The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1912-01-30
HELLO FRISCO,
l.-9-.l--5----IHIS
IS HONOLULU
Wireless Phone Promise Whis-
pered Miles at Sea to
Startled Seamen
Don't Talk So Loud" Say
FarallOnes, "We've Got a
Headache"

'.Hello-is this Honolulu-how are
you? This is San Francisco" Some
such greeting over the broad Pacific
by wireless telephone will be indulged
in before 1915 If the experiments now
being conducted by Lieutenant E. III.
Dodd. L. s. N, at Mare island con-
tinue to be as successful as they have
been in the last two weeks.
If the navy wireless department con-
sented. you could soon go to the wire
less phone on the roof of the Fairmont
hotel and converse with a friend at
Mare island in ordinary tones across
the waves OF quivering ether. You
wires and no central. Just go to the
phone, say Hello, Mare island" and
talk.
Lieutenant Dodd. who is in charge of
all wireless stations on the Pacific
coast, has been making tests this
month with a wireless instrument
that promises to revolutionize the en-
tire sphere of long distance talking.
Transcontinenta1 and oceanic conver-
sation are considered practical possi-
bilities of the invention, which is an
output of California genus.
Cape Blanco. 400 miles by airline up
the coast. in Oregon, has heard man
talking through the Mare island wireless
phone The Farallones complained that
Mare island talked too loud, tho OPERA
tor declaring that he not only heard
the speaker at the phone, but also the
voices of others in the sending room.
Thus far the telephone has been in
stalled only at the naval station and
on the Fairmont roof, but any wireless
telegraph station can receive the tele-
phone messages without special equip
ment. The Fairmont phone has been
heard miles at sea by government ves-
sells and liners. and many wireless op-
orators have been mystified by strange
voices that seemed to come from no.
where.
Seven Phones to Be Installed
Lieutenant Dodd will recommend to
the navy department at Washington
that seven wireless phones be installed
on this coast to continue his expert
ments Two will be installed on cruis-
ers and five at wireless stations. The
stations which he will suggest are Goat
island, Mare island, the Farallon ISL
ands. Table bluff and Point Arguello.
The attention of the government was
periments were being made with it at
the aviation meet at Tanforan. The
telephone rights and patents are con-
trolled by the National Wireless Tele-
phone and Telegraph company, with
offices in the Mills building. l.. Seiden-
berg and George NJ. Davis are the at
torneys.
When the private demonstra rations
were being made Lieutenant Dodd be-
came interested. After the phone was
in working order at the Fairmont the
navy officer asked for demonstration
month ago. The wireless phone oper-
ator talked to the wireless telegraph
operator at Mare island and was plainly
heard 4 peculiar feature of the new
phone is that any wireless telegraph
station can listen in to the phone
conversation. but can not. of course.
talk back Lieutenant Dodd caused a
phone to be installed at Mare island
and "taikfest' was easily INDUCED in
between this city and the naval station.
Voice at Sea Sfartles
The Mare Island operator then tested
the distance powers of the instrument.
Government regulations require wire
less conversation of 20 miles to con-
tinue successfully half an hour. This
requirement was exceeded many times.
The wireless voice was heard SO miles
away at the Farallones. Table Bluff,
170 miles distant. in Humboldt county,
weird call. Point Arquella, 262 miles
south, and Point Iona, off San Diego,
heard the operator talking at Mare
island Ships 500 miles at sea have
been startled by the unknown voice out
of the wilderness of air.
Satisfied with the tests, Lieutenant
Dodd asked that he would recommend
at once the installation of additional
phones for further long distance ex-
periments.
The new instrument has none OF the
spark and flash OF the wireless ap-
paratus. 1t is noiseless in operation
and does not require as much space as
an ordinary Office desk
What will become of the telephone
girl and how can you prevent every
other wireless phone operator from lis
tening to your confidential conversa-.
ton? are questions being asked of the
experimenters.
The telephone girl will not lose her