New-York tribune., 1921-10-02
photograph record by Release and tvi5e
anywhere 0 he Mississippi
Rain News Service.

tsaln News service,
day states. Last month we reayed 8S4 radio
messages; the record IS 40s and we are out to
beat it, And from his desk he picked up
Sheets cf paper whica were inscribed lhc
messages that be had picked out Of the an
thai day. Most of diem were personal; Uncle
John has Just arrived safely ty motor in the
White Mountains and is telling the folks In
Baltimore about his trip ;eSster Kate in Con
necticut, wants Brother Fred, in Virginia. to
know that mother is better All of these ten
or twelve, he had relayea along as they
reached him.
Don't you charge for this service?' asked
TNo," he repEed "We just DO it for ths
fun Of it. We ra5io fans talk to each other.
anyway, and we Ike 10 be of use to people.
If yoq ever want to send message TO any
one anywhere in the country, telephone me c.,
drop me q postal and III see that 1t is dev-
cred"
took out pencil and wrote: when VIII
your station be ready to relay messages for
the Amateur Radio Reserve?"
Sec if you get that TO my friend. Bill
5lackay, over in New Jersey, his call number
IS 2AQB,' | suggested
IN moment the reply came: ct is read
GIT now"
Like fishing, the radio game holds constant
clements Of surprise to the operator .-so
listens 4. at night on The tolegra9hic and t-la-
phonie babble thai fills the air One ne-er
knows what he viii pick up. TO The un.ni-
tated the noise is not unlike the night ssn.-
phony IN summer time Of innumerable insect..
some large, some small, some near. some far.
busiiy jabbering away at each other in differ
en- keys and with varying speeds and tonal
effects As an undertone TO the chatter of re
code messages may occasionally be heard
speaking voice shout Of laughtcr or strains
o. distant music As one manipulates the IN
sIrunlent and listens in st the various wave
lengths one catches snatches Of news from
lana and sea, bits Of humor and paehos. tl.at
make the operator feel like some strange httfe
god unseen unheard, but listening IN ures
the secrets Of another world that knows hia
not and Is busiy engaged in It's own little en-
1efpfises 1t is the new kingdom Of the air.
Not long ago "QST' message came fvo.,
Plttsoargh which vas broadcasted all over
me land, asking Tor help in locating a runa-
way gif whose mother was dying The am
eeurs save the item to tae newspapers. and
II was published lar and wide in the hen
that the message mirht reach the ears of the
"ayward daughter before It was too lat.
Perhaps It did.
Hugh Robinson, an amateur wireless fan
OF heypcrt, \. j., once accidentally startled
the radio world and Incidentally hung up n
record by sending out by radio telephony
Harry Lauder gramophone record at the
usual wave length Of about 250 meters ths-
was picked up By radio station in Aberdeen.
SHIRE IN Scotland 1t happened, of course.
that the static and other conditions were per-
1ect, SO that the atmosphere acted much as =
huge whispering gallery that carried the muse
clear ACROSS the Atlantic. The Scotch opera
tor made written report Of the strange oc-
carrenee, and it was not until this report W.
received by mail that Mr. Robinson knew just
no" far MS humble little radio set had cast its
waves
Within the year Hiram Percy Maxim, one
Of the most enthusiastic of al the amateurs
and one Of the rroudest of his amateur status,
established . record by relaying message
from his home in Hartford, Conn, to San
FRANCISCO and getting q reply within 1asne
minutes-an accomplishment that involved
not only high proficiency on the part of the
amateurs who relayed the message, but =
capacity for organization work as well. And
before that another amateur John Grnnan
of New York, carried on wireless telephone
conversation with another amateur located
at point west of Denver, Coll and his voice
was heard as far west as the Pacific Coast
The Significance Of this feat may be apprcci-
ated when IT is known that 900 miles is cor
sidered The professional limit for reliable
commercial communications by radio telephone
to-day.