“Rex was a radio technician and came down from ZLD to ZLW in the early 1950s. An extremely popular man. He died in the early 1990s.”
– Clyde Williams
The open-wire feeders from the transmitters left the building via large ceramic feedthrough insulators mounted in the small panes of glass at the top of the windows in the wall behind the transmitters. However for a time there was a central row of transmitters where the feeders went via standoff insulators mounted on the ceiling to the feedthrough insulators in the windows. The photo with Jack in it shows the feeders from the central row, hence the ceiling-mounted insulators.
An interesting feature regarding the open-wire feeders is that above each of the windows holding the feedthroughs a fluorescent tube was mounted. They were not connected to the mains in anyway but they would strike and glow brightly when the open wire feeders were carrying RF from one of the transmitters. You could see the Morse code being sent by the flashing of the tube. When I returned to the station as the Senior Tech in 1970 the open wire feeders had all been replaced by coaxial cable and at first it seemed strange without the flashing tubes although you could still hear the transmitters being keyed. You could tell a lot about the health of a transmitter by the way it sounded.
– Chris Underwood
1951
Wellington Radio ZLW, in conjunction with the Dominion Observatory station ZMO, transmitted time signals using A2 (modulated radiotelegraphy) on 500 kHz.
Notices to mariners were broadcast from Wellington Radio ZLW using A2 (modulated radiotelegraphy) on 500 kHz and A3 (AM radiotelephone) on 2162 kHz.
Medical advice to ships was available from Wellington Radio, using radiotelegraphy.
1952
Wellington Radio ZLW transmitted meteorological bulletins using radiotelephone and radiotelegraph.
1953
With the opening of Himatangi Radio, near Foxton, Wellington Radio became focused on maritime communications.1
1957
In the shed facing the camera with the large roller door (photo above) lived the notorious engine-alternator plant. During my first week on the station in 1965 I was shown this large beast – it towered over me – and I was told that in future it would be my duty to start and run it once a week for an hour to ensure that it worked. I was warned that, since an accident some years before, it had at least one slightly bent con-rod and didn’t run quite as smoothly as it should.
This was followed by instruction in how to start it. This involved first checking that the power switch for it was locked in the Test Run position. Next was starting the small petrol “donkey” engine mounted on the side of the big diesel. This engine was temperamental and on some days for no apparent reason could be quite difficult to start. Having got it to start, and having let it run for a short time to warm up, came the big moment when you connected it to the big Caterpillar diesel through a dog clutch arrangement and crossed your fingers that the donkey engine wouldn’t stall.
Normally, although the small engine literally groaned with the load, all would be well and the big “Cat” would slowly turn over a couple of times then start. It was in the days before ear protection and it was loud, but you had to stay there until it settled down. Then you could shut down the petrol engine and go out for a breath of fresh air and relative quiet.
After about an hour I had to go back and shut it down; I no longer remember the procedure for this but it was simple compared with the starting procedures. Checking the oil and fuel levels was easy but overall the weekly test run was not one of my favourite duties.
– Chris Underwood
“One normally thinks of Morse being sent on CW transmitters but the NZPO normally used MCW (Modulated CW) transmitters. The advantage of this was that if a receiving station didn’t have a proper CW receiver with a BFO, and a lot didn’t, they could more easily read the signal.”
– Chris Underwood
Notes:
1 Wilson, A.C. (1994). Wire and wireless: A history of telecommunications in New Zealand 1890-1987, (p 138), Palmerston North, New Zealand: Dunmore Press.