In the wake of the 1939 bushfires, the Forests Commission invested heavily in a radically new communications network. After suffering some inevitable delays due to the war, radio VL3AA switched into full operation in October 1945 proudly beaming out 200 watts across the State.
The RC-16 radio phone had been designed and built by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) just before the outbreak of WW2. The Forests Commission adopted a version in 1939 that had been modified for the Australian Army and the RAAF – designated the RC-16B.
The RC-16B weighed about 9 Kg and used fragile valves that failed if the unit was dropped or bumped. As a portable, it was powered by a dry-cell battery weighing 1.6 Kg while a much heavier battery was used in office situations.
They used a thin dipole wire antenna strung up between two trees to get reception in the bush.
The availability of cheap solid-state transistors from the 1960s and 1970s enabled more robust radio sets to be fitted to the 4WD fleet.
Photo: Thought to be Bert Head, District Forester at Warburton and Upper Yarra, with his RC-16B and trusty steed. If you look carefully, you can see the dipole antenna wire. c 1940. FCRPA Collection.
Victoria’s Forests & Bushfire Heritage 