LONG WIRELESS TALK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21300, 2 April 1931, Page 6

LONG WIRELESS TALK

AN AUSTRALIAN RECORD. * (From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, March ID. The other clay an officer of the Research branch of the Commonwealth Post Office conducted a 10-mimite conversation over the long distance wireless telephone with the officers of the steamer Belgenland while that vessel was standing off Colombo, Ceylon. The director of Postal Services (Mr Brown) said that this was probably one of the longest distance telephone communications yet made between a subscriber’s telephone and a. ship at sea. The route distance was 17,200 miles. The Belgenland, which is on a special cruise with a party of tourists, mostly Americans, is fitted with a special longdistance telephone apparatus which has been operating on a special wireless schedule during the voyage. The Research Branch has been trying for some days to get into touch with the vessel for the purpose of carrying out a test and finally succeeded with little difficulty in establishing communication. Contact was first made with the British Post Office over the channel in use for commercial wireless telephone messages, and with the co-operation of the British Post Office a call was put through to the ship from London. The speech came through to Australia perfectly, and an interesting conversation was carried on between the Australian official and the officers of the ship.