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Front Cover

The Australasian Radio World

AUGUST 2, 1937; Vol. 2 - No. 4; Price, 1/-

Registered at the G.P.O., Sydney, for transmission by post as a periodical

Cover Photo: Photo of No. 1 W/T R/T radio station of Cavalry Division Signals, Australian Corps of Signals (See Page 8)

Highlighted Contents: "Sky-King Dual-Wave Five": "Jones' Super-Gainer Two": 7-Watt Low-Cost High-Fidelity Amplifier: Multi-Band Crystal-Controlled Transmitter: Latest Shortwave News

P.02 - Editorial Notes

Editorial Notes . . .

The unexpected death of Marchese Marconi on July 20 last came as a tragic surprise to the whole world. As the man who pioneered radio as we know it to-day, Marconi has done incalculable good for humanity, and the gigantic network of broadcasting stations and radio communications systems that covers the globe to-day will form an everlasting monument to his memory. A brilliant thinker, Marconi was at the same time far more than a man of exceptional scholastic attainments. A visionary, he had as well the ability to apply his ideas in practical form, and in this combination of the theoretical and practical lay his genius. One of Marconi's early associates and lifelong friend was Sir Ernest Fisk, chairman of directors of Amalgamated Wireless (A/sia) Ltd., who, speaking from London by radio telephone the day following Marconi's death, paid the following tribute to the great inventor's memory:- "By the death of Marconi the world has lost one of the most illustrious figures and one of the greatest benefactors of our generation. I have also lost a beloved friend and leader of many years' standing. "It is astonishing to contemplate the enormous range of human activity in which Marconi's work has become applied during his lifetime, and perhaps even more remarkable to consider the fruits yet to be gathered from the great science and industry pioneered by Marconi. He was a great scientific visionary, who always saw ahead the possibilities and the means for developing beneficially the use of electro-magnetic waves in the ether. First to protect human life and property at sea and to overcome the isolation previously associated with seafaring life, he then attempted, in the face of scientific opposition, to span the oceans, and succeeded magnificently, and later he caused his waves of intelligence and goodwill to cover the great distance between the Old Country and Australia and then to encircle the world. "He discovered the principles which enable thousands of wireless stations to work simultaneously without mutual interference, and then proceeded to develop that most efficient system known as the Wireless Beam, by which we can send electromagnetic waves in any direction we choose. "In more recent years Marconi applied his research in the field of those ultra short waves which will eventually make television practicable, and in the new field of microwaves, the enormous possibilities of which will be demonstrated in years to come. "He was a modest gentleman who always recognised that as his work developed it required and utilised the co-operation of innumerable other inventors and scientists who were attracted by the beacon light which he carried forward. "Although born an Italian, and remaining constantly loyal to his native country, Marconi became essentially an international figure and world possession. His great achievements were recognized by Governments and scientific bodies and endorsed by many decorations granted to him in the principal countries of the world. "The British people will always recognize the debt of gratitude to Marconi for his great work, which has enabled all parts of our widespread Empire to be linked with means for instantaneous communication. They are proud of the fact that Marconi's mother was British, and that most of his early experimental work was carried out in Great Britain by the British Company which he established. Direct communication between Australia and Great Britain is an outstanding result of Marconi's work -as also is the linking by wireless of half a million telephone subscribers in Australia with more than thirty million telephone subscribers of the outside world. Our broadcasting stations, which convey information and entertainment to every home in the country - no matter how near or remote - constitute a further tribute to this great man. In the Navy, in the Mercantile Marine, in the Commercial and Defence Air Services, in the vast interchange of commodities known as international trade, and in the transmission to hundreds of millions of people of news and information through broadcasting, and in the new field of the use of wireless waves for healing purposes, in the saving of life, and in spreading understanding among the peoples of the world, Marconi lived to see the fruits of his great faith and imagination, his wide knowledge, and his untiring work. "The newspapers of Great Britain to-day are unanimous in paying tribute to the most outstanding man of our time. "As President of the Institution of Radio Engineers of Australia, and on behalf of its Council, I had invited Marconi to attend our World Radio Convention in Australia next year, and he had enthusiastically accepted. Only a few days ago I received a telegram from him inviting me to go to Rome to discuss this and other matters of mutual interest."

P.02 - Contents Banner

The Australasian Radio World

Incorporating the

All-Wave All-World DX News

Managing Editor - A. Earl Read, B.Sc.

Vol. 2. - AUGUST, 1937 - No. 4.

P.02 - Contents

CONTENTS:

"Sky-King Dual-Wave Five" . . . . 3

Ham Jargon . . . . 5

"Air-Cell Pentagrid Seven" . . . . 6

"Fluttering On The Short Waves" . . . . 8

Radio Ramblings . . . . 10

Trans-Tasman Reception With "Companionette" . . . . 15

YL Radio Enthusiast Builds 15-Valve S.S. Super . . . . 16

High Fidelity Amplifier Uses Push-Pull 2A3's . . . . 18

Over 30,000 Miles Covered In Round Table Hook-Up . . . . 20

The "Jones' Super-Gainer Two" . . . . 22

Breaking Into The Amateur Game . . . . 26

Home-Built Talkie Plant Gives Excellent Performance . . . . 29

Multi-Band Transmitter Uses Unique Assembly . . . . 30

The A.T.R.S. Bulletin . . . . 32

Tracking Down Distortion . . . . 32

What's New In Radio . . . . 34

New 5-Metre Records . . . . 36

25 Years In Amateur Radio (4) . . . . 37

All-Wave All-World DX News . . . . 39

Shortwave Review . . . . 40

DX Contests Arouse Widespread Interest . . . . 42

DX News And Views . . . . 43

Round The Shacks (1) . . . . 44

Round The N.Z. "B" Stations (4) . . . . 45

Crown Radio Shift To Larger Factory . . . . 47

P.02 - Publication Notes

The "Australasian Radio World" is published monthly by Trade Publications Proprietary, Ltd. Editorial offices, 214 George Street, Sydney, N.S.W. Telephone BW6577. Cable address: "Repress," Sydney. Advertisers please note that copy should reach office of publication by 14th of month preceding that specified for insertion.

Subscription rates: 1/- per copy, 10/6 per year (12 issues) post free to Australia and New Zealand. Subscribers in New Zealand can remit by Postal Note or Money Order.

Printed by Bridge Printery Pty. Ltd., 214 George Street, Sydney, N.S.W., for the proprietors of the "Australasian Radio World," 214 George St., Sydney (Footnote P.48)

P.37 - 25 Years In Amateur Radio (4)

25 Years In Amateur Radio . . . (4)

The fourth instalment of a biography dealing with radio in the early days, written for the "Radio World" by DON B. KNOCK, Radio Editor, "The Bulletin."

MUCH could be told of both unpleasant and congenial war experiences, but as they would occupy a volume, it is sufficient to say here that from the Bulgarian theatre of war we returned to Mudros, and carried on with the bombing of Constantinople.

It was during these operations that I had a very near shave in connection with an aerial. Two of we armourers were preparing a DH9 with 6.5-pound "pills" under the wings and a 230-pounder under the fuselage. Seated on the ground with my back to the tail, and with another fellow lifting the nose of the bomb, I almost had it in position in the frame when things happened.

Just behind my neck dangled the lead weight of the wireless aerial from the observer's cockpit. A W /T mechanic proceeded to test the gear, and pressed the key. A biting, excruciating spark hit me in the neck, and both of us handling that bomb got the full benefit. When we had recovered sufficiently to realise that we were still part and parcel of this world, we chased that W /T man in anger out of the cockpit.

Beyond a few bruises on the legs and cuts on the hands where the heavy bomb had dropped on us, no damage was done, but how easily it might have been otherwise! A solid spark from detonator to bomb casing would have been all necessary, but fortunately most of the spark discharge went to earth through our bodies.

Experiences in South Russia. When Johnny Turk threw in the towel, we kicked our heels for a few weeks in anticipation of England, home, and beauty. That wasn't to come for another year, for the squadron was suddenly re-formed, and in short order I found myself willy-nilly in Southern Russia as a cog in the wheel of the Caspian "police force," ostensibly to protect British interests against the revolutionary onslaught. Here I made closer contact with the wireless section again, and have vivid memories of the work done by our little quarter K.W. spark outfit with Douglas engine and rotary gap.

Outside the port of Petrovsk, where we were stationed, stood a massive wireless tower and the buildings of a Russian station. In a previous retreat before Denikin's white armies, the revolutionaries had completely destroyed what had been an excellent telefunken station of the 5 K.W. variety. Nothing could be used. Even the winch at the base of the tower had been wrecked, the cables released, and the foundations on one side dynamited. It was too tough a job to attempt re-construction under circumstances of swift action, and so our own 80-foot masts were erected, and an aeroplane packing case used for a "shack."

"Souvenired" Radio Gear. Much happened in that year, and in the end swift evacuation was imperative. The revolutionaries were sweeping all before them, and it was a case of "get out quick or take the consequences." British armed intervention in Russia came to an end. There was only time to remove a little equipment – most of it was destroyed. With all the instinct of a "ham," however, I scrounged a nice pair of Ericsson high resistance headphones and some useful gadgets, stowed them at the bottom of my kit, and in due course these treasures reached England safely with me (despite kit inspections).

It was as an older young man that I left London for home, once again a civilian, and wondering what to do in future. Like most returned men, I possessed a neat war gratuity, and after a hectic week or two of celebration with old service pals, my thoughts turned to a motor cycle and, of course – wireless.

The old London Wireless Society was formed; the P.M.G. lifted the ban on amateur wireless, and clubs began to spring up all over England. I became a foundation member of the Southport (Lancashire) Wireless Experimental Society, met kindred spirits, and "ham" radio started in earnest.

Valves Selling At £2/10/-. With the war over, government surplus stores were selling ex-service wireless gear at ridiculous prices, and I obtained a C MK III trench amplifier for £3. This was a wonderful thing in those times, with three stages of transformer-coupled "note magnification"! The price of valves was another matter. The French R valves were the only ones available, and at what a price! They cost £2/10/- each, had greedy filaments, and lasted about six weeks before burning out.

I made up a massive loose-coupler tuner (honeycombs weren't thought of then) with a galena detector, and hitched the amplifier after them. One of the Ericcson 'phones went behind a long brass phonograph horn to make what must have been one of the first loudspeakers in England.

Melba Broadcast From Chelmsford. That year occurred the epic broadcast from Chelmsford (on 2,500 metres) of Madam Melba; and myself, family and friends listened entranced to that historic broadcast. I shudder to think of the quality of reproduction now, but wireless broadcasting of any kind was a miracle then, and the fact that anything even resembling a voice could be heard and understood was marvellous.

Then came the tests from the liner "Victorian" as she crossed the Atlantic, and after this the famous "2MT Writtle" station opened up, with a versatile announcer in charge named Eckersley. That announcer was destined a little later to become England's number 1 radio man, first Chief Engineer of the early B.B.C.

Meanwhile I had to start work, and the "guv'nor" insisted that I continue engineering. I got a job as improver-apprentice in a big Liverpool shipyard, but again wireless took up all my interest. Improving time finished, needs must that I justify myself, and before I realised it I was engineer afloat with the P. and O. Company.

My First Visit To Sydney. In 1922 I first visited Sydney as junior engineer on the Naldera. Most of my time off watch was spent in the company of "sparks," and it was while tied up at Circular Quay that I first heard old 2CM's programme (Chas. Maclurcan) on 440 metres.

Two years at sea were sufficient to prove to me that my interests lay elsewhere, and against the wishes of an angry parent, I "came ashore" and secured a position as sales representative with a large North of England motor manufacturer. Selling cars and trucks came easy to me, and I flourished, but all my spare cash went in radio.

All this time broadcasting had been getting a hold, and the wireless business was growing rapidly. From being a hobby of young men looked upon as fanatics, it had grown to an industry for which the public was clamouring. It was time to make another move, and so I joined the Sterling Telephone Company as sales engineer, moving thence to the old Burndept Co., on the servicing side.

Naturally, being employed commercially in radio, the amateur game at last came into its own, and unhampered I entered the phase of real DX, under the call-sign G6XG. The method of licensing "hams" in England is quite different to that obtaining in Australia. Firstly, an artificial (dummy) aerial licence is given, and when the experimenter is considered advanced enough, he applies for a "radiating" licence. Mere reasons of DX and suchlike are not enough. The actual technical reasons as to why the transmission licence is needed must be given.

A Transmitting Licence At Last. It took quite a long time before my well-thought-up reasons satisfied the P.M.G., and after many months of correspondence, backed up by representation from the R.S.G.B., the Department eventually succumbed. Quite a difference to pre-war affairs, but wireless was no longer a "willo'-the-wisp," and the race was on.

It was in 1924, in London, that I established my first post-war station, which ran entirely from accumulator power. The house had no electrical power, and I had to do the best I could. Around 200 metres was the order of things, and G6XG of 1924 sprouted a massive multi-wire cage "T" aerial, a ten-wire counterpoise, a single DE5 valve in a "reversed feedback" circuit, an ex-army "TVT" unit (spark coil power supply), and a three-coil receiver with "swinging coil" reaction.

I made an awful noise around London N.W.8., but I reached out. A great thrill was the working of old Finnish 2NM as my best DX on 200 metres, and Frenchmen, Belgians. and Dutchmen I worked by the score. I still have dozens of old original 200-metre QSL cards from those days, and they are among my treasured possessions.

Gradually the B.C.L.'s around my district became aware of the fact that the terrific noise all across their dials came from a "ham." A petition went in to the P.M.G. to stop me transmitting, and the Department descended in just wrath. Result – out with the spark-coil I.C.W., and in with pure C.W. The M.L. Magneto Co., of Coventry, lent me a dinky little rotary converter that gave 500 volts D.C. at 40 m.a., and then things began really to happen.

John Reinartz (then U1XAM) had launched his famous "Reinartz" receiver on an interested "ham" world, and I duplicated laboriously a faithful copy. How that receiver perked!

Getting Down To The Short Waves. Meanwhile, the famous U1MO-F8AB contact across the Atlantic on 100 metres had taken place, and "200" was relegated to the discard. All the G's got busy on 100 metres, and with the "Yanks" on 85 metres, what a great time we had. It was quite an effort to get "down" to 100, too! There was no 10-watts regulation for G's in those days, and most of the gang, Marcuse (G2NM), Partridge (G2KF), Hogg (G2SH), Simmonds (G2OD) and Goyder (G2SZ) were using power, and plenty of it, on Marconi T250's and similar valves. I had to be content with my little DE5 (similar to a 201A).

My First American Contact. Nevertheless, my puny little D.C. converter got me "across the pond" for my first American contact with U1BHM, and the high-power gang couldn't believe their ears! It had been worth lugging my heavy accumulators to the charging station a mile up the road after all, as this was the first trans-Atlantic low-power QSO. The possibilities of QRP began to be realised, and some marvellous work was done by old G5SI and G6TD with similar equipment to my own.

At this stage I recall an historic event. Listening around 85 metres at about 7 p.m. one foggy winter's night, I heard a weak but perfectly readable signal calling "lCCM de Fisk." That signal (as I heard in later years) originated from the experimental station of Mr. E. T. Fisk, at Vaucluse, in Sydney, and he was calling the Elettra, Marconi's yacht.

Z4AA Was First ZL Worked. Then came the Antipodean era! Most G's had worked with a station in Buenos Aires signing CB8, and it was considered that Australia or New Zealand couldn't be too much to hope for. Cecil Goyder, of Mill Hill school, staggered the world by working early one morning with Z4AA (Frank Bell) of Palmerston South, in New Zealand. This was on 95 metres at the English end. Goyder (now chief engineer of "All India Radio") couldn't believe that it was genuine until a cable arrived from Bell in confirmation.

What a rush! The air was filled with "T-E-S-T NZ, AUST de G – ." Then the Australians broke through. Simmonds, of G2OD, worked Max Howden (A3BQ), and Chas. Maclurcan (A2CM) appeared on the scene. The globe was encircled – there seemed little else to do. Considering the then comparatively inefficient gear of those times, this amateur work around the 100-metre mark was no small achievement.

Photo of 2NO's station in 1924

A station operated by the author in England in 1924. Undoubtedly "haywire," but a good station as they went in those days.

P.45 - Round The N.Z. "B" Stations (4)

Round the N.Z. "B" Stations . . . . 4

4ZM . . . . "Voice Of Dunedin"

The fourth of a series of articles on N.Z. "B" class stations, written by "The SOUTHLANDER" ("The Southlander" was Merv Branks, then of Winton, later Invercargill- Ed.) STATION 4ZM, in Dunedin, New Zealand, is one of the most modern of the medium-power "B" stations now operating in New Zealand. Associated with the station ever since its owners, Messrs. McCracken and Walls, entered the field of broadcasting, Mr. John Walls, manager and chief announcer, has introduced many popular innovations to broadcasting in this southern city of New Zealand. First Heard In 1927. it was in September, 1927, that the Post and Telegraph Department allotted the call-sign 4ZM to Mr. J. D. McKewen at 418, Anderson's Bay Road, Dunedin, and about one month after this date the station, with Mr. J. Stone as operator, commenced activities. In September, 1929, the owner, for business reasons, transferred the station to the premises of Messrs. Chas. Begg & Co., of Prince's Street, Dunedin. Here its broadcasts attracted an ever-increasing number of listeners, perhaps the most appreciated session being the programme of popular recordings broadcast each Sunday evening. Present Owners Took Over In 1932. 4ZM continued a regular schedule of transmissions from the same location until September, 1932, when Messrs. McCracken & Walls acquired from the original owner the whole of the plant and accessories. A new chapter in the life of Radio 4ZM, Dunedin, had begun. The transmitter at 4ZM remained in its original condition for some time, but coincident with the appointment of Mr. J. P. Pickerill as station engineer, it was decided to dismantle the old plant entirely and build a new transmitter of as modern a design as possible. A small stand-by transmitter was placed in commission to carry on while the main constructional work was being completed, and in due course the new 4ZM commenced broadcasting. To-day a new high fidelity transmitter is being heard from 4ZM, the entire equipment having been designed and built by the staff. Details Of The Transmitter. The transmitter is a M.O.P.A. type, push-pull stages throughout, the antenna power being 100 watts (100% modulation). Owing to the push-pull construction, the transmitter is exceedingly stable, and has a daylight range of 150 miles, expanding to 500 miles at night. Service Of The Helping Hand The Radio Church Service of the Helping Hand was inaugurated in April, 1934, by the Rev. L. B. Neale, known to listeners as Uncle Leslie, and this fine session is probably the most popular church service broadcast in the South Island. The membership of this organisation is over 4,000, and Uncle Leslie conducts these services daily, between 10.30 and 11 a.m. To listeners in all walks of life Uncle Leslie's addresses are most helpful, inspiring and comforting, and his voice over the microphone is eagerly awaited by his Radio Church audience every morning: "I take no thought of my neighbour's birth Or the way he makes his prayer, I grant him a white man's place on earth If his game is on the square. So here's my mite for truth and right And the 'Church of the Helping Hand'." He is the right man in the right place, and his broadcasts are acclaimed on all sides. Each member has a small box, and all that is asked is one penny per week. The contents of the boxes are collected quarterly, and go entirely towards the relief of distress in the city.

Left Photo

(Start Photo Caption) Left: The main studio at Station 4ZM, Dunedin. (End Photo Caption)

Right Photo

(Start Photo Caption) Right: Mr. J. P. Pickerill, station engineer, who designed the transmitter now being used. (End Photo Caption)

QSL Card

(Start Photo Caption) Dxers forwarding correct reports on reception of 4ZM will receive this verification card in exchange. (End Photo Caption)

Facts About 4ZM

Facts About 4ZM

Call and Location: 4ZM Dunedin. 17, George Street; Dunedin, N.Z.

Owners: Messrs. McCracken and Walls.

Frequency: 1010 k.c.

Power: 100 watts.

Transmission Times (N.Z.S.T.): Sun., 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Mon., 9 a.m. to 11.45 a.m., 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.; Tues., 9 a.m. to 11.45 a.m., 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Wed., 9 a.m. to 11.45 a.m., 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.; Thurs., 9 a.m. to 11.45 a.m., 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.; Fri., 9 a.m. to 11.45 a.m., 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m. to 12.0, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Longest Distance Verified Report: Mr. A. McGregor, Brogo, New South Wales, Australia.

Manager and Chief Announcer: Mr. J. W. Walls.