The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
Radio transmitter and receiver 3BZ used by spotters of the New Guinea Air Warning Wireless Company (NGAWW). The AWA Teleradio 3A was designed and introduced into service in 1935 and continued until 1940. It was made specifically for tropical, jungle and island use and was commonly used for civil and domestic communications. It was Papua and New Guinea's counterpart of Australia's Pedal Wireless. Some early sets were available with Pedal generators. The transmitters had tunable frequencies, output 10 watts. The receivers had short wave and medium wave reception. it was superceded in1940 by the 3B,and in 1942 by the 3BZ (pictured). The AWA Teleradio 3BZ was the result of a substantial upgrade of the 3A in 1940 to the 3B and in 1942 to the 3BZ, a vastly more sophistocated unit with 13 watt ouput and crystal controlled transmitter. The receiver had a 5 band capacity. These were designed for civilian use, but many became available when civilians over military age, including many older Coastwatchers, were evacuated from New Guinea. Army radios were unavailable so the Spotters and the Coastwatchers adopted these most satisfactory units.
Lunga, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. 1943-10. The base radio station dugout of the Coastwatchers Ken network in the Solomon Islands. The equipment operated by this station is (left in rack) an HRO RAS
Sergeant Frank J Parmiter of Coburg, Vic, and Corporal Ivan G Pritchard, of Kensington, NSW, spotters with the New Guinea Air Warning Wireless Company (NGAWW), at work beside their AWA radio at an obs
Sergeant Frank J Parmiter of Coburg, Vic, and Corporal Ivan G Pritchard, of Kensington, NSW, spotters with the New Guinea Air Warning Wireless Company (NGAWW), at work beside their AWA radio at an obs
A wireless telegraphist operator, Sergeant (Sgt) William 'Billy' Bennett, MM, British Solomon Islands Protectorate Defence Force (BSIPDF), operating an AWA 3BZ teleradio at the Seghe coastwatchers' st
KATIKA, NEW GUINEA. 1944-03-31. NX65187 SIGNALMAN C. STRAHAN, B AUSTRALIAN CORPS SIGNALS, TUNING IN THE TRANSMITTER UNIT OF THE 188F, (UNITED STATES ARMY 191F), WIRELESS TRANSMITTER-RECEIVER. WHEN NOT
FINSCHHAFEN, NEW GUINEA. 1944-03-27. THE 188F (UNITED STATES ARMY 191F), WIRELESS TRANSMITTER - RECEIVER AT "B" AUSTRALIAN CORPS SIGNALS. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, THE COMPONENT PARTS COMPRISE THE MICROPHON
