Evening star., 1933-10-22

where they can reasonably serve
an interested and eager public The
problems of transmission have largely
been solved. There remains primarily
the matter of developing cheap and
serviceable reproducer that will be as
satisfactory for the home as the sound
radio set today
Authority for these statements is
John V. l. Hogan. noted consulting en-
gineer and inventor of the Single-dial
tuning that has virtually displaced all
multiple dial radio receivers OF the old
days. Were it not for Hogan's high
standing among the radio engineering
fraternity. bis expressed convictions
might be passed off casually. Much that
has been said and written about visual
broadcasting according to Hogan. has
been inspired by motives that were
unfortunate to say the least
The implications in this remark are
made manifest when it is recalled that
the Federal Radio Commission only re-
Gently again issued warnings against
stock promotions based on what it re-
CARDS as the still nebulous prospects of
vision by radio. Indeed, in several re-
spects Hogan is definitely at odds with
the commissions chief engineer DR..
C. B. JOlliffe, who agrees that televlslon
is making rapid strides, but who does
not think it is at all ready for general
introduction into the home.
Experiments Go On.
The commissions official policy is to
encourage television experimentation
and Hogan is a private eXperlmenter,
with his own laboratories in Long Is
land City-by granting experimental
wave lengths to bona f1de applicants
regarded as being technically and
financially equipped to contribute to
the art. There are II such expert
mental stations now in more or less
regular operation-and it has been va
riously estimated that there are up to
10000 "lookers-in." mostly amateur eX-
permenters and tinkerers with flair
for the technical. But the commission
recently reiterated that it is not yet
willing to allow the television wave
lengths to be commercialized or used
for sponsor broadCastS.
Hogan seized the occasion of the re-
cent annual convention of the Ma
tional Association of Broadcasters to
urge them to begin to add vision to
their highly developed sound broad
casting facilities. The one naturally
should supplement the other, he de-
ciared His words carried enough con-
pass a resolution for the formation of
4 television committee to investigate
and appraise television-the first for
nal recognition yet accorded by the
sound broadcasters as a body to the
visual art.
Business Interested.
There are few in the know" in
radio who will dispute HOganS cCnten-
ton that facsimiles or still pictures
can now be transmitted and received
by radio with a high degree of clarity.
1t is already being done in a CONNER
cial way by the Big radio communlca-
tions companies. which are equipped to
send pictures and texts across the Con-
tinent. and even across the seas. NOne
company has announced 1t is preparing
for the day not far distant when ac-
tual letters and te.egrams. as well as
pictures, will be flashed by radio in
everyday service between cities.
With respect to facsimile transmits
sion into the home. what is needed is
a cheap and simply operated repro
ducer that can be attached to an ordi-
nary radio set Various companies have
made claims they can provide such a
set. but none has yet been put on the
market. AS for wave lengths. the
broadcast waves or other channels
might be worked overnight or on spe-
cis1 schedules for the transmissions.
With respect to teleyision. which the
Radio Manufacturers Association also
several weeks ago appointed a commit
tee to investigate. there is considerable
dispute. both as to sending and receiv-
]ng. Many 0f tne present experiment.
ers are working at cross purposes. send
5,,rr Ao1 iaf1
from films and living subjects that may
be tuned on one make Of receiving set
but not on another. There are prob
lengths and reproducerS that find
wide variety of exponents.
Claims Pictures Good.
Without revealing the nature Of his
own experiments Hogan asserted that
coed television pictures can be trans
mitted today by quite a few operators
He believes the question of mechanical
versus cathode ray scanning Of Crigl-
nal subjects and reproducing of re-
Ceived images is merely an academic
one Good pictures can be sent and
received by beth or combination Of
both method that the public would
take to Immediately he insists.
In this contention, as in his conyic
ton that Intermediate rather than ul-
tra-short wave lengths should b. as
signed to televi5ion at present, Hogan
is at odds with DR. Jolliffe. The COM
mission CHIEF engineer, in announcing
the other day the reduction from five
to two in the number Of intermediate
wave bands reserved for television, eX-
pressed the belief that television will
ultimately find its place. on the ultra
short waves or extremely high fire.
quencies. He also said the cathode
ray CT electrical scanning method ap
pears to offer by all odds the best POS
sihilities for future te'evisiCn.
The ultra frequenoies are plentiful.
They afford more room in the ether
for various services. including tele-
vision. Their present range is line
of sight or only to the horizon. and
then only when transmitted from ex-
tremely high points. But their plenti-
tude gives the eXperimenter wider lati-
tude in the matter of wave lengths 50
that bigger and clearer pictures can
be built up. All radio is looking to
the ultimate harneSsing of these waves
for big things. not the least of those
working on them being Guglielmo MAJ
conf. the inventor CT wireless, now Wis
iting America
Hogan says tne uitraS are SUBJECT
to so many variable factors, chiefly
interference from passing motor car ig-
milton systems and the like that they
are unlikely to be ready for three to
five years. In the meantime. he as
serts, why not introduce home tee
vision on the intermediate waves? In
deed why rot take the 1.500-1 600
kilocycle band. recently ordered va
Gated for general communications
and now being strongly urged for more
sound broadcasting stations, and make
it available for television? These
waves are Immediately adjacent to the
present sound broadcasting waves. just
beyond the upper end OF mcst present.
day receiving set dials. Perhaps the
televisors tunable to this band will be
obsolete in three to FIVE years. when
the ultras are ready. but isn't that a
reasonable period for obSolescence?