The Washington times., 1922-02-26
SOME: AMATEURS
PLAY WITH
RADIO
Secretary Hoover Partly Justi-
fled in Limiting Use OF
Apparatus.

BY THORTON DEWHIRST,
President, Central Radio Club.
TIME recent order Of the De-
partment of Commerce clos
ing all 200-meter (amateur)
broadcasting radio stations has
caused considerable comment.
Secretary Hoover in making the
official delivery of the order said,
in part, that the wireless tele-
phone had been developed from
a laboratory instrument to a
plaything for the school boy.
This statement, though rather
broad in its scope, is to a small
extent true.
Many amateurs who possess
phone transmitting sets have APP
parently taken the duty upon them
selves to keep the ether filled with
music; or, as Q. 8. T. Ia very noted
wireless publication, says. to chew
the rag for five or six hours every
night.
BEGIN EARLY.
The music which Is transmitted
by these amat .urs usually begins
early in the evening, Immediately
after supper Tin some cases as early
as 500, and continues during the
wee hours Of the morning.
This naturally interferes with the
DIX dong distance) stations which,
according to club rules. have the
ether to themselves after 10 p. m.
This phone transmission also In.
terferes with the local wireless tele-
graph traffic Of the amateur which
is carried on before 10 p. m. II is
for the most part jazz. jazz and
more jazz. II only one-third of the
records played by these amateurs
were high class music the United
States could boast a class Of peo-
pie with highest tastes for musical
art.
It is these amateurs referred to
above who have made'it necessary
to issue the present orders. These
few should not be allowed to influ-
ence the American public against
the amateurs. (There Is at present
close to half a million in the
United States.)
SCHOOLBOYS EXCEPTED.
The reason for saying that Mr..
Hoover's statement was rather
broad. Is that what he says Is not
true of the majority Of school boys
and radio amateurs. They most
emphatically do not use the radio
phone as a plaything. but do use 1t
as a means for personal scientific
investigation and education!
DO you know that a large pro-
portion of the instruments In use
today were discovered by amateurs
or former amateurs? Ask the Navy
Department what 1t would have
done at the outbreak of the late
war had 1t not had the wireless
amateurs of America to fall back
on for operators on its shipsl In
event of disaster the safety OF
everything depends on the radio
officer. Who reported the RIA
disaster second for second as II
happened and who met death press
ing the radio key? The wireless
operator of the R-34 was a former
amateur. Do you know that a GER
tain amateur station on the Great
Lakes was the only station receiv-
ing the s o 8 sent from q ship
In distress on the lakesf
SOLUTION FOUND.
These and many other instances
have caused President Harding to
call a conference together to assign
u wave length for amateur broad
casting. 1t should be understood
that the Department Of Commerce
is working with the amateur and
not against him. This (the assign
ing Of a special wave lengthy will
enable those who desire to use the
radiophone as a plaything to play
to their hearts content and will in
cidentally furnish those who desire
jazz with all the jazz they can
stand. 1t will also restore the
undergraduates his former un-
congested ether.