Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-03-18
Telling the World by Radio-By Frederic j. Haskin

under the supervision of radio inspector
whose business is to see that they confine
their operations to short distances only.
Nevertheless, when the great transatlantic
tests were made by American, English and
Scotch amateurs on the memorable night of
December z, 1921, the code signals Of 26
different Americans, most of them using
homemade equipment, were distinctly heard
in Scotland
The acquisition of the usual amateur "a
do receiving station is very simple mat
ter. You can have one installed in your
home for the sum Of $35 up to $3.50, de-
pending upon the nature of the equipment.
OF course, there is always the possibility
of unreasonable opposition from your land
lord, who is apt to look upon the aerial
antennae as an eyesore and as fire menace,
but this difficulty is likely to .be eliminated
as the landlords themselves become con-
verts to the radio sport. Although the
equipment may have its drawbacks as a
roof ornament, there is positively no danger
from fire, say the experts, IL the wires are
properly installed.
Sending sets are not quite so easy to &C
quire and operate. The operator must be
able to read a certain number OF words OF
the international communication code, so
that he may understand any preemptory
command to "get off the air. from the big
coastal wireless stations. This command
will be heard whenever there is an S. o. S.
call from ship at sea. In such an event, 1t
is up to the amateur operator to quit trans
hitting, but he need not refrain from lis
tening to the messages as the work OF res
cue gets under way. Nl
"At present" says a radio expert, mo
amateur may send on more than 200-meter
wave length, nor is he permitted to develop
more than one kilowatt Of power. He is the
lowest in the scale, and if anywhere in the
neighborhood, he can no more interrupt the
360-meter wave length broadcasting con-
cert or the 1000 to 25,O00-meter wave
length transatlantic wireless than the buzz
ing of mosquito can drown out the roar
of a subway express train"
Although still in it's infancy the radio
telephone is already playing an important
as we'll as somewhat spectacular part in our
everyday life. 1t is the agent by which the
bureau of markets of the department OF ag-
riculture daily broadcasts it's crop, weather
and market news throughout the country.
1t is the narrator Of bedtime stories to thou
sands of sleepy children. The United States
Public Health service uses it to broadcast
two lectures on health every week. 1t is
providing a large and eager audience for
Sunday sermons such as has never been en-
joyed by ministers of the gospel before. DIT
has been Known to lull a baby to sleep with
it's music and to carry the sound Of jazz so
clearly to vessel at sea that the passen-
gers were able to dance. Most newspapers
now give the nightly radio programs con-
spicuous place in their columns, and one
large new 1ofk udlly ue'oCeS al en'1Ao
page in it's Sunday issue to radio news.
There are nine magazines devoted to radio,
and a long list OF books,
Yet the rise of radio has just begun.
Think of what it will be doing ten years
from now when all obstacles will have been
removed, and it will be as easy to talk to
Paris as it now is to phone downtown. The
common telephone,> by connecting us only
too efficiently with the world, has already
destroyed the comfortable privacy our grand
parents knew but fancy what our grand
children will have to endure when they will
be compelled to hear so many unpleasant
things that are now lost in the air.