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To All from PA0SE

May I add one more story to the fascinating ones already told about LF-DX?

In December 1934 Dutch airline KLM sent a Fokker trimotor type F18 to the West Indies. The idea was to open an inter-island service there. For the 3300 km long trip over water the passenger cabin had been completely emptied and filled again with extra fuel and oil tanks. Even the windows were replaced by linen to save weight.

The radio installation was made by Nederlandse Seintoestellen Fabriek at Hilversum (part of Philips) and comprised a SW set and a LF-set that could work on 600 and 910 metres with an output of 15 W.

The first leg was from Schiphol (Amsterdam airport) to Marseille.

Using the LF-set on 900 metres the aircraft received bearings taken at French ground stations, but with the remark douteux (doubtful). The bearings were corrected however by Schiphol were good reception was obtained from the aircraft during the whole trip to Marseille over more than 1000 km!

The antenna situation at the aircraft was certainly not very favourable on LF. The usual trailing-wire antenna had to work against the aircraft itself as counter poise. But the Fokker F18 was not an all-metal plane. The fuselage consisted of a welded steel tube frame covered with plywood and fabric. The wings were entirely of wood.

During the 15 hour long trip from Porto-Praia to Paramaribo at a speed of 250 km/h nothing was heard from the aircraft for many hours and the worst was feared. But afterwards it turned out that the short wave set had broken down during the flight.

73, Dick, PA0SE