NBC Transmitter (Jan-Dec 1937)

VOL. 5 NBC NO. 1 Walter Keens Decorated By French Government COUNT CHARLES DE FERRY DE FOUNTNOUVELLE, French Consul General of New York, conferring upon Walter Koons, NBC Music Editor, the Palms of Officier d’ Academie, an honorary commission from the French government. The French government again has honored American broadcasting by conferring the Palms of an officer d’Academie upon Walter Koons, NBC Music Editor in New York. The award was made on January 18 with due ceremony by Count Charles de Ferry de Fountnouvelle, French Consul General of New York. The decoration was given "in recognition of services rendered in the promotion of music culture and for furthering the interests of French music in the United States.” The Palms of an Officer D’ Academie which is seldom bestowed upon other than Frenchmen was established by decree of Napoleon I on March 17, 1808. Other known members of our organization who hold decorations from the French government are General James G. Harbord. Commander of the Legion of Honor and a croix de guerre; David Sarnoff, Chevalier of the Legion of Honor; Alfred H. Morton, Manager of NBC Operated Stations Department, Chevalier of the Legion of Honor; Frank Black, Palms of an Officer d’Academie; and Franklin Dunham, Educational Director, Palms of an officer of Public Instruction. TELEVISION TESTS NOW USING THE NEW 441 LINE STANDARD President Lohr announced on January 19 that the first tests of high definition television using the new standards which have been recommended by the radio industry to the Federal Communications Commission are now being conducted by engineers of RCA and NBC. Images scanned by the RCA Iconoscope, the pick-up tube, at the rate of 441 lines per frame have been transmitted from the NBC experimental station in the Epipire State Tower and successfully received by a selected number of experimental television receivers in the homes of RCA-NBC engineers and technicians. "Pictures of 441 line definition are much clearer than those of 343 lines, the definition employed in previous tests from the Empire State,” said Mr. Lohr. "As we proceed in this fascinating adventure of bringing radio sight to distant eyes, it is encouraging to be able to report this substantial progress.” "The development of television service,” said Mr. Lohr, "promises to be orderly and evolutionary in character and is a tribute to the radio industry which has enjoyed public favor on a scale that is most encouraging to its future. The public may purchase present day radio receiving sets with confidence as to their continuing serviceability. Television receiving sets cannot precede a television program service of satisfactory quality, which will be available at the beginning only in sharply restricted metropolitan areas following the eventual solution of technical, economic and program problems.” Y Y * Don't forget to send in your entries for the next Photo Contest before February 12. ATTENTION MR. RIPLEY ! Don’t look now, Mr. Ripley, but because George McElwain, NBC field engineer, is a short-wave enthusiast in his spare time, a man in San Francisco and a boy in Los Angeles started 1937 with happier hearts than they have known in a long while. Tapping Morse code messages out into the ether to other "hams,” George fell into an airy conversation one night with an eighteen-year old lad who confided that he was seeking his father whom he had not seen since babyhood when his parents separated. "All I know about him is that he is on the stage and travels all over the world— I don’t even know his stage name so I can’t locate him,” the boy said. A few nights later "Mac” was sitting at the key again, talking to the wide world and contacted a man who said he had but one purpose in "hamnring”— to find the son he had lost through a broken marriage years ago. "Mac” asked a few guarded questions and — you can turn around now, Mr. Ripley— you’ve guessed it. The NBC man called NKE in Los Angeles, told him to get in touch with W6BBQ, and united the father and son. Then only did he learn the identity of the former. He is R. K. Johnson, internationally famous stage magician known as Valdemar the Great. Most of his tours in recent years have been in Europe and the Orient and it was pure chance that he happened to be in San Francisco pre( Continued on Page 5) GEORGE McELWAIN . . . field engineer, with an NBC San Francisco mobile unit at the opening of the power plant at Boulder Dam.