The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-01-22
TO
TALK 1000
MILES
Inadequate 3o0-Mile Radio
Range Of Shenandoah to
Be Widened.

With the progression Of plans
for the polar trip Of the naval
dirigible Shenandoah, it has been
decided-to change her original, in
adequate radio equipment with .
range Of 800 miles to . more
suitable transmitting unit good
for 1000 miles, which has re-
Gently been developed by naval
radio engineers.
watch For NERK.
II fans should pick up, the call
NERK, about the end Of July or
beginning Of August they may
celebrate for It will be the Shen-
andoah communicating with one OF
the Far Northern radio stations, or
| perhaps one Of the navy's three
portable stations to be established
near the Artic Circle.
Radio equipment plans for the
Shenandoah include two transmit
ting sets, two receiving outfits, and
a radio compass. The high powered
set which replaces the six 50 watt
tubes. includes two 2-KW tubes
with an input Of 4-KW and an out
put of 2-KW. ,@
With this transmitting set 1t IS
believed radio stations in Iceland
Greenland, Spitbergen and Russia
or our Alaskan stations can be
reached.
with the powerful receiving sets,
Annapolis, Cordova, Lafayette,
Nauen and other high powered sta
1ions can be used as points to es-
tablish the position of the great air.
shin nv means Of the radio COM
nass This instrument Is now be-
iieved indispensable on this explor'
alton trim from a base at Point
Barrow. Alaska, LII miles south
of the Pole.
Telephone Features.
Besides the high-powered trans
uniting set. an auxiliary medium
range telegraph and telephone cet
IL TO be Installed aboard the aeria!
cruiser. The telephone feature VIII
be utilized for communicating win
ground stations when landings are
being made for the immediate
transmission of orders to the
ground crew or operators at the
mooring masts.
All the radio equipment weighs
is 1923 pounds, which In Itself ID
believed by engineers to be q great
accomplishment, giving a trans
hitting radius Of about mile per
mound. This is very light In COM
parison to the radio apparatus car
ried by surface vessels OF the navy.
The after. section of the control
car will be used as the radio shack.
Some difficulty in locating the radio
connpass where it will be operative
and vet not hinder the progress OF
the airship and interfere with
| landings is being encountered, but
this problena viii be solved soon.
radio experts declare.
Two Base Ships.
! The plans call for the use Of two
base ships in the far NORTH, each OF
which viii be QUILTED with q
mooring mast and carry radio APP
naratns for communicating with
the Shenandoah when she Is on
V0VAR6S.
tankers will be sent to Point Bar
row. 70 degrees north. and the
other will in all probability be dis
PATCHED to Spitzbergen, where II
is hoped temporary radio-compass
station can be established.
Two other portable radio-compass
stations will also be erected as TAR
north as they can be pushed. with
the two ships, this will give the
Shenandoah five radio-compass sta
tions of her own from which TO
check her position and progrcss
toward the top Of the world II she
fails to pick up existing radio sta
Radio will enable the navy to-
check the position of the airship,
and IL the Pole is reached, to prove
it conclusively by cross bearings
made aboard.