Evening star., 1932-01-31

~
~ mercial and experimental chan
/ 4 4 nelS of the ether--all the wave
lengths except those employed
| for broadcasting purposes intc
effect at 3 am. tomorrow by order ot
the Federal Radio Commission. Though
the program waves best known to the
public at large are not affected, the
| reallocation, nevertheless, is fully a.
important to the vast majority of users
of radio channels under governmental
franchise as was the historic broadcast
reallocation of November, 1928.
Where the broadcast reallocatior
meant that listeners everywhere had to
change their dial settings for accus-
toned reception, this new revision OF
| short and long wave assignments means
that point-to-point, tran5oceanic, avia-
ton, amateur, television and other
services must comply with new operat-
ing conditions and in many cases must
go to new Wavelengths.
The altered Set-up puts into effect
the new so-called frequency "toler-
ances" or separations between radio
| channels of one-tenth of one per cent
in lieu of the old standard of two
tenthS of one per cent, thus, in effect
| increasing the number of channels be.
tween 10 and $4,000 kilocycles from
1914 to 3,025. This narrower spacing
of wavelengths Is the result of advanced
engineering technique and is in accord
with the recommendations of the In.
ternational Technical Consulting Com.
mittee on Radio Communications which
met in Holland in 1929.
Higher Standard Set.
Doubling of the number Of channels
does not, however, mean that the way
Is opened for a new rush to acquire
short and long waves. 1t means simply
that commercial and experimental sta
tionS Of all classes must adhere to q
new and higher standard of operation
in the transoceanic group of channels
it means that the United States will
now have only about 35 per cent of the
channels registered with the Bern Bu-
reau Of the International Telegraphic
Union, where 1t formerly had 10 per
cent.
All waves except those between $50
and $500 kilocycleS, the broadcast band
are affected. Television, which is ex-
pected to become an adjunct of pres
ent sound broadcasting, swaps a set OF
channels with aviation and secures the
1,550-kilocycle channel for its sound
accompaniment. This means that ex-
1sttng radio receivers for the most part
can tune in the voices that viii &C.
company images broadcast on the short
waves.
Between 10 and $50 kilocycles gener-
ally called the long-wave band. chan
nels are reallocated to fixed Govern
ment, maritime, State police and air
| craft stations, without any substantial
| changes from present assignments ex-
cept for the more rigid channelinp
| system. Between 1,500 and 5000 kilo-
| cycles, known as the continental short
wave band, the number of frequencies
Is increased from 639 to 974, and they
| are reaSsigned to fixed Government
| maritime, police, telev1sion, amateur
aviation, experimental and miscellane-
GUS services.
New International Limit.
In the 1,500-6,0 900 kiIocycle band, the
commission has reserved 1000 to 1,70C
kilocycles for television instead of the
present 2,850-2,950 band, which must
be vacated in favor of aviation. The
new band, however, is regarded as more
favorable to visual broadcasting, espe-
cially in view of its proximity to the
broadcast band. The 1,550-Nlocycle
track" for television is generally accept
able to all concerned, even though ii
means that the old 1,604-kilocycIe chan
mel must be relinquished to other
services
Whereas formerly the higher fire.
quency Short wave) limit of national
and international channel assignments
was $4,000 kilocycles C13 meters), the
new ALLEGATIONS fix $4,000 kilocycles
Q0.7 meters) as the new limit, thus
making ITS additional frequencies avail
able. Between 5000 and $4,000 kilo-
cycles, the largest increase in channels
takes place. On the old two-tenths basis
there were 624 channels in this band;
under the new scheme there are 1877
frequencies available for maritime
transoceanic, Government, aviation
amateur, relay and other services.
Beyond $4,000 kilocycles or up to co.
600 hlocycles in the range Of waves
commonly called ultra-high frequencies
or ultra-short waves provisions are
teur, television and experimental. 1t Is
in this field that the great develop
ments Of radio in the future are ex-
pected, especially inasmuch as these
frequencies afford almost unlimited
room in the ether" for services requir-
ing wide channels. Television, especially
is expected to find its greatest future de-
velopment in this mo mans land" OF
today's radio.
The whole reallocation was worked
out with infinite care for detail and
with the idea of disturbing the existing
radio structure as slightly as possible
1t is highly technical In character and
represented labors Of two years of the
engineering division Of the commission
DR.. G. B. Jolliffe, chief engineer of the
commission, who was delegate to The
Hague Conference which decided on the
new technique, directed the work, which
was carried out by Lieut.. E. K. Jett, U
S. N, retired, assistant chief engineer
with Gerald G. Gross, IN charge OF In
ternational radio assignments, handling
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