Evening star., 1927-05-08
RADIO GOSSIP AND NEWS

Creation of a standardized national
system whereby broadcasting and land
radio stations may go on the air In
emergencies with special distress
call like that used at sea Is proposed
by Admiral Bullard. chairman OF the
Federal Radio Commission. The main
purpose Is to authorize land sos"
distinctive for distress or emergency
broadcasting, and to establish sec
tional and national chains Of stations
through the cooperation of the broad
casters and possibly the amateurs,
Admiral Bullard explained.
The germ OF this idea came from
the recent request of the Red Cross
asking the Radio Commission TO au-
thorize radio stations to operate tenn
porariiy I'm the flooded areas of the
Mississippi River in connection with
the work of rescuing and extending
aid. This request was granted at
| once, and several radio stations. both
fixed and portable, are understood to
be operating in the devastated area In
| cooperation with the authorities.
Admiral Bullard anticipates future
emergencies arising from disasters like
the Mississippi food, the Florida hur-
ricane and the San Francisco fire, as
well as other instances where ordinary
broken or interrupted, leaving radio
| to establish contact with the rest of
| the country. Emergencies of this kind.
| both sectional and national, always de-
! mand immediate facilities, sometimes
| temporarily. but often over long pc
| RODS, so It is felt that means must be
| made available for q Nationwide serV.
| ice through q network of radio sta.
| tions, tied together probably by the
| land lines Of the American Telegra ph
| and Telephone Co, and always ready
| for tnstantaneous service.
| 1t Is realized that an operative sys.
| tenn of this sort requires considerable
| planning and the full cooperation of
! telephone and broadcasting organiza
| tions. Such cooperation is what the
| chairman of the Radio Commission is
seeking as soon as it is possible to out
| line standard system and practice
! 1t would probably require the group
! ing of stations by sections or in zones
| each with a central control station
| and the crea ton of land emergency
! call which would be observed by all
| shore radio stations just as is the well
know sos of the sea. When that
| call is heard the air is cleared auto
matically; radio stations within a hun
| dred miles or so of our coasts cease
| transmitting and stand by, while Ger
| tain control stations, usually nava
| district stations, handle the emergency
| messages and finally release all sta
| tions when the distress messages and
replies are all cleared and the ship is
out Of danger. The marine sos sys
| tenn is part of the international law
| observed by ships and coastal stations
| of all nations. Radio stations afloat
| or ashore are required to cooperate in
handling messages to and from vessels
| in trouble.
| AT sea radio Is far more important
| than it is ashore, because it is the only
| means of communication. On land
| other means are available, but some
| times they fail. 1t is to meet such
| emergencies that the former director
| of naval communications is planning
to create means of immediate and gen
eral communication throughout the
| country National emergencies some
| times arise when the attention of prac
| tically every one is desired and radio
| at least reaches every one owning a
| radio broadcast receiver, providing
| broadcast channels and radiophone
| transmission are employed. 1t might
be necessary to broadcast a presiden
tial proclamation, warnings of storms
Hood or fire, pleas for aid or mobiliza
tion orders under threat of war.