Radio Broadcast A trip to Perth
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éep!ember 1st, 1925 RADIO BROADCAST. 41
A TRIP TO PERTH.
By B. JERMYN MASTERS (3LM)
Victoria's Delegate to the Second Annual Convention of the Wireless Institute of Australia.
CCOMPANITED by Mro Ivsh (7PF) of Tas- much advertised “Transcontinental,” leaving here
mania, and Mr. Stowe (20N) of New about an hour later for our trip across the great
South \Wales, | deft Melbourne by the Australian desert, and in the words of our American
Adelaide cexpress on the afternoon of - Mon- cousins, “helieve me, it is some desert.”
day, August 3wl arriving in Adelaide carly I had heard a great deal about this train, but
next morning. tlere we were met by Mr. Kauper after living on it for a couple of days was very
(sBG) and Mr. Williams=on (3:\H) and spent the disappointed. Granted that it is operated under
hour’s wait in discussing many things pertaming to vreat difficulties, there are many small things that
amateur wircless aind the convention, could e done for the greater comfort of the travel-
Leaving Ndelarde we travelled through @ very fer<. 1 counsider that the sleeping cars are very
rich wheat belt until we reached Terowie at hali- crdinary after ouwr own Adelaide express, the fare
The Convention Delegates and some of the West Austraian “H.ms™ at Munaring Weir, near Perth.
past three in the afternoon, where we again changed i~ quite ordinary, and the service 1s generally poor.
trains, thiz timce mto 4 narrow gauge one even The verson who compares this train with an Eng-
worse and miore antiquated than some of those sup- lish or American Pullman i1s just about! crazy, the
plying sonte of our own mountain resorts. .\t 0.30 only added comiort being one shower, which in hot
we reached a place cailed Furclias where we were weather 15 expected to meet the needs of a train load
served with what wus <tyvled dinner. s the chef of hot and dusty people, who nearly all want to use
and the waitresses had been partaking in that well- it at the same time.
known Australian pastime—striking—and this par- The trip across the desert was most interesting
ticular one had been sertded only just hefore the to one who has not previously experienced this
arrival of the train, 1T ocan Jeave it to the imagina- “pleasure.”” Waking up on \Wednesday morning
tion of the readers o realize the kind of meal we we got our first view of this desolate country.
had, but they (did not forget to charge full price for Nothing but red sandy hills, sparsely covered with
it. ~mall <crub with a few gum trees here and there,
At 10 pan. thi- nighe we arrived at Port Augusta, and every time there s the slightest breeze the train
and once more transvorted ourselves and all our and all 1t contents, including passengers, are
luggage into the fourth train, but this time into the covered with a film of fine dust.
42 RADIO BROADCAST September Ist 1925
About 420 miles from Port Augusta the train . tually connected with Tasmania, and alfter all hav-
runs out on to the Nullarbor Plains, which are ing a shot at the key, returned to the hotel at 12.45
even worse than what has gone before. The trees, a.m.
which for some time had been getting smaller and The whole of Saturday was taken up with
fewer, have now disappearcd entirely, and for hun- three sessions of the convention, but on the comple-
dreds of miles nothing over two feet in height can tion of the last session at 9.30 we adjourned to the
be seen as far as the horizon, and as the country experimental station of Mr. Coxon (0AG). His ap-
is as flat as a billiard table, there is absolutely noth- paratus was partially dismantled, as portion of it
ing to relieve the monotony. was being used at O\WF, while the latter’s was being
The last 200 miles to Kalgoorlie is again slightly repaired after a blowout. Small things like this did
hilly and well timbered with gums, sandlewood, and not bother Mr. Coxon, who, with only portion of his
gimbletwood, and the never-ending salt bush and regular apparatus, was still able to bust the ether,
blue bush. Reaching the highest lever of the trip and we were again enabled to communicate with
near Kardnie (1186 feet above sea level), the line N.S.W. and one Victorian country station.
drops in easy stages to Kalgoorlie, a town with a Sunday was wholly taken up with a wonderful
very interesting past, but one with slight hopes of motor trip of over 8o miles to Mundaring Weir, the
any future. \We arrived here just after lunch and source of Perth's and Kalgoorlie’s water supply.
after a wait of over 3 hours changed into the fifth After lunch at teh hotel we were conducted over the
and last train for the trip. Weir and the large pumping station, and again
Mr. Cecil met us at the Kalgoorlie station with bhoarding the cars took a trip round the water shed,
his car and took us for a tour along the “Golden where we saw some wonderful scenery and passed
Mile,” where all the large and only mines are over some very bad roads, arriving back in Perth
located. After visiting his station (6AB) ‘we paid just in time for tea, after having spent a most cnjoy-
a visit to the School of Mines, where he is physics able dav. In the cvening a second visit was paid
instructor, and were surprised at the completeness to Mr. Coxon’s, but his gencrator broke down, and
of the apparatus. Mr. Cecil made our wait here
most enjoyable and instructive, and we are glad to
be able to take this opportunity of thanking him.
The only recollection I have of the last stage of
the trip, from Kalgoorlic to Perth (3735 miles), was
the continual growl from cveryone about the ac-
comodation on the “best train in Western Austra-
lia.” The least said about it the better.
We arrived at Perth only one hour late and
were simply overwhelmed and most agreeably sur-
prised at the welcome we received from the “hams,”
in fact it scemed to us that the whole of Perth was
there to greet us. After a few days amongst thé
gang we werc not surprised at anything they put
across, cven to their farewell ceremonices at the sta-
tion on the night we left.
After being duly installed in the hotel we all had
lunch together and were then taken across to 6\WF,
the broadcasting station of \Westralian FFarmers, and
personally conducted over the whole station by the
general manager, W. Coxon, Esq. The convention,
by the courtesy of the management, was held at
6WF, and at 3 p.m. was officially opened by the
chairman, Mr. Holt, M.I.LE.5., and the serious part
of our tour begun. A complete account of the
convention will be published next month after the
report of the delegate has ben dealt with by Coun-
cil.
At the end of the second session (1o p.m.) we
paid a visit to Peter Kennedy (6AM) and en-
deavoured to get into communication with the Eas-
tern States. This we found very difficult, but even- IWhen writing to our advertisers, kindly mention " Radio Broadcast.”’
September 1st, 1925 RADIO BROADCAST. 43
by the time it was repaired all the eastern opera- ary reporter, and prepared the report, which con-
tors must have gone to bed, as none could be raised. sists of 30 pages of closely written foolscap.
which was funny, as it was only 2 a.m. eastern time.
On Tuesday morning we visited Mr. Scott, the
On Monday morning we visited the State Radio Inspector, and after having a chat with him
Museum and Public Library, where we saw many
about things in general, went round to 6\WWF, where
interesting relics of the early mining days, and all the local hams brought their wave meters to
whole rooms full of native weapons and curios, etc. have them calibrated by Mr. Stowe. We also found
In the afternoon we werc the guests of Professor
time tol go up on to the roof of the G.P.O. (the
Ross at the University, who conducted us over the highest point in Perth), when we obtained a splen-
Nat. Phil. School, and performed many interesting did view of the city, and from where we were able
experiments for our edification. The Professor, to get some splendid photos of the surrounding ter-
notwithstanding his many University duties, still
rain.
finds time to take an active part in Institute doings
and the general activities of the members. In the afternoon we paid a visit to 60BN, the
Monday night was THE night. station of Mr. Stephens, and had the pleasure of
A dinner in
honour of the visiting delegates, when we were having afternoon tea with him and his wife.
given the opportunity of personally mecting the All the stations we visited were a credit to their
large body of general members of the affiliated soc- owners, and the workmanship generally is of a much
ieties. There is not sufficient space in this maga- higher standard than that which prevails in Vic-
zine to fully report this function, but suffice it to toria. Very little modern American apparatus can
say that there were ninc toasts and the festivities be obtained in the West, and I consider they are
were not concluded until nearly midnight. Oh! doing very creditable work considering the disad-
what a time we had! Two very happy incidents vantages under which they work. There are only
were the presentations. The first one being a about a dozen licensed stations, and as they do not
W.LA. Pennant, presented to the W.A. division by use their transmitters until after broadcasting hours
the visiting delegates. as a small mark of apprecia- (midnight in the Eastern States) it is not much
tion for the wonderful time they were giving us, wonder that they are very seldom heard over here.
and the second one, a fountain pen, presented by thc The Convention has given amateur activities a won-
convention to Mr., Goldsmith, who acted as honor- derful stimulus, and as several schedules have been
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44 RADIO BROADCAST Sepientiaer 1st 1925
arranged there should be quite a lot of testing be- Perth, and visited the station of Mr. Darley, 6C]J.-
tween the East and the West in the near future. This was the first station that reminded me of the
On Tuesday evening the delegates were the East, in fact it could have been one of 3BD’s dis-
guests of 6WF at a dinner, and afterwards at a carded sets that had been transported whole to
theatre party. The thanks of all the delegates, and Perth, even to the high tension lines wandering all
of the Eastern delegates in particular, are extended over the floor and all about the operator.
to this company for the very concrete interest shown We again tried to rais¢ some of the second or
in our doings. Coming from the Eastern States it third district stations, but without avail. One sta-
is truly remarkable to find such close co-operation tion in Tasmania was worked, and this seemed to
existing between an Australian Broadcasting Co. be the only consistent district, followed by N.S.W.
and a division of the W.I.LA. It is a splendid thing a bad second. The only Victorian station that
for the Institute, and the management of 6WF very could be raised was 3AF at Geelong—fb OM.
early realised the benefits to be gained by them from Thursday morning was spent in rummaging
this co-operation. It is a point that could be well through the old stores of the City Electric Light
investigated by the Broadcasting Companies in the Company, and many pieces of apparatus were col-
East. lected for shipment to the Eastern States, amongst
On Wednesday morning we were left to our own which were five d.c. generators, which were acquired
devices for the first time. In the afternoon we went for a mere song. Therel are many more of these
by car out to Applecross, a run of about ten miles, articles available, and particulars can be obtained
where we were welcomed by the operator-in-charge, from the writer. For lunch we were the guests
and shown all over V.I.P. The power house gives of Mr. McCallum, the Minister for Public Works,
one the idea of efficiency, with modern, first-class at Parliameunt House, who personally conducted us
machinery and generators, but the wireless housc over all the buildings. It having now started to
was the usual Australian coastal commercial sta- rain, we returned to the hotel and packed up ready
tion. On the return journey we caught a launch for the return journey.
at Canning River, and after about three-quarters of After a farewell dinner at the hotel we ad-
an hour’s run along and across the Swan River, journed to 6WF, from where Mr. Stowe broadcasted
rcached Perth just in time for dinner. a farewell speech, thanking one and all for the won-
In the evening we went by ferry across to South derful time we had, and then the farewell at the sta-
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September 1st, 1925 RADIO BROADCAST. 45
tion, They were all there again to see us off, and sBN, the station of Mr. Austin, and after having
I may state that it cost us several shillings to square tca with him and his family, finished the day with
the conductor and train crew for clearing up the - Mr. Kauper (5BG). This station is too well known
mess in our part of the train after we had left Perth. to need any comment.
The return journey was a repetition of the jour- After spending the whole of Tuesday with Mr.
ney over. Mr. Cecil was at Kalgoorlie again to Austin in his car, travelling over a hundred miles
see us, but this time we only stopped for half an to see the many interesting sights surrounding the
hour, but managed to give him a fair idea of the de- city, I caught the Melbourne express and landed
liberations of the Convention. At Adelaide we home next day after having spent sixteen hectic
parted company, Messrs. Fysh and Stowe con- days, packed full of incident from daylight to mid-
tinuing their journey, while 1 stepped off for a night. The only thing which now remains is to
couple of days to see what the gang were doing present my report of the Convention to the council
over in this State. Messrs. Kauper and William- and members of the Victorian division, and if there
son were again, at the station to see us, and after is any of me left after this, to write up a full report
arranging for quarters at a hotel, I went out to Mr. “of the Convention for the next issue.
Williamson’s (5AH), where we again tried to raise OQQOOOOOOO
one of the Eastern States, but once again without
success. One thing 1 saw here which made me SELECTIVITY AND A GOOD EARTH.
very envious was a smoothing condenser which It is useless to expect a high degree of selec-
even 3JU would never blow out. ' tivity from any set that is not properly earthed. A
Monday morning was spent in seeing the sights poor earth means high resistance, and this in turn
of the City of Adelaide, and after lunch I paid a means damping of the aerial circuit and broad tun-
visit to 5CL, who have a temporary station in the ing. Resistance is inimical to resonance; in fact it
Grosvenor Building, and believe me, it is very tem- is sometimes deliberately introduced to prevent self-
oscillation caused by the inter-action of two sharply-
porary.
tunied circuits. A bundle of old but not rusty) wire
After a visit to 5DN, a “B” class broadcasting netting makes one of the¢ best earths it isl possible
station, and a jolly fine station, too,
I went round to to get. M. A L.
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