Evening star., 1925-02-01
RADIO FANS FEAR
HELD UNFOUNDED
High-PoWer Stations May
Provide All Programs
in Future.
BIT CARL H. BUTNAN.

BIT CARL H. BUTMAN.
Following the announcement by the
Radio Corporation that 50-KW
broadcast transmitter was contem-
plated, Secretary Hoover was the
recipient of many protests from fans
who feared that all other broadcast
ers would be bianketed and their
sets injured by trsnsmissions with
this great power.
This RCA station is not built, but
there Is station in the midst of
radio land which is authorized to use
as high as $4,000 watts expert
mentally, and which has used as high
az 5000 watts on short-wave lengths.
Not a soul has complained of inter
ference, and few have known that
this great power was unleashed. The
wave lengths used are too low to
be received on ordinary sets. This
station is our old and trusted friend
KDKA, which has been authorized to
employ varying power on short-waVe
or high-frequency transmission in
connection with developing rebroad-
casting.
Fans Fears Unfounded.
Fans need not fear the usurpation
OF the ether by this pioneer broad
caster: rather. they may look for-
ward with assurance toward a new
means of relayfng radiophone pro-
grams. The plan is to transmit stimuli
taneously important and exceptional
broadcast features clear across the
country Just as the Bell System de-
livers its big feature programs to sew
eral client broadcaSterS by wire ana
the Radio Corporation connects its
several stations.
EnEineers of the Westinghouse
Electric and Manufacturing Co. be
Heve that this short-wave repeating
system eventually will be used to
cover this country and probably the
entire earth with broadcast programs.
which stations properly equipped can
pick up and retransmit locally Ii
the system now in operation between
KDKA at East Pittsburgh and kFkS
at Hastings, Nebr., was extended, with
stations at Paris and London, inter
national broadcasting could be estao-
lished much more readily and prob
ably more efficiently than by means
OF proposed superpowered trans
mitters they believe. The snort
wave system would prevent inter-
ference in the broadcasting band. and
would make the programs available
for rebroadca sting by authorized
stations.
High Power Unaeeded.
In other words, although kDkA,
one of the two broadcsstins develop
ment stations. is permitted to go as
high as so kilowatts in power, 1t is
believed that such high power will
never be needed, due to the surpris-
ing ease with which short waves
travel even in daylight. The expert
ment going forward may be a means
OF aiding the smaller broadca sters.
Last October the experiments of
the Westinghouse engineers reach
ed the point where perfection Of the
short transmission was realized.
A dinner concert by a we'll known
orchestra was successfully picked up
by a special short-wave receiver at
the Hotel Savoy in London, where
the guests danced to Pittsburgh
music. During the international
broadcasts kDkA's short wave was
reported as heard consistently in Eu
rope throughout the tests. year
ago a special New Years proGram
from the Pittsburgh station was re-
ceived at 10. London, on a short
wave set and repeated for the fans
In Great Britain from eight stations
of the British Broadcasting Co. Last
spring a Spanish program was trans
nitted from KDKA and xxx to
several points in South America and
South Africa. Programs on short
waves have also gone to the Far North
successfully.
Tests Began In 1920.
In the interest of developing broad
casting transmission for long dis
tanres, without greatly increased
power. Westinghouse engineers began
experimenting in 1920, actually before
kDKA was licensed as a regular
broadcaster. Assistant Chief Engineer
Frank Conrad had a hobby; it was to
i.
sey OF Boston. He used a 10o-watt set
and sent his messages on wave
length of ESQ meters, but reception in
Boston was never excellent and often
impossible, especially in the Summer.
These two men continued their ex-
periments, however, employing short
or wave lengths rather than higher
power. Further experiments between
Mr.. Conrads Williamsburg station and
Mr.. Ramseys station in Boston with
the cooperation of r. d. Decker and
the Massachusetts Institute of Tech
nology station, in 1921, covering sew
eral of the shorter wave lengths
showed gain in received signal
strength with the shortening of the
wave length. A decrease in interfer-
ence was also noted.
Improvements in transmitters and
antenna followed. and in 1921 with
e0meter wave length, much great
reliability was secured than on ESQ
meters. Finally Vice President H.
T. Davis Of the Westinghouse Com
pany. known as the father of radio
brosdcastins." authorized Mr.. Conrad
to construct new high powered
short-waye transmitter. This became
an auxiliary set a station KDKA and
carried simultaneously the regular
kDkD program on 90 meters. Vari
Gus transm ission difficulties were
found, but were finally overcome A
test with a broadcs sting station at
Cleveland showed that Short-wave
signals on 81 and so meters were re-
ceiyed much louder than the regular
kDKA broadca SITS, and that daylight
reception was better.
Problems Encountered.
Technical difficulties, especially in
distortion, were encountered. but
eventually reports from several places
in the United States indicated that II
might be possible to cover the coun-
try on short waves. The erection of
kFKH at Hastings, Nebr., with
view TO transcontinental relaying was
the Immediate result and two new
1O-kW trsnsmtters were authorized.
The first real test was in November.
1923, when a talk given in Pittsburgh
was transmitted from KDKA on 100
meters, picked up by KFKX, and re-
wave length it was received satisfsc-
torily at Salt Lake City. This was
the first short wave long-distance re-