For Pacific Radio Amateurs
pp. 97-98 · Read in the full issue
Conducted by Ex ZK-1-AC/VR-2-AK (Address notes to P.O. Box 179 W, Wellesley Street, Auckland, NZ.)
I Island Hams: Try a CQ at the Pacific Islands Net times of 0100/0700/1900Z on the bands open at the time, to give your (Blands neighbours a chance to work you Lvoid the outside DX for 15 minutes.
Notes Of Interest
This month, Vincent Fonsagrive, FUBAC, mpplies interesting details from New lebrides and New Caledonia. Here in ►art is his letter:— “The FKB’s are very active, especially TCBAB, FKBAI, and FKBAN, who work fenerally DX on 14 and locals on 7.
“As to FUB’s, the list is very short: TJBAK, Andre Thevenin on Pentecost, TJBAB, Marcel Nicolas, and FUBAC, iiyself”, the latter two both in Vila. . “FUBAA will soon complete a powerful tation of at least 100 watts. He is now n 7 almost every Sunday morning.
TJBAB is very busy on the Government tation and is therefore not very active. am on 7.1 every Sunday morning at 100 Z, working a poor little 10 waiter, [tal controlled, phone. I hope to soon o on 14 . . , with VFO and more power . . and shall welcome calls from Pacific tations.” * * * According to “Amateur Radio” for ugust, a new Nauru station has been losing considerable excitement on 20 letres. No name is mentioned but the tory goes like this. The Ham, formerly (M3DOJ of Scotland, applied for a license t Nauru but was vetoed or stalled ff by the Post Master. He then pplied over the head of the Post Master, resumably to Australia, and was issued Ith the call VR7AB—a prefix never efore released—and forthwith got on the Ir, with devastating DX results. His requency reportedly was completely locked with W’s and K’s either calling, orking, or just jamming him, declaring lm to be a pirate.
The Post Master, according to the *>ry, has been returning all cards sent ► VR7AB, declaring there to be no such atlon. Until the matter is cleared cards lould go to VK2YC, the NSW QSL anager.
The station apparently first appeared June, but nothing has been heard of im in Auckland during periods when icific stations have been well received the evenings in August, so possibly the >st Master is temporarily in control! * * ♦ Stations active during the month eluded: KB6AQ/Al/AX, KC6QY/DX,
E7Rw, Kg4Af, Kg6Al/Adr/Bj/Faa,
I6Ap/Ar/Aw, Kx6Ax/Am, Vkiem/Yg,
K9Fn/Gm/Gw/Hi/Rc/Wk/Xk, Vrib,
S.2As/Bk, Vr3C, Zkiab/Bc/Az, Zk2Aa,
*6Aa/Ac.
ZM6AA, at Apia, is a reallotted call in. The former owner left Samoa last (vember, and the present owner acquired e call several months ago. The KJ6’s Johnston Is. have been very active
and amongst the strongest signs in Auckland.
Notes on stations active would he appreciated from Fiji, Samoa, French Oceania, and the North Pacific boys.
Future DX prospects are interestingly discussed in an article in the current “Radio & Hobbies’’ using information originally published in “QST”. In short, the findings are as follows: As from the summer of 1951-53, all F 3 DX on 28 Mc/s should disappear until the summer of 1955-56, the band becoming purely a local-contact one except for rare Sporadlc-E contacts of a few hundred
miles. On 14 Mc/s some DX will continue to offer on a few days of the month for very short periods through the 1954-55 sunspot minimum. 7 Mc/s will prove the best DX band and those who chase it are advised to interest themselves in 7 Mc/s ground-plane antennas—if there’s no room for a fixed beam or two in strategic directions.
Radio Notes for Yachtsmen
With many cruising yachts of many nationalities at present cruising the Pacific the following radio information is likely to be of assistance to some.
Voice Weather Broadcasts
Hawaiian Area
These are made twice dally on 3698 kc/s from station NMO at 0900/2100 GMT and concern the ocean area within a 600-mile radius of Oahu Island. In addition,
actual conditions at a number of poii in the area are broadcast every ho from Honolulu Overseas Aeradio on 6S kc/s at 15 minutes past the hour. Th broadcasts give details from Honoln Lehue, Barber’s Point, Puhunene, Hi Midway, Wake and Canton Is.
Yachts bound from there on to S Francisco may also hear useful infc mation from Ocean Station “Uncle” 5165 kc/s (and probably other frequence working with trans-Pacific aircra “Uncle” is located at 38 N, 145 W.
Ocean Station “Nan” on the sai frequency, located at 33N, 135 W, althou not recently heard, may be temporary off station.
Voice Weather Broadcasts Pc
The California Coast Are Made
follows: South to Point Aguello, fro Eureka-KOE, on 3506 kc/s at 0500/11 GMT. Point Arguello south to S: Diego, from Long Beach NMQ on 3698 kc at 0500/1700 GMT and from San Pedro-KC on 3566 kc/s at 0400/1600 GMT.
From material given in early issues PIM this year, yachtsmen now ha details of all the main voice weath broadcasts along the usual yacht crnisii routes. Groups NOT so covered are t) Marquesas, Cook Islands, Tonga, Gilbc and Ellice, South Solomons and Micr nesia. AH other main Groups have ns ful voice broadcasts.
Next month we will summarise tl transmitter frequencies required by yacht planning an extensive Pacific cruls if contact with all Groups visited desired.