----- Original Message ----- From: "Carol&PT" I have a photograph of my father sitting at a transmitter at Gondalpara Jute Mill, near Chandernagore, in 1937.. He was a 'radio ham' . It has the details of the transmitter written on the back of the photo, eg: Receiver - Eddystone 'Klyodine-4', 50 watts, frequency 14200 Kcs, Y100KCs and Y220Kcs, his call sign and so on. I don't know what I am talking about here - merely quoting some of the details on the back of the photo!! So presumably it was only half as powerful as your quoted "first 1-Kw transmitter" at Nagpur? ============================== Carol, hams and public broadcasting radios is a fascinating subject. However, going into their technical details would not only be outside the scope of this list but it would also amount to my speaking on something for which I am not qualified. Search the web or wikipaedia for more information on these two topics. Briefly, the power of a transmitter decides the range of its coverage. So a 1-KW transmitter has a very short range while a 1000-KW baby can be heard clearly over very long distances. Ham radios are mainly like telephones - operated by licensed amateurs. Obviously a powerful transmitter is going to cost a lot of money, so most ''hams'' prefer simple, low-key, short range transmitters as opposed to those used by public broadcasters. But in any case, they both have to work under strict rules and regulations. Hams and public radios were brought to India by the Raj people, and after all these years and despite the advent of cell phones and digital TVs, they still are popular to a large extent. According to the official records, radio broadcasting in India began on July 23, 1927, when the Indian Broadcasting Company, IBC, inaugurated its first radio station 7BY in Bombay. As time went by, 7BY became the more familiar VUB and the Indian Broadcasting Company was taken over by AIR, All India Radio. However, in the eight year period stretching from early 1920 until regular broadcasting was established in 1927, a dozen or more radio stations were established in several of the major cities in India. All of these stations were experimental in nature, and some were very temporary, lasting no more than a few days. The very first radio broadcast in India was made by Giandchand Motwane (GE-and-chund mot-WAH-nee) from Bombay in 1920. This low powered station was on the air for just one day under the callsign 2KC. [snip] http://www.radioheritage.net/Story23.asp The main public broadcasting radio and TV system is owned by the Government of India through a corporation known as Prasar Bharati. The radio system is entitled ''Akashwani'' [or Voice from the Skies] in Hindi and All India Radio in English. Rabindranath Tagore is supposed to have coined the name ''Akashwani''. More interesting history at: http://cluedin.in/component/content/article/169/169 Some other links for more information = Radio and the Raj: broadcasting in British India (1920-1940) http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=A95D1B29553EC68E368323DD1E8CE5A6.tomcat1?fromPage=online&aid=5857552 http://www.hamradioindia.org/ http://allindiaradio.org/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmitter --- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar

G'day Harshawardhan, On 29/04/2010, at 4:36 PM, Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar wrote: > Carol, hams and public broadcasting radios is a fascinating subject. And one that has not been brought up in this forum before, I do believe? Victoria and Dow Hill Schools in Kurseong were founded and located in a former Commissioners House called 'Constantia' . See... http://vsdh.org/vsdh/constantia/index.html The house was built on the top of a fine promontory just below the town. Eventually the house fell into disrepair and the house and was bought by AIR - All India Radio. I was able to have a tour around the building when I was in Kurseong in 2001. Some of the radio equipment was rather ancient and was well past its use-by date. However it was still providing a stirling service to the district. When I was at VS, we would listen to the "Binaca Hit Parade" broadcast from Radio Ceylon on a Sunday evening. I have always wondered if the house in Kurseong was built by an old boy of La Martiniére, Lucknow. The building was built as a home for Claud Martin and his wife, eventually became his burial place and the present LML school. And the name of the building? Constantia. ooroo

----- Original Message ----- From: "John Feltham" When I was at VS, we would listen to the "Binaca Hit Parade" broadcast from Radio Ceylon on a Sunday evening. ================= Don't - John, please don't get me started on the subject of Radio Ceylon - now known as SLBC or Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. I love it and can speak volumes. I was pleasantly surprised to read that you were a Binaca Geet Mala (song parade) fan. Sadly, SLBC's foreign service is no longer what it was a decade or so ago. TV and FM radios have brought down their listenership, advertisement revenues have gone down to nil and so the government in Colombo no longer seems much interested in financing SLBC to keep running the very popular Hindi service. A die-hard short-wave buff and an avid listener of SLBC's Hindi service like me feels disgusted and hurt while catching the very poor quality transmissions on 31 and 49 metre bands. I am not sure of my facts, but vaguely remember reading somewhere that the present-day transmitters of the SLBC once belonged to the Voice of America and set up there during the second World War. Their life is probably over by now but without governmental funding upgradation is not possible. So SLBC somehow still manages to show a smiling face to the world by relying on those aged machines. In the meantime, here is something on the history of Radio Ceylon (SLBC): Eighty Years of Broadcasting in Sri Lanka, by Ivan Corea The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation celebrates 80 years in 2005 - a historic landmark in the world of broadcasting. To this day the SLBC is the oldest and finest radio station in South Asia. http://www.dailynews.lk/2005/12/27/fea02.htm Oh, and just by the way, how many of you have heard the National Anthem of Sri Lanka? Its words and music are perhaps THE BEST amongst national anthems from the entire world. A beautiful, haunting, magical melody. --- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar

Hi John on another subject! I remember Radio Ceylon - we looked after a friend's radiogramme while he was on leave.....early Elvis songs and Jim Reeves as I recall ! Wonderful - went back to silence when he came back out to Calcutta! Probably 1957-ish. It meant that when we came back to Blighty on leave I knew what a radio was, but was very puzzled by this thing called a television at first! Carol T ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Feltham" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2010 7:53 AM Subject: Re: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] Radio and the Raj: broadcasting in British India. G'day Harshawardhan, On 29/04/2010, at 4:36 PM, Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar wrote: > Carol, hams and public broadcasting radios is a fascinating subject. And one that has not been brought up in this forum before, I do believe? Victoria and Dow Hill Schools in Kurseong were founded and located in a former Commissioners House called 'Constantia' . See... http://vsdh.org/vsdh/constantia/index.html The house was built on the top of a fine promontory just below the town. Eventually the house fell into disrepair and the house and was bought by AIR - All India Radio. I was able to have a tour around the building when I was in Kurseong in 2001. Some of the radio equipment was rather ancient and was well past its use-by date. However it was still providing a stirling service to the district. When I was at VS, we would listen to the "Binaca Hit Parade" broadcast from Radio Ceylon on a Sunday evening. I have always wondered if the house in Kurseong was built by an old boy of La Martiniére, Lucknow. The building was built as a home for Claud Martin and his wife, eventually became his burial place and the present LML school. And the name of the building? Constantia. ooroo ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Thank you so much for all that information, a lot of time given to me, much appreciated, many thanks indeed. I shall do a bit of research on that indeed, when I have finished our personal and business tax returns (it's that time of year!) and got them off to the accountant for checking!!!!! Kind regards, Carol T ----- Original Message ----- From: "Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2010 7:36 AM Subject: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] Radio and the Raj: broadcasting in BritishIndia Re: Off topic - on topic > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Carol&PT" > I have a photograph of my father sitting at a transmitter at Gondalpara > Jute > Mill, near Chandernagore, in 1937.. He was a 'radio ham' . > It has the details of the transmitter written on the back of the photo, > eg: > Receiver - Eddystone 'Klyodine-4', 50 watts, frequency 14200 Kcs, Y100KCs > and Y220Kcs, his call sign and so on. > I don't know what I am talking about here - merely quoting some of the > details on the back of the photo!! So presumably it was only half as > powerful as your quoted "first 1-Kw transmitter" at Nagpur? > ============================== > > Carol, hams and public broadcasting radios is a fascinating subject. > However, going into their technical details would not only be outside > the scope of this list but it would also amount to my speaking on > something for which I am not qualified. Search the web or wikipaedia > for more information on these two topics. > > Briefly, the power of a transmitter decides the range of its coverage. > So a 1-KW transmitter has a very short range while a 1000-KW > baby can be heard clearly over very long distances. Ham radios > are mainly like telephones - operated by licensed amateurs. Obviously > a powerful transmitter is going to cost a lot of money, so most > ''hams'' prefer simple, low-key, short range transmitters as opposed > to those used by public broadcasters. But in any case, they both have > to work under strict rules and regulations. > > Hams and public radios were brought to India by the Raj people, > and after all these years and despite the advent of cell phones > and digital TVs, they still are popular to a large extent. > > According to the official records, radio broadcasting in India began > on July 23, 1927, when the Indian Broadcasting Company, IBC, > inaugurated its first radio station 7BY in Bombay. As time went by, > 7BY became the more familiar VUB and the Indian Broadcasting > Company was taken over by AIR, All India Radio. > > However, in the eight year period stretching from early 1920 until > regular broadcasting was established in 1927, a dozen or more > radio stations were established in several of the major cities in > India. All of these stations were experimental in nature, and some > were very temporary, lasting no more than a few days. > > The very first radio broadcast in India was made by Giandchand > Motwane (GE-and-chund mot-WAH-nee) from Bombay in 1920. > This low powered station was on the air for just one day under > the callsign 2KC. [snip] > http://www.radioheritage.net/Story23.asp > > The main public broadcasting radio and TV system is owned by > the Government of India through a corporation known as Prasar > Bharati. The radio system is entitled ''Akashwani'' [or Voice from > the Skies] in Hindi and All India Radio in English. Rabindranath > Tagore is supposed to have coined the name ''Akashwani''. > > More interesting history at: > http://cluedin.in/component/content/article/169/169 > > Some other links for more information = > > Radio and the Raj: broadcasting in British India (1920-1940) > http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=A95D1B29553EC68E368323DD1E8CE5A6.tomcat1?fromPage=online&aid=5857552 > > http://www.hamradioindia.org/ > > http://allindiaradio.org/ > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmitter > > --- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >