Radio Broadcast (May-Oct 1925)

42 Radio Broadcast time, they finally did operate on the same wavelength — at the same time! It was reported from Washington that the Department of Commerce had been repeatedly asked to step in and settle this impossible situation but had declined on the ground that to set such a precedent would get the Department hopelessly enmeshed in a maze of disagreements between stations. One might well ask the Department how it did expect such disputes to be settled. It is a strange idea of privilege and duty which consents to the issuance of broadcasting licenses to any who want them and then when trouble comes to the listening public as a result of the excessive number of stations, to turn one's back and let someone else settle the trouble — trouble directly due to the Department's freedom with its licenses. Who, we may well ask, does Mr. Hoover think will step in to straighten out such troubles between the various stations, if his department thinks the task too onerous? Making Radio Transmission Surer IN A recent talk before the American Institute of Electrical Engineers,!Mr. Alexanderson, chief consulting engineer of the Radio Corporation, gave a general description of their network of channels which is being LAYING A ROGERS UNDERGROUND ANTENNA At Hyattsville, Maryland. Dr. J. Harris Rogers is nearest the camera. The Rogers system has been developing experimentally for some time and has been watched by officials of the War and Navy Departments rapidly extended over the earth. After outlining general troubles and difficulties which an engineering audience could well appreciate, the speaker went more into detail to show how the Radio Corporation was continually working to increase the certainty of communication over their radio links. He spoke of the remarkable wave antennas used at Riverhead, over which signals from all the stations in Europe are received. Although static has not been annihilated by the R. C. A. engineers, this reception scheme of theirs ensures communication unless there is a severe local thunderstorm. To obviate the possibility of such a storm interfering with transatlantic channels, another receiving antenna has been fitted up in Maine, so that either can now be used, depending upon where the atmospheric disturbance is least. He spoke of new features in short wave transmission, a so-called high-angle beam. If one could rely upon his rather scanty description, it appears that he thinks it may be possible to send short wave energy from one place to another by some kind of beam system which is directed high up in the air, to come down at a desired spot by reflecting from the earth's upper conducting atmosphere. This story reads more like a poet's dream than like an engineer's narrative, so don't give it too much credence as yet. It may be possible to send beams of energy high up in to the sky and so around the Heaviside layer, but it is more likely that such an effect will be found in England than here. America has done practically nothing with directed beam transmission, but Marconi and Round seem to be progressing continually along just these lines. If directed beams sent high into the air actually get much farther than those sent along the earth's surface they would probably have found out and reported it to us long ago. The Day of Good Music ERY recently a most el come announcement was made by Mr. John A. Holman, broadcasting manager of V"