The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-07-06
AMATEURS IN WIRELESS.
Their Services Are Needed to Develop
Mysterious Service.

Mysterious Service.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-Sir: Per-
manent Government control of wireless
telegraphy and telephony is bad thing
not only because. as your correspondent
points out. 1t affects some thousands Of
trained operators who under Govern
ment ownership might earn smaller
| wages than IL commercial companies
were permitted to operate. but because
upon the rank amateurs depends the
future development of these arts
Is there any one so rash as TO assert
| that wireless communication has reached
its maximum development? No one who
knows the history of its invention and
perfection. from Marconi's crude device
TO the wonderfully sensitive and delicate
yet sturdy instruments which to-day
withstand the shocks OF airplaning or
subsea navigation, linking the airman
| and the submarine pilot with their bases
would dare to say that wireless can do
no more than 1t is doing. Its posSbili-
| ties are almost infinite. With it we
may even in this war see huge torpe-
does accurately guided through the air
and through the sea while civilized man
in safety snuffs out the barbarian. In
time OF peace the wireless transmission
OF intelligence, of energy. or the wire
less control OF machines, presents to men
OF vision broad vistas OF accomplish
ments which will immeasurably benefit
| the human race.
| No spinner of Red Tape no govern
mental plodder working for pay can he
| expected either to visualize these posi-
! bilitieS turn hia brain and hand ~
making them actual. Wireless is the
most fascinating hobby in the world. 1t
is full of surprises. rich in opportuni-
ties of invention. 1t is a powerful and
unfailIng stimulant of the Imagination,
and by its character it is essentially
pursuit for the tinkering Yankee.
There are thousands of wireless teleg-
raphy sets in America dismantled at
present, whose owners are eagerly look
| ing forward 10 the time when the Gov
! eminent will permit them TO resume
| operations. to talk" as they call IT,
with their friends, to listen in" for
| hours during the night. testing for new
successes, searching indefatigably for
! improvements and withal becoming
| most expert operators. To one who is
able TO read" the signals. listening in.
during one of the busy evenings before
| the Governments gag was applied. fur
| nished an always new and never unin-
teresting audible panorama OF popu-
lous world OF communication. to which
less fortunate folks are totally obliyi-
Gus. TO their loss.
one could hear the slow, feeble chirn
! OF the amateur newly mounted on his
| hobby and as vet unskilled in riding
Above his trembling monotone would
cut the shrill shrek OF some navy yard
station. perhaps Philadelphia transmit
| ting storm warning to Pensacola and
by careful tuning" the Florida opera
tors acknowledgment rang in through
the head phones as clear as a bell. The
| more skilful amateurs always were
cliquy crowd, haughtily ignoring the
humble neophyte with his halting key
work and feeble spark" These nabobs
shot their stun back and forth with ex-
press train speed. II was always anus
! ing to contrast their swift, clean cut
sending with the hoarse. suffering work
of the hattleship ham" clumsily re-
peatng his messages a dozen times be-
fore the final q. X was flashed.
| Along toward 10 o'clock most anna
tours used 20 tune up" for Cape Cod,
which infallibly started on the dot OF
that hour by sending a series OF ticks"
to indicate the correct time. Many
night I've set my watch by II:
| The Cape had n beautiful, musical
note. sort Of a ringing contralto tone,
| and the operator. whoever he was had a
! balanced swing to his sending style that
anybody could read Perhaps on
clear, cold winter night. when the air
was crisp and dry, and If ones aerial
were large enough and his equipment al
| most perfect. he could tune" up. away
W, shut out the noisy clatter Of nearby
/ stations. and the signals OF Nauen. Ger
| many would be family, very family au-
dtble. What triumph that was! How
one boosted OF II 10 his friends And
how one worked to perfect his appara-
| tus. building instruments with his own
| hand, for the most part. and taking a
wonderful amount of pride in their ac-
complishments.
When 1t is remembered that TO hun
dreds and thousands of Americans wire
| less was their only hobby, Government
| stoppage Of il forever is realized as
really an awful blow. One who has
| never ridden this dobhln cannot con-
oeive what a void there Ia when the
pleasure OF owning and operating his
| own set is taken away. There are thou
| sands OF American young men who re-
| manned at home evenings only because
they had this hobby. The same are to-
! day the best wireless operators In the
world; their technique Is far more per-
feet than that of tho average CONNER
cial operator, because they trained them
| selves for love of the training, not for
| mere pay.
These boys are, many OF them to-da,
at army and navy keys. rendering al
essential war service, What would the
| Government do without them, and how
| would II have obtained their skill II
| wireless hadn't been a great American
| pastime? J,B.M
NEW YORK. July 5.