Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-06
MATEURS who have in the
past materially aided in the
transmission of messages


4 n during times of emergency
are now being organized by the
Navy Department., in cooperation
with the national headquarters of
the American Red Cross, for
speedy communication when flu
ture disasters occur which destroy
all other normal means of contact
with stricken areas.
In an announcement last week
the Navy Department disclosed
that the 1900 amateurs who are
enrolled in the radio division of
I the Naval Reserve will within the
next few weeks receive full in
Structions on the handling of
emergency communications.
It was pointed out that during
the Florida hurricane, in Septem-
Der, 1927, an amateur in Miami
established communication with
| the outside" when all other
means of communication failed.
His dispatches were relayed to
the Red Cross headquarters in
Washington and aided materially
in the facilitation of rescue work.
At a conference between repre-
SentativeS of the Red Cross and
the Navy Department a plan was
worked out whereby a complete
network of amateur stations will
be assigned to communication
unit for establishing contact with
the $500 local chapters of the
Red Cross and in turn with the
national headquarters.
In times of disaster these sta
tionS will communicate directly
with Washington and advise the
nature of the emergency, locality
and any additional information
available. 1t is expected that the
speedy transmission of this in
formation to the national head
quarters will greatly facilitate
rescue work and the organization
of relief.
RADIO has piloted the Southern
Cross safely across the vast
stretches of another ocean.
It was radio that got much of
the credit of the planes successful
navigation in two hops of the air
channels of the great Pacific from
San Francisco to Australia. Now,
the Self-same radio equipment
has added to it's laurels by guiding
the plane through the dense fog
off the shores of Newfoundland
| to the land haven of Harbor
Grace from across the Atlantic.
Not only did the dot and dash
apparatus make possible the
steering of a correct course, but it
eased the anxiety of the flyers
we'll wishers by keeping them in
formed of the progress through
air. 1t was true with both oceanic
flights.
It was the transmitter and re-
ceiver designed by Heintz and
Kaufman, San Francisco engi-
neers, that played this big part
in the success of the flight. Most
of the transmiSsions were on the
1915 meter short wave. There also
was on board an intermediate
wave receiver for communication
with ships on from 900 to 300
meters.
ALTHOUGH broadcast. trans
n mission and reception have
made remarkable strides toward
perfection in the last five years,
those familiar with either or both
realize that imperfectionS and
little flaws inevitably find their
way into the process OF transmit
ting and receiving.
Ac oluoIonnd fnno quality 1S
today, any series Of tests, will
prove concluSively that there is
still opportunity for Improvement.
The fact that one must have a
radio voice" or "talkie voice"
to sound we'll through these me-
diums is best proof for the man
of the street that in the record
ing and reproduction of sound
the characteristics of the human
voice are changed. The same
pertains to musical programs.
Certain elements are lost, certain
others are emphasized despite the
high degree of development found
in modern ampliflers, in the
broadcasting station ard IN talk
ing picture reproduction. =.
In any process OF electrical
voice or musical reproduction two
sets of amplifierS are needed-one
for the purpose of magnifylng
that which the microphone picks
up before broadcaSting or record
ing and another in the radio re-
ceiving sets, electric photograph
or talking picture reproducing
system. Naturally, any defect in
the receiving amplifler will be
greatly enlarged by a similar de-
feet in the reproducing amplit1er,
and, while the expensive ampl1--
flying systems in radio, movies and
monograph studios are far more
efficient than those at the repro
ducing end, even a slight distor-
ton through uneven amplif1ca-
ton will reappear at the repro
ducing end with considerable en-
phasis.
NEXT in radio, the audible
library.
Why not record favorite pro-
grams, especially momentouS
broadcaSts of great events, and
thus preserve them for reproduc-
ton on the photograph at home
or for broadcasting again?
1t is being done, but on small
scale. Prospects are that it will
be done on a large commercial
scale soon, the copyright laws per-
hitting.
Rather than lose radio per-
formances forever to the inf1nity
of the ether, a few farsighted
broadcasters and experimenters
are recording programs as they
| are received on the radio. There