Evening star., 1923-03-04
BY COMMANDER STANFORD
HOOPER, L. g. y.


The popular radiophone broadcast
service OF today is likely to be aug
mented by an even more popular
radio-picture service tomorrow.
The radio fan Of the future will
probably look at the distant broad
cast performers as well as to listen
10" their product.
By the time talking movies" be-
comes reality it may be possible to
enjoy them by radio without leaving
ones home.
Accurate likenesses of photographs
and views illustrating news events OF
the day throughout the world may
reach the editors for publication
simultaneously with the telegraphic
word pictures.
However fantastic the assertion
may seem, these Developments are
not without the realm of possibility
or even probability within our time.
because the equivalents of pictures
have already been successfully trans
mitted through space and reproduced
experimentally by radio.
Radio itself in any form. ii should
be remembered. was unknown to the
world less than thirty years ago.
Twenty-Five years ago Marconi was
endeavoring to signal by radio eN-
perimentally between points sepa-
rated by distances of only few miles
within the city of London. and ships
which then put to sea were not again
heard from until they sighted land.
Today the most distant lands Of the
vast British empire are being linked
up by radio for instantaneous com
munication with London and ships
anywhere on the high seas are in con-
stant communication with land.
The air all over the globe is now
full of dots and dashes" of radio
telegraphy. and the people of the
United States especially do not need
20 be told how overcrowded it is with
The equivalents Of speech, music and
other sounds as well.
Record for Distance.
Stimulating Marconi's pioneer work
In practical radio -telegraphy OF twen-
ty-fve years ago. an American in
rentor has already successfully trans
mitted and reproduced radio pictures
through space within the city OF
Washington over distances greater
than those achieved by Marconi in
his early demonstrations with radio
telegraphy.
In March. 1897, Marconi demon
strated before group of British gov
eminent officials that he could ex-
change radio telegraphic signals
'HTOuS II space ONei a. uiS VI ~
miles. In 1922 photograph of Presi-
dent Harding was transmitted
through space from the naval radio
laboratory at Anacostia and repro
duced at another laboratory located
approximately ten miles distant.
This radio -photograph was framed
and presented 10 President Harding.
In acknowledging its receipt the
President attested to the remarkable
likeness it bore to the original photo
graph.
The development of radio -photog-
raphy will go forward step by step
until the equivalent of pictures will
be effectually encompas ssing the globe
as radio signals are now.
Thus we must begin to prepare to
accommodate picture waves" in the
ether in addition to the dot and dash
waves" and the "radiophone waves.
The interfering static waves" Of
spring and summer will doubtless
continue to accommodate. themselves
IN space as they have in the past, and
n the detriment OF all three.
In addition to the American inven-
ton. radio-photogra phic devices are
slso in the process of development by
r. French inventor. German in
ventor and an Austrian inventor. and
possibiy by others. The apparatus
and systems employed by the three
foreign inventors. while being capable
OF transmitting and reproducing
straight black and white pictures, are
virtually devoid Of any shading ef-
feet properties.
The American inventors apparatus
and method, on the other hand. is ca
rable of transmitting and reproducing
the most delicate shading effects met
with in black and white photography.