The Washington herald., 1922-04-10
STICK TO AERIAL
ON ROOF, SQUlER
TELLSRADIO FANS
Electric Light Receiving
Is Misunderstood by
Amateurs, He Says.

Now comes a\warning from Mai.
Gen George o. Squier, himself, TO
all radio fans to stick to their
aerial on the roof and leave the
electric light system alone, at least
for the time being. Until radio
broadcasting is transmitted on the
electric light mains serving as the
serial. receiving by that method
| cannot be successful.
When Gen. Squier. chief signal
officer of the army. announced that
he had perfected wired wireless"
or line radio" as applied to the
radiophone. and demonstrated the
contraption, II looked easy. In
stead of attaching his receiving set
to an serial, he attached II to the
electric light on his desk and re-
ceived a perfect concert. Imme-
distely, radio fans throughout the
country tried the stunt and blew
out their sets.
Special Plug Needed.
They had forgotten that this line
radio" is a two-sided proposition
| the broadcast must be trans mitted
along the lighting main IL it is to
be received from the lighting main.
The set requires a special plug"
Squier said. but not special wir-
ing. However. even the special
plug will not give results unless the
transmitting station is sending out
broadcasts along the electric light
mains.
But In the hysterical craze that
has taken hold Of the radio art, the
I Ill .w
illusions. When / demonstrated the
application of wired wireless or line
radio. I did not receive a broadcast
that had been sent out on an over
head aerial. I received it from a
station which was transmitting on
| the electric light mains. That is
why no outside interference was
noted. There wasn't any outside in
reference, we had the line to our
selves.
Sees Many Advantages.
The advantages of the line ra-
| do method of broadca sting. as con-
! trasted with space radio broadcast
ing, are many. In the first place,
the ether channels used for space
radio broadcasting are limited, ana
even the few wave channels which
| are available for broadcasting can
be more profitably employed for
such radio activities where space
is the only or best method of COM
munication. Also, since there is no
radio interference caused by broad
| casting on power lines, any num-
Der of wave channels may be en-
ployed. and therefore multiplying
the number of stations that can be
operated on the same line.
1T Is conceivable that in every
community we may have several
transmitting stations operating at
the same time, but each on a diff
ferent wavelength and supplying
different service-one might be used
exclusively for music, another for
current news. and still another for
educational information, etc.
No Antennae Needed.
Also by this means of broadcast
ing no antennae or aerials are re-
quired. A suitable plug connection
in the light socket is all that will
be required, so that wherever the
light circuits eXtend-which is
nearly universal these days-radio
broadcasting may be received.
"a single transmitter connected
to the power lines at some suitable
point may broadcast over a con-
siderable area and may be received
by a large number of people by
connecting receivers at various
points on the line, the connection
being made by the plug, something
like connecting a vacuum cleaner
or an electric toaster.
The transmitters and receivers
are OF the usual types now EN-
ployed for radio telephony and may
be connected to the power line by
plug, with the added protection
OF condenser to keep the large
power current from passing through
the radio apparatus.
1T is hard to realize at this
moment the vast possibilities of
this method of broadcasting, but,
judging from the universal interest
OF the preliminary announcement
In the press, it is a fair guess that
the system will come into general
use very uuicklv"