Evening star., 1925-01-15
AMATEUR STATION
is RADIO PROBLEM
Department Of Commerce
Has to Keep Enthusiasts
Within Proper Bounds.

The task of policing the ether
mas grown to enormous proportions
during the last two years and the
iaIIlS cops of the Department of
&fmerce, charged with the task of
heeping amateurs and professionals
within their allotted lanes and pre-
venting. them from breaking. the
speed laws by overstepping the in
IenSity of their assigned signals, are
crying loudly for instrumental help
IN keeping the roadways of the air
open and clear
The problem of the amateur is a
big one with the governing officials
of the radio. and yet the Department
or commerce is anxious not to do
anything to discourage the "hams"
and the transmitting "bugs'' lest
thereby the actual development Of
the radio art is retarded. 1t is
realized by all radio engineers that
the amateurs of the country, by their
constant experimenting and delving
into the mysteries of the wireless
principles. are making constant and
definite contributions to the perfec-
ton Of a science which admittedly IS
IN its infancy.
Appeals Less to Makers.
Radio manufacturers are perhaps
not as desirous as the amateurs of
rushing radio changes, for each revo-
lutfonary Improvement means the
scrapping or the dininution in value
of thousands of dollars worth of
equipment either in use or on the
market. The amateur with his home
made set is not happy unless he Is
making constant changes. Most eff
these changes naturally are value
less, but occasionally a vast improve
ment is wrought.
The ordinary user of a radio re-
ceiving set really knows but very lit
tie of what is going on in the air
about him. If he can select half
dozen or more of the big high-pow-
cred broadcasting stations of the
country. he feels he is not only to
be envied by other set owners, but
that he personally is a particularly ac-
COmplished operator.
Very few OF even the most expensive
of the sets on the market today have
range of selectivity which permits tun-
ing in on the low wave lengths. For
some reason or other, the manufac-
turers seem to have gone in for the
higher ranges, most of the sets being
capable of reaching bands which are
not in use.
When one does get a set, or so re-
Rrranges his set as TO tune in on the
amateur traffic a night, then and then
only can he appreciate what is really
going on in the ether world. There
are something like $4,000 amateurs
licensed in this country. Most of the
amateurs dabb1e in transmitting only
by code signals, but more and more
of them are equipping their ''labora-
tories in cellars, some in at
Tics and some relegated to the barn
with microphones, mostly homemade
and by "swiping'' and Transforming
current from the old lamp socket, they
nightly engage in conversational tests
with friends" all across the country.
Naturally, it is a radio dream that
some day each person may have his
own particular wave length and wat
tage so as to carry on wireless con-
versation at any time and place. The
amateurs of today are approximating
that dreams, while the average radio
user knows nothing about it.
A listener-in in Washington few
nights ago heard a local amateur
calling by assigned signal number
friend in Pittsburgh. He was calling
through the microphone and said he
was transmitting on $50 meters and
20-watt strength. He asked for an
answer on a lower wave band. In a
very few moments the answer came.
Then followed a conversation be-
tween the two boys. Finally, the lad
in Pittsburgh exclaimed:
You'll have to ring off, old fellow,
want to talk to a guy out in Kansas
City. Good night
Helping in Problems.
The amateurs are on the air at all
hours of the day and night, listening
and putting in," but each and every
one of them is working in his own
way to help solve the infinite prob
icms Of this new source of commu-
nication. They are difficult to keep
in line, it is true. More than often
they step 'out of bounds" in their un-
quenChable enthusiasm, and, there
tore, the radio cops want measuring
Instruments which will permit them
10 gauge the strength of the trans
uniting signals, as well as to record
the length of the waves. The meas
uring of the waves is quite simple,
with instruments already possessed.
The gauging of the field strength of
the signals is something else again.
The latest proposed ban on the
ubiquitous amateurs is that they shall
be ruled off the air every night be-
tween and 1890 o'clock. This would
prevent interference with the more
important broadcast programs. The
amateur does not care much. He will
employ every other minute of the "a
hours.
lQO5