For Pacific Radio Amateurs

Dnducted By Ex Zk-1-Ac/Vr-2-Ak.

(Address notes to P.O. Box 5179, ellesley Street, Auckland, N.Z.) ISLAND HAMS: Let your Pacific

zighbours know you’re active by

lecking in on your favourite band

ith a CQ at 0100/0700/19002. Use

’■ a known time will help you— id them.

First this month is an explanation of e mysterious FOSAI. Vic Schoenberg, Honolulu, KH6AGB, reported just too ke for inclusion last month that this 11 had lapsed with Air Tahiti and was en in use by Jack Wheeler—W7FNK, 10, with his wife, Leah, is cruising lynesia in their yacht Gemini. Jack plied for and received from Papeete rmission to operate under the FOB call tile lying in port at Takaroa, Tuamotus. mini was due to move on to Papeete e in April and Jack was heard to say it he would revert to the W 7 call on tting to sea. He maintains a twice ekly 30-metre sched. with KH6AGB.

Pic asks us to publicise the fact that nolulu hams are holding a convention August 15-16 and that anyone passing -ough on those dates will be warmly loomed. Contests of all kinds are nned, with prizes ranging from a 100tt transmitter kit downwards. Further ;ails to likely visitors by writing Vic, 0 is committee chairman for the con ition. 1 welcome summary of the present FOS nation arrived this month from Jo iirke —FoBAß, who is a Customs officer Papeete. Here it is: FOBAB, normally

CW and phone, 14/28 mc/s, off with a temporary breakdown, on again very soon. FOBAC, Georges Vincent, of Papeete, normally CW and phone, 14 and sometimes 28 mc/s, but lately shifted to an area of the town where no AC power,

so temporarily hamstrung. FOBAD, Roland d’Assignies, CW and phone, 7, mainly 14, and 28 mc/s: After a silence of two months, apparently with a break down, is again active—will probably return to Papeete from his current QTH on Rapa Is. at the end of 1953. FOBAG, Emile Helme, of Papeete—formerly of Makatea Is.—rarely on, but then on 14 mc/s CW. FOBAH, on Tabuai Is., Pierre

namen, after several months’ silence, s been heard again on his fixed crystal ;quency of 704 ft kc/s, CW. FGBAl—as lorted above. This is the entire FOB t. Thanks, Jo—keep us advised. [t is not often that the New Guinea ys check in, but by devious paths we ar from Ron Garrett, VK9RG (formerly ;3A on Washington/Fanning Is.) that, ditional to VK9YY at Lae and VK9FM d VK9RC at Madang, there are at least •ee other T.N.G. stations active. Ron one—the others are VK9GB, A. Barry Rabaul, NB, and VK9YT, Rev. Fr. Carl nraer, an American, at Lumussong, NI. other suspect should be VK9AU, Ron ylor, at Wewak, who wrote us a year and was obviously a keen man then, [■he story of how Ron-VK9RG and m Radio got together on Washington back just before the late Pacific war, one that we hope to relate in due irse for the general reader on some ;er page. It’s certainly a tale for all ids!

'he stations above-mentioned do nol, of rse, include the Papua boys. A current amary from there would be appreciated.

Amateur Radio” lists VK9FY as dis utled.

'he Cook Is. are in the news again.

Maui Pomare in April the passenger included Doug. Cunnold, ZK-l-AB, Cooks R. 1., returning to Rarotonga m Auckland after leave. Also aboard i Doug. Berry, a survey draughtsman, i ZL2AJT, a very keen Ham, now to active as ZK-l-BG on Rarotonga, m in the hold were ARCS’s, modulators sundry other gear. Bands to be ked, 20/40/80 metres, mainly CW. inly interested in giving 6 metres a try not equipped for that band yet. If one has gone out of the 6-metre [ness and wants to dispose, Doug, will : turkey in cash or kind! Doug, will on other bands by the time this ears.

Iso active on 80 phone, and soon to be 20, is Trevor Nixon, call presumably •1-BH, who went from ZL in March replace ZK-l-BE, rarely on the air. taining for another six months, but stive, is ZK-l-BF, of the lonisphere ion, whose normal tour of duty mtly ended. a Auckland report says that the call 1-AC, recently used for a short time n Aitutaki by visiting Air Dept, tnician Max Armstrong (former BY) has lately been employed by a ican pirate station. an Mayne, homeward bound for Suva r shack-touring the North Island of dropped in with the latest. In lington Radio-NZ lured him into a lio, whipped on a recorder and popped e radio questions for later broadcast their DX’ers and Ham programme, is Radio Age” heard first Tuesday he month at 0930 Z. Warning of the it has arrived too late to alert Pacific is, as the broadcast is expected for May session. an also reported that Alan Akin, ler VR2AP, who quit Civil Aviation at 1 last year, has returned to the fold— under different management. Cable tireless, Suva—and the old call-sign— find him. Meanwhile Nadi is being on the map by Wyn McGee, VR2CG, : from leave in NZ—heard with a good c/s phone sig.

Ireak-In” reports that, after delays, 4G was to leave Valparaiso for Easter April 10, there to operate, as from it April 19, on 14,005 kc/s CW under call CE-0-AA for four or five days, also planned to use 14,100 kc/s phone,

and also CW or phone on 3.5/7/21 mc/s.

Wonder whether any Islands stations worked him; nothing was heard in Auck land. (See February).

What goes on in the Solomons? Some time ago we heard mention of a VR4RW.

“Amateur Radio” now mentions a VR4RV.

Anyone know these boys? Also noted that YJ-l-AB in New Hebrides was very active in the VK-ZL Contest, with American servicemen in Japan KA2KW/7SL/9AA, and Japanese JA-1-AF/3AB in evidence, as was KR6CA. Jean, FKBAB in Noumea, was heard with a nice 14 mc/s phone sig.

He says the FUB/FKB Sunday morning roundtable on 7 mc/s still functions at 2100 Z—so get in the queue, if you can hear them.

Heard in maiply evening listening during April; FKBAB; FGBAI; KA-O-RR/

2Gb/Na/Nb/Ny/Om; Ka3Af/Rr; Kashm;

KA7LJ/RC (using tiny portable motorbike rig but on good antenna): KB6ABIC;

Kg6Ab/Fa/ Aal/Aa Y/Ad W/Fab; Krftkf/

Ky/Lj; Kx2Akl/Asv; Vr2Cg: Zk2Aa;

ZM6AA. Most were on 14 mc/s, KGftAB, KX2AKL and VR2CG on 7 mc/s.

Your scribe expects to spend two or three months, from mid-May, in Suva.

A little Type-A/Mk.3, with a couple of 40-metre CW crystals, is going along, and the old call of VR2AK will be temporarily applied for. Mail to the Auckland address will find the column as usual. *Mr. and Mrs. Bengt Daniellson and child left Auckland on April 28 per TEAL Solent to take up residence in Tahiti. Mr. Daniellson was the Swedish member of the crew of the Norwegian Kon Tiki raft expedition, which explored the Humboldt Current a couple of years ago.