A most remarkable compendium of radio
history comes from Dr. Bruce Carty, under the title, Australian Radio
History. This lively and colorful
presentation of more then 100 pages is amply illustrated with early radio
memorabilia that vividly portrays the more than 100 years of collective
wireless and radio history throughout the continent of Australia.
An
introductory timeline, stretching from the ancient 1906 right up to the modern
2009, gives a progressive view of wireless and radio events throughout the
Commonwealth, beginning with Australia’s first official wireless communication
(across Bass Strait to Tasmania) and ending with the introduction of digital TV
in five state capital cities. Also
listed is a brief life sketch of many of the leading radio personnel in the
early days of radio history in Australia,
Several
feature articles tell the story of early significant events in full
detail. Among these interesting feature
articles is one that lists and describes early radio receivers manufactured by
the well known radio company in Australia AWA.
This listing in the year 1926 describes the crystal set receiver as well
as the more recently developed superheterodyne receiver.
Another
feature article tells the story of a portable shortwave transmitter in use for
remote broadcasts by mediumwave station 2UW in Sydney in 1932. This transmitter with its associated
equipment was carried by two men, and the occasion was the long list of
celebrations for the official opening of one of Australia’s major tourist
icons, the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Another
feature article tells the story of an important amateur radio broadcasting
station in Brisbane back during the 1920s.
This station, 4CM, was owned and operated by Dr. Val McDowell with 20
watts on 800 m (375 kHz longwave) and it was heard throughout eastern Australia
as well as in New Zealand, and also on Ocean Island out in the Pacific some
2,000 miles distant.
Every
mediumwave callsign ever in use in Australia, all 700 of them, is listed
chronologically by state, with an outline history of each station;
experimental, amateur broadcast and fully licensed radio broadcasting
stations. We take a look at some of the
interesting facts that Dr. Bruce Carty has listed in his new book:-
* Australia’s first licensed radio
broadcasting station was not 2SB-2BL as often quoted but rather station
2CM which was granted License No 1.
* All the fish in the aquarium at 2KA
died during the first day of operation at their new studios in Penrith,
New South Wales.
* Radio station 6WF in Perth opened
with the use of a 10 kW transmitter obtained from Radio Luxembourg in
Europe. The original 6WA transmitter
also came from Radio Luxembourg.
* Australian personnel have
established radio broadcasting stations at 6 different locations in Antarctica.
* Station 2UW in Sydney operated a
relay station 2UX in Wagga Wagga with all programming on relay from 2UW via the well known shortwave
station VK2ME.
*
Station 2BH in Broken Hill relayed some of the programming from 5AD in Adelaide
which was recorded and sent by train to Broken Hill.
*
In 1946, station 2XL in Cooma reported that a railway train was lost and they
asked any listeners if they knew where the
train was located to report the information to the radio station.
*
In 1933, 3KZ in Melbourne used all available hair dryers from one of their
client advertisers in order to keep their transmitter on
the air during floods.
* The announcer at 3AK in Melbourne
lowered a rope from the open studio window to which the morning newspaper was
tied. He retrieved the paper each
morning and from its pages read
the bulletin of early morning news.
* All local train services were
suspended when the tower at 3WR Shepparton fell across the railway
line in 1934.
* The announcer at station 5CL in
Adelaide held the microphone outside the studio window to broadcast
the hourly chimes from the clock on the GPO building.
Throughout the book, there are many
illustrations, some in black & white and some in color. On an introductory page, you will find the
reproduction of the front page of a brochure
advertising Australia’s first serious attempt at radio broadcasting from a
train; the Great White Train with station 2XT aboard. There is a photo of the good ship “Kanimbla”
with its 50 watt broadcasting station 9MI aboard.
You
will also find a QSL card in color from Australia’s first radio broadcasting
station station 2CM; a photo of 3YB aboard the motor vehicle and the railway
train; a reproduction of the motor vehicle license plate showing 7HO on 864
kHz; and a photo of the mobile broadcasting station “in the islands”, 9AO.
The
author of “Australian Radio History”, Dr. Bruce Carty, has spent a lifetime in
Australian radio in several different states and he writes from a rich
knowledge and experience in the radio scene.
We are grateful also, Dr. Carty, for your acknowledgement of our DX
host, Dr. Adrian Peterson, in your
informative pages. Dr. Carty may
be contacted at Bruce.Carty@bigpond.com.
(AWR Wavescan/NWS 260)
