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"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 419, January 5, 2003
Goodbye VNG
According to letters sent out from the chronohertz station VNG in Llandilo in New South Wales Australia, this station was closed down a few days ago at the end of the old year. It is planned that calibrations by GPS satellites will replace the signals broadcast by shortwave station VNG. It is possible, however, that the low-powered 1 kW service on 2500 kHz for the Sydney area may still remain on air.
The history of the chronohertz station VNG, with its familiar ticking sounds, goes way back more than 50 years. Test broadcasts from a 2 kW transmitter at Lyndhurst in Victoria under the callsign VLX were noted back in March 1946. At the time, this transmitter was carrying a relay of the ABC programming in parallel with the other shortwave station VLR.
Soon afterwards, this transmitter began to broadcast only time signals with a standard tone on a constant frequency. The callsign was changed to VNG, reminiscent of earlier time signals that were emitted by maritime radio stations as XNG. The NG stood for navigation and the X was an abbreviation for transmission.
An improved service was introduced on September 21, 1964, using a 10 kW STC transmitter. Subsequently, two more transmitters at 10 kW were installed at Lyndhurst for this chronohertz service.
The ABC closed their Lyndhurst radio station in 1987, though the VNG service remained on air for a few months longer. During the following year, 1988, four of the 10 kW STC transmitters were removed from Lyndhurst and transferred to Llandilo in New South Wales, where they were re-installed at the International Transmitting Station operated by the Civil Aviation Authority.
A few years later, VNG bought two more transmitters; one was the 10 kW ABC unit VLQ near Brisbane in Queensland, and the other was a 2.5 kW Harris transmitter at commercial station 2KA in the Blue Mountains, out from Sydney.
Over the years, various transmitter configurations have been used on various frequencies at VNG Llandilo. Their QSL card shows four main frequencies: 5000, 8638, 12984 and 16000 kHz. All four transmitters were STC units at 10 kW, with the old VLQ in operation as a standby unit. The transmitter for the Sydney coverage on 2500 kHz is listed as a 1 kW Harris transmitter.
The antennas for the four main transmitters are described as quadrant dipoles, and the antenna for the Sydney service was a vertical monopole.
Chronohertz station VNG was noted as a good verifier, from both offices in Canberra and Sydney. The Canberra QSLs in the form of folded sheets were signed by Dr. Marion Leiba, who is noted in Australia for her research into earthquake phenomena. Some QSLs were actual photos of transmitters and antennas.
Anyway, whatever QSLs you do hold from VNG are now unique, in view of the fact that they represent a part of Australia’s radio history. Incidentally, the VNG authorities are now looking for a suitable place to house all of these old transmitters.
Year End Report - Radio France International
The Year End report from Radio France International, RFI, reveals the fact that this broadcasting organization has developed a massive worldwide network for the electronic dissemination of information and entertainment. RFI is the international segment of the government broadcasting service, with headquarters in Paris, France.
For the past three years, RFI staff are working at the level of a 35 hour working week. The cost of operating RFI for this past year has been 121.7 million Euros.
The international radio broadcasting network that has been established for RFI coverage of the world is so large that it is almost impossible to list all of its facilities. Here is a summary of their broadcast outlets: 46 shortwave transmitters in France, Guyana in South America, and Gabon in Africa. It should be remembered that 31 of these transmitters are rated at 500 kW each. In addition, they are on the air from from several relay transmitters in Japan and China, and they have a big new shortwave station under construction in Thailand.
For coverage of Europe they are on the air mediumwave in France from 5 mega-power transmitters, and for the rest of the world they are on relay via 275 local AM and FM stations including one in Beijing, China with a super-power output of one million watts. The programming from Radio France International is also available on 32 direct broadcast satellites and on 45 cable networks. Radio France International is on the air globally with 3 program services in the French language, as well as in 13 additional languages.