New Britain herald., 1926-04-17
STATIONS SILENT FOR s OS. MESSAGES
WRNY Explains System Where. by BrOadCaSterS Shut Down

We are signing off for an SOS.." And then silence What n thrill that gives radio fans on n quiet and un- eVentful evening in the middle Of a program and oftentimos in the middle of q selection. What thoughts arc conjured by that sim pie statement and how the imagi- nation rushcs 10 tho dark ocean where men are fighting for their lives. "sOS.". three letters spelling danger trouble disaster and, in many cases. death.
 Although there are few listeners who havo not heard that statement issuing from stations at some time Or another. few of them know the inside story of how the broadcasters prepare for the sos. calls and how they shut down so quickly. WRNY, New York city, has issued an inter- esting story regarding tho sos. Watch and the activities, while ap- plying directly 10 that station, can be applied 10 any of the prominent broadcasters in tho country.
 should you ever happen to visit 'hc twonty-tlrst floor of the Roose- tolt, and enter the transmitting room Of station WRNY, you would see sitting al q small desk, a man with phones tightly c,asped on his cars. listening, ever listening 10 tho routine of ships traffic with which the air is always well congcstcd on six hundred meters.
 Sometimes, however, there is sudden and grim silence on this wave band. and shortly after it you were able 10 read the international code, you would hear the familiar sound of the QST- -QRT,SOS. de NAH signal which means in Eng fish that the government station NAH had called all ships to atton- ton. and had informed them that they must stop sending owing to the fact that there was some ship upon the sea in distress, and had sent Ou, in" SOS. signal.
 Sill imagining that you are in the 'rhnsmitt"r room Of WRNY. you would SC the operator there sud- denly spring into action. First he would deprCsg the telegraph key on Inc connecting code line between th" transmittcr room and the con- rrol room on tho eighteenth floor and send the simple signal consist nE 6t Jo three more dots. |
 Immediate response would come, hoNc"cr, in tn" form of the an nounrer's voice saying, station WENY signing off for an SOS" No &oonr' would the last word be from his lips before the transmiiter op- .rator would have the set off the air, ShoU'd you happen 10 go down to ;@n studio on the eighteenth floor at 'Nis lime you would sco all the artists who were scheduled to ba on tho air.
 They would ho walking n"rvously ID ani down tho anteroom just out eide tit" studio, Hut Wnoey'r they w.ro, they woul bc forced to wait UNtj the clear signal was "ir"loSa"d rom the government station before tN"ir prograyI could continue.
 Thc idea of having even the bro11rast stations Of low wave ,onGth 70 off the air is simple roough, When there is q ship at sea in Ijsr~tas maybe in sinking condi- , ton. the air should be made as clear g., possible naoling communication h~,w,rn vessel in distress and other aNips proceeding to the rescue.
 50 far. station WRNY has main ! tained an unblomshcd record on the l si% hunir'd meter watch. l. has n.ror I'aa late in signing of, for an sos. ,gnal
 Wh,.u thr EOS, signal ia clear and 1 the victims ot whatever disaster l1ight harr taken place cared for i inc clear signal is sent out in cod" . from NAH. and immediately ship | traffic and broadcaStins spring into fife again.