Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-01-07

Chief Dispatcher j. n. Hickeu
of Whitefish, gives the following
brief history of the experiments
conducted on the Kalispell divi-
sion of the Great Northern rail
way to develop the feasibility of
wireless telephony and telegraphy
through mountainous territory in
case OF failure of the regular wire
telegraph and telephone due to Sc
we're weather conditions, thereby
enabling the train dispatchers to
keep In touch with the trains due
to the communication that they
will be able to obtain by wireless.
For the past 10 days the Great
Northern railway has been conduct
ing rather extensive experiments to
determine the feasibility of emerg
ency use of radio apparatus through
mountainous country in periods OF
heavy storm emergency, at which
time the successful operator of reg.
plar wire facilities Is sometimes lin
tied and occasionally entirely dis
rupted. With facilities for both
transmitting and receiving on var
ious wave lengths, experiments have
been carried on between the divis-
ional headquarters at Whitefish and
strategic points on both sides of the
continental divide. The apparatus
was designed for both telegraph and
telephone use, and not only were per
iodic tests of transmission made, but
also tests at regular intervals over the
entire 24-hour day were made both
ways between Whitefish and Glacier
Park, one Of them being carried on
Immediately after the inception oil
a recent heavy wfndstorm and severe
drop in temperature.
There has always existed a cer.
tain amount of doubt as to Just what
results can be obtained under a civ.
en- set of conditions with radio com.
munication of various kinds, and the
final answer often can be determin.
ed only by actual tests, on the ground
To insure a correct answer to- the 10.
cal conditions, not only were short
wave sets similar to those in use by
the United States coast guard trieC
out, but also a long wave set using 6
carrier wave three or four times ths
length of that used in general broad
casting. The results obtained have
been quite interesting, from q, COM
munication standpoint. as so far a,
known the experiments have not here
tOfore been tried under any condi
lions even approximating those ex
isting in the Rockies.
1.-THE use of short wave apparatu,
appears to have qualities which max,
it moi entirely satisfactory over til,
rather short distances through ex
tremely rugged country through
which the assurance of continue,
communication under all condition
was desired. Short wave radio ha
given some wonderful results owe
long distances, and has shown itSel
very adaptable over water, but som
of the characteristics which max
those results possible appear to b
a disadvantage in shorter distance
over the mountains.
"The long wave transmission OF
the contrary has appeared to affort
a very stable series of signals, will
little variation at different hours an,
under varying atmospheric condi
lions and it seems entirely possibl
to secure a very satisfactory mean
of communication thereby. TIL
greatest difficulty In the transmits
sion of satisfactory speech qualit
has really seemed to be in overcom
ing local interference at the variou
points due to a very large variety o
radio frequency noises, the exao
cause of which is not always easii'
%traceable.
IF one will realize that an auto
mobile spark plug sets up radi
waves which can be detected with
sensitive receiving set as much as
mile away, 1t is easy to see that tn
modern life, with hundreds of appl.
Ications of electricity to varied me
%lchanical uses, really results in a mas
of electrical vibrations which may in
tterfere with a weak communicate
signal in many ways.
1.-THE experiments which the Gres
Northern has been conducting an
which seem to be about the first {
their kind attempted, have provide
a considerable amount of data whiC
will be of great value in determinin
just where the radio art may be IL
troduced to advantage in railws
practice, and just what limitation
may be imposed by the eharacteri
tics of that method Of commune,
ton. Collaborating with the Gre,
Northern railway, which was repr
scented by J.. c. Rankine,- superb
tendent Of telegraph, St. Paul, r.
Thayer, telephone engineer of S
Paul, and A. w. Mckay, a~ssistal
superintendent of telegraph, Sp
kane, there was the G~raybear Ele
trio company which is a subsidia.
: of the Bell Telephone interests, re
I resented by f. v. Adams, sales Q
g%ineer; f. M. Ryan, radio enginee
and A. B. Bailey, radio engineer, q
of New York city, who have heret
fore done much research and d
velopment work along the lines
radio communication In connecti,