, VPD, 22.95 metres, because the announcer gives the call sign quite frequently. Many other shortwave stations do not do so, including the Empire station. Down among the amateurs at this time there was considerable prattling going on: in fact, all the amateurs of Australia seemed to be busy. VKI.IX. of Queensland, was hard al it talking to a friend somewhere in the world whose nom-de-plume appeared to bo GLLQ. A Victorian amateur, VK3KX. spurning the Southern Hemisphere. was in earnest conversation about the weather with a French amateur. RSFBXM. In addition to the amateurs’ chatter, the gibberish provided by public call stations was also very much in evidence. These last-named stations usually install devices to mutilate speech so that it sounds like a Martian trying to got in touch with Hie world. One has only to drop in to interludes of the 5 to (5 nature on Saliirday evenings to appreciate just how the short waves knit the world together, [