RADIO IN ANTARCTIC.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20516, 18 March 1930, Page 12

RADIO IN ANTARCTIC.

SHORT-WAVE EXPERIMENTS

IDEAL. WORKING CONDITIONS. ABSENCE OF INTERFERENCE. [BX TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] CHRISTCHURCH, Monday. Nino weeks spent on the Eleanor Boiling as a radio operator during two trips to tho Bay of Whales have convinced Mr. G. G. Samson, a student of Canterbury College, that the researches made by tho radio scientists at Rear-Admiral Byrd s Antarctic base, Little America, will, when published, disclose to the world the solution of many of the mysteries of short-wave transmission. For this reason alone, in his opinion, the expedition was worth while.

"My chief interest,'" he said, "was centred in the Eleanor Boiling s radio room. It was rather iimall to accommodate two operators at a time, but quite roomy enough for one. The equipment is the most up-to-date to be found anywhere, and is ten times better than any installed on the big cargo boats. Aftcx a week of practice, I was able to work any part of the world. My main job was to attend to tho ship's business messages with New Zealand and other vessels, for all the scientific radio experiments were carried out :in Little America.

"A great deal was discovered at Byrd's base, and a good many problems were solved. The conditions for experiments were ideal in Little America, for the reason that there were seasons of perfect light and perfect darkness, and exhaustive research could be carried out under each condition, enabling an excellent comparison to be made. This work was also helped vastly by the complete absence of interference in the way of electrical installations, which work such havoc 'with transmission and reception in populated lands.