Great Falls tribune., 1921-04-22
Washington, April IA written
message transmitted 1900 miles instan-


taneously without wire or cable is the
latest feat Of wireless telegraphy.
! This wireless writing machine, which
will make it possible for man in the
wilds Of Alaska to capture the news Of
the world in written form by merely
setting a trap for it, SO to speak, and
by which an explorer might locate his
position on the face of the earth by
wireless, within 33 feet Of exact, is the
invention Of two government scientists
working in the bureau Of standards.
Another government department, the
coast and geodetic survey, expects to
save by the use of it this summer, three
times as much as it cost to perfect the
invention and make two of the ma
chimes: The whole achievement is one
more illustration Of the value of scien-
tific research BY the government de-
partments, which gets such scanty sup
port.
The machine itself, simple looking
affair. which weighs about 25 mounds.
exclusive of the two storage batteries
and the metal chronograph drum. is the
result Of research work by DR.. r. A.
Eckhardt and DR.. J. G. Karcher. Small
in size light in weight and easy to op-
crate. it differs a solution to many of
the vexing problems now existing in
radio operation.
For example. under the present sys-
tenn of listening for the dots and dashes
with telephone receiver. two. three or
more sending stations may, by sending
signals out simultaneously, mix their
messages in the ether, and liam the
air." The man at the receiving end,
listening for one particular message.
must adjust his apparatus to "tune''
to wave length as nearly as possible
equal to that of the sender whom he
wishes to catch. The other senders Sc
riously interfere and often cause the
receiver to lose or garble parts of the
message. This new invention goes q
long way toward eliminating that diff
Guilty.
The machine was designed TO meet
the need of an autographic wireless
time recording apparatus to obviate the
| expensive stringing Of wires to places
remote from telegraph lines and to
eliminate the lag due to reception BY
ear, and recording of signal by
hand.
How it Works.
The recording is done roughly in
the following manner according to the
semi technical explanation of the in
ventors.
Adjustment is made on a condenser
for the particular wave length desired
to be caught. AS the signals sent out
are gathered in by the antenna. which
can be strung on any light poles reach
ing about 40 feet above the ground.
oscillations are started in a local cir
cult. through an "electron tube. This
local Circuit derives its power from an
ordinary storage battery such as those
used in self starters for automobiles.
The starting of these oscillations re-
leases enough direct current energy
from the batteries to operate small
relay. or magnet set in some respects
like the magnets in an ordinary electric
door bell. but capable of more delicate
adjustment.
This relay, or magnet set, makes ard
breaks power in another circuit de-
rived from second storage battery.
This second circuit operates another
magnet set, to which the stylus is at
tached
The stylus in the present apparatus
is an ordinary fountain pen. 1t is in
contact with revolving drum which
has a sheet of paper placed on it. The
dots and dashes are recorded as humps
in the otherwise straight line. Short
humps indicate dots, and long ones
dashes.
The action can be readily 1fkened to
that of machine gun which must be
cooked each time before it is fired,
which action takes place automatically
and rapidly. The first circuit fires the
gun and pushes back the hammer
ready to fire again. so to speak. As
lory as the circuit stays closed the
hammer" stays back. But when the
circuit is broken. corresponding to
pressing the trigger. then the second
ary circuit is closed and the hammer
or STYLUS goes on its way to make
a mark.
The action of the mechanism is very
much more selective than the recelv-