CLUB NOTES

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19942, 29 October 1934, Page 13

CLUB NOTES

(BY G.H.S.) THE CLUB’S AIMS AND ACHIEVEMENTS (II) Recently we attempted to give a summary of the results achieved, for the benefit of listeners in general, by the Timaru Radio Club. This article will be devoted to the work carried out by the Club, and its hospital servicers committee, to provide radio for the sick and convalescent at Timaru Public Hospital. A radio service was installed at the hospital by public and private subscription before the Club came into existence, but it had become almost useless. After a consultation with the Hospital Board, the Club was given permission, to remodel and service the whole installation. This was given a check-up, ai*d it was found that at

least £SO would be inquired to get it going only decently. This meant collecting, concerts, plays, community sings, and donations before the work could be even commenced. The money was obtained. Fifty extra pairs of headphones were installed, and immediately the old series system of radio supply to the wards broke down. After many ideas were discussed it was decided to rewire the whole hospital with a bare wire parallel system similar to a telephone system. About seven thousand feet of wire was used, and though erected by amateurs ic still is the most respectable of all the hospital’s overhead wiring. The wards were rewired, not with the old delicate wiring and plugs, but with absolutely trouble-proof systems. A set was purchased for the Nurses Home and Children’s Ward use. Some of the members have checked and repaired headphones every week for the two years of servicing. The main hospital set, as well as supplying the wards, was used privately. This was recognized from the start as being most unsatisfactory not only to the patients but also to those club members doing the servicing. After two years and after representation to the Board and the medical superintendent, the Club is pleased to be able to report the set has been shifted and is now in use as a wards supply set only under the direct operating control of the matron, who during the whole period of our servicing has given us every assistance and helped us with many suggestions. All this has 1 taken many months and many pounds, but many of the public have been passive to all appeals for funds, and left the workers to run art unions and beg and borrow until the Club has spent over £7O at the hospital and is still carrying on with the work and the servicing. The value of the work done gratis by Club members is not computed, but it would be a very considerable sum, and the work at the Hospital alone would justify the Club’s existence and claims for public support.

MEETING OF CLUB At a recent meeting of the Club, those present heard a very interesting talk by Mr A. D. Hathaway, who is stationed at the cable and radio station at St. Lucia, West Indies. Mr Hathaway briefly sketched the history of the cable station and gave a description of life there. During 1925 the control of the cables was under the Pacific Cable Board (Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand each having a representative on it). Powerful transmitters, for commercial transmissions, were then springing up throughout the world, and thereupon all the major cable stations in the world amalgamated into one company to carry on, thus making one company to handle all traffic to and from all countries of the British Empire. A 30 kilowatt transmitter is used for short distances. In the West Indies atmospherics are usually very strong owing to tropical storms, consequently most listeners listen-in on the short waves.

At a previous meeting, the Club decided to notify the P. and T. Department of bad interference. This was found to be in the Hook district (25 miles from Timaru), and was caused by a fuse box on the Waimate transmission lines. The interference this caused in Timaru was very strong, and went to show that, although we may be receiving a very bad noise in Timaru, the cause of the trouble may be many miles away. Thus the lot of the radio inspector is not always a happy one.

Reception has again been fairly noisy, probably due to the vagaries of the weather. When speaking of reception in the West Indies, Mr Hathaway remarked that he had often found static to be of a local nature, a station on one of the other islands receiving signals quite clearly whilst it was impossible at the sending end. It is also well known that the east coast of the North Island gets more static than elsewhere.

The set at the Hospital has now been shifted to the Nurses’ Home, and is providing a much better service. At the last meeting a letter of appreciation was received from one of the patients and Mr F. Scott, on behalf of the patients in Ward 1, verbally thanked the members of the Club.