# A Short Journey Down History Lane: 1939 New Zealand Radio



## dolan (Oct 4, 2005)

Shortwave radio history – communications in and out of New Zealand in 1939. 
Some shipping footage including Queen Mary.
This film is a 1939 Government film scanned to 2K from a 16mm combined B/W reduction print. It is from ArchivesNZ ( http://YouTube.com/ArchivesNZ ) and is licensd under Creative Commons Attribution

http://g.nw7us.us/1cIn92f


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## sparkie2182 (May 12, 2007)

Great film clip...........

Many thanks.


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## ben27 (Dec 27, 2012)

good day dolan.sm.today.06:55.re:a short journey down history lane:1939 new zeanand radio.thank you for a very informative video,the wife and I have walked the tinakori hills.(where the big mast's are)many a sunday.thanks again.have a good day regards ben27


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Great video, thanks.

However, that doesn't look like the QM's radio room...she had a remote tx room - that video had a local tx next to the r/o.


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

I didn't realise it was such a piece of cake sending a telegram from NZ to the Atlantic. Also, the original message was sent to Awarua Radio (ZLB) but ended up being sent from ZLW - presume Wellington had HF in those days. Sorry to be such a nitpicker.

Recall an entertaining booze up in the cottages up at ZLW.

John T


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## GBXZ (Nov 4, 2008)

Was the area scheme in operation in 1939 ? Possibly Wellington to the CTO in London then onwards to the QM via Portishead ?
Rgds GBXZ


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## King Ratt (Aug 23, 2005)

Area scheme started in 1946 according to Google/GKA enquiry.


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

In the clip Wellington called Queen Mary direct (GBTT de ZLW). No traffic list or broadcast. Ridiculous.

John T


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## IMRCoSparks (Aug 22, 2008)

Certainly not GBTT. Typewriters were in a recessed bay in front of the operator.
R/O's wore Cunard braid. Telegrams were decorated with the IMRCo letterhead. No Tx's in the Rx room. 
But a really interesting video clip. Tks for showing it.


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## holland25 (Nov 21, 2007)

Why didnt they just send an SMS. 

Seriously though it was a very interesting clip,showing how labour intensive the process was. Has anybody any idea how much the telegram would have cost ?


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## Bob Murdoch (Dec 11, 2004)

Most enjoyable. The views of New Zealand, especially Wellington, really brought back memories. It had not changed much when I first arrived in 1960, but had in my last visit in the mid 1970's.
Thanks, 
Bob


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

NZ was a GREAT run ashore....the locals were so friendly....


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## chadburn (Jun 2, 2008)

An interesting piece of film(Thumb)


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## G4UMW (May 30, 2007)

Some nice shots of the HRO receiver where the operator had to change a coil pack in order to change the tuning range.


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## chadburn (Jun 2, 2008)

The C/W Cell in the "Pit" was in a soundproof booth in the corner of the Tape Relay Room which was a very noisy place, the last RN vessels to receive the Morse Broadcast was the "Tons"


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## Searcher2004 (May 3, 2012)

G4UMW said:


> Some nice shots of the HRO receiver where the operator had to change a coil pack in order to change the tuning range.


Great film! I think the HRO receivers shown may have been the Australian version made by AWA? HRO-50T in regular use here!

73 de G3VKM


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Can anyone identify the ship they used as a stand in for GBTT?


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## G4UMW (May 30, 2007)

Searcher2004 said:


> Great film! I think the HRO receivers shown may have been the Australian version made by AWA? HRO-50T in regular use here!


Some sets were built by Kingsley Radio Pty of Melbourne and known as the K/CR/11 - these were known as the AR7 in RAAF service. HRO copies were also made for the Wehrmacht by Korting (as the AST) and also by Siemens.


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## Graham P Powell (Jun 2, 2007)

I haven't had chance to see the clip yet. On RML ships we regularly checked all European and N. and S American coast stations for traffic.
One night I noticed that one of the Queens was on the LPD ( General Pacheco in Argentina) tfc list. I did think about sending a svc via GKA to tell them they had traffic but by the next list it had gone. With all their passengers they probably monitored more stations than we did.
rgds
Graham Powell


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

R651400 said:


> The ship at sea in the beginning was one of Port Line. The first funnel in the clip looked like Orient line's Orion or Orontes and the second funnel could've been a Cunarder but defo not QM. Union SS had similar funnel colours but did they have a ship this size in 1939?
> The radio gear I think pre-dates 1939 by a few years and I don't think is Marconi.
> Nicely put together clip of maritime radio nostalgia. Thanks for posting.


Sorry, I meant the radio room....does anyone know what ship that was?


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