Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-03-14
Amateurs Lead.

Amateurs Lead
The short waves have NOT been used
for broa dCdSting. except incidentally
by such stations as kDKA. he pio-
neer radio station at Pittsburgh, or by
2NAR. the experimental station of the
Radio Corporation at Bound Brook.
y. ). And Yet the broadcast pro
grams sent out on such wave lengths
as 40 and - meters. 80 meters below
the broadcast band. have been vastly
illuminating. The Pittsburgh broad
cast has been picked up in the jungles
along the upper reaches of the Anna
ION River by American explorers
Equally significant have been some Of
the accomplishments of MAR.
Aside from the broadcast band.
which is now located between 200 and
$50 meters. with some 600 embryo sta
tons Clamorng for ether channels 10
send forth their programs, the field
for interna tfonal communication with
some degree of stability lies either in
the field far above 500 meters or below
200 meters. The broadcast band. in so
far as it applies 10 the United States
'and the same rule is largely true in
Europe. for their frequcncies CORE.
spond or the whole wiki oUrSl must
remain a channel for lroadcastina
And tire broadcast band has not shown
any particularly encouraging aDplica-
ton for international work, as the re-
cent international tests showed
Enormous Power Used.
So the real field for international
work lies we'll above or below the
broadcast band. The field above go
meters is We'll occupied by ship and
shore stations. while above. these rel1-
lively high frequcncie> come The
Navy wave length ALLEGATIONS. broad,
casting on wave bands as high rs
l1.ij0 nleterS-the length used by the
hi@h-puWered station of the Navy at
Annapolis. Mss. whose powerful are.
transmiiter sometimes makes it's har-
monte heard even through the broad
cast band. To put radio signal any
distance across land and sea at the
low freQuences used in high wave
length transmission required enor-
nous power. MSS FOR example. some
times used 100000 watts, while the
normal broadcast station uses some
thing less than 1000 watts.
Power is the dominat ting factor, ac-
cording to Commerce Department off
Gals and eXperimenters. in pushing
the voice or signal of any man. he he
President or ham" across thousand.
of miles of space by low frequency,
high-wave-lengthe equipment. And that
shortcominG Of the hiGh-Wave- length
station with its consequent heavy eX-
penSe in generating and using power
is exactly where the short waves
come in. the hope of radio where sta
BILE international communication is
concerned.
Short Waves Recent.
Short waves are a comparatively
recent development in radio They
are an OutgrOwth of the work of the
amateurs who have been barred from
the broadcast frequencies and were
forced into ranges not usurped by the
ship and shore stations or the vital
business of the Army and Navy. And
the amateur has been recommended
for being pushed down into the low
wave length. high frequency range
by developing short waves to the
point where they now show much
more promise than high-wave- length
stations with their great power.
Secretary Hoover. the radio admins
traitor. who is a keen student of the
new art. does not now see the proba-
bility of international communication
over great ulSttHCcS UHlcs,S research
uncovers some new system or device
that will eliminate the present insta-
bility of communication. Yet Mr.
Hoover, in close touch with radio in
all it's phases, admits that radio, hav-
ing gone far beyond the bounds of
human knowledge of a decade ago,
may take another long leap forward
and provide some means by which
consistent communicate ton may be
held with places far on the other side
of the earth.
Davis COncurs i'm View.
Similar views are held by Judge
S. B. Davis, solicitor for she Com
merce Department, in whose hands
the administration of the radio laws
has been placed by Mr.. Hoover.
The radio division of the department
In closer touch with developments
than either Mr.. Hoover or Judge Da-
Wis, places even more implicit faith in
the work being done by the ham" of
today and the eXperimenters of the
Army and Navy. w. ID. Terrell, chief
radio supervisor, does not hesitate to
predict the day when consistent two
way communication will he developed.
either by voice or telegraph. and hopes;
to see the time when the Secretary of
Commerce may sit in his office and
direct his agents in Turkey, India or
Australia by radio. Both he and j. NJ.
Downey, his assistant, are so familiar
with the work of the experimenters in
short waves that they would p"t no
lieye anything iAIpS.>.j.u!e within iest-