Amateurs Pave the Way to Short Wave Success

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 8, 9 September 1927, Unnumbered Page

Amateurs Pave the Way to Short Wave Success

Five Years Work Bearing Results Now

The successful inauguration of short-wave broadcasting that seems likely in the comparatively near future, will, on its attainment, owe much to the persistent enthusiasm of the amateurs over the last five years or more. New Zealand is quite in the picture with early records such as Mr. Frank Bell's initial contact with Mill Hill School, and others subsequently. Here are two more enthusiasts who have helped to short-wave success. Left is the man who signs off from 2XA as E. S. or E. A. Shrimpton-and right is the signa tory of G, S. or Geoff Shrimpton, his son, who is following in father’s footsteps from the same station. Their signals have been heard in every quarter of the globeas the details in this story show.

Interest is being taken at the moment in the possibilities of short-wave broadcasting, particularly in relation to Empire broadcasting. New Zealanders are looking forward with keen expectation to the experimental work of Mr Gerald : Marcuse, which is now announced as being continued on September 4, and regularly throughout September. Shortwave enthusiasts are standing ready to listen-in when Mr. Marcuse goes *fon the air." The cablegrams have been full of discussion of points relating to Empire broadcasting. Mr. Anthony Hankey, a leading British expert, prior to leaving Britain on a tour of the Dominions in connection with Empire broadcasting, gave expression to the view that the problem would be solved in all probability by a combination being effected between the beam system of wireless transmission and ordinary short-wave broadcasting. He suggested that by utilising the concentration of power made available by the beam method it would be possible to have a short-wave station in England, with three apertures of varving width. One of 120 degrees would be able to send out waves to cover the Pacific Islands, Australia, New Zealand, the Far East, India and Ceylon A second aperture of 60 degrees would cover White Afriza, and a third of 75 dedrees would simultaneously cover Canada and the West Indies. Such a station, .tie considered, would be able simultaneously to cover all three directions effectively and economically. Experiments along the direction of imposing speeci on the existing beam transmission to Catiada were being cantinued by the Marconi Company. NOTED AMATEURS, New Zealand already has taken quite an active interest in short-wave work, largely through the success of a number of excellent and efficient amateurs, notably Mr F Bell, Wailiemo, and Mr. Ivan O’Meara, Gisborne ‘To these must be added. of course, Mr EB. A. Shrimpton, of Wellington, and his son, Mr. Geoff Shrimpton, _. . As former head of the : branch, Mr Shrimpton has had a lifetime association with telecraphy and latterly wireless transmission, and although technically an amateur, obviously brings to his chosen hobby « \ he]| UAL aN TAT A J S ITH OTS TES TTT

wealth of professional skill not available to the average amateur Mr, Shrimpton retired from his professional position at March 381, 1926, and has since that date continued an active interest in wireless activitics. In view of the special interest now being taken in short-wave work, we sought Mr. Shrimpton with a view to securing from him some particulars

of his station activities and performances, and a view of the possibilities of short-wave broadcasting. At our urgent request, Mr. Shrimpton produced part of his collection of acknowledgment cards, which he has received from various amateur stations throughout the world over the last few years. "This is some of the cards," said Mr Shrimpton-and the "some" was « heap of probably five or six hundred cards spread over &@ desk ‘here are cards from substantially every country in the world which contains an amateur enthusiast. "How many countries?" we asked. But Mr. Shrimpton smilingly said, "T have really never troubled to count them !’? ? TOTS TST TT

IMPRESSIVE STRING OF SCALPS, Then we had a briet run through the bundile-Iiugland first, then U.S.A., then Belgium, France, Saigon (IndoChina), Tahiti, New Hebriees, Philippine Islands, Finland, Sweden,’ Denmark, Argentine, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, Costa Rico, Spain, Mexico, Japan, Uruguay, Hungary, Brazil, Chile, a ee nm, aun be

a i i tl tlt i te en Jamaica, Canada, Czecho-Slovakia, Morocco, and, of course, Australia. This does not pretend to be an exhaustive list: we simply took them as. they came, "All of these stations," said Mr. Shrimpton in response to leading questions, "have been reached on shortwave Morse-down to even 16 to 18 meters. Short-wave work as been going on quite exhaustively for the last four or five years Ali the time new things have been found and improvements effected, watil now we are plainly on the eve of big things in making available in a large scale way, the results of so much steady amateur work of the past few vears, TI believe. it is possible tolay, if we had TES TT eT

a short wave with the same power behind it that 2YA has, to talk with London from New Zesland at certain periods of the day, and carry, on a two-way telephonic conversation These conversations, if the right times were carefully chosen, could be conducted in such a way as to skip New York, and confine the conversation substan- © tially to New Zealand and London." IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE-COUNT "EM! | Some of the amazing features of short-wave work will be interesting. Working on a 20-metre wave-length, the frequency of the sound vibrations reaches 15,000,000 cycles a second. For comparativé purposes this can be placed against the freguency of the sound waves of 2YA’s wave-length of 420 metres. That frequency is only 713,000 cycles per second. A peculiarity of short wave-length is the way in which the waves skip distance. For instance, each night in New Zealand there may be scores of short-wave enthusiasts talking to amateurs in other parts of the world, but none of those amateurs can hear one another speak, for the simple reason that the short waves go up and do not come within range of the earth’s surface again-if they are about 20 metresas it were, for round about one thousand miles. One New Zealander will know ‘that his neighbour is making contact with someone away it in the void because he will hear the other fellow’s waves ccining back, but he will not get anything of what the New Zealander is saving AL NAL PAU EN \ 4 = s TTT 73 This fact may serve to ailay the alarm expressed in the House of Representatives tecently by a Labour member that short-wave transmission might speediiy put the New Zealand stations out of Come niission! The short waves ate quite unsuitable for local transmission, owing te their little habit of skipping distance. To cover local areas. transmission must be maintained on the wave-leneths of the present high-powered stations. Short-wave telephonic communication has already been effectively carried out between New Zealand and Australia. Mr, Shrimpton’s son was responsible (Continued on page 3). V/ATTTTTESal UPN OASTHTTHTUNLINLS

rS Wellington heard Gerald Marcuse on Sunday afternoon and again at 5.30 on Monday morning. His station is 2NM, and the wave length in use was 33 metres. His tests will be continued throughout September. 3L0, Melbourne, and PCJJ, Holland, working in conjunction, are also interesting themselves in special performances. Working on 29.8 metres 3LO will broadcast from 1 till 5 o’clock on Wednesday morning. The reception of London is reported to have been a little uncertain. Mr. Marcuse’s voice could be heard making a preliminary announcement, which was followed by gramophone items. Intense interest is being taken in the tests, and many amateurs are installing special short-wave sets for experimental listening. Ge on ae fn ace 1 ee 0, amen t\ snemn tama 1 ae SO)

Short Wave Enthusiasts (Continued from page 1).

for this some two or three years back, when he maintained two-way telephonic communication with Sydney and Melpurne for some (Cifne. "VERY SHARP TUNING NECESSARY. One feature of short-wave work that will appeal to the ordinary listener is the extreme "accuracy required for tuning. For instance, a man on 35.1 | metres can quite easily keep himself clear of a man on 35.2-or even on, much finer graduations, 95.01. Amongst . the wireless enthusiasts of the United States there are some 18,000 to 20,000 | amateur transmitters, who chiefly occupy the belt between 37.5 and 42 metres. For wireless purposes the United States is divided into nine principat zones, and with atuateurs in each of these zones Mr. Shrimpton has at times been in touch to the ¢xtent of several hundred. "Sometimes I go Inmmnting," said Mr. Shrimpton, "The call for a general respouse is ‘CO,’ and, of course, the usual practice in getting a respotise is to fasten. on to the man wihio is sending the best signals. On several 6ccasions, however, I have picked out the weakest aud work him, On one occasion, in response to ‘CO, there came, in a host of answers, one sinall faint voice, Y fastetted on him and held him, and found him to be the owfler of a small set up in Oregon,

T.S.A., working on only a 45 watt input, He was ‘tickled to deatl’ to have got New Zealand on so low a power, and implored me to send our certifying card to prove his working." IN TOUCH WITH NOTED AMATEURS. Several times Mr. Shrimpton has heen in touch with Gerald Marcuse, whose experiments are now arousing such interest, and has quite a file of interesting correspondence from him. Other well-known English amateurs who have been worked are Jf. A. Partridge, London; F. A. Meyer, Wickford, Essex; Simmonds, London; and G 2 ‘SZ (Mill Hill School}, the first English | station to work New Zealand with Mr. Frank Bell. | Experimental work of a highly interesting nature has frequently been -eatried ont by Mr. Shrimpton, one of ‘the most consistent and prolonged being the maintenance of continued con‘fact with H.M.S. Concord throughout her yoyage from Britain to China and Lack. "On officer occasions Mr. Shrimpton has made contact with vessels 1 both the Arctice and the Antarctic. Amongst his postcards there was this ‘oie from thle vessel Kairuna (Harvilk, Norway), which read: "I suppose our signals went straight over the South Pole? The writer added: "T will try to .work you from outside Lafaten Island in Northern Norway, where the best

radio conditions exist. My usual trade is in these Arctic waters." | Much other interesting gossip of the ether can Mr. Shrimpton relate. He tells with gusto how he heard two American warships talking, and one opetator inquired of the other (apparently less expert), "What the blank, blank, lhe was mushing around for!" When we get successful short-wave transmission from Iondon-and, practically speaking, that seems likely "the day after to-morrow’-we will owe it very largely to the keenness and enthusiasm of amateurs, ‘The present interest is sending a widening wave of interest it short-wave work throughout the circle of listeners and is mdeed itself responsible for bringing in many new recruits. The success of the experiments now being conducted will be watched with intense interest.