Evening star., 1923-11-11

Service has prepared an International
amateur call letter plan, that is to be
launched for trial on midnight De-
cember Is of this year.
by this is meant system of inter
mediates to be inserted between the
call of the station addressed and
the station sending. definitely locat-
ing the stations according to their
respective countries. The plan has
been so simplified that, in most in
stances, the initials of the various
countries are used for this inter-
mediate sign. For example. If French
Sab was calling Canadian 3BP he
would send "3BP, 3BP, 3BP, cf, SAB,
SAB, SAB k" and the answer would
come back with the intermediate let
ters reversed SAB, SAB, SAB fc, 3BP,
3BP, 3BP, k"
An arrangement of this kind has
been long In vogue among amateurs
on either side of the Canadian border.
but then 1t was not thought that
international communication would
become common in so short IA time.
Since the plan involves all countries
that have radio amateurs, it was not
accepted by officers of the league
until eleven different nations. repre-
senting hundreds of foreign amateurs.
had been secured and huge pile of
correspondence carefully tabulated.
Fool Proof Sets Soon.
The near future will see small COM
pact and portable radio receivers,
practically self-operating, in every
home. according to Maj. Gen. George
o. Squier, chief signal officer of the
Army, and one Of the most advanced
thinkers along lines of radio develop
ment. There will be no outside an
tenna, no complicated wiring. and
no batteries in the ideal 'fool-proof"
set soon to be sought by up -to-date
householders who will demand radio
Service Just as they do telephone
service today.
Gen. Squer believes what he terms
the second stage of radio develop
ment has arrived. When an invention
first becomes popular, there are al
ways lot of energetic mechanics or
electricians, both professional and
amateur. who delight to tinker with
structors have aided in the perfection
of radio receiving sets, the general
points out, but today the chief de-
mand is for efficient sets which will
be practically self-operating and will
approach the ordinary telephone re-
ceiver in simplicity, taking their pow
er and broadcasts from single
source or at least central distribu-
ting point.
1t would be impossible for every
tendant in a thousand, or even a five
hundred, apartment building or hotel
to have an individual antenna. The
roof of the hotel would be literally
covered with aerials. The elimination
of lead in wires and batteries is also
desirable, SO that sets can be taken
from room to room and plugged in.
Naturally some local company, prob
ably the power company, must furnish
either the broadcasting by wired
wireless and at the same time the
power for operating the tubes of sub
scriberS or erect its own main an
tenna on the outskirts of a city and
distribute the broadcasts by wire
locally. This scheme would involve
combining Squier's wired-wireless
system of transmitting over light or
power lines anI regular radio trans
That broadcastinG would not ope-
rate SO successfully over a telephone
system, was quickly shown by Gen.
Squier. when he pointed out how the
system of phone wires was constantly
being broken do&n and rebuilt be-
tween different points. whereas the
light wires remain a stable net work
running to each and every hotel,
home, hall and store.
Gen. Squier anticipates the develop
ment of local broadcast distributors
who will collect radio entertainment
and news for redistribution or who
will establish wired broadcasting for
local subscribers. Coincident with
the establishment of this system will
come the standard receiving set cap
able of being moved about the house
and plugged in like a vacuum cleaner
or electric fan, he believes. Some
listeners-in are already using the