Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-19
WIRELESS INTERFERENCE


delay in regulating aerial message
sending is fraught with danger The
government should not wait until some
CHASTITY disaster has resulted from the
carelessness which leaves the trans
mission of wireless messages uncon-
trolled and unregulated. and this
CHASTITY disaster will have a doubly
baneful effect in that it will cause pop
ular prejudice against wireless which
it may take years to overcome.
irresponsible message-senders, some
of whom have been definitely traced to
Los Angeles, jeopardize the lives and
property of many fellow citizens and
make it imperatively necessary some
authoritative action should be taken
by the council to free this city at least
from the possibility of being subjected
to the awful charge of being a wreck
ers' station.
The false and cruel message picked
up at Wilmington, N. c., to the effect
the battleship Mississippi had been
blown up, has brought the wireless
question to a crisis in the east, where
New York Herald, always noted for
its enterprise in maritime matters, is
demanding that measures should be
taken to preserve seafarers from risks
resulting from the pranks of amateur
wireless operators, often irresponsible
youths, subject to no control, and freed
from detection, who have become men
aces and agents of mischief"
Complaints are made that amateurs
are interfering with the efficiency of
the wireless service on the Pacific in
the area influenced by our coast. A
few days ago a passenger steamer that
was approaching San Pedro had mes
sage of Importance to send ashore, but
attempts to transmit were in vain. An
amateur station in Los Angeles made
successful communication impossible.
We leave our readers to imagine what
might have been the consequences had
this vessel been in distress and calling
for help.
1t is appalling to think of the posi-
bilities of the results of mischief-mak
ing on this part of the coast, where
ocean commerce is constantly being
increased. No fewer than thirty-seven
steamers plying between San Pedro
and other ports are now equipped with
the wireless system.
On the entire range of coast are fully
200 vessels with which local stations
may communicate, and among them
are naval vessels as well as merchant
ships Well may anxious forebodings
mingle with the satisfaction caused by
the progress of wireless, since II has
been shown one malicious and mis-
chievous boy was able to cut off ship
at sea from all communication with
shore.
This boy not only refused to let i'm
portant wireless messages go through,
but filed the air with scurrilities. The
cleanest and most quotable of his impu-
dent messages was worded thus: you
don't own this air. You cannot make
me get out" While this vain and ire
sponsible fellow was thus showing
off, and being smart" dire disaster
might have overtaken some vessel, and
death might have claimed many inno-
cent victims of a stupid boys ignorance
and folly.
On account of his meddling a ship
might sink within ten miles of San
Pedro without being able to summon
assistance. What must be done in
order to keep the mischief-makers from
causing disaster?
It has been suggested that private
plants employ a very much shorter
wave length than that utilized by COM
mercial or naval stations. This is a
step in the right direction, but does not
go far enough. Not only should the
installation of amateurs be limited in
sending range, but a license should
render obligatory the registration of
the owners and operators of amateur
stations.
If sending range were limited the power
of mischief making would be curtailed.
A short wave length would give the
amateurs plenty of access to the air,
abundance of room and opportunity for
experiment, and yet would prevent them
from interfering with or damaging the
serious and responsible work of wire
less telegraphy A short wave spark
could not interfere with that of the reg
ular sending apparatus.
There is no desire TO lessen oppor-
tunity for legitimate experiment, be-
cause inventing ability should never
be discouraged; and experiments like
those of Professor Twining, Messrs.
Stevenson, Kirkpatrick and Low, have
great scientific value. These legiti-
mate experimenters ought to have full
scope; and from them from time to
time come complaints they are inter
fered with by reckless or irresponsible
amateurs to such an extent they feel
like abandoning their task
Most undoubtedly, for the sake of
science and scientists, as well as for
the public good and safety, it is the
duty of the authorities to take action
with a view to restraining the random
activities of amateur, irresponsible
operators at sending stations.
The city council of Los Angeles should
begin the work of reform by taking ac-
ton to license wireless telegraph sending
stations. Then the council should make
it obligatory on electric companies not
to supply electricity to unlicensed sta
tions.
There are plenty of well-informed