Evening star., 1926-02-07
POLICING Of ETHER
OFFERS PROBLEM
Nine Radio Supervisors Are
Unable to Do lob With
out Cooperation.
BY CARL III. BUTMAN.

Tnc nine radio supervisors cam,
possibly investigate and locate all II
Interference reported, nor a hur
dredth part of it: therefore, the rad
public must help solve its ov
problems
If the air is to be cleared of IS
many types of electrical disturbanas,
radio and otherwise, government
olilcialS declare, radio dealers, ga
teurS and fans must assist the GER
worked supervisors and inspectis
When local interference is ned a
conscientious effort by the IN TO
run it down should be made. Alling
IN neighbors to aid if necessF. IN
many instances amateurs IN De
found who are able. equiprd and
willing 10 cooperate throug COM
munity interests. Most Of te cleo
trIc power companies an radO
dealers are also disposed assist
when possible. The suerVlsors
atield and at WashingtonF Fill also
advise and assist voluntee trouble
shooters who make repor.
Organizations Forrtd.
In manx localities ofanizations
composed OF radio expert amateurs
and listeners have beeutormed to
eliminate Objectionable Interference.
Such cooperation is oflneStlmable
assistance to the Goverrent super
NlSorS and inspectors, no have to
cover great stretches oferritory, IN
Guiding several States II most dis
trlctS, and cannot possibly make
visit to every community. even once
year. If the comntnities would
clear up the obviou$troubles and
leave only the difficu problems TO
the inspectors. great progress could
hs made, the supervisors say. LIS
tenerS' associations organized to
eliminate local interference have been
active in many plaes; among those
which have come the attention of
the Department sc the following:
Butte. Mont: Nef York City, Nor
folk, Va; Indiana pills and San Diego.
Amateurs alone ot only police the
air among themelves, but aid lis
tenerS in many IhceS. These young
sters are equippd to run down inter
ference and possess the ability and
skill of embryo 'adio engineers.
An engineer of an illuminating
company in Bosom recently perfected
n special portble radio receiving
set designed I, locate interference,
which he calls a radio interference
locator. 1t has worked we'll in run
ming down trOuple on both audio and
radio 1requenCtS. in locating spark
ing motors. operating oil heaters and
retrlSeratorS, leaFy transformers and
even tree grounds. Findings report
ed 10 the district supervisor brought
remedies rom tie owners, and these
eXtraneouS noises We're eliminated
from the broadcast band
100 Pr Cent Cooperation.
Some Supervisors report 100 Der
cent co -opeation from fans and anna
teurs in cGain cities, which permits
mis- inspectcs to devote their time to
The very dfcult jobs of tracing and
stopping Unidentified interference.
without dev,ing all their time to run
nlng down nipple and obvious trou-
bles. Most pwer and light companies
are now eq'pped with por-ta bic ap-
paratus for racing leaks and inter
ference. andthey gladly cooperate
when VOLUNTEER observers find their
lines or equiment faulty.
All that isneeded for local radio ,
trouble shoohg, department experts
say, is a pOrtole set, with one or two ,
stops of rad and one audio tube.
equipped. of curse, with loop or
directional arnna. The aid of some
one who owl an automobile is fire.
quently Necessary so that easy trans
. portation is furnished. Sometimes
trouble is locsed in a certain section
OF a city, reuiring frequent trips
around the tgn until the specific
block and builng housing the trouble
IS found.
To-day the ommerce Department
has but one ldio test truck It's
headquarters at Detroit, but it is
impossible to ever even the territory
IN that district Supervisor Edwards
~
IN his territoryand also requests to
go outside his .risdiction While re
turning from ,e Washington radio
conference he PISSED through Cumber-
land, Nd, but he had not time TO
locate the troule reported by MANY
fans, his return solicited. \ recent
request came n from Columbus
Ohio, where loca interests urged that
the inspection tick stay a week or
two to clear W the ether. Such a
long stop is obviusly impossible with
the pressure of demands from other
sections. officialseXplain, announcing
that if it stayed day or two working
on the worst cass it would be all the
time available iThat section.
This SltuationwaS cited as an eX-
ample of the ncessary cooperation
required from lcaI interests in run
ming down ordiRry troubles. so the
inspector could tackle the unsolved
ones.
Funds AsLd of Congress.
In the bulge figures now before
Congress the apartment of Com
merce is seeking funds for three more
radio troublesl@ting trucks to assist
in policing thu cher and locating In
reference. Taey will help materially.
but the supervisors of the nine dis
Tricts need atleast one truck each be-
fore they cal begin to furnish their
territories with anything like adequate
service. Unit such time as they have
more trucks and equipment the fans
and radio intrests must cooperate.
The situatjn is realized by interests
in San F'ranfsco. Radiocast Weekly
puts it this way: 1.-The best present
answer Ito he interference problem)
is the formation of interference pre-
vention associations in every commu-
nifty. Just as the early firefighters
were VOLUNTEER organizations. and just
as citizens hive now banded together
TO report vidhtionS of automobile traf-
fo laws, solt is necessary for radio
listeners to yet together to rid them
selves Of tn, interference pest"