Evening star., 1933-07-16

- American colleagues, nov gath
cred in Mexico City for sinh
i lar purpose. broadca ting Off
cials of the Old World have
ordered a technical house cleaning
With the object in view OF improving
national radio reception in each ccur-
t"y G. Europe.
From the American viewpoint. per
hapS the most striking feature of Eu-
liberal provision for stations with pow
ers ranging from two u three times
the 50.OC0-watt maximum allowed in
the United States.
That an era of higher power broad
casting also Is about TO dawn in Amer
lea is regarded by qualified observers
as one of the certain Outcomcs OF the
Mexico City parley Stations on clear
channels in the interior part CT the
country are the most likely 20 secure
the higher power grants with the pos
sibiitv also of substantial power boosts
Gil some of the regional or shared chan
nels.
Gambles Half Million.
One Middle Western brCadcaster, In
deed. is gambling nearly i half mil
lion dollars on aupeIpoWer by erecting
an experimental tranSmitter OF SOC 0Ou
wa:ts-equaled today only by station
| III MCscoW-in the rrm b5hei that the
Federal Radio Commission Will ultl-
, mately allow the station to operate full
time with that power. When completed
next Winter its experimental license
will authorize it to broadcast with full
power only between midnight and
6 am.
1t all depends on what is done at
Mexico City. where the radio ano
diplomatic ENJOYS of the United Sta IS
Canada. Mexico. Cuba and the smaller
North American nations are nov Wres-
Ting with the problem Of dividing the
available wave lengths on more
equitable basis.
Europes example also would impel
the North American delegates TO de-
eide to widen the brOadcastlng oand
CT wave lengths to include some OF TIE
| longer waves now used on the cont-
nnnt. but used here by maritime and
military interests. which oppose any
further entertainments by the broad
casters. These are channels below 350
Eilccycles. which are peculiarly adapt
Cd to high power Europe has ordained
that stations of 800 kilocycles and
thereabout7 may have maximum OF
! so 900 watts power. with special pro-
vision made to allow Moscow TO retain
its 500 900 watts.
The European reallocatiCn scheme.
which entails placing the continent ;
232 stations on 1870 channels So O.
which are exclusive goes into cf1ect
January Is. 1884 1t permits 100000
watts On the waves between $50 and
100 kilocycles. $4,000 watts on l.l0O
TO 1850 kilocycles and 10000 watts on
1850 to 1900 kilocycles These arc
-,1it ta@ toe eoc
Canada and Mexico with powers rang
ing from so to $4,000 watts
Lags Behind Europe.
Radio power here has Jagged behind
Europe because Of political preJudices
that have prevailed rather than be-
cause Of technical feasibility. In the
early DAYS Of radio regulation, high
power vas regarded synonymous with
power trust" and monopoly. Europe
was first to recognize the fact that.
once a channel is allocated exclusively
to single station at night. as are near
" 40 in the United States and half
dozen in Canada. the advantages OF 4
wider service range for such a station
far offset the disadvantages. The ad-
vantapes can come only from more
power.
ference. or interference from super
power with lower power stations on ad-
lacent channels. has also more or less
disappeared with the high selectivitE
Of modern radios and the tremendou?
technical strides in transmitter de-
sign
Indeed. II was Mexico which actually
started the higher power trend in North
America. authorizing the Dr.. Brinkley
station On the border at Villa Acuna
XER. to use 100000 watts on mid
channel and then watching that sta
ton gain a tremendous sweep north
ward while using only $4,000 or 10000
wattc Brinkley probably has never
| hlkcd his power higher on account o.
the high cost Of electrical energy. But
! the fact remains that there arc dozen
| Of operators in the United States thai
are willing and eager to foot such 2
| bill. if cnlv thev could widen their lis
! tenirg ranges commensuratelv.