7hb
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7HB Harry Banks A rough transcript of the tape we made
Talk about tape recorders
Had extract from Merc on opening of Hobart radio cutting gave it
to ?
merc report on Hobart radio one of which was erection of new mast
What are you going to do with this?
Pop Medhurst foundation member wia
Pop's first contact with priest on King island
British Navy didn't want communication outside their control
Devonport station
Harry had friend on ki bernie hurst, now dead, studied father shaw
I talk far too much
Coherer I used magnetic detector and crystal
I had a magnetic detector at Richmond think it thrown away when
went to war. It came off a a Union Co ship its small wireless
installation - had a magnetic detector and a Telmar? spark coil
I was given the detector from Union Co offices. I wanted it for
the spring in it.
RCA made a different type of magnetic detector same principle
RCC Radio Communications ? I was on one ship with their very
good equipment Otikiea a tanker Receiver very elaborate occupy
whole of this table all wave + aerial tuning device for all freq
and beat osc was a diode valve how does it work?
My first ship at sea was the Wahini lost during war about 4-5000
tons 2 funnels Wahini & Maori to & fro Wellington Lyttleton both
accidents replaced by Marinoa laid up for 6 years I was on last
trip to Lyttleton - saved morse key - bottom droppped out of her
Cook strait Mararoa had fixed spark outside the wireless room freq
was extremely low main rx was crysal set this was 1928 a
passenger boat 1929 standby magnetic detector due to age only ran
for 2 hrs
When joined OTC in 1958 VIL on Flinders Is was still operating
King Is was VIK Bernie Hurst transferred from King to Flinders
the eqpt had been spark but was replaced with small valve
transmitter
Got first ticket in 1928 worked for Post Office shunted up to
Wellington Radio they had a valve transmitter there but their main
transmitter was a 2 1/2 KW Telefunken When valve transmitter
chucked it in one day I was there on my own only 17 The time
signal had to go out I put time signal out on the spark What a
bloody row there was it blocked out everything 2PA Wellington was
in its infancy then. Later increased the power of valve
tranmitter to 50 W seemed an enormous rise
The final transmitter here VIH was 500W on 500M
In medium wave necessary to have extremely good earth - one of
bset places in Aus is Ralphs bay OTC had option to transfer VIH
there Supposed to be over 7 miles of copper wire at VIH still
there where road was put round they severed lot of earth mat it
was heavy Saw list of eqpt supplied with original station it ran
into tons dont know how it was laid
I said original mast was 21" square and 185' high made out of
oregon all bolted together
Winch base still in ground about where the emergency aerial was
put lhs as come in gate Paul Newcomb??? Last time winch used when
came to work at 7am could see womens pants flapping at top of
aerial about 1960 Sent message to Sydney instructed to dispose
of them Got Bosuns chair out went up about 3/4 way up mast had
rust holes through it I came dowm Not a lattice mast an iron
mast established Rang friend came up with shotgun and took 5
shots to dispose of them top of mast was rotten bend in top of
mast strained by guy wires Bill Watson was officer in charge
notified Sydney engineers came down they looked with binoculars
Bill Watson was transferred to Rockhampton meanwhile They
replaced mast and transmitters about 1970 I retired in 1976 new
stuff was elaborate all transistorised Had synthesised
oscillator I put it to good use had sked with bloke in America for
your info only put main transmitter Most valve equpt was
closely monitored Bloke named Brown was RI in Sydney Union Co
didnt have office in Sydney
Crosby Walch good bloke had rig for 2 months condenser .002
intermittent
Got first ticket in 1928 had been tgst in PO had no trouble with
morse and got a first class ticket then they reclassified all
first class tickets and made them second unless you requalified
that was in 1930 they took me to 2YA principal station in
Wellington to revalidate finding faults and all the rest of it I'd
never seen a broadcast station before
Hope was enggr in charge of 7HO at Findlays
Domain article by Tom Moffat John Britmead? came well after me
new one was going up there were two aerials responded to all freqs
one on each transmitter this was emergency one
this one was american amateurs no aerial tuning ring did the same
this was a wire device No toilet at first council emptied once a
week superintendent visiting a scorpion bit him then we got a
septic tank
Tom Moffat Prins Radio
Wire broke when hauling up the ring came dowm hell of a mess
cupboard fell and all my slides
no provision to prevent birds getting into it whitewashed car
toilet
Doug
Hobart Radio first info about possible closure 1969 Maritime
troubles in South of Tas Melbourne doesnt receive them
TC boat lost I was on holidays at Bluff, NZ I went to look at
the radio station cos I had done one days job on it
At that particuar time if a telegraphist in the PO if he was sick
there was no sick leave. I went down there when I started Ararua
from Bluff old T model ford mail coach bloke was back at work. I
had come from Wellington, by boat to Lyttleton, by train through
Dunedin down to Bluff and you went to Ararua by mail coach, an old
T model Ford. The bloke should never have been at work, he died
five days later but had to work as no money
He was on 295 pounds a year about 6 per week had a wife and two or
three children. I had to stay a day until the bus went back and
had to work for that day 8 hours a weeks holiday maximum
Then I had to come back to Wellington then I got put on transfer
to Chatham Is I thought thats the end of it I've had enogh I went
to Union Co second op on the Wahini so thats whenI went to sea 4
pounds a month, a pound a week a labourer got 18/2 per week
normally they'd have to pay 12pounds per month but me being a
junior there were no unions nothing at all in those times so
they put me 4pounds a month I did 8 months on the Wahini I
was transferred to the Marconi I got 6 pounds per month on the
Marconi I relieved on two Marconi ships 6/ month Then sent on a
ship on my own and came on the full rate I was on the mail boat
on the Vancouver run and I was paid 12/month I was under age and
the full rate was about 16/m Didn't save very much One
disability - first day out on every ship I was on I got seasick -
right up until the day I finished.
Side 2
I had 2 weeks leave 2 yrs On the Loongana Melb - Dport I had to
help a lady have a baby she called the baby HEW My wife died in
1980 met my present wife walking on the mountain
Cuppa
Went to Vladivostok once their tea was made with mud awful stuff
poorest place I ever saw in my life about 1930
There were two English ships there and their radio operators were
locked up but they didnt touch me.
I gave the ships away in 1937 I was on the Paloona and I went to
Richmond as council clerk. All the time I was away at sea I
srudied differnt things - diesels, oils, water - correspondence
courses. I had three children and wanted to go ashore I applied
for the job and they gave it to another bloke but he died and i
reapplied and they gave it to me. I stayed there till I went
away to the war away 2 1/2 years came back not too good walking
with sticks. I left there in 58, 21 years. In 1982 I wanted to
go to NZ and I had to get a passport - They said you have to be a
citizen. I said surely to God I must be, I've been a Justice of
the Peace, a coroner, served with the Australian army... I had
run? citizen ceremonies for about 400 people.
Got a job with OTC with the old certificate I had
While I was away in Malaya I had my radio certificate with me Japs
got my coat when I got skittled. I went to Wellington from
Richmond. I want to renew my certificate cos its lost. Years
afterwards I received my lost certificate from the army via Japan.
Showed certificates
Got fed up with snap and snarl of people. Was talking to Bill
Watson on 80 (I was using 20?) offered a job. Advert in a couple
of days. I'd been out for over 20 years. Bill walked out and left
me with it. Had a morse circuit to the CTO using sounder I'd not
used that since 1927. Had to find everything myself. When you
went to a new ship you had to find everything
The receivers were AWA and OTC OTC good AWA wartime. Small ships
2182 6280 most work 500 small ships and outstations like Maria Is
were telephony weather and telegrams Port Davey Bond bay (20 miles
from Port Davey) 2 on coast Hunter and Three Hummock Island and
about three Hydro stations all on 5355 6v batt originally pedal
radio Mrs Hunt of Maria Is had formerly been the matron at New
Norfolk infoirmary and they couldnt get a cook so she resigned as
matron and took on the job of cook and stayed there as cook for
many years and went to Maria when she retired.
Just on Domain when I started installed receiving stations on top
or Mt Rumney via telephone and FM link I lived at Penna and had to
fix rcvrs when Melb called. OTC wanted better so Yellow? bluff
about a mile from Dennes Point on Bruny. Power 240/13V or 26V at
2182 2201 4 6280 all telephone fishing freqs. Had trouble with
rxs had to call out ferry boat drive from Dennes point walk in
rain about 3 trips Many trips to Rumney boozing station
everybody came to watch
Most Bruny troubles were blown fuse cos of power fluctuations and
lightning strikes cost $500 travel costs Rat ate rubber
500KHz at station. Had trouble with Hydro channels 512, a
working freq, 468 working freq, 499 just on distress freq.
Fred Harland worked for Hydro came up and did survey and
eventually they changed freq. then trouble with city council we
were breaking in on their cars - we found a faulty insulator up at
our place was causing the trouble - that took a lot of finding
We sent weather at certain times of the day 7.45 pm big weather on
500 and gale warnings etc at diff times during day
Bill Watson went to Port Davey for three months holiday said will
you go down and check the house. Hose and stove were left on
Lent him a tent damaged by salt water came back in pieces
7 - 1, 2 - 8
In Wellington Radio 8 hour shift get there at 7.30 for 8.00 start
had to sign over for the pencils 1/3 of a pencil Come in found
up to 30 messages to send to CTO
NZ PO were worse than AWA superintendent and two operators
3 at Awarua Went over in 1976 57 at Awarua 120 at Wellington
8 on duty at one time only one circuit 500 when I was there
sent out press on 9pm 800M had 55M all ships at sea with short
wave Rangitira Rangatiki Rangatike
When I was on the mail boats I wanted to sit for an american
ticket had to do a 24 hour shift on a coast station 57 families
at the station 500 and 36 earphone KPH in both ears took an
hour to get used to it exam 30 wpm for 10 min code and cipher 3
min each 25 and 20 paid fee $25 can't issue certificate as not
american citizen
Distress on american coast passenger boat 25KT I was on Mongalui
on watch at 12 oclock SOS goniometer of DF swung fix call sign
once and finish. about 80 miles from us. warship called wanted our
course speed. rescued 140 people 2-300 lost 25kt in fog hit tanker
offered citizenship given gold testimonial all lost when
baggage stolen off train between dport and hobart
Narcoota 3rd mate had been commander of subs resigned from union
co went away with wouldnt bow to japanese cut his head off in
front of passengers
Chatam is 600 mi from wellington
Amateur radio first in NZ electrician on border 6d on tram met
him at union co sending morse too fast helped by operating only
14 yr old joined po 15 left wellington college to po got
interested in operating picked up quickly put on circuit place
in operating room within 6 months New Plymouth
taken to amateur meeting they surprised at operating had to
make all equipment incl batteries rewind headphones make
transmitter and receiver 1 valve across room passed exam but
only 15 had to get warranty from father went for commercial
ticket Johnsons wireless school Taylor 40 pounds for lectures
paid money he disappeared next day superintendent at AWA school
po 23/9 per week sat commercial lic when 17 no lic cos not 18
went to lawyer cost 10/6 told PO they said WHAT and issued
licence
Amateur put tx together had lic for few years in nz got lic
about 1950 in Richmond Using home made transmitter 2x210 in
parallel 20 watts 80M couldnt get Hobart on 80M except Bill Watson
he reading me on 80 when I on 20 Rx superhet no RF Disposals
not used
Only 20 when married Narcoota money 12/m 15 kakarangu married
men got regular runs i was on go all time when i set up home
in aus in 1929 still operating out of nz as far as union co
concerned When I got ticket revalidated I got job on mail boat
to Frisco when only 20 nobody else had bothered to go and get
their ticket revalidated (4QG the brisbane hotel in sydney)
Jumped from 15 to 26 pounds per month and published newspaper so
worked out about 30/m
some were smuggling
Buy stamps po in sydney 1d ea worth 5c ea in frisco buy used
stamps in us 5c/12 sell in aus nz 2 or 3d ea 200 - 300
20s nz=25s aus but heavy
one fellow in drug business throat cut
Prohibition had to empty a bath in america before use there
was a funny smell they didn't ask me to stay there again
Chimney still at VIH just after new aerials erected
Showed photos of station
Operating room on Macoora 3 operator ship rf det af
regenerative
Narcoota coils on one valve rx
1964 Wellington zoo elephant