Evening star., 1930-12-07
TELEV|S|ON KEPT
FROM AIR TESTER
General Radio Conference
Sentences Visual Art to
Confines of L Laboratory.
BY ROBERT MACK.

Television remains locked within the
confines of the laboratory for another
indefinite term by the verdict of a jury
OF the scientific wizards of radio.
Despite the startling claim of a "a.
year-old radio engineer that he had
within his grasp the revolutionary
method by which te!evision would be
placed within the reach of the public
the grouD of the leading television
minds OF the Nation sentenced the WIS.,
ua. art to further research as an "ex-
psrimental subject" The action was
taken last week at a conference here
With the Federal Radio Commission
called to appraise television's status as
q public service.
Inventor Only Heard.
At this conference Philo T. Farm
worth, the San Francisco youth, told
OF his invention and how he had solved
the problem that has baffled the world
OF science. But those engineers-the
Edtsons Of radio-just listened, and
then went along with their business of
working out new processes to govern
telev-sion and bring it into the prac-
tical realm perhaps within one, two
three, or even ten years hence
FarnSWorth did not divulge the nature
of his invention. And those engineers,
like AleXanderson Of General Electric
DR.. Ives of the Bell Telephone Co.; DR..
Conrad, the father of Droadcastlng, !"
Of Westinghouse; Horn of the National
Broadcastlng Co. and score of others
whose names are by-words in radio,
listened to him, but they wanted to see
circuits, not words. All admittedly
were skepttcal, but they would not say
the young man does not have the solu-
ton until they know the details.
Ample Backing Claimed,
Associates of Farnsworth claim that
he is backed by $4,000 900 from New
York interests, and that an application
Immediately will be filed for an expert
mental television station in New York.
He himself declared his plan was based
on revolutionary tube" which makes
possible the transmission of images
vastly superior in detail on a channel
no wider than that used for ordinary
brcadcasting. Such channels are 10
kilocycles wide, whereas experimental
television requires a 100-kilocycle band.
Space in the ether is the vital thing in
television, and if his (Farnsworth's)
theories are proved it is admitted that
he will be the genius in television.
Moreover, he claimed the transmission
OF a 300-line picture on such a chan
mel, whereas the score of experimenters
now are sending pictures of 80, 40 or SO
lines, comparable to the newspaper
half-tone.
A year ago Farnsworth's name was
mentioned in connection with television
in San Francisco, at which time he was
reported as having been associated with
Crocker Institute there. An applica-
ton for an experimental station for
his station at that time was denied by
the commission on the ground that the
engineering AMI other data submitted
did not warrant it.
Secret Is Guarded.
The secret of the Farnsworth system
was declared to be embraced in the
revolutionary tube" which has no
moving parts. Lack of moving parts
inertia effects and complicated me-
chanical parts permits transmission of
any desired amount of detail, including
half-tone effects at television speed"
he said. The system, 1t was held is
applicable to television, photoradio,
telephoto and all other types Of fac
simile transmission without exception.
"It will enable acceptable facsimile
transmissions to be had on frequency
bands not more than one one-hun-
dredth of present band widths, or 100
A1OoAAAAAAC AlCood6C Cdkl NC VI
with the same facilities now required
for single message or picture"
1t is proposed by Farnsworth's hackers
to put his plans into effect as soon as
the Radio Commission gives sanction.
A demonstration for the commission
and for Eastern engineers was promised
before the end Of the year.
Conference Asks Action.
The conference itself made a series
of rec recommendations to the commission,
including a reallocation of the 19 IL
cen5ed television stations to provide for
greater geographical separations be-
tween stations on the same frequencies.
This was done TO eliminate interference,
which affects visual signals even more
than ordinary broadcasting.
Blocking off of three big bands of
channels in the ultra-high frequencies,
now unrecognized internationally as of
no practical value, for further television
experimentation was voted.
(Copyright, 1880, by Consolidated Press).