| |
|
"Wavescan" is a weekly program for long distance radio hobbyists produced by Dr. Adrian M. Peterson, Coordinator of International Relations for Adventist World Radio. AWR carries the program over many of its stations (including shortwave). Adrian Peterson is a highly regarded DXer and radio historian, and often includes features on radio history in his program. We are reproducing those features below, with Dr. Peterson's permission and assistance.
Wavescan 379, March 31, 2002
The Mystery of the Disappearing Islands [Tuvalu]
A recent issue of the "New Zealand DX Times", which is received in our Indianapolis office by email, reveals the startling news that the government of Tuvalu in the South Pacific plans to abandon their island nation. Rising sea waters are cited as the main reason for this dramatic decision.
The islands of Tuvalu were formerly known as the Ellice Islands. They rank as the second smallest country in the world, population wise; and the fourth smallest in the world, area wise. Tuvalu has a population of just 10,000 people and a total area of only 10 square miles.
The nine islands of Tuvalu are located 2,000 miles northeast of Australia, and they are mainly coral atolls spread out over a distance of 360 miles. The capital city is Funafuti, a village of just 1,000 people.
The Tuvalu islands enjoy a tropical climate, and the rainfall is quite heavy, up to 140 inches per year. The main produce grown in these small islands is coconut, banana and the taro root.
This island group was first populated by Polynesians, probably from Samoa, and they were discovered by a Spanish explorer in 1568. Great Britain annexed the islands a little more than 100 years ago and then combined them with the Gilbert Islands to form the Gilbert & Ellice Islands Colony. In 1975 the two island groups were separated, and three years later the Ellice Islands were granted independence as Tuvalu.
In recent time, the government of Tuvalu has constructed sea walls to keep the islands from being inundated by rising sea water. However, the government states that they can no longer afford to build these sea walls higher and higher, nor to find new sources of drinking water. They announce that they plan to gradually abandon these islands.
The "Pacific Islands Report" states that this is the first time for an island country to abandon its territory due to global warming and rising sea waters. As a recent issue of the Air Malaysia flight magazine states, for many years, Earth Scientists have issued warnings about global warming and its effects on low lying islands. As a confirmation of their predictions, the Bible states that "every island fled away", and another book, printed in 1888, states "Inhabited islands disappear".
Both Australia and New Zealand have agreed to take in quotas of people who are forced out of their island homes by the rising sea waters.
Work on the first radio station in Tuvalu began before independence, though this construction was interrupted by Hurricane Bebe which swept through the area in 1972. This station went on the air on August 15, 1975 under the slogan Radio Tuvalu, as a relay station from Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands. After independence the station began producing all of its own programming.
Currently, the only radio station in the Tuvalu islands is on the air with 5 kW on 621 kHz under the callsign T2U2. The "New Zealand DX Times" encourages listeners to send a reception report to Radio Tuvalu while it is still possible, in order to receive a QSL from an exotic radio station that is soon to disappear. They will confirm by letter.
Next week we will continue this story of "The Mystery of the Disappearing Islands", though with an interesting twist.
This Week in Radio History - Easter Island
The primary date for the broadcast of this edition of Wavescan is Sunday, March 31, which is designated in many parts of the world as Easter Sunday. It was on Easter Sunday in the year 1722 that the Dutch navigator, Admiral Jacob Roggeveen, discovered and named Easter Island.
Easter Island lies in the South Pacific, half way between South America and Pitcairn Island, and Pitcairn is located about half way between South America and Australia. This dot in the broad ocean, with its 63 square miles, is the top of a dormant volcano. The local inhabitants call their island, "Rapu Nui".
Over the past many centuries, there have been four different societies living on Easter Island. The original settlers arrived more than 1,500 years ago, followed by a wave of immigrants who destroyed this first settlement. Then came the Polynesians in the 1600's, who also massacred all of the inhabitants. In the year 1868, missionary settlers came from South America, and since that time the island has been administered by Chile.
There is just one small town on the island, with a total population of 2800 people. In addition, both the Chilean navy and the Chilean air force maintain small bases on Easter Island.
There are two main mysteries on Easter Island. One is the tall statues, 600 of them actually, with some standing 50 ft. tall and weighing up to 50 tons each. These were probably carved out by the early Polynesians as memorials to their dead. The other mystery is the strange writing on wooden tablets, which is as yet undeciphered. Some 20 of these wooden tablets are now deposited in different museums.
The first local radio station on Easter Island was a volunteer project operated by personnel in the Chilean air force. The existence of this station was revealed to the world in a publication from Denmark, "The World Radio TV Handbook Newsletter". This original mediumwave station was on the air daily with a 250 watt transmitter operating at reduced power on 690 kHz.
These days there are two radio broadcasting stations located on Easter Island, both volunteer projects. The original station is now designated as Radio Manukena, and it is heard on both mediumwave and FM, 580 kHz and 101.8 MHz. The Chilean navy is on the air also, on 98.5 MHz FM.
In addition, there is an airways beacon with the callsign H2Q on 280 kHz, and a communication station CA17E which was noted some years ago on 13,200 kHz. At least one listener has received a letter QSL, in Spanish, from Easter Island, and one of the AWR personnel, Darryl Gungadoo in Forli, Italy, made a visit to the island during a world tour last year.