Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-06-21
WIRELESS BEARS
NEWS in SECRET
OPERATORS MAKE VALUABLE
DISCOVERY IN NORTH
STRONG WAVES PASS OVER I'M
TERMEoIATE STATIONS
Vessels Plying Between San Francisco
and Honolulu Hear Westport, but
Cannot Interrupt Aberdeen
Service

SEATTLE, Wash, June 20.-The Sc
cret of absolute privacy in wireless
telegraphy has been discovered, and it
remained for Seattle men to solve the
problem that has been puzzling sctent-
lists and electrical engineers since the
discovery of the wireless method OF
communication.
The station that has been used to
solve this difficulty is at Aberdeen,
WASH, and the men who for several
months have been working on the
problem of secrecy are r. H. Arm
strong, Pacific coast manager OF the
United wireless Telegraph company;
Chief Operator c. II. Thomas and OPP
orator Dent at Aberdeen.
The Aberdeen station was completed
a few months ago and was given the
highest power of any station on the
Pacific coast. 1t will work up to
seven and one-half kilowatts capacity
BY extensive experiments 1t has been
found that this plant is the most del
icately attuned of any station IN the
west The operators at Aberdeen near
all wireless stations on the coast from
Cordova, Alaska, to the stations far
thest south on the Mexican line. Alb
erdeen also works with Honolulu.
But it is not this miraculous capacity
for hearing other stations that mas
solved the secrecy of wireless. It is
wave into the ether that is longer than
anv sent out over the Pacific ocean.
The waves that can be sent forth are
so long and powerful they are I'M
heard by boats or stations at snort
distance. In other words, wave OF
such length and power can be so shot
into space that it goes completely over
receiving instruments nearby and Is
caught by stations or boats at a great
distance.
Treaty Limits Wave Length
The wave-length for wireless sta
lions has been limited by the Berlin
treaty to not more than 400 to 450 me-
tiers For this reason the United states
government will not permit station
to use a wave-length greater than TINS;
AS a result experiments with great and
powerful waVe-lengths nave never
been made in this country.
When the big station at Aberdeen was
completed, however, it was found that
a wave as great as 5000 metres could
be projected. This unheard of wave
length was surprise to the United
wireless engineers, and it was decided
that experiments would be made with
the newly discovered wavelets. Since
that time many tests have been made
with these gigantic undulations OF the
ether.
1t was found that the Aberdeen sta
tion shattered all precedents in wire
less by better work in daytime than at
night. Heretofore it has been well
demonstrated fact that wireless will
work many times farther after the sun
sinks below the horizon than when the
ultraviolet ray of the spectrum is
present. This remarkable work of the
Aberdeen plant astounded the w1re-
less engineers. They saw visions of I'M
y,occf1hi1itipG nnanfnR before
them.
Then the experiments with secret
transmission were made. 1t was found
that when the steamships plying be-
tween Seattle and San Francisco were
off the coast forty miles they heard
nothing from the Aberdeen station, but
easily worked with the Westport sta
ton. which is a few miles from Aber-
deem on the coast, and which sends out
only a short wave length.
Secrecy at Long Distance
At the same time it was found that
boats plying between San Francisco
and Honolulu and the steamship Min
nesota when more than 700 miles off the
coast heard the Aberdeen station per-
fectly. These experiments, which have
been conducted for several months,
have proved conclusively to the wire
less engineers tndl secretly cdll NC OD-
tanned by the perfect adjustment OF
these powerful wave-lengths.
It was also found that wave-lengths
can be directed in certain definite di-
rections. This fact also will enable
operators with the proper instruments
to send aerograms to any desired point
without interference and with absolute
secrecy.
These results, the wireless engineers
say. will revolutionize wireless work
and open up avenues of communication
hitherto thought to be impossible.
The Aberdeen station is located on
hill near the town and the antenna
wires are stretched between two fir
trees $50 feet high. The limbs of the
trees have been cut off. The operating
station is situated between the trees. At
this great altitude and with the clear
sweep to sea, some of the best long dis
lance work on record has been obtained.