For Pacific Radio Amateurs

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

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

neighbours know you’re active by

checking in on your favourite band with a CQ at 0100/0700/19002. Use of a known time will help you— and them.

News coverage is this month restricted, due to the writer’s temporary tranfer to Suva. However, a few interesting morsels are to hand.

First from Fiji. A 1 Akin returned to Suva per May Tofua and expects to be on the air again with his former Nandi call, VR2AP, some time in June. Also licensed and on the air from Lauthala Bay, where he is attached to the meteorological office staff, is Laurie Price, with the call VR2CT. Equipped only with a ZC-1 disposals rig, he is restricted to 40 and 80 metres at present. Across the island at Nandi is Noel Finch, ex-ZL2AMW, who recently joined Aeradio staff there as an operator. At the end of May his equipment was still in Customs bond, but he should have appeared on the air with a small semi-portable rig by the time this is in print.

Your scribe, normally ZL-l-AIK, plans to appear on 40/80 CW; but Suva city’s DC mains have delayed the event. An

accumulator and vibrator unit are indicated.

VR2 Hams were recently granted per mission to use phone on the 21mc/s band.

A mid-day run across 20-metres with VR2AS’s receiver seemed to indicate that conditions on that band are vastly better in Fiji than in Auckland, where few signals are heard other than VK at that time of day. KHO's and W’s were plenti ful, some at good strength, on this par ticular occasion.

A W-visitor to Suva in May was Robert E. Thompson. W-l-WM, radio officer aboard the big Woolworth motor yacht “Elpetal”. He is restricted to 10-metres by regulations governing mobile Hams; so. with conditions as they are to-day, does not make a lot of contacts. However, throughout the present voyage, he has listened to a round-un of news from his home-town broadcast by another station hearing FGBAI, Jack Wheeler in the yacht “Gemini”, with a powerful signal, and very active in the afternoons. Jack sailed from Papeete, May 8, for a local cruise to Moorea. Huahine, Bora Bora and return, and is using the FOB call while in port at those islands.

Amateur Radio reports VK9YY as very active; and he has also acquired a wife recently. Whether this means an end to Ham Radio remains to be seen. No new listings for New Guinea, and no can cellations.

BERS-195, Victoria’s listener who never sleeps, writes in with a few notes and corrections. He corrects our error of April re VK-l-RG/VK-l-EM—bound from, not to. Macquarie Island. VK-SAF, now VK-l-AF, went to the island. On Heard Island Ken Dalziel, with the call V£-1-SK, should be active by now. Eric also reports hearing Doc Black. VK2QZ/VK9. on one occasion since his return to the Trobriands. VK9RC he says also puts a good signal into Victoria. Eric also says that a newcomer to 40 metres is FKBAO— ex FQBAE —heard being contacted by

FKBAB. Also reported active on 40-metres phone is FUBAB.

Eric has news of those elusive Easter Island stations mentioned here in recent months. His information is that CE-O-AA would not appear on the air until May 28 —then only for a few days—on 10/20/40/80 metres. Transport from the South American mainland seems to have been the hold-up.

Also frequently heard—and usually un answered—is the Wake Island 40-meti CW man, KW6BI. CW is certainly at discount these days.

Another rare country is actively repr« sented to late by VK9GM, George Meatoi on Norfolk.

The ZL call-book lists two station currently at the Chathams, out east i New Zealand. They are ZL3RO, C. I

I lie. at Waitangi, and ZL3SC, N. Mac maid, at Owenga. Raoul Island (Ker iidecs) has one—ZL-l-AJG, R. T. Jensen. :K2AA, Bill, on Niue, was heard to say ' May that he will be finishing up and Doming to New Zealand in November aer seven years’ service there, i-ast month mention was made of the II ZK-l-AC being pirated by a Mexican ition. This was in error—the call is —I-AT. Two misprints also crept into FOS notes—Joe Bourne, not Bourke, [tplying same. FOSAH’s location is tbuai Island. lams accustomed to working 80 metres 11 have found the Suva broadcast ition’s new shortwave outlet settled on 10 kc/s since mid-May. The Radio ;yineer reports that the transmitter will nost certainly be held on the channel, ;er testing on various frequencies over past two months, s from June 1 ZL stations were to lose t portion of the 80-metre band above 10 kc/s, and this regulation will isumably also apply in New Zealand md Territories. . final note: While spinning the dial, ms, might care to check on sigs from new Samoa short-wave outlet on 0 kc/s or 3241 kc/s (May, p. 38) and p a line to ZM6AA, Pat Senior, in .rge of the station. Box 23, Apia, will 1 him.