4BBL 1

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Richard Rogers
                                       15 Coolamon Road
                                       Taroona 7053
                                       30th September, 1994

       Dear Blue,
       
                 Many thanks for your letter about VIH.  One of 
       the books I found very helpful was The Seawatchers by 
       Durrant.  It's interesting that there were stations at 
       Flinders Island and Mount Gambier, the daytime range must 
       have been pretty small in the early days.
       
                 When we obtained the use of the VIH site we were 
       given the last VIH microphone with the starting and 
       finishing date marked on it.  I then went to the library 
       and found some items in the paper about the station some of 
       which I enclose.

                 I think the reason that Hobart was earlier than 
       other states was because of Mawson's expedition and 
       Macquarie Island isn't far away.  I can't now remember 
       where I read about the problems with their aerials in 
       Antarctica, but remember mention of a day with an average 
       wind speed of 200 mph!

                 I only visited VIH once, when I first joined the 
       WIA in 1959, it was at night and all I remember is the 
       receiver (AWA large glass dial sloping chassis?).
       Later I had a flat not far away and was troubled by QRM, I 
       don't know whether it was receiver overload or leakthrough 
       of MF to my IF.   However the old AWA transmitters were 
       demolished in my backyard about 1973 and I still have one 
       of the split stator capacitors in my useful box.
       
                 I have also talked to Harry Banks (VK7HB) about 
       his life at sea and VIH.  The last time I heard him on air 
       was on 7040 KHz at about 23/2400Z.   He was most 
       entertaining about removing a pair of bloomers from the top 
       of the mast (by shotgun) and the journey (on ferry and 
       foot) to repair the remote receivers on Bruny Island one 
       dark rainy night.

                                       73,






                                       Richard Rogers, VK7RO


       PS      Bill Davey who was on Thursday Island in 1947 
       attended my radio class a couple of years ago (he had 
       nothing to do with radio for 40 years and thought he needed 
       a refresher course).   When I rang him the other day he 
       said that he's got too much to do now that he's used to 
       retirement but will get on air when he slows down a bit.