Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-11-10

Only one tube to a family 1888
GS.s .
prove that service itself. The rec
concentrations made by the confer
ence year ago that ships and shore
stations should cease to use 800 and
$50 meters have been carried out as
to our own vessels, and reciprocal
arrangements have been entered
into with Great Britain. Canada and
New Foundland, by which the vessels
of those countries will no longer use
these troublesome channels in Morse
code communication off our coasts.
l am hopeful that like understand
ings may be reached with other ma
tions whose ships visit our shores.
A few months ago, we reached an in
formal agreement with Canada re-
lating to radio use by vessels and
shore stations on the Great Lakes. by
which 600 meters was abandoned,
spark sets discouraged. and COM
munications placed on Ills and SIS
meters-one more example OF the
friendly cooperation between our
selves and our northern neighbor.
which has always characterized our
radio relationships.
The 600 meter wave length is to-
day used almost exclusively for call
ing and distress work, there being
very little other traffic handled on 1t
Individual working channels have
been assigned to the North Atlantic
coastal stations and traffic Is handled
more readily and with considerably
less interference. This plan Is being
extended to the South Atlantic. Gulf.
CT 10 a
real advance both in the clearing up
Of another Of the sources Of inter-
ference with telephone broadcasting
and in the introduction of more order
into marine communication.
Telephone Radio
1t Is in broadcasting, OF course,
that we have again seen the most
important changes and in which we
again develop the most pressing
problems. There has been some i'm
provement on the technical side.
Better means Of enabling the stations
to maintain their assigned frequen-
cies have eliminated much beat note
interference.
Increase in the frequency range Of
receiving sets Is making the shorter
wave lengths of the broadcasting band
more available. Improvement in sets
has given far greater perfection In
tone and quality. Experimental work
in the high frequencies Is giving en-
.couragement to the further develop
ment Of the art.
The most profound change during
the year, however, has been the ire
mendous increase in power and the
rapid multiplication of powerful sta
lions. When the conference assem-
bled a year ago, there were lis sta
lions equipped to use 500 watts or
more. Now we have 1877 such sta
tions, an increase during the year Of
over 20 per cent. This mere numerical
expansion of stations falls far short
of telling the whole story. A year ago
only two stations were equipped to use
an excess of 500 watts. OF the new
stations, 80 are equipped to use 1000
watts, 25 to use 5000 watts and two a
still higher power, making SO In all
against two last year. Taking the sit
uation as a whole, we find that a year
ago all stations of 500 watts and over
were using total of $500 watts. To-
day they use 236,500 watts, or a $50
per cent increase.
A year ago, we were fearful of the
effect of greater power. We were told
by some that the use OF anything
more than 1000 watts would mean ex-
cessive blanketing, the plotting out OF
smaller competitors the creation of
large areas into which no other signals
could enter. x K
But our experience 50 far leads to
the opinion that high power Is not on
lycharmless in these respects but ad-
vantageous. Power increase has meant
a general rise in broadcasting efflcien-
10 M 81
has helped greatly to overcome static
and other difficulties inherent in sum
mer beoadcasting, so as to give us Inn
proved all-year service. Whatever the
limit may be. I believe that substan-
tial power increase has come to stay,
and the public is the gamer from 1t.
Service Area
Our experience during the year has
somewhat more clearly defined the
geographical area within which sim
gle broadcasting station can give COM
plete service. X Xxx
If, however, we set up the most rigid
standard of say, complete service in
adverse atmospheric conditions and
all times of day and year for the
average crystal set, then the Bureaus
actual intensity measurements would
seem to indicate that this radius of
the circle served by a 500 watt station
will not exceed 10 miles, and that a
5000 watt station will cover about 80
miles and $4,000 watt stations will not
cover much over 100 miles. Obviously
more sensitive receiving sets, or bet
ter atmospheric conditions at once
greatly extend these distances.
For some reason or other the area
is not always a circle, as you know,
and it varies in different parts of the
for the same power. The de-
partment is undertaking the important
task of determining these service
areas. X
No discussion of progress in radio
would be complete without an appre-
citation of the intensive scientific and
industrial research now in progress.
x
One of the problems which we con-
sidered at the last conference was that |
OF inter-connection. This has pro- !
hn ~,