Evening star., 1925-01-10
MILLIONS NEEDED
FOR NAVAL RADIO
S8,500,0O0 Required for
Complete 0verhauIing
Sought.

The United States Navy is plauning z
perfect system of radio communi-
cation both afoat and ashore, but It
Will take several years time, accord :
ing to Admiral Robson, chief OF the
bureau of engineering Of the Navy.
The complete modernization Of naval
radio would require about SS.5OO,OO0
OF this sum. So 6605.595 would be put
into radio apparatus on ships in COM
mission. approximately 100000 more
for other ships and $3.50 for an
nual maintenance and repairs Shore
station improvements would approx
mate nearly S1,500.000 more.
The above figures apply to peace
time conditions: in the event of war,
$15, $4,000 would be required for
radio equipment. half of II for ships
in commission. the, balance for ships
in reserve and new ships under con-
struction. Considering all the appara-
tus In use today, II is difficult to ar
rive at an exact value for the present
radio communication system Of the
Navy, but the ship radio equipment Is
estimated as worth about SI.5OO0O0.
Although this could not be raised at
a forced sale. it is pointed out, its re-
placement today would cost about
S15,700.e 600.
Many Changes Needed.
The amount required to modernize
the fleet radio equipm ent-over six
and a half million dollars-would be
used to replace spark sets with tube
transmitters, to replace obsolete re-
ceiving equipment some Of which was
designed in 1915. and receiving sets
using the broadcast band OF wave
lengths no longer available TO naval
vessels. This sum would also pro-
vide for accurate measuring appar-
atus which would enable the naval
operators to keep on their assigned
wave channels, and would cover ap-
paratVs permitting most ships to op-
crate in dupleX-that is, receive and
send several messages simultaneous
", as is essential in battle. Some
capital ships require at least eight
separate radio channels for commu-
nication.
Admiral Robson deems II expedient
TO put as much as S550,000 into COM
munication equipment on vessels in
commission in 1926. and has ask ed
Congress for that amount. He re-
CARDS s15O,o00 as essential to the
modernization of the naval communi-
cation system ahoat Out of the
grand total he desires to eXpend the
balance for dupleXing two battleships
and six cruisers. Quitting each with
a complete modern transmitting and
receiving system at a total cost estl-
mated at $4,000. He plans to spend
s235.0O0 in equipping ten battleshtps,
nine cruisers, eight auxiliary vessels
and nineteen destroyers with high
frequency apparatus replacing spark
sets; and to eXpend $4,000 on new
radio frequency receivers in place of
obsolete sets on three battleships and
six cruisers. About $4,000 would be
used to equip four vessels with COM
plete underwater sound gear.
Apparatus Cost Is High.
Naval radio apparatus, it is pointed
out, is far more expensive than that
used ashore by amateurs and listen
ers-in, for the reason that it is not
desired in such great quantities and
because of special requirements. max
ing it impractical for commercisl use
Suitable wave meters and measuring
apparatus designed for naval use, for
example, cost approximately sooO
each, and when only about so or so
are ordered, it is seen that manufac-
turers cannot follow their usual
quantity production methods. so the
cost is far higher than when a thou
sanr or ten thousand sets are made
from one model.
On the land end of its great COM
municatfon system, which handles
more than 5O,000,000 words year,
the Navy has asked Congress for
100000 for radio improvements. nav
ing spent more than that sum in 1924
and requests $3.50, 600 for maintenance
in 1926. approximately the same
amount as was expended during the
current year. The maintenance pro-
vides for the upkeep of SO shore
radio traffic stations and about 90
at,