For Pacific Radio Amateurs

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

'HERE is interesting, though puzzling, news from Joe Bourne, FOSAB, of peete, this month. Joe reports three v French Oceania stations. First re is Georges Henderson who has re ed Roland. FOBAD, as meteorologist rn on lonely Rapa, and has set up FOBAK, active at present on 14 mc/s. (land is back in Papeete).

Iso on the air from Papeete is Andre •ayon, ex FBSA, active on 7/14 mc/s /phone, using NBFM, with the call JAB. Whether this means that Joe abandoned Hamdom, whether Andre sharing Joe’s station, or whether Joe , as we suspect, just made a mistake the call in his letter, we do not know the moment but will check for next le. he third new station is FOBAL, name 1 exact QTH not known yet, but he located either on Tubuai or Raivavae the Austral group south of Tahiti and ve 7/14 mc/s CW/phone. A photo of ie, if not all, of the FOS boys is com up soon. nother non-Ham Tahiti correspondent Is along a letter from W6WNH of ta Mesa, Cal., in which he reports t he and his wife are doing spare s work on a yacht in which they plan sruise to Tahiti in two or three years b. There will undoubtedly be a Ham ion aboard. tan, VR2AS, sends the latest from The call VR2AA, formerly belonging Yally Clutterbuck of the RNZAF, now ZL, has been re-allocated to a new val—J. Gordon, RNZAF Station, thala Bay, near Suva.

September we mentioned the impend arrival of Bob Roberts, G2RO, a mial Adviser on Broadcasting. Well arrived, was allocated VR2RO, and up shop with his 15-watt rig from Grand Pacific Hotel, Suva, in Novem wlth a dipole on the roof. He was appear in Honiara around November ,s VR4RO for a couple of weeks, then irds mid-January he will become RO, on the air from Tarawa, also about two weeks. Leaving the Pacific VK he plans to liven the Cocos ian Ocean) air about February 20 for days, thence to Mauritius, due •uary 28, with the call VQBAY. iring his world-wide tour Bob has idy appeared with the RO suffix from districts 1-6; from VQBAY; ZCSRO; districts 1-7; VP2GRO; and lately RO. >n. VR2CY, has lately shifted from thala Bay across the hill to a Suva 1. He was formerly located right to Stan —so the QRM problem is itly eased for both, b, VR2CW, has now joined the Fiji (dcasting Commission technical staff, gets out well with a 35-watt phone -VR2CS, Keith Broadbridge, who re ed to VK when FBC took over the broadcasting setup this year, was rted present at an Adelaide Ham ting in October. e were wrong in believing that Chas. ns, YR-l-A, had quit the Gilberts lanently. He returned to Tarawa late

November after VK furlough. Chas. understands that Mr. Jones, his latest staff addition, though not a Ham previously, does plan to become a VR-1 soon. Chas. had an all-band YFO in his bag when he left Sydney and he indicated that more might be heard of him in future.

Palmyra’s KP6AK might have a neigh bour in the New Year, as there is word from Honolulu that South Pacific Airlines have the firm intention to use nearby Christmas atoll (not ZC3) as a refuelling point on their Hawaii-Tahiti service, commencing March, 1955. That could mean Hams on the staff of a probable aeradio station. Christmas is another condominium like Canton, so, as the airline is American, we assume that any likely Hams will appear as KP6’s—not VR3’s.

Another rare Pacific call—FWBAß—is disappearing. Adrien’s early return to France will out Wallis Island off the Ham map.

Less interesting to the cardsters is a new one at Lord Howe—VK2ATA—using a little Type-A/Mk.3 rig on 3.5/7 mc/s CW/phone and getting out well. From Norfolk, Ray, VK9RH, sped to the main land late August for an appendix opera tion, but is now reported fully recovered.

We are hoping to have the story of the December Tokelau expedition for next issue.

Photos of Island Hams, singly or in groups, are appreciated. fl Mr. W. A. Roberts, the Secretary of State’s Colonial Advisory Broad casting Engineer, arrived in Honiara on November 22 to discuss broad casting development in the Pro tectorate. Mr. Roberts will visit the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in De cember.

5 Mr - R- J. S. Hutchinson and family left England in mid- November returning to the GEIC from furlough. . Fiji is well served by radio phone installations in outlying islands and on local vessels, states the president of the Suva Chamber of Commerce (Mr. W. G. Johnson) in his 1953 Annual Report. The stations, which now number about 80, facilitate trade and are valuable in times of sickness or distress. Suva’s tele phone system, however, is severely criticised. Mr. Johnson says it is doubtful whether the construction of Suva’s new and badly needed automatic exchange is progressing as rapidly as it should.