Radio age research, manufacturing, communications, broadcasting, television (1941)

"INVASION" BY RADIO Twenty-Jhree RCA Short-Wave Transmitters Have Been Shipped Abroad to Play important Part in the War of Words THREE shortwave radio trans- mitters completed and shipped recently by the RCA Victor Division were the last of twenty-three 50- k.w. transmitters supplied by the company during- the past two years to carry on the war of words against Germany and her satellites. These shipments are believed to exceed in number and power classification the output over a similar period of any manufacturer in the history of radio. First to "invade" the axis and satellite nations, with words for weapons, short-wave radio trans- mitters helped to pave the way for the physical invasion. Keeping up a constant bombardment of news, edu- cation, and counter - pi'opaganda heard and felt around the world, they helped and are helping to con- solidate Allied gains and facilitate Allied victories. Among the RCA transmitters now on the air are seven operated for the Office of War Information, including five on the East Coast of the United States, one on the West Coast, and one in North Africa. Three of the East Coa.st stations are being operated for OWI by the National Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of RCA; the other two by the Columbia Broadcasting Sys- tem. The West Coast station is being operated for OWI by Asso- ciated Broadcasters. First of the list of 23 stations to be installed was a transmitter pur- chased by the Brazilian government for Radio Nacional, government- operated station at Rio de Janeiro, which went on the air during the winter of 1942-43. John Dawson, RCA field engineer, supervised the installation. Next came Radiodiffusion Na- tional Beige (the "Voice of Free Belgium"), at Leopoldville, in the Belgian Congo, and Radio Brazza- ville, operated by the French Na- tional Committee for Liberation, in Brazzaville, French Equatorial Africa. These transmitters went on the air in the spring of 1943, Leo- poldville preceding the Free French station by about a month. The Leo- poldville installation was supervised by Walden Shaw, Brazzaville by Paul C. Brown. Both are RCA field engineers. Development of this type of trans- mitter was begun about a year be- fore Pearl Harbor, when the in- creasing importance of high-power international broadcasting became apparent. Rectifier, audio, and control cir- cuits of the SO-kilowatt RCA short- wave transmitter are much like those developed for the RCA stand- ard broadcast transmitter of the same power rating. The inclusion of two separate and complete radio frequency channels is a feature of the shortwave unit which experience has proved valu- able as a means of quickly setting up or changing frequencies to any point in the range from 6 to 22 megacycles. RADIO TRANSMITTERS ADD THEIR VOICES TO THE WAR OF WORDS DIRECTED AGAINST GERMANY. SCHMIT AND BEERS MOVE UP IN RCA VICTOR Appointment of D. F. Schmit as Director of Engineering was an- nounced recently by Frank M. Fol- som, Vice President in charge of the RCA Victor Division. Mr. Schmit, formerly assistant chief engineer, will fill the post vacated by Dr. C. B. Jolliffe, now Vice-Presi- dent of the Radio Corporation of America in charge of RCA Labora- tories. Mr. Folsom also announced the appointment of George L. Beers as Assistant Director of Engineering in charge of Advance Development. He was formerly on the engineer- ing administrative staff. LEFT: TRANSMITTER PANELS AND CONTROL DESK AT LEOPOLDVILLE, BELGIAN CONGO. RIGHT: ANOTHER RCA 50-KILOWATT TRANSMITTER IS OPERATING FRO.M RIO DE JANEIRO.