Evening star., 1925-11-15
RADIO NET PLANNED
| FOR CIVILIAN ARMY
Signal Corps and Amateur
League to Cooperate in
Communication System.

The American Radio Relay League
has been designated by the chief
: signal officer of the United States
Army as the organization to off,
clally represent the American trans
mitting radio amateur in the forth
coming organization of Army anna
teur radio communication throughout
the country. This move follows upon
the general staff approval of the plan
which eventually is to provide an
amateur radio station for each unit
oi the National Guard and organized
reserve from battalions up through
divisions.
or'!srs placing the plan in opera
ton as far as the Army is concerned.
name Capt. Tom G. Rives of Fort
monmouth, N. j. (the Army Signal
School), as liaison agent whose duty
II VIII be to coordinate the Army
efforts. Detailed instructions have
been prepared for corps area signal
ef,lcers and already some of them are
a. work preparing nets that will in
clude all of the reserve and guard
units within their jurisdiction.
Where divisional boundaries of the
American Radio Relay League and
corps area boundaries coincide the
olNlSlon manager of the league will
Su1rrtion. under the traffic manager.
es directing head of amateur activ-
!1eS. In other sections n special
HalSon agent has been named, whose
dutE II will be to supervise the as
eiStdnt divisional managers who have
Charge of each State.
Decentralizing of Work.
This method of decentralizing the
work placing it in the hands of men
Intimately in touch with the local
Nproblems of each corps area, Is being
followed by the Army and by the
ieaSue so that closer attention may
be given to the multitude of details
that are bound to crop out in the
successful operation of such a
scheme.
To the Army the successful use of
the plan means the upbuilding of a
vast reserve of potential wartime
radio operators who will be carefully
trained in Army methods and routine
rms training is expected to simplify
the transition from a civil to a mill
tarE status in time of necessity. OF
secondary, but more immediate value,
is the independence it will grant to
the military communications system
In times of national stress, when ordi-
nary land means of communicati ton
may be rendered imperative.
Extension OF ACtlVltleS.
, Members of the league who will be
actively identified with the movement
feel that ii means an extension of
those activities which are the basis
of the league itself. 1t will give each
member an opportunity to carry on
large amount of radio traffic, his
favorite indoor sport. The training
thus gained will help each operator
TO realize his fondest ambition, to be-
come still better operator.
1t is proposed by the Signal Corps
70 grant a certificate TO each amateur
enrolling for the work. officially desiG
mating such amateur as an Army
amateur radio operator for two years.
Applications for appointment as an
Army station are to be acted upon
Jointly by the Signal Corps and the
league members whose duty it is to
supervise work in a given corps area.
In this manner neither the national
Headquarters of the league nor the
Army headquarters will be concerned
with any phase of the work that is
purely local.
When "a station is designated the
Army in that locality will instruct
the amateur operator in the methods
of handling Army correspondence and
in the operation of routine codes. Re
ports from subordinate units, now
rendered by mail, will also be sent
via amateur radio. Routine orders
end similar material will also find its
way into the radio grtst during the
preliminary training months when
the intricate nets are being developed.
LnthuSia site Endorsement is given
the plan by officers in the Signal
Corps and by officers and members of
the American Radio Relay League,
and it is confidently expected by those
officials concerned that the plan will
realize the fondest hopes of its
SDoneorS