Evening star., 1937-03-21

eXperimentatlOn, 1ndlCdtlng ratner Sig
nif1cant strides within the laboratory
OF no less importance, however, was
the disclosure that Columbia Broad
casting System, major competitor OF
National Broadcasting Co., an R. c. A
subsidiary, quietly has been making
preparations of its own for the i'm
pending Introduction of the visual
radio art.
THERE isn't any real unanimity OF
of view amcng those in the radio
craft as to when, where or how tele-
vision will emerge as a public service
AS a matter of fact, the prognostica-
tions are widely divergent. Only the
other day one prominent broadcaSter
predicted it would be so years before
there will be practical televiSion COM
parable to sound broadcasting of TO-
day. On the other hand, the tech
nically minded broadcasterS, who live
with the graphs and charts of the
laboratory, evidently expect to awaken
any morning and find radios world OF
words transformed into or supple
mented by a universe of pictures.
In its annual report R. c. A. pre-
dtcted the ultimate goal Of mgh-detl-
milton television for public service, as
a result of experimental operations
and field tests since last year. But 1t
would not hazard a prediction, for
radio folk long ago have learned that
visual radio is not susceptible of that
sort Of gueSSWork.
In the current r. C. A. tests in New
York, the report revealed, images OF
motion pictures as well as living talent
are being successfully transmitted TO
approximately 100 test receivers 10
Gated in the houses of R. c. A. tech
nicianS in the metropolitan area OF
New York. First, these tests began
with 343 lines to the picture, but the
quality was stepped up to AL lines
with correspondingly improved results
Highly optimistic, the company
- declares that much has been
learned from these field experiments,
Including behavior of the short waves,
on which visual stations are destined
to operate; ways Of eliminating man
made interferences; difficulties in
building transmitters and receivers,
and the establishment of definite
fundamentals. Theory has been put
into practice and the experience gained
thereby is enabling the laboratories
to chart the needs of practical tele-
vision service" the report said, adding
that the knottiest problem is that OF
network program distribution, II, as
and when the visual art arrives.
And c. B. s.. looking toward the day
of television, has designated one OF
its top officials, Vice President Paul
w. Keston, as executive in charge OF
television development. While the net
work was cloSe-mouthed about It's
television functions, it was ascer-
tained that it has even gone to the
extent of inspecting sites for televislon
station locations. Because best trans
mission results are procured from
highest points within the cities to be
served, it has been looking over space
In New York's skyScrapers. r. c. A.
Is operating its experimental station
from atop the Empire State Building,
tallest structure in the city.
II ESTON is in general supervisory
charge of Columbias new build
ing, for which ground will be broken
shortly. Television studios will be in
cluded in this structure, it is under
stood, Just as N B. c., anticipating
the arrival of visual radio as early as
1880, included television studios in its
Radio City plans
Even though Columbia does not
officially admit that it is experiment.
ing with television, all signs point to
"behind-the- e-scenes" work More than
year ago, it is learned, DR.. Peter
c. Goldmark, radio scientist, has been
on the Columbia staff assigned to tele-
vision experimentation.
All this activity, it is concluded by
industry observers, means that the
larger elements in the industry are
keying their operations against the
day of practical television that is not
far distant.
A NEW robot radio direction finder
for airplanes, operating auto
matically and simplifying the process
Of taking radio compass bearings, was
demonstrated to Government officials
and the press in the Department of
Commerce Building last week by In
ternational Telephone g. Telegraph
Co., whose French affiliate, LIE Ma
terial Telephonique of Paris, developed
1t. Instead of requiring pilot or navi-
gator to turn the conventional loop
antenna by hand, it eliminates the
manual factor and makes possible di-
rect reading Of the compass.
With the official airWays regulations
going into effect at the end of this
year, requiring all transport planes to
be equipped for radio direction finding,
the new device is expected to add eff
cheney to the system Of flying radio
beacon routes, enabling pilots to con-
centrate their entire attention on nav
igation while the compass apparatus
virtually takes care of itself. The di-
rect reading compass was brought over
by Charles Gallant of the Paris lab
oratories, and set up in complete
model operation under the direction
OF H. H. Buttner, vice president of the
I. T. & T. marine subsidiary, and
George Lewis, radio engineer.
CEVERAL hundred French military
planes, it was reported, have al
ready been equipped with the device,
while British and Swiss commercial
transport companies have ordered sew
eral for installation. The device is
known as the Busignies compass after
its inventor, scientist in the Paris
laboratories. 1t comprises a motor
driven rotating loop, which constantly
makes five or six turns per second and
which may be tuned to the carrier
wave of any broadcast or aircraft bea-
con station in the same manner as a
home broadcast set is tuned.
When the apparatus is connected to