Evening star., 1912-11-15
in SAFE-L|KE ROOM
How Wireless Operators Work
at Arlington Station.
SIX MESSAGES AT ONCE
Plant Now Running at Half Capac-
ity Only.
WAIT FOR SPECIAL INSULATOR
Few Visitors, It Is Expected, Will
Ever Reach Top of 6OO-
Foot Tower.
WAIT FOR SPECIAL INSULATOR

Shut in sound-proof room. with built
up doors like a refrigerator. or a cast |
iron safe, six wireless operators can
simultaneously take messages out of the
air from the aerial that stretches between
the tops Of the big skeleton towers that
the Navy Department has erected at
Arlington.
Six operators are not doing this now
because the new station is by no means
in working order, but that is the capacity
for which it is built. The wire from the
aerial runs into this isolated room and
branches to the six sets of sending and
receiving instruments. If Colon and
Guantanamo and San Francisco are all
talking at the same time, each will be
using different wave length. according
to the capacity of it's plant. This wave
length can be varied by the sending
operator within range of 90 per cent.
The operator who is taking the message
simply tunes his receiver up or down
until he gets the key in which the mes
Sage he wants is being sent. This may
not completely shut out all the other
messages that the towers are getting,
but it deadens them and sharpens the
tone Of the message that is wanted. 1t
is more or less like a roomful of people
all talking at once, but a man who is
largely ignore the general buzz of con-
versation.
Situation at Present.
That is the general situation at the big
station now. The plant is working at
only half capacity and there is a null
titude of details that would interest only
the wireless expert. What the visitor
sees is merely big powerhouse where
dynamos and generators whir with a
deafening noise and where the pulling of
a switch on the big marble switchboard
makes sparks explode in unexpected
quarters.
The station now is not generating it's
own current, but is taking it from the
Washington street current. This Is not
the right variety Of current for use. and
and all sorts Of things in the big switch
board, so that a current can be switched
around through lot of different ma
chimes and adapted to different uses. An
other current will be taken from one Of
the Virginia companies soon. and a
gasoline engine in the building will
manufacture direct current. There are
also storage batteries where the Juice"
can be bottled up when not in use.
Fitted for Laboratory Work.
The plant is not to be only sending
and receiving station, but ultimately will
be equipped for laboratory work, so that
instruments can be tested and research
work carried on. When all of the switch
board is equipped it will be possible to
shift any variety of the several currents
to any part of the building where 1t is
wanted for any purpose.
Right now one of the things the station
is waiting for in the way of equipment is
a special variety of insulator for the top
of the big towers. The permanent aerial
vii be a heavy piece of metal, and, to-
gether with tbs weight and the wind strain
on top of the towers, which can only be
guessed at the officers will want some
thing in the way Of an anchor that will
stand breaking strain of seven or eight
thousand pounds. Until this equipment is
received and the permanent aerial is in
place the officers will not consider they
are working at all.
The big power house has been built to
be as free from vibration as possible.
There Is a space of an inch between the
foundation wall and the surrounding
ground but even then, with the hard
earth Of the region, vibration is not en-
tirely eliminated.
Are Almost Isolated.