The New York herald., 1922-03-26
new BROADCASTIVG
VOICE THE BIGGEST
Installed by GeneIal Elec-
trio Company at Schenec-
tady Plant.
HEARD 1,450 MILES
Concert Studio Half Mile
Away From Transmit
ting Station.
DISTANCE RECORD SOUGHT
Multiple Tuned Antenna Sup
ported by Two 1873 Feet
Towers Atop Factory.
DISTANCE RECORD SOUGHT

A new voice in the ether. the most
powerful that has yet sent words and
music over the country, last week
Joined the chorus of broadcasting sta
tons that are sending concerts and
lectures out over the country. The
newcomer, WGY, is the station OF the
General Electric Company at Seize
nectady, n. Y. }
Like WIZ of Newark, kDKA of
Pittsburgh, wBZ of Springfield and
WGI of Medford Hillside, the Sche-
nectady station is sending by Gov
ernment license on that popular, in
deed, overworled, wave length. $50
meters. Despite the fact that the new
voice is $50 miles from New York,
most listeners here are having no
trouble in getting it, because of The
vast power behind it.
The new station has been heard, in
the course Of its experimental broad
casting, at Cedar Rapids. Iowa: Mime
apolis and Santa Clara, Cuba. The sta
tion at Santa Clara Is 1.450 miles dis
tant from Schenectady. Broadcasting
stations of less power than the General
Electric station have been heard at dis
tances Of 1000 miles under favorable
atmospheric conditions. so the engineers
In charge of WGY are confident that
their station will shortly establish new
long distance record in the radiophone
field.
Height Aids Transmission.
As in the case of that other giant OF
the radio telegraph field. Radio Central
at Rocky Point, L. l., the worlds most
powerful transoceanic commercial sta
tion, the General Electric station Is
equipped with multiple tuned antenna.
This aerial is supported by two towers
1S3 feet high and $50 feet apart which
are mounted on top Of a five story
factory building This great height adds
perceptibly to the range OF the powerful
transmitting apparatus.
Unlike most of the other broadcast
stations. the studio where lecturers,
artists and orchestras gather is not To-
Gated in the same building with the
station. The studio. consisting Of three
rooms, Is more than half mile distant
from the transmitting station, in one of
the office buildings of the General
Electric.
The first room in the three room suite
is a reception room where those on the
program of the evening gather to await
their turn. Strangely enough. actors
and singers who would face any visible
audience without a shiver take their
places in this room much as they would
sit down In dentists waiting chamber
The fact that their audience is scat
tered over half the country and is many
thousands more In number than could
be assembled in any auditorium in the
world deeply impresses those OF a GER
tain temperament.
The second room is the studio itself.
n appearance it is much like any other.
There are In this a grand plano. VIC
trola, organ and other musical equip
rsent One OF the most prominent pieces
of apparatus in the room Is a red light.
When this glows those In the room must
remember that any chance remark they
make will be flung out into the ether
Tor hundreds of miles. The red light, in
charge of the studio director IS gov
erned by a switchboard, and not until
the switch Is thrown and tie light Is
sn can anything got out Over the aerial
half a mile distant
Portable Microphones.
An important feature OF the studio is
N number Of portable microphones, OF
types varying for use by lecturers,
soloists, quartettes and orchestras
These microphones are also called pick
up devices. The studio director and
MS dbSiSldHtS uITaHBe tneIn 10 the pest
advantage. A telephone connects the
director with a receiving station which
keeps him informed as to the quality of
tone, and with the sending station.
which tells him how the program is go-
ing. The studio director is a very
busy man when the red light glows a
busier man than the movie director
when the cameras are clicking.
The third room contains apparatus
for amplifying the sound waves before
they are sent To tho tra -s.rl'ttirr- 80.
tion. The waves are stepped up by
means OF vacuum tubes which am0iry
them enormously.
At the transmitting station the wire
transmitting these much increased
waves Is cor-no.a1 With o,nthar p.-,,
OF vacuum tubes. modulators and a high
power osci.:ator tube. cur ent is ia an
from 220 volt alternating current line
and Is boosted to 10000 volts by a
transformer Vacuum tubes rectify thi,
alternating current.
The General Electric Company has
not yur decided upon Its broadcasting
policy. Until the end OF this month
concerts viii be sent out three times
week. An announcement win be made
soon concerning the future operations OF
the station.