Increasing Use of Tele
p. 48 · Read in the full issue
radio
WITHIN the last two years a new development in radio has assisted communications between Australia and the Islands, especially New Guinea, Papua, the Solomon and Fiji Islands.
This equipment, called teleradio, is of increasing value to isolated persons and communities, especially planters, ex plorers, prospectors and patrols.
Fifteen years ago, the ambition of every person cut off by distance from civilisation, was to have a telephone.
Often, that was impossible, owing to the cost of line extensions. With the ad vent of broadcasting, a great improve ment was wrought, as it became pos sible for almost anyone to hear news of the outside world. But they could only hear; it was not possible to send any message.
Then came teleradio, a development within the Amalgamated Wireless or ganisation. At first, it consisted of a small wireless receiver and a trans
mitter, which could be carried by one or two native “boys”. It derived its power from a native, pedalling a kind of sta tionary bicycle. Experiments showed that two-way conversations, by word of mouth, could be conducted over dis tances up to 300 and even 400 miles.
The next improvement, for use where either the weight of the equipment was not a material factor, or where the tele radio was to remain in one place, was the introduction of a small engine to generate the necessary electrical power.
In this form, teleradio has proved a wonderful boon. About one hundred in stallations have been made in Australia and the Islands, and settlers bear united testimony to the value of being able at any time to speak to persons in the centres of civilisation. In April, Mr.
Bodger, of the Anglican mission station at Dogura, Papua, found he could talk with Government House, Rabaul, 450 miles away.
The latest extension of the teleradio system is in the Northern Territory, where an equipment has been supplied to Mr. T. A. Holt, of Royallison Pas tures, Ltd. Mr. Holt speaks daily with Darwin, 200 miles distant.
Installations are of varying cost, de tails of which can be supplied on appli cation to the manager of any A.W.A. station. Purchasers will understand, of course, that they are limited to certain specified wave-lengths; and that as a rule they can communicate with tele phone subscribers only through the nearest A.W.A. station. A photograph of an installation is shown in the A.W.A. advertisement in this issue.