Evening star., 1927-04-22
IT|NERANT RADIO
STATIONS DOOMED
Federal Commission Orders
Fixed Location Prerequisite
for Licensing.


go off the air. Portable stations,
whose function j.! many rural COM
munities is something like that of the
ancient medicine show, have heard
their death knell sounded by the Fed
eral Radio Commission. They must
quit their peregrinations and take
fixed locations if they want to obtain
licenses.
This was ordered by the commits
sion as one means for relieving pro-
gram broadcastinE congestion. NOV
ing from town to town, the portables,
despite their low-power output, have
been causing interference on waves
emanating from fixed stations nearby
and sometimes far away. They were
regarded as one of the most confusing
elements in broadcasting.
Hired by Merchants.
In addition to experimental and spe-
ciaI purposes, portable stations were
largely used 10 broadcast special pro
grams in communities having no radio
stations but having a large number of
receiving sets. Groups Of merchants
hire them when they come to town
by train or truck TO PROFOUND through
the community receiving sets the De
STABILITY of their wares. Or, like the
old medicine man, the portable opera
tor comes 10 town TO sell some product
directly.
Portables have their valuable uses.
They are light and can be carried TO
places ha ing no stations or not con-
veniently accessible to large trans.
mitting apparatus. For example, the
commission has suggested that in the
event of an international yacht race
or an aircraft cruise, which can be
hest reported by portable transmitters
taken aboard the craft, portables can
broadcast outside the program band,
the report be picked up by a fixed sta
tion and then rebroadcast by that sta
tions within the regular band.
Owns Seven Stations.
Seven Of the 81 portable stations
listed are owned by G. L. Carroll of
Chicago, who employs the following
call letters: WHBL. WHBM, WIBJ,
WIBM, WIBW, WkBG and WBBZ.
Each uses 100 watts and all use the
same wave length-215.7 meters, or
1890 kilocycles. One of the peripa'
tetic radio stations, curiously enough,
uses the call letters WALK. and is
operated by Albert A. Walker of
Bethayres. Pa, using so watts OF
power on wave length Of 2S5 meters,
These are the other portable sta,
Sions: WGMU. A. H. Grebe Co, New
York, 100 watts, 236 meters, 1870 kilo-
cycles: WE'LL, Radio Corporation of
America, New York, 100 watts, 244
meters. 1890 kilocycles; WLBH, Jo-
seph lombard, Farmingdale, n. Y.
20 watts, 230 meters, 1904 kilocycles;
WATT, Edison Electric, Boston, 100
watts. 243.S meters, 1920 kilocycles;
WcBR, G. III. Messter, Providence, 100
watts, 234.2 meters, 1880 kilocycles;
webs, Harold Dewing, Providence,
500 watts, 242.5 meters, 1,237 kilo-
cycles; WMBA. Leroy j. Beebe. New
port. r. L., 100 watts. 249.9 meters,
1.209 kilocycles; WCWS, Bridgeport.
Conn, Broadcasting Station, 100
watts. 1924 meters, 1920 kilocycles;
WKBY, Ferwood Quick, Danville, Pa,
100 watts. 220 meters, 1858 kilocycles;
WKBU. Harry X. Armstrong, New
castle, Pa, so watts, 23S meters, 1880
kiiocycles; WLBN, William Evart
Hiler, Chicago, so watts. 225.4 meters.
1870 kilocycles; WMBH, Edwin Dud-
ley Aber Chicago, 100 watts, $50 me-
ters, 1,071 kilocyeles; KFYJ, Chron-
icle Publishing CO., Houston, Tex, 10
watts, 23S meters, 1890 kilocycles.
The second installment of the elec-
tric storm last night again surcharged
the ether with terrific atmospheric dis
turbances which blanketed all signals
from the out.of.town stations, the
powerful as well as the weak. Every
fash of lightning-and 1t flashed
Rporadically throughout the evening
brought a deafening crash into the
loud speakers.
Except for the atmospheric disturb.
ance, reception conditions would have
been good. Signals were plentiful and
came through with fair volume and
clarity when the lightning did not in
terfere.
Music predominates on the program
tonight of WRC. The two principal
features will be the regular weekly
Goldman Band concert and the Lord
Calvert hour of music. There also will
be a dance program by Vincent Lopez
and his orchestra and a concert by
the Whittall Anglo-Persians.
The opening attraction is a tabloid
version of the Broadway hit, peggy
Ann" with Helen Ford in the title
role. A dinner concert by the Raleigh
Orchestra viii follow.
WBAL, Baltimore, will Join the Ma
tional Broadcast Co.'s blue network"
May /, according to a joint announce
ment today by Merlin Hall AyleS-
worth, president of the company. and
Fred Huber, director of the station
The entire broadcasting schedule Of
WBAI4 will be rearranged upon its af-
flliation with the network.
Local Radio Entertainment