Suva Tests On Short

Wave Radio

LAST year, when there were re ports that the Suva broadcast station would test on high frequencies in parallel with its broadcast band outlet on 930 kc/s, we contacted the station for de tails. These were promised in good time before the actual tests com menced. But the matter was evid ently overlooked and Island resid ents outside the Fiji area had no warning of the tests, which actually were made between February 4 and March 3.

Suva tested on 5990, 5995, 6005 and 6130 kc/s in the 49-metre band during the period. Reception in Auckland seemed to indicate that the 6130 kc/s frequency might prove the best, though all channels were to some extent interfered with by overseas.

According to the Berne List, Suva had evidently intended to origin ally use 6000 kc/s; but, during last year, Noumea shifted to that frequency from 6035 kc/s, due to a Voice of America transmitter “park ing” on the same frequency. The VO A station was itself heavily jammed, deliberately, by one of the Soviet Far East jamming nets.

Noumea would now apparently be most unhappy to have the Suva station only 5 kc/s clear of its pre sent 6000 kc/s channel, as a strong hetrodyne whistle is set up on both

programmes if the listener is at any distance from either station.

Suva is using a power of 500 watts on this short-wave band, and should provide an excellent service for a large Islands area, from Samoa/Tonga to the Solomons and the WPHC Islands, if only a clear channel can be obtained.

Interested listeners should keep

watch on the 40-metre band for further tests, possibly on other frequencies, as these will doubtless be made.—JPS.

Copra production was a record in Fiji in 1952. Total for local milling and for export was 40,262 tons— over 4,000 tons better than the pre vious record in 1951.