BC-DX TopNews WWDXC #945 BC-DX 945

transmitters at two different locations; two at 10 kW at Pennant Hills in
New South Wales, and one at 2 kW at Lyndhurst in Victoria.
During the following month, preliminary test broadcasts began from a 4th
transmitter, again just 2 kW, at a 3rd location, Wanneroo in Western
Australia. This then is the story of Radio Australia Wanneroo, and we
present this information here in this edition of Wavescan in honor of
Radio Australia's 70th anniversary.
It was back in the year 1932 that the PMG Dept procured the Wanneroo
property on the northern edge of the state capital, Perth, for the purpose
of establishing a new radio broadcasting station. At the end of the year,
the eight year old mediumwave station 6WF, located on the top of a
commercial building in downtown Perth, was retired and a new 5 kW
transmitter for this ABC service was installed at Wanneroo.
In 1938, work commenced at Wanneroo for the installation of two additional
broadcast transmitters, one mediumwave and one shortwave. The one year old
mediumwave 6WN was transferred from the city post office building to
Wanneroo, and a new shortwave transmitter VLW was installed for coverage
of outback areas in Western Australia.
The earliest known test broadcast from the new shortwave station VLW was
noted in the United States on 7170 kHz in September 1939. However, with
the inauguration of Australia Calling, plans were laid for the
incorporation of this new unit on the west coast of the continent into
part time usage for programming beamed to South Africa and the islands of
Indonesia.
Additional test broadcasts from VLW were noted in Australia and New
Zealand during the following weeks, and, in the New Year 1940, test
broadcasts were beamed specifically towards Africa. This transmitter was
officially taken into the programming service of Australia Calling on
April 7, 1940, with programming in both English and Afrikaans.
Interestingly, two sets of callsigns were in use from this low powered
transmitter. One set of numeric designators was in use for the ABC outback
service in Western Australia, and another set for the overseas service
from Australia Calling. For example:- VLW2 was in use with ABC programming
on 9615 kHz VLW2 Australia Calling 9650 kHz
The initial series of broadcasts beamed to Africa from VLW with a relay of
programming from Radio Australia in Melbourne lasted for less than a year.
However, a new service in the Malay language for the Asian islands north
of Australia was introduced in October 1941, though this service too was
soon afterwards terminated.
In 1945, the 2 kW VLW was dropped completely from Radio Australia
programming and these program services were transferred to the three new
high powered shortwave transmitters located at Shepparton in Victoria.
Transmitter VLW was now on the air exclusively with the ABC regional
service to the outback.
In 1959, work commenced on a new transmitter building at Wanneroo in which
several new mediumwave and shortwave transmitters were installed. These
new units, three shortwave and four mediumwave ranging in power from 2 kW
to 50 kW, were taken into full service in 1962.
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