Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-09-08
WAR DEVELOPS (
RADIO TRIUMPH
Method Discovered Of ComrnunI
eating With Submerged
Submarines.
YOUTHS ARE LUCKY FINDERS
Revelations Como When Rssesrohera
Are at Work on Something Else
elneie Turn Loop erlngs
= Amazing Resuitss

~ NAhf&@ts
-
Washington, D. O.-In a general way
II lie known that during the war
method was found to communicate
with q submerged submarine from
shore or sea. How this is done anq
how It came to be discovered that IT
could be done not until nov has been
made public. Like a good many other
revelations 1t came when the research'
ers were at work on another problem'
The scientists of the radio section
of the bureau Of standards stumbled
on It's secret and the lucky ones to sussS
pect It were two young assistants not
long out Of high school. Their experls
ments and the development OF what ID
known as the loop aerial" for subma'
fine radio communication by the bus
reau resulted In q device 80 simple
and perfect, and producing such won'
derful results, that the navy has
adopted It and Is eQuipping all Its un'
dersea craft with this style Of loop.
In the fall Of 1917 a series Of experts
ments was undertaken by the bureau
to develop an apparatus for the detecs
ton of enemy submersfbles. ]. A. Will
1oughby and p. D. Lowell were en-
gagged In the work. They had a notion
that a closed or rubber encased coll
Of wire offered the best chances for
success. They made one and threw
It one night into a tank Of fresh water
on the grounds Of the bureau near
Chevy Chase, Nd, q suburb Of Wash.
ington. To their delight they received
q signal from the big radio station at
Arlington. The next night they sub.
merged the coil in the tidal basin Of
the Potomac near the new navy builds
ing. Again the signal came with no
difference IN strength whether the loop
or coil was suspended in air or sunk In
the river.
Discovery Significant.
The Significance Of this discovery
struck both young men. Here was q
way possibly to detect the presence OF
enemy submarines, but surely to talk
with our own, which was equally ims
portant, had been thought impossible.
This was in November.
In December improvements In the
submerged coil brought the reception
Of signals from Lyons, France; Paris
and San Diego, Cal. By March last
year excellent signals were received
on a single turn coil $50 feet long by
sixty feet high having a wave length
Of 100 meters by $4,000 meters
In April Mr.. Willoughby discussed
with Lieutenant Commander FL. p. st.
Clair Of the radio division Of the navy,
the use Of loops On submarines for
both transmission and reception under
water. Both he and Mr.. Lowell were
Sent to New London to work under
Commander Mcdowell in charge Of the
base, to install the apparatus for a try.
out on submarine D-1. It ID a simple
contrivance, the metal frame Of the
submarine itself being a part Of IL
this being used as a ground" just as
the earth is used In hand telegraphy,
The circuit Is thus made complete. 40
finally perfected the loop consists OF
two insulated wires grounded at the
extreme ends Of the hull carried over
suitable supports to the coming tower
and thence through "radio-lead-ins"
down into the boat to the receiving
and sending apparatus. A single turn
loop was used on the d.. With it,
top submerged three feet signals were
received from a submarine chaser
three-quarters Of a mile away.
Boat used as "Gnound."
A new type Of loop was tried on the
q. s. s. G-3, in which the lead-in wires
were brought in from the upper side
Of the loop instead Of the lower and
the entire loop was insulated from the
hull. Better, but not satisfactory, re-
suits were obtained. Up to this time
the frame Of the boat had not been
used as a ground"
The lower side Of the loop was re.
moved and the ends Of the wire fas.
tened to the bow and stern. The top
Of the loop was submerged eight feet;
signals from Nauen, Germany, were
clearly heard. Very sharp indications
VI NiACStlOA WCIc ODtdlu6u Wu6Q uQQeF
water or on top Of II. And soon other
stations were heard, including Carnar-
Won, England; Rome. Italy, and varl.
u merchant vessels. Later expert.
ments showed that communications
can be carried on at sea under all con.
ditions more efficiently with the closed
loop aerial than with the ordinary
antenna now in general use.
When a submarine equipped with
the perfected apparatus is submerged
any North American or European sta.
ton can be received as distinctly az
when it Is or the surface. The maxi.
mum depth Of submergence at which
signals can be heard is determined BY
the wave length.
Signals can be transmitted from tho
loop to a distance Of ten or twelve
miles when. the submarine IL com.
pletely submerged. the maximum dia.
lance being obtained when the ton o.
the loop is practically at the surface
The distance decreases to two or three