Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-15
SEABOARDREPOR
SHIP interference
Fans Charge Calls on 600
Channel 0bstruct
Reception.

Up New England way and down
some distance along the Atlantic sea-
board thoy are complaining that ship
calls on the 600.meter channel, which
is also the SOS channel, are constant
~ interfering with program reception.
Listeners have besought the Federal
Radio Commission to eliminate this
interference, but that body, however
willing. is faced by a treaty barrier
that has international aspects fnvolv-
ing some 40 nations and about $1,000
chips.
= Most American ships are equipped
with C.. w, or continuous-Wave trans
mission, which keeps them practically
precisely on the 600.meter wave Wnen
engaged in calls to establish 1itersnip
or ship-to. shore communications. or
when broadcasting the distress signal
This channel has been set aside by IN
ternational agreement as the MOST
Aasible for this purpose inc pTac'
tics OF using a signal contact ire
ouenSS for the SOS frequency was
fosterete&o that operators aboard ships
would constantly be standing by ana
tunaa in for possible distress calls.
Some American and many Foreign
ships. .use spark transmitters, ana
therein lies the cause of the inteffef'
aIlce that has been felt so acuteiy a.
Boston. Cape Cod. Long Island ana
Atlantic City not to mention points
farther south. Now it is these spark
transmitteTs, which send out an ex-
tremely wide wave, that set up inter-
ference within the neighborlng Pro
gram broadcast band used IN the
United States
The uppernlost limit Of the program
hand is 545.l meters. which is near
enough to feel the drone of the code
messages being transmitted by SHIPS
not too far offshore on the o00-meter
channel, Accordingly, the commls'
sion has urged coastal broadcasters
not to use frequencies along the nlgn'
er limits of the program band anu. III
fact. has assigned only one or TWO
stlch stations on such frequencies. A
Worcester station which once chose 10
operate on 545.1 meters quickly apan-
doned that wave because or the inter
ference set up. Most stations IN the
upper channels of>the band are TO De
found inland in the United STATES.
Nevertheless, the interference from
the spark transmitters is still felt.
Louis w. Southgate, a Worcester at
tornev, recently voiced the annoyance
of New England fans when he wrote
+ha commission about the reception
difficulties he has experienced on &C.
count of radio operators at sea. COM
missioner Caldwell wrote back to him
that it is undoubtedly desirable 10
shift the sos call to a frequency far.
Their removed, and suggested that the
subject may come Before the fortn-
coming international radiotelegraph
conference at Washington. g.
Department of Commerce radio ON
Gals say that such aHshift would re-
ouire the acquieseence of all nations
operating ships. since 500 meters -
the. universal distress call wave. They
suggest it would be far better to re-
ouire c. w. transrnitterse aboard all
ships because the e0e-meter habit is
SO firmly ingraiRed among seafaring
radiomen. This phase Will undoubted'
~ be taken up by the conference here
9 in October. ts-ssNtes.s.s
Two regular; attra ctions Of local
origin, the w. b. e. A. Quartet and
the Lord Calvert Hourypf Music, are
among the features scheduled tonight
BY WRC. The quartet will present
another all-request program, while the
Lord Calvert Houh sponsors announce
that new type of program Will be
introduced. 80
Chief among the attractions which
WRC will import from New York is
the weekly concert OF the famous
Bourbon Orchestra. which win play
under the name of the Cities Service
Orchestra, Francis J. Laptino.. harp
list, will appear as the soloist with the
orchestra.
The New York Theater Guild will
open WRC's evening program with a
scene from the successful Broadway
play, THE Second Man" Margalo Gill
more and Earle Larrinlore are to have
the leading parts.
; WRC's late dance music will be pro-
Wded by the Hotel Pennsylvania and
the Greenwich Village Inn Orchestras.
The out-of-town stations, particu-
larly those in the superpower group,
were tuRable with fair volume and
clarity last night, despite the cracking
and rumbling of static, which was in.
terspersed with an occasional cleo.
trical disturbance, caused, perhaps, by
a distant midsummer storm Recep-
ton was best from stations In the
North. Those in the South and Mid
west We're slow to respond, and their
signals in most cases were feeble.