Radio mirror (Jan-Oct 1923)

March .'/. 1923 RADIO DIGEST ENGLAND PLANS TO ERECT GIANT PLANT WILL ALSO LICENSE MANY PRIVATE STATIONS Is No Longer Considered Necessary to Exclude Non-Governmental Enterprises Says Bonar Law LONDON. — The British Government lias decided to erect a Radio station for communication with the Dominions so Premier Bonar Law announced in the House of Commons. The Government has also decided to license the erection of private Radio stations in Great Britain for Worldwide communication, the Premier stated. Asked as to whether he was aware of the disappointment on the part of the Dominions because of the delay in announcing an imperial Radio policy and whether he was able now to state the Government's policy. Premier Bonar Law replied that the policy had been recently reviewed by the Imperial Communications Committee, the chairman of which was the First Lord of the Admiralty, Col. L. C. Amery, and its recommendations had been considered by the Government. Favors State Supported Chain In view of the development of Radio and other circumstances since the late Government decided in favor of a state supported Radio chain, Bonar Law, said it was no longer considered necessary to exclude private enterprise from participation in Radio communication within the Empire. This statement was received with cheers. Proceeding the Premier said the Government therefore decided to grant licenses for the erection of Radio stations in Great Britain for communication with the Dominions and colonies and foreign countries subject to conditions necessary to secure British control. At the same time the Government had decided that it was necessary in the interests of national security that there should be a Radio station in Great Britain capable of communicating with the Dominions -wholly operated by the state. Such station, the Premier said would be erected as soon as possible and would be available for commercial traffic when necessary. Will Promote News Asked as to whether private enterprise would now be allowed to go ahead unopposed by subsidized state services, Bonar Law replied, "Except the opposition of competition." An Empire Radio policy has long been urged upon the Government, as well as the encouragement of private Radio enterprise. The London Times has been one of the strong advocates of an Empire Radio chain under central control, and it recently said: "At present it is often a matter of comment that more news of the Dominions does not appear in the newspapers here. A substantial part of the reason for any dearth there may be of news from overseas lies in the high cable rates. Offers Reduced Bates "One of the first results that it is hoped to reap from a co-ordinated Radio system is a cheap news service. Such a service would be of the utmost value both to the Empire as a whole and to the many countries that compose it, for it is frequently regretted that people at home know so little of the people in, say, the Antipodes and Canada, and vice versa. It would be in the power of the newspapers to dispel this mutual ignorance of they could get efficient news service by Radio at cheap rates." SWEDISH EXPERT BUYS AMERICAN APPARATUS United States' Company Out-Bids All Competitors WASHINGTON, D. C. — Siffer Lemoine, Radio engineer of the Royal Board of Swedish Telegraphs, has spent the past two months in the United States making arrangements for the delivery of apparatus and equipment for the new high-power Radio station to be erected at Goteborg. Tile contract for this equipment, which was secured by an American company in competition with British, French, and German bidders, provides for the supplying of a 200-kilowatt Alexanderson generator, with all necessary equipment, apparatus, plans and specifications for complete installation. The steel towers to be erected for the antennae will be similar in height and arrangements to those used in the latest American high power Radio stations, but the actual design of the towers and the material will be furnished by a Swedish firm. It is expected that the installation will be completed and the initial tests made before the end of the year. HOOT OWLS' SHRIEKS MAKE NIGHT HIDEOUS PORTLAND, ORB.— The Hoot Owls are making the night hideous with their hoots In the vicinity of Portland several nights each week, since ECYG, the Portland Oregonlan broadcasting station, has organized this order of Radio maniacs. .Members are initiated both in person and via the ether. So far hundreds of night owls all over the nation have been initiated. MISSISSIPPI DIVIDES K AND W ETHER PLANTS WA S 1 1 1 NGTON.— The Mississippi River is now the dividing line between the K calls of the West and the W calls of the East, as far as broadcasting stations are concerned. All new calls Issued to broadcasting stations cast of the Mississippi will begin with W and those west with K. stations already listed will retain their original calls. TINY LIGHT WARNS FAIR MISS The Radiophan rushing to bed after a late concert is apt to forget to disconnect the battery wires of the power speaker. This is especially possible where (as in many cases) a separate battery is used for coil excitation. To prevent this, this pretty Radio Miss has placed a small six-volt lamp in parallel with the power speaker, and the burning of same is a continual reminder that the current is on. Result: no rundown batteries next morning © K. E. H. HOTEL GUEST FANS MAKE MORE WORK Big Demand for Top Floor Suites Cause Porters to Grumble BOSTON, MASS. — There is a shortage in top floor suites at local hotels, owing to the demand by Radio bugs. Radio apparatus salesmen and travelers compete with each other for the choice top floor rooms and suites, so that they can string aerials far above the ground, either on the roof or set-ups inside. "It ain't bad enough to have all we can do in regular hotel work, but to have to string eye-rails for a lot of fat old ladies and fat men — 'ts too much," grumbled one hotel porter. 'About every other guest wants a top floor room or suite so he can get better reception on his portable set, and if there ain't eye rails in the room, he calls for some porter to put them up." A lot of travelers these days are taking sets about with them in their trunks and spend their time listening in instead of going down to the dance floor. Many allwinter guests, too, in Boston hotels have had sets installed, with permanent aerial set-ups. Restrictions in Japan have kept Radio a mystery to the general public. Only colleges, newspapers and government institutions have been licensed to operate receiving sets. Locate Microphone After Six Months 'Experiments Find Ideal Spot to Gather Cathedral's Vibrations By Jean Sargent BOSTON, MASS. — Relocation of microphones at St. Paul's Cathedral, following more than six months research work by broadcast experts at Station WNAC, has finally resulted in locating a transmitter in the organ chamber in the choir loft which reproduces every note both high and low. This work which has just been done by Sam Curtis, chief operator, and other officials at the Shepard Stores Station, has resulted in their organ music being declared the best ever broadcast. Since Radio broadcasting was first done, experts have been experimenting with microphones in trying to locate them advantageously to reproduce true church organ music. Until the present time it has been unsuccessful, as the locations of the microphones or transmitters have either slighted the very high or low tones of the pipes. It has been usual in broadcast organ recitals to use several microphones in order to secure the lower tones. The construction of the organ and the location of the pipes in the organ chamber caused Operator Curtis to try out a microphone in among the pipes inside the organ chamber. Several days have been taken up with tests, and such authority as Sewell Cabot and others declare the broadcasting of organ music to be the best they ever listened in on. 'SALTS' RELY MORE ON RADIO COMPASS PAST YEAR BRINGS FORTH MANY DEVELOPMENTS Government Orders Equipment for New Fog Signals to Be Installed— Five in Use Now WASHINGTON, D. C— Important progress has been made in the past year in the development and use of the Radio compass as a navigational instrument on board ship, according to officials of the Lighthouse Service of the Department of Commerce. Subsequent to the conference held at the Department of Commerce last May two of the largest Radio manufacturing companies have announced their undertaking of the supplying of Radio compasses or direction finders and instruments of foreign manufacture are also available. Installations of improved types of Radio compasses have been made on a number of vessels, including the largest coastwise steamer on the Pacific coast, some of the largest steamers on the Atlantic, and several Government vessels. These instruments are in actual use in navigation and satisfactory results are being uniformly reported from the vessels with recent installations, both in obtaining positions by bearings taken on Radio stations on shore to locate the vessel, and by bearings on approaching vessels to avoid collision. Fog Signals Increased The number of Radio fog-signal stations in operation by the United States Lighthouse Service has been increased to five, namely, Fire Island Light "Vessel, N. T., Ambrose Channel Light Vessel, N. Y., Sea Girt Light Station, N. J., Diamond Shoal Light Vessel, N. C, and San Francisco Light Vessel, Calif. Radio fog signals will soon be installed at seven other stations, for which equipment has already been purchased; Boston Light Vessel, Mass., Nantucket Shoals Light Vessel, Mass., Cape Charles Light Vessel, Va., Cape Henry Light Station, Va., Swiftsure Light Vessel, Wash., Columbia River Light Vessel, Oreg., and Blunts Reef Light Vessel, Calif. These first installations are being made principally on the important outside lightships for the reason that these are the principal sea guides for a very large amount of shipping and also because in fog the signal on a light vessel has the great advantage of permitting a ship to run directly for it without risk of stranding. Letter from Blind Man Opens Case for Charity Government Experts Urge That Fund be Started WASHINGTON. — A pathetic letter .from a blind man in Highmore, S. D., was received recently by the Department of Commerce asking which branch of the Government was distributing Radio receiving sets to blind people. The Department Radio officials were forced to reply that the Department had no sets to distribute and knew of no appropriation from which such donations could be made. It occurred to the Government officials, however, that there was an opportunity for some charitable organization to perform a great public service for those who cannot see. Most blind, they point out, have no means of receiving information or instruction except when they are read to. Since Radio offers an audible means of instruction and entertainment and 570 broadcasting stations furnish programs free during practically every hour of the day, Government Radio experts urge that a fund be started from which inexpensive Radio receiving sets could be purchased for those unfortunates who are forced to spend their days in darkness. Radio broadcasters are furnishing the material, and some believe there are individuals or or< ganizations who will bring these broadcasts to the ears of those who need them most of all. Harry F. Higgins, Northwest Broadcast Pioneer, Dies TACOMA, WASH. — The recent death of Harry F. Higgins, managing editor of the Tacoma Ledger, deprived Radio of one of the figures who played an important part in its development in the Northwest. It was under Mr. Higgins' leadership that KGB, The Ledger-Mullins Electric Company station, one of the best known in the West, was established. His efforts also advanced the cause of broadcasting and brought the entertainment standard to a higher plane than they had been. Many Radiophans attended his funeral.