Evening star., 1934-02-11


day when giant power will be
transmitted via the ether,
i lighting homes and possibly
even furnishing the motive
power for automobiles gathering their
energy through antennaes not unlike
those used for ordinary radios may
take pause in the knowledge that all
the worlds broadcasting stations con-
sumo less power than is required by
five steam locomotives or two electric
locomotives.
A capitulation Of the powers Of the
,444 broadcasting stations in the
world at the end Of 1882 reveals that
they use a total of 6,422,880 watts.
Translated into other units of energy,
this amounts to slightly more than
$500 horsepower. A steam locomotive
uses from 1000 to $500 horsepower,
and one of the electric locomotives to
be used by the Pennsylvania Railroad
in its projected electrified service in
the East will use from 1000 to 5000
horsepower.
Termed ely Power"
Indeed a professor at Massachu-
sets Institute of Technology once re-
ferred to the radio energy received at
the antenna as "fly power" He
pointed out that less energy is re-
quired to pick radio program out of
the ether than is used by a nousefy
in walking up window pane. The
average 500-watt broadcasting sta
ton, it was shown, broadcasts less
energy into the ether than is needed
to heat an electric iron, for one horse
power equals TAG watts.
It would appear, therefore, that
giant power via the ether Is a remote
possibility. even If ways and means
are perfected to direct it along given
paths. AS radio energy leaves 9
broadcasting stations antennae it is
dissipated In all directions. But ever
at the antenna it amounts to very
little.
Thus the gasps Of wonder at the
growing power ratings of the worlds
broad asting stations are nl-founded
More power, in general, means widel
coverage for any station, but cover
age does not increase in direct ratio
to power. Accordingly, informed radio
circles are not aghast, although they
are watching with interest the sew.
eral projects now under way for so.
called super-power broadcasting sta.
tions
Russia Is talking about 1900 ,00t
watts Slightly more than 1000 horse
power for a new superpower station
to supplement its 100000 waiter a
Moscow Slightly more than 6O(
horsepower). The new giant trans
mitter OF WLW, Cincinnati now OF
the air experimentally after midnigh
with 100000 watts, hopes shortly +,
broadcast regularly with that power
Word has been received here also tha
DR.. John r. Brinkley's XER, on tn
Mexican border, will shortly boos
from $4,000 to 100000 watts.
| Chief interest in these high power
/ lies not so much in their magnitud
as in their possible interference witt
stations here and abroad, operatin
on adjacent wave lengths. In othe
/ words, the question is whether thes
powers mean overlapping interference
If the overlap is too great. the polio
Of holding powers down will be justi
fed
Restrictions Made.
At present the Federal Radio Com
mission here restricts powers to 5000
watts on given number of channel!
which cannot be duplicated at nigh
anywhere in the country. There ar
only two dozen such stations now
operation. though more will be bui
within the next year or two A
others have powers ranging from
to $4,000 watts. in many cases en-
abllng the commission to assign fror
two to many dozens Of such station
to single channel.
Probably because the American poi
icy has been for power restriction, tn
North American total Of l,856,46
watts of which the United State,
600-odd stations represent 1881 80
watts, does not bulk very large agains
the world total 1t is only about one
third of the 4.037 $50 watts used b
the 27o stations in Europe, wher
higher and higher powers are the or
der of the day.