Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-04
SYNCHRON|zAT|ON
IN RADIO UPHELD
Plan, Not Yet Past Expert
ment Stage, Held Not Dan
uerous to Independents.

Radio synchroniZation still is largely
experimental and its further develop
ment is dependent upon trial operation
under practical conditions with the pub
lie as the listening jury, according to
Harry c. Butcher, director Of the Wash
ington ofice Of the Columbia Broad
casting System.
However, he said, practical applica-
ton Of the synchronization principle
does not mean the death Of independent
or network AFFILIATED stations so far as
the Columbia System is concerned.
The application of the Columbia
System for permission from the Federal
Radio Commission experimentally to
operate a 250-watt booster station in
Washington, bringing to the Nations
Capital the complete programs OF
WABC, Columbias key station In New
York City has brought to light several
objections which, while possibly plaus-
ible to the uninformed. are not based on
adequate knowledge of the facts and are
therefore erroneous" Mr.. Butcher said.
Objections Held FalIaci0us.
"The first of these objections, and
perhaps the most fallacious, Is that
practical application Of Synchronization,
as proposed experimentally by the Co
lumbia System, sounds the death kneH
of the independent and chain-afhliated
stations. Under present wave-length
ALLEGATIONS. nothing could be further
from the truth.
with the wave lengths of the Nation
distributed as they are. the proper and
mountaineering location of a booster
station is equally as difficult as the
establishment Of a new station.
Establishment Of new station is viz
tually impossible at present because of
the congestion of stations now crowded
into the definitely limited band OF
broadcaSting frequencieS. However, the
booster principle, if proven practical in
actual test, would make considerably
better use Of the Nations patrimony Of
wave lengths than is possible under
present conditions.
Held Greatly Exaggerated.
Because Of the hope that synchronI-
zation would wholly remedy the present
chron1zation on existing stations has
been widely discussed and greatly ex-
aggerated.
Because Of the existing stations each
Of which has to be separated hundreds
of miles from other stations on the
same or adjacent channels, there are
but surprisingly few cities where a
booster station can be established which
will not interfere with reception of ex-
isting stations. This is perhaps better
explained by saying that when two sta
tons which operate on adjacent wave
lengths are located too close to each
other, the listener in the home hears
cross talk or both programs at once, or
gets whistles and hoWls. In other words
a booster of Station WABC cannot be
located in q city which has a station
operating on a wave length within so
kilocycles-five notcheS on the dial-of
the WABC channel.
This condition, coupled with the re-
CURED geographical separation of sta
tions, substantially limits the cities in
which a WABC booster station can be
located. The restriction Is further in
creased by possible interference on the
adjacent wave lengths Of stations in
cities other than that in which the
booster station is desired.
WABC Situa ton Cited.
For example, wENR and WIS oper-
ate on a splif-time basis with so kilo-
watts in Chicago on the $40 channel,
adjacent to WABC on $50. The Federal
Radio Commissions new standard Of
mileage separation recommended be-
tween 50-kilowatt station and ESQ
watt station operating on adjacent
channels Is TIC miles, which is slightly
greater than the actual air line distance
from Chicago to Washington. There
fore, the commissions engineering stand
ards preclude operation of any booster
on WABC's channel at any place that is
closer to Chicago than is Washington
Likewise, 1t must be remembered that
the wave length on the other side of
WABC, $50 kilocycles, is used by two
stations of 10 kilowatts power at Shreve-
port and New Orleans, La, and
no booster station could be operated on
WABC's channel closer than SAL miles
Of either of these cities. WHB, a day.
time station at Kansas City. Mo-, and
KMO, a limited-time station at Ia
coma, Wash. are now licensed to oper-
ate on WABS's wave length. No boost
er station could be operated on this
channel In the West or on the Pacific
Coast without interfering with the OPP
Grafton Of these established stations.
After considering the mileage sep
aration which must be maintained be-
tween stations on the same and ada
cent wave lengths, It is at once appar-
ent even to the uninitiated that should
a booster station be constructed and
operated in Washington on the same
wave length with WABC, 1t would elimi-
nate the possibility Of using WABC's
channel. on which to operate a chain
Of booster stations.
Therefore, it becomes obvious to any
one who knows the facts. that estab-
lishment Of chain of stations operat-
ing on WABC's channel Is impossible
and. furthermore, what applies to