Evening star., 1927-07-17

changed after nearly month ol
operation, and. according to reports
made to Admiral Billiard from the
| Department of Commerce radio super
visors in the field, they are at least
IS per cent satisfactory. Some fans
| write in objecting to either local or
distant reception, but most of them
seem fairly well satisfied.
Reports of all serious interference
| filed with the commission are being
| classified, and where the same inter
| ference and conditions are complained
| of by several individuals or concern
| the same stations, notes are made SC
| that the situation may be investi.
| gated later by the full commission.
Engineers say that while some
| interference from heterodyne whistles
is noted, this can never be wholly
| overcome until the operating fre,
ouencies of broadcasters are better
! controlled so as to be kept constantly
standard. The commissions variation
| allowance of half a kiocycle, or 500
| cycles, is probably as small as can be
| insisted on today, but, with improved
control apparatus, it will soon be pos
| sible to keep stations exactly on the
| standard frequencieS. Even If two,
not in the same locality, are operat.
! ing on the same frequency, there will
| be no heterodyne whistle. AT certain
| points, about midway between the
! two stations, the programs would in
| terfere with each other. but no whistle
| should mar the ether. If they were
| far enough apart the two programs
| could not be heard at the same time.
! The limitation of power of course,
| enters this problem as well as dis
| tance Of separation. But heterodyn-
| ing is due to the clash of two stations
| on approximately the same frequency
rather than two transmitting on exact.
| iy the same standard channel.
AS far as the broadcasting stations
| themselves are concerned, it appears
| that nearly so per cent of them are
satisfied with their assignments; 20
per cent are dissatisfied with either
their channel or power assignments.
! and the remaining 20 per cent are
classed as chronic grumblers, who
think they deserve better places in
the ether and more power, regardless
of standing or programs.
From the last two classes come the
complaints which require special at
tention of the commissioners. Often
their requests for hearings, which
have to be granted under the law,
make ii necessary for owners of other
stations 10 journey to Washington to
defend their interests or send repre-.
sentatives.
A docket Using Is public hearings
between July 26 and August 3 was
announced recently by the commits
sion. 1t is the result of applications
from Is stations to secure better fire.
quencies or more power, and involves
directly the interests of SO other sta
| tions on the desired channels or stu
ated near the stations. Many other
stations are affected indirectly, bring
ing the total to around $50.
If the commission should grant all
the requests it would require many re-
adjustments and practically ruin the
present broadcast operating system.
However. so far the commission has
refused to change its assignments in
all cases heard, sticking to its general
assignment plan. This attitude prob
ably will not be changed, at least not
before the two-month licenses expire
August Is. at which time few
changes may be made if it appears
desirable in public interest.
New Names for Stations.
The broadcasters, it seems. are be-
ginning to appreciate that there well
might be change in the practice of
designating stations by technical call
letters. The time certainly has ar
rived for humanizing radio stations in
this important respect. 1t Is admit
ted, of course, that a certain number
OF broadcasters either have been for.
tunate or provident enough to obtain
combinations of letters which carry
some meaning or which, because of
their visual or audible combination,
have been such as to hold fast in the
public mind. There possibly will be
some opposition to the IGea OF scrap
ping these call letters in favor of
names such as are given to boats and
sleeping cars.
A great many suggestions are being
offered to the broadcasters. One
which probably will have genuine sup
port is the suggestion that broadcast
ing studios adopt as their designations
tho names of men who have made the
most impressive contributions to
radio.
There are not enough broadcasting
stations to justify the plan used in
naming sleeping cars, where 1t is
necessary to be resourceful and some
what imaginative in order to give
every one of the cars a distinctive
name. 1t would be important for the
| broadcasting association to avoid
| using those names, for example,
which would exploit certain circuits,
or which would tend to engender in
the minds of listeners the wrong idea
as to the ownership of a station. Pos
sibly it will be better to go back into
the history of electricity, upon which
radio is essentially founded, in order
to find the names for stations.
Within the near future therefore,
we may have stations Farraday, Vol
ia and Ohm. And, of course, one Of
| the leading stations In the country
will be known as the Franklin, in
| honor of the man who flew the kite
and brought down electricity from
the heavens.