NAEB Newsletter (Mar 1945)

NAEB NEWS LETTER ... °Rage 4 ........ .. M ARC h I. 1945 MUTER USING THERMIONIC VACUUM TUBES TO GENERATE OSCILLATIONS. WHEN Mr 0 Jansky came to *vli nnesota, the University Station W'AS using a one-kilowatt SPARK TRANSMITTER TUNED TO 200 METERS. *\‘ARKET AND WEATHER REPORTING HAD BEEN ADDED TO COMMUNICATION WITH OTHER AMATEUR STATIONS* AND THE STATION WAS IONEERING IN THE FIELD WHERE IT WAS RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL AND EFFICIENT SPARK SETS IN THE NORTHWEST* It was under Mr, Jansky s supervision that the station began the building AND OPERATION OF A CONTINUOUS WAVE TRANSMITTER WITH H e C. T 0 R 8 ES AS CHIEF Operator. Careful and extensive investigation showed that, although the VACUUM TUBE TRANSMITTER WAS PUTTING LESS THAN HALF AS MUCH POWER INTO THE AIR AS THE SPARK TRANSMITTER, THE RELIABLE COVERAGE W'AS CONSISTENTLY HIGHER. WITH THESE RESULTS, a MORE POWERFUL VACUUM TU8E TRANSMITTER W'AS BUILT. The new EQUIPMENT WAS NOT CONFINED TO TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION, BUT EXTENDED TO RADIO TELEPHONY AS WELL. THIS APPARATUS W>AS FIRST USED IN THE SPRING OF !92l TO BROADCAST DAILY WEATHER REPORTS 8Y RADIO TELEPHONE. T HE PROGRAM OF THE STATION W'AS ENLARGED LATER TO INCLUDE ONE CONCERT A W'EEK, AND DURING THE SEASON, PLAY-BY-P^AY ACCOUNTS OF THE HOME FOOTBALL GAMES WERE BROADCAST WITH GOOD REPORTED COVERAGE. With these developments, radio telephone broaocasting on a regular schedule at THE University of Minnesota, using the call letters 9 XI-WLB is the COUNTRY S OLDEST RADIO TELEPHONE BROADCAST STATION WHICH HAS BEEN IN CONTINUAL OPERATION SINCE IT WAS ESTABLISHED. DURING THIS PERIOD, THE EQUIPMENT WAS ALSO USED FOR THE INSTRUCTION OF STUDENTS IN THE AOVANCED K.Uol.Lo SIGNAL CORPS COURSE. Amateur and experimental work went ahead when in 1923 the electrical ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT MOVED INTO ITS NEW 8UILDING W’HERE THE BROADCASTING AND EXPERIMENTATION WAS HOUSED IN A SUITE OF ROOMS ON THE THIRD FLOOR. In 1923 the *Ashburn-Crosby Company of Minneapolis loaneo the University A COMPLETE 500 WATT WESTERN ^LECTRIC 8R0A0C AST SET, W'HICH LATER BECAME A GIFT. WLB COOPERATED CLOSELY WITH WCCO, WHICH W’AS SUPPORTED BY THE C|yiC and Commerce Association. The arrangement gave the University Station THE ADVANTAGE OF THE STUDIO AND Wl RE SERVICE OF THE LARGER 5,000 W'ATT STATION. IT PROVIDED, ALSO, AN ALTERNATIVE BROADCASTING APPARATUS, W/HICH MADE IT POSSIBLE TO BROADCAST FROM BOTH THE CAMPUS STUDIOS OF WLB, AND THE Anoka studios of WCCG. During this time, enough hours of broadcasting W'ERE SENT OUT FROM THE UNIVERSITY TRANSMITTER TO WARRANT THE CONTINUANCE OF THE STATION S TRANSMITTING LICENSE. The programs broadcast under these arrangements included* a weekly organ CONCERT, FOOTBALL GAMES, AND SOME FACULTY INSTRUCTION. PROFESSOR CtARKE TAUGHT A NON-CREDIT COURSE IN ESPERANTO TO MORE THAN 2,300 PA 10 STUDENTS. Another experiment in radio classes was Professor Jules Prelin*s class in French which he %et u once a week. It soon became evident that the University needed more and better time THAN IT COULD GET WITH THE USE OF COMMERCIAL FACILITIES. The GOOD EVENING HOUR WHICH W'AS FIRST ASSIGNED TO WLB FOR BROAOCASTING INFORMATIVE PROGRAMS W'AS CHANGED AS ADVERTISING DEMANDS ENCROACHED UPON IT. FINALLY, THE ONLY AVAILABLE TIME W'AS A USELESS LATE EVENING PERIOD, W'HICH HAD TO BE REFUSEO. There was an added difficulty of censurship by the commercial station