WIRELESS ON MOUNTAIN

Taranaki Daily News, 8 June 1932, Page 7

WIRELESS ON MOUNTAIN

ASSISTANCE FOR SEARCHERS RADIO EMERGENCY CLUB FORMED. PORTABLE SETS TO BE CARRIED. ■ i A Radio Emergency Club to bring wireless to the assistance of search parties operating on Mount Egmont was formed under the auspices of the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters by amateur transmitters in New Plymouth yesterday. The object of the club is to provide t’wo portable transmitting and receiving stations to be carried by a licensed operator with search parties and. a permanent station in Nbw Plymouth, all three of which will be able to* keep in communication with each other. . The organisation of wireless assistance was suggested by the Stratford Mountain Club to Mr. S. W. Boon, a Stratford amateur transmitter, who immediately o-ot into communication yesterday morning with Mr. A. K. Bennett, who conducts an amateur station in New Plymouth. Upon making inquiries Mr. Bennett found other transmitters readily willing to give their services and a club was formed forthwith. Its services will be offered to the Taranaki Alpine Club when arrangements are complete. Mr. C. Ambury, who operates station ZL2LQ, will work one of the outpost stations, by which name the portable sets are known, and Mr.. G. Westwood, who operates ZL2LD, will work th® other. Mr. F. Huggard will, be active under his own station, ZL2GB, as a zone, or permanent, station in New Plymouth, A splendid response to the suggestion was made by operators in New Plymouth, so that apart from the licensed operators the club will have available assistants who will be able to take the place of those licensed to work a station if they are unable to respond t° a call for help. One portable set is almost completed already and it is not expected that the other will take longWhen all preparations are complete the club Will be associated with the N.Z.A.R.T., of which all those in the club are already members. The club will be able to use the association’s guard lines or arrangements whereby, certain stations communicate with certain other stations in other districts at definite hours, in order to send messages to other parts of New Zealand if required.. A similar plan has already been ia existence in other parts of the Dominion in the shape of the Radio Emergency Corps, which was formed about a month. a*o and has sections in Dunedin, Chnstchurch, Wellington and Auckland. Had there been sufficient members of tho assocation in Taranaki a section of tho corps" would, have been formed there, but the club will fill the need and per* form even perhaps a greater serViee. The Napier-Hastings section of the. corps has already received two calls, m its short existence. One was-in connection with a search, for two children astray on Cape Kidnappers and the other wa» when a rather severe earthquake broke fiown the. bigger, transmitters, and .messages, were sent through ,to other parts of°the corps. , . ■ . ' ... The service should be of. inestimable help to search parties on the mountain, in the opinion of a climber who nae had frequent - experience of the mountain. ‘.When consulted about the. possible benefits he expressed the opinion, that from his experience the help of wireless In such a way would have saved lives in the. past. When there were two parties searching,, one on the track and one off -the track, it would be a .great help if Ithey could communicate with each other, I e,specially when a doctor or extra assistance was required. ~ . ■ •