TOLAGA RADIO STATION

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19339, 1 June 1937, Page 4

TOLAGA RADIO STATION

AMATEUR’S HOBBY FOR USE IN EMERGENCY (Herald Correspondent.) “Station ZL2TC, Tolaga Bay, calling.” Why should Tolaga Bay have a radio station? What is it for? Why put still more radio signals on to the already overcrowded ether? These questions might easily be asked by the uninitiated. The answer might interest some. ZI.2TC is an amateur station, operated in normal circumstances for the pleasure of the owner and constructor, Air. Basil R. Page, Tolaga Bay. The fact that there is no possible pecuniary profit attached to its operation does not, perhaps, justify its existence to some. To those one may justify its existence by * explaining its possible usefulness, in abnormal circumstances. For example, a flyer or hiker may bo lost and a search party sent out to find them. Shell a party is usually equipped with a very low power radio transmitter and receiver. It is then to such stations as ZL2TC- that the public look for communication. Earthquakes, floods and many other emergencies in different parts of the world have proved the usefulness of amateur radio stations. Equipment of Station The station is equipped with a 60-watt transmitter and a receiver capable of operation on the amateur radio bands.The transmitter is crystal controlled; that is, it cannot change frequency without considerable alteration, and ,at present operators on a frequency of 0740 k.e. On this wave length it'is: capable of reliable communication with any part of New Zealand at night aiid most of the North Island during the day. Good reports have been received from Australia under favourable weather conditions. It is used entirely for telephony at , present, hut could be changed in a few f minutes for Morse code operation, which would considerably increase its effective range. Naturally such a transmitter as this uses a considerable amount of power, and as there is only a direct entreat power supply in Tolaga Bay, Mr. Page lias to convert this to alternating current for Iris transmitter. The receiver is home made and is of the communication type, presenting a bewildering array of knobs and switches. At present the station is dependent upon the continuity of the power supply, which in an emergency such as an earthquake might be interrupted. For this Mr. Rage is contemplating the construction of a low-powered battery-operated transmitter and receiver as a" stand-by or portable outfit.