LISTENING TO WORLD'S WIRELESS

Otago Witness, Issue 3443, 9 March 1920, Page 42

LISTENING TO WORLD'S WIRELESS

YOUNG SYDNEY MAN'S INSTALLATION. (Feom Oub Own Cobbespondent.) SYDNEY, February 15. Years ago, when Marconi first introduced •wireless to an amazed world, a young Sydney man, Mr J. A. Pike, a Government servant, was fascinated by the discovery, and devoted himself to its study. He began to experiment He bought some apparatus and made other parte, and he had great success in "listening in." Hia receivers were very effective. In 1910, he startled everybody by giving the text of a raessaga sent out by H.M.S. Powerful when at sea far out on the other side of New Zealand. Mr Pike was making progress as an amateur wireless man when the war came, and Authority closed down on all amateur wireless operations. He kept in touch with wireless operations, and performed war service as a wireless operator. Later on, he was allowed to put receiving apparatus into operation, but he was not allowed to send. Amateurs all over the world have since had that restriction removed, but in Australia they are still forbidden to send. However, Mr Pike makes up for it by. doing seme remarkably effective receiving. Out at his home in Epping suburb, he has a single wire stretching from the top of a gumtree to a flagpole in his garden. On this simple aerial he receives the wireless messages of the whole world. Mr Pike, assisted by another enthusiast, Mr Reed, has developed a marvellous system of amplifying, so that the tiny tremor registered on their aerial is so magnified in their receiver that they can read messages. They are under a bond not to disclose what they hear, but visitors are allowed to listen to the Varying sounds made by the different sending stations. Nauen, the great station near Berlin, is heard. It generally starts up about 1.30 a.m., corresponding to afternoon m Germany. Another frequent talker is Cavite, in the Phillipines, which is generally working with San Francisco about 9 a.m.. The great station at Lyons,' in Wncej 1 is often heard sending to New Brunswick, in North America; while the busy operators at Funabashi. in Japan, can be heard at almost any time talking to San Diego, in California, or io South /.frica, or India. Mr Pik& also hears all the shipping for hundreds of miles round, talking to Australian and New Zealand stations.