Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-12-28

While results of the tests are in
complete, no actual complaints of
serious interference have come to the
attention of the radio officials of the
department. This was encouraging,
as nearly always fans complain on
the slightest pretext, sometimes an
ticipating changes. Final reports
from radio supervisors and a dozen or
more expert observers have not been
received, so no official report can be
made as to whether it is possible or
practical to, have stations transmit
on wave channels as close as 7
or even 5 kilocycles. From such re-
ports as have come in, however it
Is believed that the 5-kilocycle separa-
ton tried out from December to s
Is too small, although some owners
Of good sets reported no interference,
and no difficulty in tuning in all six
wave lengths. Others said some het-
erodyning was noted During the
later test with a kilocycle separa-
ton the stations came in better, in
dicating that the larger separation
was an Improvement
Stations Had Trouble.
The chief difficulty, of course. was
that some of the six stations trans
hitting on their regular broadcast
schedules were unable to keep on
the the assigned wave-lengths. The
district supervisors and Bureau of
Standards checked the emitted wave,
however, and will soon report. Ex-
perts believe if the stations are kept
exactly on the assigned wave lengths,
that no serious difficulty in reception,
even with as low as kiiocycles
separation, will be found. Several
new channels will be gained in the
broadcast band. With the 10 kilo-
cycle separation only AZ channels
were possible for Glass broadcast
ing stations, but with a modification
that is, changing the separation be-
tween some stations to only Z kiIo-
eycles-several more channels can be
provided.
If the new plan is put into effect,
II will require only slight changes in
wave ALLEGATIONS of most stations
Some will be moved several meters
hi CHER and others a few meters low
er, but it is not believed this will
affect reception for the average re-
ceiver, although it may require NOV
Ing the .dials a few points one way or
the other.
Means More Channels.
II the lower Class B broadcasting
channels are separated by 10 kilo-
cycles and the separation gradually
decreased to kilocyCles at the up
per limits of the E band, about 81
channels can be provided instead of
only Al. Owing to the fact that some
OF the wave lengths assigned to New
England can be repeated in Texas.
and that Atlantic coast channels may
be reallocated on the West coast,
where difference in time of opera
ton also exists, a few more 3 sta
lions may be taken care of. This is,
OF course, practically the system as
things exist today, Los Angeles and
washington have the same wave
2 lengths, as do Seattle and Philadel-
phia, and Portland and New York.
with little if any, appreciable inter-
- ference. \
When the new class B wave lengths
are finally made public, some fans
may be surprised to see that old and
familiar wave-lengths are changed,
and appearing with decimals. Station
WHAT, for example, may be recorded
as 1857. This is due to the crowd
4 Ing OF the stations little closer to-
; gether and should not confuse listen
rers. as 4 of meter actually does not
cover any dial space whatever. but
is : merely trif1e more than 345
meters in terms of dial readings. A
closer distinction on the lists of the
department, however, is permitted by
using the decimal system and even If
all the tenths of meters were thrown
away, fans would not be much off In
their dial settings.