New-York tribune., 1922-03-12
Embrace Sent Across the
Atlantic Also Received
by All the World in
Important Aerial Test
Telephone Line an Aid
Osculatory Message Car
ried Direct to Her Home
by Help of Land Wire

"rcncned hlmSef tree from the en-
brace of science, and waited upon the
wings of the ether kiss for his
Julict-but all the world received it,
1t was probably the first kiss that ever
fioated over the bosom Of the Atlantic
to these western shores and even the
pEairies were rejuvenated by its touch
Among those destined by the Fates
20 receive the ethereal OSCILLATION was
the writer, but after a desperate strug-
gle with his atrophied conscience, he
had just come to the conclusion that
the affairs Of the Radio Romeo should
ne held inviolate, when along came the !
following missive with host of others. (
showing that the new world of listeners
had also been greeted by the aerial
kiss.
Il have home made crystal set
and have been receiving the CONVEX
sations between 2XJ and NDOW since
Friday night. l would like to know
how it is could receive st so great
distance. The speaker was talking to
a lady. Friday night and said he was
1000 miles from New York received
the kiss he sent to her
Important Test Made
1t is hardly right to interpose such
prosaic letter in the midst Of the
romantic setting staged above but it
Hri.
to earth sufficiently long enough to
explain that the kiss was sent out over
the Atlantic during one Of the most
remarkable and important tests that
nave been made with the radio telc-
phone since the Armistice was signed. (
The 2XJ referred TO is the American
Telephone and Telegraph experimental .
station at Deal Beach. N. j., and KDOW 7
Is the steamship America For more
than month during the voyages of
the latter series of conversations
have been carried on in which com
bination OF ordinary land telephone
snd radio telephony ha, been used
On Friday night one Of the expert
mcnters on the America called up the
lady of his heart over the radio toll
line. and his voice was transferred to
the land limo telephone and then led
into her home.
Nov over the land line telephone
only the central operators could listen
in on the sweet nothings that were
floating across half the world-and, as
every one knows, it is very hard to get
central interested in anything But on
tho ether it was different
1t so happened that the time the
Radio Romeo chose to carry on his i'm
passioned ethereal woong was Just the
time when the unseen but gigantic
modern audience began to tune up its
radio apparatus for the concert which
surges through the nightly ether. AND
further. the wave length used by Radio
Romeo was dangerously close to that
used by the audience. With these two
combinations can it be wondered that
human curiosity impelled the audience
to listen to the song of the lovelorn |
swain rather than the dramatic ca
dcncc of an oft heard opera.
Such was the situation during the |
tests. The most remarkable thing
about them is the number of letters I
have received from readers VINO have
the small, cheap crystal detector sets,
declaring that they had received not
only the conversation broadcasted from
2XJ, but also that emanating from the
steamship America. They are all
dumfounded that they should have re-
ceived over so vast distance with
set which normally does not record the !
spoken voice more than twenty-five
miles. All desire to know the reason
why.
Night Causes Difference
The answer is as simple as it is com
4 plex. In the first place, ever since the
radio art was first applied, it has been
wan established fact that greater dis
tances are traversed at night than dur
ing the day, but that is only partial
reason. The other explanation is that
for some unknown reason there occurs
In the ether a condition which makes
reception of vast distances in certain |
directions possible at different times
far in excess of normal reception
This condition is very frequent, but
very crratic. and no real convincing
theory has yet been put forward to ex-
plain it thoroughly.
In addition to the letter OF B. W. F.,
of Jersey City, quoted above, | have
received among others the following:
Fl. G. T., Great Kills. S. I.-"My set
is a homemade panel one. with a
loose-couped coil; .Oo11 mfd variable
condenser galena detector and 1000
ohm headset. Aerial is inverted L type,
two strand, 125 feet long and only 25
feet high.
81 picked up 2XJ. testing with 2XF
and trying to get KDOW at various
times Friday evening and Saturday,
Heard them talking with the America
Saturday but couldn't hear the ships
set. Sunday night I tried for 2XJ
again, being curious to see if they were
still at it. and blundered right into the
conversation. Heard H. B. Thayer, Ross