History of wireless telegraphy and broadcasting in Australia/Topical/Biographies/William Trevor Watkins/Notes

William Trevor Watkins - Transcriptions and notes

Non-chronological material

Email Ric Rogers VK7RO to Sam Dellit VK1DXA dated 4 August 2021 G'day Sam, I was just looking through some of the notes I made about Trevor and thought you might like the attached which suggests he had licence 336 in 1920. All the original letters are now in the Tasmanian Archives. -- 73, Ric, VK7RO

Letters from PMG etc to 7AA/7DX.

undated handwritten list of Experimental Stations Tasmania 7AA to 7BO presumably mostly listeners and predating amateur examinations

23/10/20 Dept of the Navy re inquiry concerning erection of small Wireless Installation - not exceeding 250 metres

12/11/20 PMG Dept Radio Service (was Department of the Navy, R.A.N. Radio Service) please apply on attached form fee 2 pounds

1/12/20 PMG Dept Radio Service Two licences enclosed for signature

4/1/21 PMG Dept Radio Section Your copy of licence enclosed

29/8/21 PMG Dept Circular re irregular use of Wireless apparatus

13/10/21 PMG Dept Experimental licence no 336 due on 30/11/21

24/10/21 PMG Dept Radio Section receipt enclosed

10/10/22 Prime Minister's Dept., Wireless Branch call sign 7AA supersedes T336

14/12/22 PM's Dept Wireless Branch receipt enclosed

30/10/23 PMG appreciation of work as Honorary Radio Inspector

30/11/23 PMG Dept, Telegraphs and Wireless Branch please sign enclosed licences and return duplicate together with old licence

20/12/23 PMG Dept Wireless Branch approval given to use circuit shown in letter of 4/12/23

25/9/24 PMG Dept Hobart approval to publicise the Commonwealth Loan

5/12/24 PMG Dept W Br licence enclosed

1/5/25 AOCP William Trevor Watkins

8/5/25 envelope PMG Telegraphs and Wireless Branch "Licence 7DX"

28/7/25 PMG W Br approval to use 20-36 metres until 30/11/25 Call sign now 7DX

13/10/25 PMG W Br amateur bands now 125-250, 85-95, 32-37, 21-23 and 8-10 metres

3/12/25 PMG W Br fee not due until 9/5/26 1 pound refunded

1/5/26 PMG W Br licence due 1 pound

1/6/26 PMG W Br licence enclosed

23/6/26 PMG W Br permission to use 100W for 6 months 8-10, 21-23 32-37, 85-95 metres until 30/9/26 when to be reconsidered

7/4/27 handwritten AOCP Exam (Confidential)

17/5/27 PMG Hobart 6WF on 1250 and 100 metres - please report

24/6/27 PMG W Br licence due

12/7/27 PMG Hobart 2YA Wellington opens 16/7/27 on 420M please report

22/8/27 PMG W Br licence enclosed

8/9/27 PMG Hobart Rugby on long and short wave 22 & 37M pse report?

21/9/27 PMG W Br permission to use 100W on 23 and 33M for 6 months

3/5/28 PMG Hobart 3LO testing on 32M - please report

9/5/28 PMG Hobart thanks 3LO report

8/12/28 PMG New Regulations effective from 31/12/28 60,000Kc(5M)- 56,000(5.35M), 30,000(10M)-28,000Kc(10.7M), 14,400Kc(20.8M)- 14,000(21.4M), 7,300Kc(41M)-7,000Kc(42.8M), 1,990Kc(150.8M)- 1,715Kc(175M), 1,715Kc(175M)-1,200Kc(250M) messages relating to experiments may be exchanged frequency(wave)meters required VK prefix to be used

10/12/28 PMG Hobart P.C.G.G. form enclosed ???

10/1/29 PMG 4000-3500Kc(75-85M) approved until 30/6/29

5/4/29 telegram ex 3RJ telegraph lines dislocated please help

24/4/29 PMG Thanks help [Launceston floods?]

30/5/29 PMG Hobart Southern Cross VMZAB testing please report

10/6/29 PMG Hobart thanks Southern Cross report

17/7/29 PMG Hobart L 1.11.3 enclosed for flood telegraph work

13/6/30 PMG W Br WIA indicates amateurs prepared help in emergencies please fill in questionnaire [not done!]

22/7/30 PMG W Br 4000-3500 & 1715-1200 OK until 31/1/31 no more 250M during broadcasting hours

15/7/31 PMG Hobart regret illness licence not yet due

To Mrs Watkins

26/8/31 PMG Hobart Deputy Director regret death

26/8/31 PMG Hobart Deputy Radio Inspector regrets

7/9/31 PMG Hobart Malone, Chief Inspector (wireless) conveys regrets

undated two copies of Experimental Wireless Stations General Information Regarding Operation and Conditions of Issue of Licences

(includes freqs as 8/12/28 and 10/1/29)

Email Ric Rogers VK7RO to Sam Dellit VK1DXA dated 6 August 2021

The Wireless Institute in Hobart has some log books which belonged to W.T.Watkins 7AA, 7DX, A7DX, OA7DX, VK7DX from 1923 to 1930. Trevor Watkins was born in 1899 and died in 1931, probably of TB. The log books appear to be incomplete and it looks as if the books are a fair copy of his working notes. An article by Geoff, VK3AC, in the March 1997 copy of the RAOTC journal mentioned Trevor Watkins, OA7DX and Max Howden VK3BQ. I was reminded of an aside in the first log book of Watty's when he logged a contact between 4AA in New Zealand and 3BQ. Next to 3BQs call are the words "bum fist". Watty's first log book entry is dated 4th February, 1923, and reads "VHS de 7AA sigs qsa laying at Hobart wharf". He notes that he was using 80 volts on an "R" valve. Wattys initial experiments were on 420 metres and it was not until he heard New Zealand stations on 250M that he tried the higher frequency. There are many stations logged sending things like this from 15th July, 1923 ". . . if anyone gets this at a distance would be glad of report. Address R. J. Orbell 254 Heaton St Christchurch" Watty was heard on the mainland and reports swapped by letter, but the first interstate two way contact, with 2ZG, was not until August 1923. It was not until he had a more powerful transmitter, a UV202 with a 350 volt AC power supply, that regular interstate contacts are logged. The phone versus CW debate was apparently in evidence early, because on 22nd August 1923 he notes "The stations in Australia with the exception of 3JU 2DS & NZ seem to be too fond of the fones not the cw or tonic". Tonic train was interrupted CW to give a modulated note which could be copied on a crystal receiver. During October 1923 he logged 29 American stations during the Trans Pacific Tests. In January 1924 he notes "got receiver going on short wave" and in June 1924 he logged the first shortwave broadcast station KGO. There's an interesting entry on 19th March, 1924 - "7aa de 7om . . . using rec for transmitting as transmitter out of action for time . . ." Those regenerative receivers were multi-purpose.