Evening star., 1927-05-11
CONTEST MAY GIVE
NEW AIR CHANNELS
Amateur Competition May
Open New Lanes for
Nations Use.

The $4,000 or more amateur radio
operators of the United States, many
OF them mere youngsters and most
of them lobbyists, are now engaged
in an international contest conducted
by the American Radio Relay League
that may open up new reliable chan
nels of a Shortwave communica ton
between countries. These are the same
element whose 'dabbling about" in the
ether for the fun of it has contributed
so largely to radio science.
In previous contests they have
successfully established lanes of code
talk with Australian and South
African amateurs. Usually they are
the ones who have picked up and re-
layed messages from isolated ex-
plorers in the Arctic wastes or in the
jungle wilds More recently some of
them have done some splendid emer-
gency work where communications
have broken down in the Mississippi
food areas.
The object of tho tests, which will
continue until May %, is to deter
mine the most reliable amateur
traffic routes throughout the world
and the best stations in each locality
to provide foreign contact Ratings
Will be based on successful transmits
sion and reception, limited to a single
message for each operator. The
transmission and reply must be con
firmed by mail reports which will
state the power, wave, time of day
or night of the communication and
other data, which will enable the con-
ductors of the contest not only to
pick out the most reliable amateur
stations throughout the world, but vir-
IL, A.
and the best conditions of opera
tions. The winners in the test be
come proud possessors of certifica-
tons designating them an official
foreign contact station"
Radio science and the broadcastinG
people always watch lIeenly the work
of the amateurs. Indicating the high
esteem in which they are held is the
fact that the plea of X. r. Warner, |
secretary Of the Radio Relay League, |
as much as any other factor, led the |
Federal Radio Commission recently |
TO discard any intention of widening |
the broadcast band for the benefit of |
program broadcasters. The sugges- |
tion was made that the waves be- |
tween $50 and 200 meters might make |
about so more channels available for |
program use but the fact that many |
amateurs were using these waves
kept them clear and is likely to keep |
them clear for some time at least
How the amateur steps into the |
breach in an emergency was recently
shown in the example of Bert Fox,
an Atlanta high school lad, who kept
constant contact with r. Disheroon,
an amateur at Hot Springs, Ark,
during the two days when the swollen
river there had broken down wire
Z
messages from frantic relatives and
friends.
A concert by the Army Band and a
tabloid version of Robert Planquette's
romantic comic opera, rip Van
Winkle,' by the National Light Opera
Co, are the outstanding attractions
tonight of WRC. The operetta viii
be broadcast at $50 o'clock, while the
band concert will begin at 7:05.
Other musical features include the
weekly programs of hte Ipana Trouba-
dours and the National Cavaliers
Male Quartet and a concert by the
Hi-lo Hawaiians.
Charles w. Gilmore of the National !
Museum will open WRC's evening
program with talk on Fossil Foot
prints in the Grand Canyon" At Z
O'Clock Anita Hawkins win give the
second of her series of talks on
whats in the Center Market" The
second episode of the Regent Dia-
mond." by the Perfect Diamond En-.
tertainers, will be broadcast at $50.
An electrical disturbance tore the
wave lengths asunder last night and
created an almost impenetrable bar
rier to the signals of the out-of-town |
stations. Vivid flashes of lightning
streaked the Southern horizon sporad- |
ically throughout the evening and |
every flash produced a static-like out
burst in the loud speakers.
few of the super-power stations /
could be tuned, however, but the cleo |
trical disturbance did let up long |
enough to permit even snatches of |
the programs to come through with |
out interruption. In other words, the |
night was a decidedly poor one for |
dialing and the wise listener stuck /
to either WRC or WMAL.