Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-06-02
Bv the Radio Editor.

IRON the midnight tinkering
- Of radio amateurs In dim
cellars and the calculated
experiments of scientists operat-
ing in million-dollar labora-
tories with the finest equipment that
modern industry can provide there
soon may come an entirely new
method of broadcasting.
A bit of clairvoyance and an ex-
harHtive survey of scientific endeaVor
that seldom gets to the public ear
serve as basis for the prediction that
eventually every hundred-family VII
LACE and crossroad hamlet will be able
to accommodate its own little broad
casting station. Instead of the 600
stations that now supply the Nation
with its radio programs. there may
be thousands of small stations send
ing out signals in what the technlclans
call the ultra high" frequencles.
These signals may reach only Few
miles but they will provide high-grade
reception for those in their enectlVe
area. So high are the frequencles
that the waves actually simulate ngnt
and even can be blocked, just as light
is INSTRUCTED, by tangible objects sucn
as buildings.
Every day the experimenters are
getting closer to the point where they
will have the short waves under con-
troll. Funny thing about these OBJ
streperous waves is that they refuse to
hug the contour of the earth, as in
% IN no n
for broadcasting. Instead they are
effective about twice as far as per-
son can see from the antenna because
they persist in heading straight for
the sky as soon as they leave the
transmitter.
Few realize that there are some 2oO
experimenters dabbling with the waves
that lie above 10000 kilocycles 'mostly
between S and 8 meters). Records OF
the Federal Communications Commls-
sion show this unexpected interest IN
the problem of Harvesting these waves
end they are just beginning to yield
to scientific persuasion.
COME IS Of the experimenters In
~ high frequencies are radio
stations or radio companies. The rest
are spread among various lines OF
scientific and industrial endeaVor.
Newest of the last-named are the sta
tons now being constructed by west
inphouse stations WBZ. Boston:
KDKA. Pittsburgh. and KYW. Phila-
delphia, to operate on meters with
so watts power.
An achievement that has raised the
eyebrows of the radio savants Is the
recent success of the Garden City
Radio Club. New York. in transmit
ting all the way to Philadelphia tai
most 100 miles, on 5 meters with
only % watts power In the broad
cast band this would be anything but
unusual. On meters, however,
1t is of outstanding importance be-
cause Of the tendency of such trans
missions to abandon the earth's con-
tour so that they can be picked up
only few miles away.
A number of advantages are to be
found in these stubborn frequencies
when they finally become amenable
to scientific control In the first place
there appears to be a minimum OF
static at 5 meters. Also important
Is the fact that there Is found little
of the fading that listeners encounter
when they lie in the secondary area
of broadcasting stations. On the
other hand there are more dead
spots"-those blind places where a
radio receiver is unable to pick up
particular stations programs. Off,
setting this dead spot" disadvantage,
however, is the strange habit of such
spots to group themselves in very
small area.
In visualizing a Nation dotted with
thousands Of small radio stations the
scientist sees hope for Fastening OF
the day when television can be oper-
rated on q practical basis. Fac-Simile,
or broadcasting Of still images, also
will be greatly aided.
One of the faults of television as it
exists in the laboratory today is that
the images can be transmitted only
few miles. BY using repeater stations
the images could be transmitted at
will by means of wires to these sta
lions and then broadcast much as
network programs now are handled.
Thus both broadcasting and visual
radio can be made available to all who
choose to turn a dial. And the pres
ent crowding of the ether probably
would be transformed into more
orderly lineup.
CHILDREN programs may be cauS-
~ ing parents lot of anguish be-
cause they stir juvenile imaginations
to an excessive degree, but the broad
casters apparently are having lot. OF
trouble in spotting the cause. In any
event, that is the view Of M. H. Ayles-
worth, president of the National
Broadcasting Co., who has concluded
that you can't satisfy both the young
sters and their parents.
THE problem" he told the N. B. c.
Program Advisory Committee in his
annual report, apparently is to pro-
vide programs that are not only at
tractive to the children but to their
parents as we'll. Unfortunately, chill
dren aren't always interested in the
programs in which their parents think
they should be interested. There is
much criticism, but little in the way
Of practical, constructive suggestions"
In its investigation. Aylesworth
points out, N. B. c. ascertained that
most boys prefer adventures. comedies
and mysteries, with romance and
tragedy tagging bit. Most girls pre-
fer romance, but quickly succumb to
comedy, adventure and tragedy, too,
II they can hear 1t on the air. Most
Of the N. B. c. children's programs,
he declares, have been designed simply
to entertain.
Columbia Broadcasting System, in
its recent declaration of program poll
cies, banned eight specific themes and
dramatic treatments which it felt ex-
erted improper influence upon juve-
niles. Among these were the exalting,
as modern heroes. of gangsters, GRIM