Radio Digest (July 1924-Apr 1925)

July 12, 1924 RADIO DIGES T— Illustrated COUNTRYSIDE HEARS FLYERS TALK IN AIR TEST RETRANSMISSION OF AERIAL CONVERSATION Aviators' Description of Washington, D. C, at Night Heard Clearly in Eastern U. S. By Ii. M. Lamm WASHINGTON, D. C. — Flying just under the clouds above the city and environs recently, two aviators in an army airplane demonstrated for the first time the practicability of retransmission by land Radiocast of Radiophone conversation sent out from a plane. Constantly in communication with Station WEC, Radio Corporation of America, here, the airmen gave a running description of the picture of "Washington at night, which was heard clearly in all parts of the city, in Baltimore and probably over a great part of eastern United States. The flight was for the purpose of showing the development of Radio in aviation. With Lieut. Donald Bruner as pilot and Lieut. Burdette S. Wright as observer and communications officer a specially equipped plane took off from Boiling field. In a few minutes its red and green navigation lights were sighted as the plane approached the Capitol and then the plane began to play its searchlight on the stately dome. Presently there came the plain, far away voice of Lieut Wright as he called, "Hello, WRC." Keep Up Constant Talk At the station, Lieut. L. L. Koontz established communication with the plane and from then on there was constant conversation between the two, partly marred by heavy static. Although Lieut. Wright came through plainly at all times to Station WRC, he had difficulty in understanding Lieut. Koontz because of poor atmospheric conditions. Some amateur stations reported they had difficulty during the latter half of the flight in hearing the plane, but it is believed this was while Station WRC was attempting to leradiocast. At the first, the plane used a wave length of 469 meters and then at the direction of Lieut. Koontz increased its wave length to 750 meters in order that WRC might reradiocast on 469 meters. During this experiment, amateur sets tuned to WRC got a double dose of static. In a test the morning after, however, the arrangement worked successfully under better atmospheric conditions. SET CLOCKS BY AIR, NEW RADIO WRINKLE RADIO, Va. — Arlington time signals transmitted by Radio every noon and ten p. m. (Eastern time) may soon be adopted to set clocks automatically. A recent experiment in Radio clock setting was successfully performed at the bureau of standards. With the special apparatus any clock may be set twice daily. There is nothing new in setting clocks by wire, but the Radio setting is unique, it is said. GOVERNMENT OKEHS NEW TYPE OF TRIODE WASHINGTON. — The government has adopted a new standard tube that has several innovations in its design. While resembling a WD-11 electrically and having a base the same size as a UV-199, its prongs have horizontal spring clips which engage knifeblade contacts in the socket. The filament draws 0.25 ampere at one volt, and the plate stands 60 volts with a grid bias of three volts. HEAR AS WELL AS SEE MOVIES Built Plant, Owns It, Runs It— All Himself Dr. Landry Operates One-Man Station at CJCM MOUNT-JOLI, QUE. — Besides being owner, announcer and vaudevillist at Radiocast CJCM here, Dr. J. L. P. Landry is also the builder. In fact, the doctor has had very little assistance, and has built antenna masts, chokes, condensers, transformers and whatnot for his 500-watt Radiocast, so often heard in the States. It is said that the only manufactured parts of CJCM are the vacuum tubes, electrical measuring instruments and the generator, which only recently burned out. But Dr. Landry is irrepressible and will soon be back on the air, meanwhile using his 20-watt auxiliary Radiophone set. Fans Thank Broadcasters of Democratic Convention NEW YORK. — As a concluding part of the Democratic convention here, was read a resolution from the listening in public thanking" those who contributed toward Radiocasting the proceedings. The resolution was entered upon the official records of the convention and will stand as a marker of the modern invention which has thus changed political procedure. Hearing as well as seeing your favorite motion picture stars is one of the marvels brought about by Radiocasts. Film luminaries are now heard from many stations throughout the land. Few programs are complete without one or more silver-sheet favorites. Here is pretty Colleen Moore talking to Badiophans from KHJ, the Times, Los Angeles. p. & A photo Paul Revere Takes His Ride on Airways July 4 CHICAGO. — The spirit of the wars of American history lived again on the evening of July 4 in a song pageant Radiocast over the Sears, Roebuck Agricultural Foundation station, WLS. Practically every other local station marked the day with some sort of special program. Immediately following the Lullaby hour the Declaration of Independence was read from WLS. A medley of Revolutionary war songs followed, with a few short descriptions of their history. Again Paul Revere took his heroic ride. But this time it was not along the green roadways of Lexington and Concord, but over the invisible highways of the air that the click of his horses' hoofs broke the silence. Auto Tourists Bound for Florida Get WSB Advice ATLANTA, GA. — Road conditions and tour advice for the special benefit of motorists driving to and from Florida is Radiocast every Friday night at 8:30 Central time from WSB, the Atlanta Journal. The service was inaugurated eight months ago by the Atlanta Motor club, which has since found the information so much appreciated as to warrant its regular continuance. WILL TRY TO RADIO PHOTO OVER OCEAN EUROPE'S FIRST PICTURE SENT BY AIRWAVE Frenchman So Successful in Land Test He Will Now Attempt Trans-Atlantic PARIS. — The first photograph ever transmitted by Radio in Europe was printed recently in the Matin. The picture of Gen. Gustave A. Ferrie, director of the Eiffel tower station, was an excellent one, but it bore several vertical smudges, which however, were easily eliminated by retouching. The picture was sent by the process of Edouard Belin, the inventor of the method of transmitting pictures and photographs by wire. Although the details of the wireless method have not yet been disclosed, it is known that it is on the same method as is used on the wires. Will Attempt Trans-Atlantic The first Radio picture sent by M. Belin was from Malmaison, a few miles outside of Paris, to the Matin newspaper office. The experiment was so successful that M. Belin declared he was sure transatlantic transmission was quite practicable and will be attempted shortly. A second picture, sent an hour after General Ferrie's had been received, was • even clearer than the first. The experiments of M. Belin in Radio transmission of pictures began in 1912, and the Matin in announcing his success today, predicts that "television," or longdistance seeing, will soon be accomplished. Its advantages are said to include not only better reproduction with the elimination of wires, but also far greater speed. American Inventor in Bad Fix BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — Alfred Marchant of Mobile, Ala., says that after two years of hard study he has perfected a system by which he can send photographs through the air by Radio. "I am ready to give a demonstration if I can get the assurance that my secret will be fully protected," Marchant said. Just what to do with the discovery Marchant seems at a loss to know. He realizes without giving a demonstration his discovery is valueless, and should he give a demonstration he is fearful that his secret will leak out, and that he would lose the benefits of his years of work and study. "It is possible to transfer any photograph through the air by Radio with my invention," Marchant said. NEW TUBE MAKES DEBUT ON EIFFEL May Be Taken Apart for Repairs Without Having to Be Pumped Out PARIS. — A new kind of vacuum tube for use by Radiocasts has recently been perfected in France and is now in use in the great sending station at, the Eiffel tower here. The new tube will come apart any time for repairs and readjustment. It does not have to be pumped out in advance by a vacuum machine. On the contrary, tinpump that maintains the necessary vacuum is continually attached to the tube itself. The tube is kept pumped down continually to any desired degree of vacuum — or as the Radiophan says, "hardness." The new tube was invented by Prof. F. Holweck, a well-known physicist of the Institute de Radium. The first tubes built on the new design had a power of ten kilowatts. More recently a fifteenkilowatt tube has been built and still larger ones are proposed. The demountable construction of the tube not only permits easy repairs but facilitates the design of the artificial cooling devices that become so necessary with tubes handling large amounts of power. THE ANTENNA BROTHERS Spir L. and Lew P. Part I — New Way to Catch Birds