Evening star., 1934-01-21
BY THE RADIO EDITOR.

- UlOdQIdoO "a AO6A OHIO, AASSAS -
alizes that 1t was only 25
years ago. almost to a day, that it sud-
denly awakened to the vital possibilities
residing in that bit of magic called
wireless about which it had Heretofore
heard only through occasional press re-
ports. 1t took a great disaster, rather
than the claims and proofs of men like
Marconi and De Forest and the avowals
of the military communications experts,
to awaken real interest in radio.
For it was on January %. 1909. that
&C @ D flashed from the crack passen-
ger liner Republic, sinking fast OF
Nantucket after it had been rammed
by the steamship Florida, brought for
chilly to the attention Of America and
the world the most vital role that radio
was to play and still plays-safeguard-
ing life at sea.
Though the broadcasting Of enter
tainmeDt has come to the forefront OF
attention since that time by reason OF
its inflltration into everyday life, it is
really the safety of life factor that the
ruling powers Of nearly all Governments
regard as radios prime function. Voice
and music through the unexplainable
ether is simply an outgrowth and re-
finement Of the dot-and-dash system
still employed In maritime communica-
tion by nearly all ships plying the seven
seas that carry any substantial number
OF passengers.
Signals Are Heard.
The night of January 81, young Jack
Binns, sparks" operator aboard the Re-
public. felt the sudden crush as the
Florida rammed his ship in the dark
ness. His Marconi cabin was splintered,
but his wireless apparatus was intact.
M ant 70 aer{o >f
c @ D distress calls-then the equiva-
lent of what Is now the S o Sand
the steamship Baltic nearby picked
them up and set about to the rescue.
Both vessels were badly smashed, but
the Republic, luxurious liner, was fast
sinking. The Republic was able to
transfer its passengers to the Florida,
which. with her bow ripped out, started
to limp back to New York. The Baltic
soon arrived and relieved the Florida of
its overload. Capt. Sealby, Jack Binns
stayed with the Republic in the hope
that the steamer Furnesia, which soon
also arrived, might be able to tow her
into port.
But the big liner was doomed, and
the crew had to be taken aboard the
FUrnesia. Two passengers of the Re-
public and four colored seamen of the
Florida met their death in the crash.
but otherwise all were saved.
This episode was the final proof re-
qulred to make our Congress and the
rulers of the other nations of the world
require the installation of radio ap-
paratus aboard big passenger CARRYING
vessels. 1t furnished the needed stim-
ulus to radio equipment production and
research. 1t led eventually to the es-
tablishment of great laboratories of
radio, to the formation of the great
army Of radio amateurs, and to world
wide interest in the new science that
still will not down
When the Titanic's distress call from
mid-ocean flashed through the air about
three years latels and Operator Jack
Phillips S o S succeeded in bringing
rescue vessels to save at least some of
the passengers and crew. no more proof
was needed. Radio had arrived"
Caruso's Voice Heard.
In 1909 DR.. Lee De Forest, called the
father of radio for his invention of the
vacuum tube, was merely experimenting
with voice by radio, and had succeeded
in sending the voice OF Caruso from
the Metropolitan Opera House to a
small coterie Of wireless engineers
aboard a ship in New York Harbor
tuning in on crystal sets and listening
through earphones. But neither by 1909
nor 1912 had the radio as we know 1t
TO-DAY been developed.
Today most ships, using highly re-
fined equipment with sometimes world
wide ranges, still employ the dot-and-
dash system for inter-communicatio
but some of them also have voice equip
ment to enable passengers to talk to
telephone subscribers almost anywhere
l. lot ehty, din
development, however. caVe as an out
growth of mass broadcasting of voice
and music, which emerged from its ex-
perimental stages in 1921.
Twenty-Five years of proved wireless:
not much more than dozen years OF
broadcasting - and now the world
casually awaits the emergence OF slght
to be added to sound for a complete
radio television service!
WHILE America is tucked away in
w slumber, a new phantom monarch
of broadcasting is romping over
the ether waves these days, catapulting
test programs into space behind the
hitherto unexcelled power OF half
million watts.
From | to 6 o'clock each morning,
this radio Goliath pumps out its pro-
grams with power 10 times as great as
that of any licensed American station
and with more energy than any other
station in the world. Technically known
by the experimental call letters W8AO,
the station is really WLW. Clncfnnatl.
It's mission is to determine WneIneI
super power will override static, fadlns
and other elemental disturbances to re-
ception over long distances,
Begun New Year day. these eX,
periments have proved very succesSIul
sponsors who are spending S4oo.oeo on
the project They now predict freely
that this station is the forerunner OF
more giant broadcaSting outlets Wn'ch
st night will have sufficient range to
serve listeners over the entire country.
According to Joseph A. Chambers
chief engineer of WLW, these preim-
inarv tests verify all engineering pre-
dictions about superpower. II used dur
ing regular program hours. ne states,
1t will bring about an 1900 per cent
increase in the service. area OF the pres
ent so O0O-watt WLW. Translated into
geographical area, he claims 1t VIII
mean satisfactory reception OF the sta
tion bv listeners all over the country
at night, with satisfactory day recep-
ton over all of the country East OF
the ROCKIES, except III ouSiiieoo o''ANN -
Of distant cities.
Tests Successful.
Under suitable conditions, Mr.. Cham.
hers ssserts. the new transmitter should
be picked up on good receiving sets al
most anywhere in the world. Its recep.
tdon in Canada, Mexico and Soutf
America should not be difficult under
average conditions, he claims.
while Government and private engi-
neers feel such claims are somewhat
"ambitious," they agree that the tests
thus far have proved quite successful
The Governments radio experts are In
clined, however, to be conservative II
Estimating the increase in consistent
service range, the consensus being thai
the power should reach greater num-
Der Of listeners with good service. bu
e....x.&x.xt