For Pacific Radio Amateurs
pp. 95-96 · Read in the full issue
(Conducted By Ex Zk-1-Ac/Vr-2-Ak
(Address notes to P.O. Box 5179, Auckland, N.Z.) AS an opener this month we draw the attention of all Island Hams to a ■letter received from the Port Captain, Callao, Peru, advising that William Willis, 61-year-old American seaman who set out from there on June 22 to drift to Samoa on a balsa raft half the size of “Kon-Tiki”, is carrying a radio trans mitter.
The set is a Marconi “Silvita-111/Type [lllo-B” operating on the 500 kc/s and 8364 kc/s distress frequencies. No call sign is given, but Willis is, as far as possible, making signals daily at 1600 GMT and 2300 GMT, and has been re ceived in Peru OK.
He apparently is also sending positions ‘—CW of course—at these times. They will be routine and will not indicate that anything is amiss—unless he says so.
Based on the speed of the “Kon-Tiki” (drift—42.s miles per day made good— this raft, “Seven Little Brothers”, should (enter Polynesian waters about October in the vicinity of the Marquesas and should [pass close to the Northern Cooks a month later—if all goes well and Willis can stay the distance on the diet of machica —made from wild corn and brown sugar—and fish!
There is nothing to indicate that Willis is a Ham. In any case no Ham com munications would be possible on these frequencies.
Signal reports could be passed to nearest marine or radio communications authorities. It will be recalled that it was Gordon Hitch—ZK-l-AB who main tained final contact with “Kon-Tiki”.
Gordon was then in charge of Rarotonga Aeradio. “Kon-Tiki”, however, was a licensed Ham station—Ll-2-B.
Bers-195 draws our attention to the fact that, as mentioned in June notes, there should have been no annoyance in regard to SMBBZU not using the suffix M/M while in these waters. Eric correctly notes that the prefix SMB is assigned solely to Swedish mobiles. For example, if SM2AAA decides to go to sea he then is allotted the call SMBAAA. Incidentally VK’s most active listener has just logged his 150,000 th station! Listening com menced in 1928.
Other remarks from Eric: FKBAI at present on leave in Europe; FKBAC/AE/AL all very active; ZL-l-AJU who operated for a while recently as VK9OK on Norfolk Island has released a special QSL cover ing that sojourn during which he made 458 contacts in the two weeks’ stay; KG6AEX, ex-KP6AA of Palmyra, men tioned last month, is now going to Anchorage, Alaska and a KL7 call—to appear later this year; best time to snag VR3A—around 0300 Z on 14mc/s CW; Don Schroeder, ex VR-l-F of Canton now noted at Wewak, New Guinea, with call VK9DS; Doug—ZK-l-AB putting a con sistently good 7/14 mc/s sig into Victoria; ex ZK-2-AA, Bill Scarborough, now con tactable by mail at 68 Hobson Street, Wellington; ZL-2-ARB aboard a RNZN
frigate active during recent cruise to Fiji, on 7 mc/s CW. Thanks, Eric. (Incident ally Eric Trebilcock’s brother, now at Canberra, used to be stationed at Rabaul.) Of interest to Hams in New Zealand Islands areas is news that the restriction limiting Ham language to English will shortly be eased. Thereafter Maori, French. Spanish, Italian and Dutch will be permitted. This was forecast by Mr.
E. H. R. Green, Chief Engineer of the P. and T. Department, addressing the June NZART annual conference. Mr. Green also forecast a possible further cut to the width of certain Ham bands.
The 7 mc/s CW men will be glad to hear that, in response to protests, Radio Pakistan on 7010 kc/s in the exclusively Ham section of the band, will soon shift frequency.
The gentleman’s agreement whereby ZL phone stations keep clear of 3500-3550 kc/s will probably soon be made mandatory.
There is also a similar move afoot in VK for total CW’ preserves.
There seem to have been no reports of activity by CE-O-AC and CE-O-AD on Easter Island as yet, though they have now been there a good many months. It will be remembered that CE-3-DG went out there earlier in the year aboard the Peruvian naval transport “Pinto” with the men who were to remain on the island— CE-O-AC as doctor, and CE-O-AD to be operated by Air Force men. During the two weeks that “Pinto” lay off the island CE-3-DG operated as CE-O-AA on Easter—then he returned home in the ship. No doubt one or other of the CE-O boys will be heard before long.
We hear that ZK-l-BD should soon be on 6-metres —probably ere this appears.
Ron Berry, ZM6AR, has been noted active, CW and phone on 80 metres, with a good sig into ZL. Also heard on that band lately is KC6AA.
Last month we mentioned the possi bility of Palmyra Island showing u? again. Otto Hornung—KC6AC, has of of course been lone caretaker there fpr a number of years, but so far as we know he is very inactive—maintaining 3500 kc/s phone skeds once or twice a week with VR3C on Fanning, and possibly with a station in Hawaii. Otto is no longer a young man.
That spot frequency, incidentally, used for point-to-point communications on CW and phone between Fanning.
Washington, Christmas, at 1800 Z daily,
and at other times, each using only about 145 watts input.
There’s news from non-Ham sources that Chas Adams—Vß-l-A, in charge of.
Gilberts communications, is now on leaver overseas.
A new Port Moresby station is officially listed: H. A. Vinning, Radio Telecom.
Centre.
Letters from and photos of Island Hams are keenly sought for the column.
Oronp photos are most favoured, but singles will also find space. Canon James Benson, a missionary y ea ]* s » arrived in Sydney on the Malaita on July 10 for long service leave. Canon Benson, during the war, was reported killed by the Japanese in Papua but had, in fact, been taken prisoner. He was on a Japanese destroyer during the battle of the Bismarck Sea and his ship was the only one not hit. He spent the last 2i years of the war at a camp in the Ramale Valley, near Rabaul.
Two young Catholic Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary left Sydney recently to work in the Pacific. Sister Mary Dismas travel led on the Malaita to take up duty m the South Solomons, and Sister Mary Jacinta flew via New Cale donia and Fiji to Samoa. Sisters M.
Philothea and De La Salette, from the American novitiate of the Con gregation, were also on the Malaita.
Pearl shell buttons to the value of £A2,285,152 were produced by 21 American manufacturers last year.
Total production was 4,612,153 gross, slightly more than in 1952 but less than in 1951.
!L Pa £r or .. Kata Ragoso, president of the Western Solomons Seventh Day Adventist Mission, arrived in Syd ney recently on his way home from a church conference in San Fran cisco. He is chief of the Marovo tribe, and is in charge of 4 000 parishioners, 56 schools and two hospitals.
Heavy rain soon after this season’ tomato crop was planted in tin Cook Islands resulted in a dis appointing number of cases beim despatched to New Zealand thl year. Many Cook Islands fruit growers depend on tomatoes for catch crop during the NZ winte months.