This article started as a result of Bill Marsh (Jnr) searching through his dad’s (Bill Marsh Snr.) DX memorabilia, looking for items of interest for the new NZRZDL website.
. As I looked through some of his old verifications, I paused to read some of the comments. Although the great number of verifications were on pre-printed letterhead or post card, a number of the station staff had taken the time to hand write or type individual comments. They make for very interesting reading. I have to admit to being a little emotional along the way, but this was tempered with a number of chuckles at some of their comments. It dawned on me that as these were from the 2nd and 3rd decade of DXing maybe a few of the current DX’ers and certainly future members may not have, or see, the like of again. As time has moved on the novelty of receiving reception reports has diminished. It would be very interesting to read some of the comments scribed on some of the verifications received by our pioneer DX’ers. I for one would be very interested to read these comments. I firmly believe that some of these comments were instrumental in making this hobby so interesting, exciting and captivating. I therefore invite other DX’ers to add to this column in the interests of preserving some of our DX history. I am happy to be the scribe if that’s what it takes and can be contacted through the webmaster. Bill Marsh (Jnr.) 2013.
The following are some extracts from the above mentioned verifications:
1948 – KLOU – USA. Yours is our 16th DX from New Zealand.
1948 – WBAL – USA. Your reports are quite valuable to us, and we hope you will continue to enjoy reception from WBAL whenever possible.
1948 – KLO – USA. Thank you for your enquiry. Good luck in your future DX listening.
1948 – XEB – Mexico. We received your kind report of October 8th 1948 and we are very pleased to know that our transmissions are well heard in Invercargill, New Zealand.
1948 – WALA – USA. It is a pleasure to acknowledge your reception of our station and we hope that you are successful in picking us up again. Hope you tune into WALA again and often, and if you are ever in this part of the country, I will be glad to have you drop in and inspect our equipment.
1948 – KCHE – USA. I wish to thank you for your report, and to say that I was very happy to hear from you and that our signal was reaching that far with that much strength.
1948 – WKY – USA. We are always pleased to have reports of reception at such a distant part of the world. We appreciate your interest and will be looking forward to hearing from you again.
1948 – WHRV- USA. The fact that we are being received in New Zealand is very gratifying, and we wish to thank you for your interest. On the morning of November 19, 1948 from 4:30 to 6:00 am Eastern Standard Time, we are planning a special DX program dedicated to the New Zealand DX Club.
1948 – KTRE – USA. We are also very glad to hear from you in as much as you are the very first report we have had from New Zealand. We made a Special Broadcast for New Zealand ….
1949 – WAPX – USA. ……. WAPX appreciates your listening and we hope you will continue to tune us in, in the future.
1949 – WENR – USA. It is mighty nice of you to write to us regarding your reception of station WENR.
1949 – WKBW – USA. Thanking you for your letter and wishing you good listening.
1949 – WTAQ – USA. We are always glad to receive requests for verifications.
1949 – CFRB – Canada. We were very pleased and surprised to hear that CFRB is heard in New Zealand. ………. Your report is the first we have received of our station having been heard in that region.
1949 – XEFW – Mexico. It gave us great pleasure to have your letter of Jun 1st reporting reception of XEFW Tampico ……………… We thank you for your letter, and hope that we may have the pleasure of hearing from you again.
1949 – WAPX – USA. Thank you for your reception report. We always like to hear from our listeners and especially when they are as far away as New Zealand.
1949 – KVOE – USA. Many thanks for your interest and the best of DX to you. Hope to hear from you again.
1949 – KOIN – USA. We are very glad indeed that you were able to hear our station and appreciate your reception comments. Good luck in your “DXing”.
1949 – KRE – USA. We are glad to hear that KRE still is heard occasionally in New Zealand even if is only QSA3 R5. Here’s wishing you continued good DXing.
1949 – KTED – USA. It was indeed gratifying to hear that we are being received so well at many points quite distant from our station.
1949 – KGAF – USA. ……. We were apparently getting quite a sky jump at that time. Thank you sincerely for your letter.
1949 – KBRL – USA. I would like to say that KBRL is certainly appreciative of your report and would like to take this time to thank you for it.
1949 – WSM – USA. We are indeed pleased that we can be heard at such a distance and appreciate very much your report concerning this reception.
1949 – WMAN – USA. We at WMAN are certainly happy to know that we have several listeners in New Zealand. I would never have believed it possible to receive a 250 watt station at that distance. This is the first time we have had word that our skip signal would travel that far.
1949 – KFRB – Alaska. We are most interested to receive your report of our station KFRB at Fairbanks, Alaska.
1949 – WLOS – USA. We are pleased to know that our signal was received in New Zealand. Our entire Engineering Staff wishes you many years of successful DX’ing.
1949 – WOBS – USA. Yours is the first DX report we have received from a foreign country other than Canada. It gives me a great deal of pleasure to send you this letter of verification.
1949 – WHNC – USA. You and Mr D.C. Smith of 265 Nelson St Invercargill, New Zealand are the first to report reception outside North America.
1949 – WFYC – USA. I am happy to receive this letter from you as this is the first one from such a distance. It is certainly unusual to get so far with 1000 watts of power.
1949 – KWKC – USA. We are sorry to have delayed so long in writing. There is no use to try and tell you how surprised we were to get your letter and find out we had been received away down there. Some stuff for a little 250 watt rig, don’t you think.
1949 – WTND – USA. News Paper cutting. • RECORD RECEPTION: New Zealand more than half-way around the world …… Mr W. J. Marsh, 429 Elles Road, South Invercargill, New Zealand, reported receiving WTND on March 15, 1949 between 11:00 and 11:30 pm New Zealand time. Broadcast here the 14th was received there the 15th, New Zealand time being a full day ahead of our time.
1950 – KSON – USA. I wish to thank you for your interest in KSON. It is always good to hear from our distant listeners.
1950 – KNOE – USA. Just received your letter about receiving our signal down there. We have got letters from several other people in Invercargill. Glad to hear from you.
1950 – WJMJ – USA. We are always glad to hear from our friends on the other side of the world. Good DXing in the future.
1950 – WYVE – USA. Since yours is an unusual report due to the distance involved, we wish to express our special thanks to you for your letter regarding reception of our station.
1950 – WJEL – USA. Yours is the second verification from your area and evidently our frequency being the highest in the American Broadcast band causes it to bounce around in the ionosphere.
1951 – KNGS – USA. Thank you very much for your report of reception of KNGS at South Invercargill New Zealand. ….. Your report is very much appreciated …..
1951 – KWYO – USA. Your report and interest are appreciated. Yours was the first DX report received for two or three months and the first from New Zealand since February. (written July)
1951 – WAPO – USA. This letter will confirm your reception as stated on your form and we are very happy to know that you picked us up and hope that will become a habit with you in the future. Thanks again for writing to us and good luck to you!
1951 – WTMV – USA. Thanks for your report we hadn’t received a report from New Zealand for some time.
1951 – WJLB – USA. Thank you very much for your correspondence. Here’s hoping you receive many DX stations in the near future.
1951 – WEBK – USA. Your report on reception from as far as New Zealand is certainly gratifying to us.
1951 – CKOC – Canada. We were very surprised and pleased to receive a confirmation of reception from a point as far distant as New Zealand.
1952 – WHK – USA. WE are always glad to hear from listeners from ‘down under’.
1952 – WHJC – USA. Nice hearing from you and especially your reception report of our station. Yours, I believe is our 4th from N.Z.
1952 – WHLL – USA. We have received quite a few letters from DX’ers in New Zealand and glad to add your letter to the list.
1952 – WCMN – USA. We congratulate you for this wonderful reception. If we consider our low wattage and looking over the globe that you are located on the other side of the world, with 16 hours in time difference, we must reach the conclusion that our wave is something surprising and that your Challenger 9V is really extraordinary. Your report has been read to our directors and friends and they hardly believe it. We expect to publish your report on radio news of our insular press.
1952 – WVTV – Johnston Island. It sure does our hearts good to know that we have been picked up as far away as Invercargill, New Zealand. 1952 being a low year on the cycle for reception it sure seems amazing.
1953 – WFBR – USA. All of us at WFBR want to thank you for your communication regarding reception of our programs.
1953 – Radio Luxembourg. Please accept our thanks for the reception report you were so kind to send us about our medium-wave transmission. We would be very obliged to you if you would be good enough to go on listening in to our station and give us further reports from time to time.
1953 – JOFR Japan. The Radio Kyushu Broadcasting Co & Ltd considers it a great privilege to send you this verification card for your kind and useful report. Thank you very much.
1953 – KFAR – USA. We are happy to have a listener at such a great distance.
1953 – WBNS – USA. It is always a pleasure to hear from our distant listeners and we thank you very much for having sent the report.
1953 – KCMB – Subic Bay. The Chief Engineer at KCMB believes that your reception of our station in New Zealand may be due to an atmospheric condition or “skip distance”. Our area of radiation here covers only a small distance; in fact, we are not being heard in Manila, which is only sixty miles away.
Undated – KPBX – USA. Newspaper Clipping. (Verification lost) New Zealand Man Hears KPBX Show – Beaumont’s radio station KPBX with an average signal coverage of 200 miles was picked up in far-away New Zealand earlier this month, according to a letter received from New Zealand by the station Thursday. The letter from W.J. Marsh in South Invercargill, New Zealand, stated the local station was picked up at 5 a.m. (CST) on July 15. The reception, said to be an accidental freak which seldom occurs, was clear for approximately 28 minutes and then faded away. The letter was addressed to the station manager, D.K. Maxted.
