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. to hand this month has a strong **■ VR2 tendency, absence of an all band receiver or of a suitable location cutting the Column off from the world of Hamdom beyond Fiji.

However, Stan, VR2AS, reports briefly on conditions as experienced at his Lauthala Bay location: 7 mc/s, moderately good with many W’s, VE’s, KH’s, ZL’s and VK’s on CW and phone; 14 inc/s, very unstable, with moderately good con ditions at times in the late afternoons for W’s, and JA’s coming in well in the early evenings, but more generally very poor conditions.

Stan, a diligent antennae dabbler, after hoisting and lowering Windoms of various shapes, sizes and formulae for months past, suddenly tore the whole mess down in mid-July and reverted to the old centre-fed. Result: immediately better reports on both bands worked. The experts have yet to convince him that a Windom is worth the grief and strain.

Up on the rise overlooking the Bay, Laurie, VR2CT, put himself on the map one fine Sunday afternoon when an errant fifth harmonic from his 7 mc/s ZC-1 emission somehow got on ton of the Sydney radio-telephone which the C & W station was contacting. Whether Laurie’s effort was intended to outdo Stan's—he was recently heard mixing up with a church sermon from the local broadcast station—we do not know. These things ARE embarrassing!

Laurie, we understand, was, at the time of the above incident, giving Wyn, VR2CG, a report on signals from his new mobile car transmitter. We had the opportunity of sighting this splendidly compact piece of workmanship at Nadi.

The 15-watt crystal transmitter uses an 832 and operates on 7/14/21 mc/s, with quick changing of any two crystals, and doubling if desired. Mounted in the boot, the transmitter is controlled by a foot dip-switch. The receiver is an Ekco auto set, band-spread and with an added con verter. Only remaining problem is the whip-antenna loading which must be variable. The whip is mounted aft.

Noel Finch, ex-ZL2AMW, hard at work in the cool (67 degrees) air conditioned Nadi operating room, contacting the Fiji “goonies” (the outer island Met stations!) found time between contacts to teil us that he will appear with a VR2 call— one of these days. He and others were, incidentally, careful to explain that the air conditioning which makes this room the pleasantest spot in Fiji is installed for the equipment—not for the staff.

Breakdowns have markedly lowered as a result.

Jack Paton, briefly sighted, says that

it may be a while yet before VR2AC gets going. Meanwhile, having sampled a month or two of sunny, fresh Nadi weather, he never wants to see Suva again.

Elsewhere at Nadi, Keith Lane, VR2CJ, inactive for a long time, is preparing some SSB gear for a fresh onslaught. Bruce Fraser, VR2CB, is also renorted rebuilding.

Eric Clark, VR2BL, is still inactive. We somehow seem to have missed reporting the departure late last year of Erol Neil and of Ken Mowat, VRRBQ —so delete these from your list.

Back on the Suva side of Viti Leva, Alan Akins—we’ve finally got the spelling —still settling in to a new house, has not yet appeared on the air. Also work ing for the same firm, complete with a lot of VHF and other gear in cold storage, is Allan Winshury, ex-VQ4CD, temporarily incarcerated in ?. DC-wired hotel. If and when he makes an AC area he’s likely to be a keen man for the cardsters.

A pleasant call was made, one Sunday afternoon, on Dick Northcott, VR2CM, ex-VK3LR, at Nausori. Diligently un winding a power tranny and over a cup cf tea he told us the set-up there.

Power (110 v. AC) comes on at 6 p.m. and goes off at 10 p.m.—so those are the Hamming hours. A BC-348 and 21 mc/s converter handle the receiving, with a

6V6 vfo and parallel 807’s, modulated, providing the signal. Bands worked: 7/14/21 mc/s depending on conditions daring hoars when power is available.

Ex-VR2AM/ZK-l-AZ, Thor Gundersen, who swallowed the anchor and became a land agent early this year, closed the

Auckland office desk and went back for a run to the Cooks in his old ship, Maui Pomare, in July, relieving Ken Windsor—ZL-l-OM as radio officer for a voyage. Coconut radio had it that Ken was taking the big plunge—an attractive Wellingtonian was cited.

During the month ZK3AB was heard having W-trouble—all America calling him, and all at once on the same frequency. Whether he finally managed to talk to anyone we do not know. As with Phil on Fanning, we sympathise.

New calls reported recently: VK-l-BA, B. A. Fiebig, and VK-l-RL, R. L. Fraser, both on Macquarie Island. Delete VK’s I-RG/SW. Change of address: VK9FK, C/o DCA, Lae,