Evening star., 1925-06-21
RADIO GOSSIP AND NEWS

When the three naval sea apla nes
hop off from San Diego for Honolulu
early in September each plane Will
carry a complete radio outnt ana
skilled radio operator. All along tneir
transpacitic route OF approximately
400 miles radio will guide these ven
turesome aircraft, bringing them
weather reports. giving them their
positions so they may keep on their
course, and enabling them to send out
queries or distress calls II they are
obliged to come down on the ocean
Actually radio will serve them as an
invisible guide and messenger; II Is
expected that all three ships or the
air will be in communication with snip
or land radio stations all the way
across.
The planes have been tested: one
of them remained in the air Tor 2S
hours and 35 minutes, which. at about
30 miles per hour. would carry them
TO Hawaii Two pilots and naVlgators
have been tried out in many nights
and the radio equipment mas been
successfully operated over sumclenl
distances to guarantee its practicai
and constant use.
The Navy is playing sale in its
transpacific fight. just as it did in
the transa tlantic hight OF the Nc
plane. in 1919. All three planes VIII
be able to communicate with each
other. and with ship and shore sta
tions. insuring their safety. Unhke
the Army world flyers. and Amund'
son. who had no radio sets. they can
not get lost or be forced down with
out the ability to report their posi-
tions to another plane or station.
When landed on the sea, facilities per.
NIT radio transmission for about 4O
to so miles and distress calls from
these aircraft will be watched for all
the way across.
A recent test of the radio equip
ment on one of the PN9 planes gave
promise of at least 500-mile trans.
mitting radius. but probably from
! 900 to 1,500 miles will be the maxi
mum range under good conditions
Reception from high-powered stations
NAV be had from almost any dis
tance, and has been recorded in the
air by Lieut.. Rodd of the Navy uE
to I 500 miles.
The three radio transmitters to be
| installed are Navy 100-watt tube sets
desi~ned for code work. They in
clude two 5O-watt transmitting tubes
| radia ing about amperes in the trail
ing antenna. which is 400 feet long
! Each plane also has fixed antenne
| arranged between the wing tips anc
tail in sort of triangle. This aeria
| is used in low flying or when the
plan nes are down on the sea. kite
aerial IS also carried on each OF the
| planes for use when greater distance!
must be covered from the surface ol
| the ocean than the wing aerials
! would serve. All aerials can be useC
| for reception as well AS transmission
The sets are Of the type used or
naval fleet scouting seaplanes. whicf
| 10 ri n
reliability. Due to the fact that mucf
Of the plane construction Is Of metal
| it has been decided not to carry radio
compasses, as is usually done. but Il
! rely upon ship or shore stations Il
| take frequent bearings from the radio
signals of the planes and transmit Il
| them their positions, as is done BY
naval radio compass stations for ships
In order to conserve space ant
weight, the complete radio apparatu:
has been reduced in weight to 15'
pounds, about an average man''
weight. The transmitter itself weighs
about 105 pounds. One operator will
| fly in each nlane. BY means OF onter
! phones, similar to small house tele
phone circuit, he can communicate
with the pilot. navigator or with an,
part of the craft, relaying messages
|
A rum runner confiscated off th'
Atlantic coast has been purchased
| by Clarence +. Ogden, president o
the Kodel Radio Corporation. and will
| be used on the Ohio River for broad
| casting concerts. boat races and othel
| features from towns between New
Orleans and Pittsburgh.
| The rum yacht. formerly the Bett,
Marie, was shipped TO Cincinnati las
| week by train. 1t will be skiddet
! into the river and moored behind tn
kodel factory.
| The boat is a 37-foot cabin cruiser
equipped with galley. sleeping &C
commodations for II persons an,
carries a powerful engine.
| Wishing to experiment with shor
wave lengths, Ogden will apply fol
a license to operate a 20 to 80 wat
| transmitter on a wave length of from
40 to so meters. The boat will carr.
storage batteries, sufficient to give TO-
volts and four 10.watt tubes will en-
able the broadcasting OF voice o.
music over a range Of 500 miles.
Cola psible antenna masts rs fee
high will be built especially for tn,
river broadcasting station. the frs
of its kind in the Middle West.
Rebroadcasting from WKRC will b.
one of the features. The concer
| sent from the boat or a river towr
will be picked up at the Aims Hote
and amplified into the transmitter o
| WKRC. which will rebroadcast will
1000 watts power on longer wav'
length.
1t is probable that operation of tn
radio boat will not begin until lat
Summer. as a special compact tran.
] mitter must be assembled.