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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 272, March 12, 2000
Radio Cook Islands
A radio station operated by the local
newspaper; one of the world's most exotic radio stations, and
one that so many DXers wanted to QSL. Radio Cook Islands with
its sea shell trumpet call as a tuning signal. Just 500 watts
on the tropical band channel 5045 kHz.
Many DX programs and DX magazines around the world reported some
years ago the demise of the shortwave service from Raratonga (RARE-a-TONG-ga)
in the Cook Islands. A fire in May 1993 destroyed the transmitter
building owned by Cable & Wireless. This building housed,
among many other major items of electronic equipment, the old
and small transmitter used by Radio Cook Islands for their shortwave
service. Thus Radio Cook Islands has been off the air shortwave
since then, and reports indicate that there is no move to re-instate
this exotic little station.
The Cook Islands lie in the South Pacific about halfway between
New Zealand and Hawaii. They are made up of some eight main islands
which cover a total of less than 100 square miles. The capital
city is Avarua (AH-va-ROO-a), which is located on the main island
of Raratonga, and the total population of some 30,000 people are
mostly Polynesian.
Captain Cook, in the year 1773, is credited as being the first
European explorer to visit the Cook Islands, after whom they were
named. This island paradise is made up of volcanic mountains rising
from the ocean floor, together with white coral reefs encircling
most of each island. Whether seen from the air or from tourist
beaches, they present exquisite scenes of visual, tropical beauty.
For the DXer, a radio is of course a necessity, but in the Cook
islands, so is a camera.
Way back in the wireless era at the end of World War 1 the callsign
for the maritime communication station at Raratonga in the Cook
Islands was VMR. A few years later additional stations were erected
at Aitutaki (EYE-too-TAH-kee) and Mangala (mun-GAH-la), with the
callsigns, VLF and VLG.
Many years later, in the 1950s, the callsign VLF was used for
a short while for one of the refurbished 100 kw transmitters at
the Radio Australia facility located at Shepparton in Victoria.
The callsign VLF was also the Australian callsign for the American
communication station at North West Cape in Western Australia,
though the American callsign is NMC. In addition, VLF is also
the Line Callsign for a current 100 kw transmitter operated by
Radio Australia at Shepparton.
The callsign VLG was taken over in 1941 as the callsign for the
10 kw home service shortwave transmitter at Lyndhurst in Victoria.
Today this is the Line Callsign of a 10 kw transmitter located
at Brandon in North Queensland which carries the Pacific service
of Radio Australia.
The first broadcast station in the Cook Islands was an unofficial
wartime project as a service for allied troops. A New Zealand
radio engineer modified a longwave aircraft beacon on the island
of Raratonga back in 1944, and operated it as a temporary radio
broadcasting service.
In April 1954 a radio broadcasting service was inaugurated using
spare time on a local communication transmitter. This station
went on the air as Radio Raratonga with school broadcasts lasting
an hour each, twice weekly. This service on the tropical band
channel, 3390 kHz, was so popular that entertainment programs
were soon added using the channel 6180 kHz. The transmitter power
was usually 100 watts, though on occasions the 500 watt transmitter
was used. The original callsign was ZK1ZA, which in reality was
an amateur callsign. Subsequent shortwave callsigns were in the
series ZK2-ZK6.
The original transmitter location was at Black Rock, but in 1961
a new facility was constructed, closer to Avarua, the capital
city, and just 3-1/2 miles from the original location.
Programming on shortwave was usually in parallel to the main mediumwave
channel. This was made up of local productions, as well as many
relays from the BBC London, Radio Australia and Radio New Zealand.
On one occasion, in 1976, Radio Cook Islands broadcast a special
DX program for the benefit of the annual DX convention in New
Zealand.
When the shortwave transmitter was destroyed in the fire, that
left only the one mediumwave and two FM channels on the air in
the Cook Islands.
The islanders living in the capital city area can hear the two
stations quite clearly, and those living on the outlying islands
can readily hear their official AM station, 5 kw on 630 kHz; but
the international listener can now no longer tune in to the Cook
Islands on shortwave. It is gone forever.
Back in 1989, the Ontario DX Association printed 500 QSL cards
for Radio Cook Islands, using the same original design. The AWR
historic collection in Indianapolis contains three QSL cards from
the Cook Islands, all in the earlier printing, and all for ZK5
with just 500 watts on 5045 kHz.