Evening star., 1922-07-16

HOOPER, L. 9. n.
Head OF the Radio Division. In the
, Bureau of Engineering. Navy
Department..
teopyright, 1922 by Stanford {. Hooper. All
rights reserved.l
The Washington Marine Band.
through radio. will soon play to an
audience of millions.
True, this audience is divided into
innumerable small groups and is in
visible to- the performers. but never
theless it comprises in the whole a
vast and critical audience of tho
most intelligent classes of our peo-
pie for whom IL is safe to. say that
the radiophone is no longer consid-
cred a fad. but a medium for whole
some amusement. entertainment and
study.
1t is impossible of course to know
the exact number of our people who
listen in on NOF Wednesdays and
Friday evenings. but judging by the
gradually increasing area covered. as
indicated by correspondence received
from radio fans throughout the coun-
try, the number must now be well
over the two hundred thousand mark
As stated in a previous article the
Marine Band concerts are broadcasted
from NOE on 412 meters on Wednes-
day of each week. from $3.50 to $3.50
pm. 18th meridian standard time.
The Navy Yard Band concerts are
broa dcasted at the same time on
Friday. All are experimental con-
certs to help the Nays radio en-
gineers at the Anacostia laboratory
to improve the radiophone. assisted
by constructive criticisms on the y IT
Of the radio fans throughout the
United States as outlined in my ar
ticle of June %. -
Cause for Wonder.
To sit in the ouietude OF ones home.
whether it be the isolated farmhouse
a thousand miles from Washington or
the apartment of the professional
man in a distant city, and to pick
out of the air music from massed
band or a delightful violin solo
played in Washington. naturally is
cause for wonder and admiration. and
obviously there are few people who
are not curious to know just how 1t
Is all managed, hence numerous re-
quests have come In from several
states asking for a description OF the
NOF station.
Doubtless most people form in their
minds pictures of a formidable arr
ray of powerful electrical machinery
and apparatus with showers of cleo
trio sparks or something or that ma
ture.
Every day we have requests for
permission to visit one or other of the
naval radio stations. especially the
great high-power stations. and II IS
obvious that il is expected that most
interesting sights will be seen. With
out doubt. the visits result largely
in disappointments because really
there is very little to see from the
spectacular viewpoint.
True. there are immense steel tow
ers extending up so high that the
large inSulators and antenna wires
suspended therefrom are barely visi-
BILE from the ground. and in the oper-
ating building there are one or more
rapidly revolving electrical genera
tors with their slightly humming
noise and various largo instru-
ments. inductances. switchboarda with
numerous electrical indicating tnstru-
rnents, etc. but these have Q more or
less commonplace appearance. little
different from any ordinary electric
powerhouse. >---..-f
No Visible Sparks. a.
There are no visible sparks or other
striking evidences of electric energy,
Modern radio transmitters are near
1y as silent in their functioning as
the radio receivers which bring in the
concerts and. except that they are
much larger in dimensions, little more
spectacular from a cursory inspec-
tion.
At the Anacostia laboratory an ex-.
teasive array of testing apparatus,
electrical measuring instruments.
tubes of various types ana Sizes ETC..
will be found. but the transmitting
space In the form of sound waves inn
pinged on ether waves consists of
rapidly revolving small electric gen.
orators. a few brightly lighted tubes
about five or six times the size OF an
ordinary electric light bulb, and the
associated apparatus. consisting Of q
few small indactances. condensers. In
dicating instruments. etc.
The functioning of the apparatus
itself produces absolutely no sound
except the slight hum OF the revolv-
ing generators which deliver electric
power to the tubes.
Curtains are draped about to mini
nise as far as possible undesirable
reverberations of sound.
From the spectacular viewpoint
there is little more of interest than
the sight of an orchestra. playing In
any concert hall or band In a public
park. a.
Unheard Ether Waves.
The radio transmitter produces, in
visible unheard ether waves on which
Is impinged the equivalent of the
sounds produced while the band is
playing and music 10 radiatsd from
the antenna into space.
There II no visible audience and
there follows no applause At the finish
Of Q solo or of the concert, no matter
how delightful and the musicians
must look to their art for Inspiration
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