Post_Office_1968-1969 — Page 19

Radar Maintenance

65. The annual examination of candidates for the Radar Main- tenance Certificate was conducted on behalf of the Director of Marine. 9 candidates out of 11 were successful.

Radio Surveys and Maintenance

66. Staff were made available to the Director of Marine for inspect- ing and surveying ship radio stations for ensuring compliance with the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea and to advise on the location of equipment in new ship building. 222 ship radio stations were surveyed for the issue of Safety Radio Certificates and 122 vessels were inspected whilst the Direction Finding equipment on 176 vessels was recalibrated.

Interference

67. As expected the employment of the U.H.F. band for television broadcast has resulted in virtually interference free reception and reports of electrical interference have been extremely rare. Interference affecting radio communication services for internal and external communication were investigated and remedial action taken.

68. The number of complaints of interference to radio communica- tions from electronic industrial machines continued at a high level. Investigations involved 514 visits to factory premises resulting in 400 machines being referred to their owners for attention. 561 unlicensed machines were located in 181 factories.

w 69. The increasing interference to vital telecommunications from this source is causing great concern. Measures will have to be taken urgently to prohibit the use of machines not conforming to international regula- tions on spurious radiation and stability.

Monitoring

70. Following the adoption of new recommendations for frequency allocations by the World Administrative Radio Conference dealing with matters relating to the Maritime Mobile Service Geneva 1967, checking of high frequency allocations to ship radio stations during annual ship station surveys is being undertaken by the Monitoring Station. Several instances of wrong frequencies being in use have been detected by the more accurate measuring equipment used by the station.

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