New-York tribune., 1922-05-14
Reflected Wave
May Reduce
Interference
Possibility of Developing
Earlier Experiments Is
Suggested as Means to
Eliminate Congestion
Would Need Less Power
Such System Would Increase
Secrecy of Public Radio
Telephone Conversation

What are we going to do when every
available wavelergth in the ether Is
occupied? That is the question which
Is causing the United States quite a
| lot Of concern in the endeayor to bring
order out Of the present chaos which
characterizes radio communication In
fact the problem is UNIVERSAL and it
will undoubtedly be the chief topic to
be discussed at the next meeting Of the
international Radio Convention.
TO the novice perhaps the situation
does not appear to be so dificult, but
1T must be realized that the number
Of wave lengths which are theoretically
at our disposal are not actually await
able in practice. due to the fact that
tuning is not 100 per cent efficient.
Theoretically there should be 800
100000 different wave lengths avail
able, but in practice at the present time
there are considerably less than 20 900,
but even these are badly coneestcd
and with the advent of broadcast
radio-phone entertainment the conees-
ton is becoming worse daily
Engineers Will Solve Problem
The problem is not merely one for
TIE legislators. Their efforts can only
end III regulation. which Of course will
only ameliorate the situation and not
solve the problem. The solution lies
IN the hands Of the radio engineers.
VINO Will have to devise apparatus
which will eliminate great deal Of
the present interference. and at the
same time give us Il greater number Of
available wave lengths TO operate on
by making tuning more sharp both in
the transmitting And rccei-:nx stations.
In theory it is possible to operate,
Tor instance, on every individual wave
length between $50 meters and $40
meters, but in actual practice this is
lust wave bond, and all stations op-
Grating on wave lengths within those
two limits will interfere with each
other.
The advent of continuous wave tel
c,gTaphy and telephony has done great
deal toward making tuning sharper. so
that wave lengths fairly close torcther
can operate without interfering with
each otncr. but the condition is by no
means ideal.
The situation offers wonderful
opportunity for the inventor, partic-
, ulsrly in view Of the tremendous pub
lie interest in radio, and conseouentiv
the reward will bc rich for success.
In this respect it might be pointed
out that one of the solutions could pos
sibly be reached by cxpcrim entation
along abandoned lines. Why would it
not De possible to investigate the pos
sibilities Of the reflector Of electro
magnetic waves? 1t seems to me there
is an opportunity there, especially for
wireless telegra phic work and radio
two fixed stations.
Waves Can Be Reflected
What mean b. reflection can be ex-
pained by giving an outline of some Of
the early work in the development Of
wireless. 1t was discovered early by
The original exp-rim enters that electro
magnetic waves we're practically identi-
cal with light waves, with tho exception
consequently, were not visible to the
human eye. In every other respect,
however, they We're the same as light
waves. It WAS found that they could
be reflected, rcfracted and polarized,
just the same as light waves could, al
though, of course, the methods for ac-
comprising this were different.
When Marconi first began his expert
ments he used two huge rehectors on
, his transmitting apparatus to reflect"
the waves in a certain direction. The
development Of wireless naturally took
place on the sea, and reflection was
quickly abandoned, because Of the bet
ter results obtained on moving ships
| hn ~ ~.
out simultaneously in every direction.
! Now that radio is so highly de-
veloped, a great deal of congestion
could be eliminated by the use Of re-
hectcd waves. By this l mean. the de-
velopment Of apparatus which will
focus the waves and send them out in
one direction only, just in the same
manner as beam Of light Is focused
in searchlight and sent out in a
straight line.
With such system as this for
transatlantic communication, for in
stance. all the energy of the transmit
| was most needed. and the present loss
from radiation in all other directions
would be eliminated. Thus less power
would be required to bridge the dis
tance over which it was desired to COM
! municate, and Furthermore the station
in question would not interfere with
others in the area in which it was not
required to operate.
As we are about to have transatlantic
wireless telephony, such directive sys-
tenn would be of material advantage,
not only in cutting down the amount
Of power required and eliminating un-
necessary interference, but also in the
matter of secrecy, because it would
narrow down the number Of stations
which could listen in on the CONVERSE
tion that was passing between the two
stations.
WomHn Form, Radio Tcao,1e