Indianapolis Times, Volume 36, Number 266, Indianapolis, Marion County, 19 March 1925 — Page 23

WEATHER BUREAU ONE OF FIRST TO EMPLOY WIRELESS Experiments Started After Marconi Broadcast First Message in 1899. By THOMAS STEVENSON WASHINGTON, March 19.—Since inception of radio, countless ship disasters have been avoided due to warnings flashed of hurricanes and big storms. At the same time, radio has engaged the weather bureau to increase the efficiency of its forecasts due to the fact it now obtains reports from many places which were before inaccessible. Importance of radio .to the weather bureau is told by E. B. Calvert, in charge of the farm division of that organization. “Radio is indispensable to the work of the weather bureau,” said Calvert. "But indispensable as it is, future potentialities can not be stated, even in conjecture. That indispensableness lies in two directions; first, in collection of meteorological reports and information from inaccessible places, unavailable by telegraph, cable or other means except radio, and, secondly, in distibution of weather forecasts and warnings and weather information. History of Radio “A few words on the history of radio in the Weather Bureau may be interesting. Marconi began his investigations In 1895 and four years later succeeded in transmitting an intelligible message across the English Channel, from_ DoVer *to Bologne. That was locked upon as a remarkable achievement, and it was. The Weather Bureau saw in Marconi’s work possibilities for the collection of weather records from the Inaccessible regions of the earth; and weather forecasts, whether made for the farmer, for the ship, or for any other purpose, must be predicated upon weather observations taken over as large an area as possible. “We also saw in it a possibility for replacing the rather expensive telegraphis system of collecting reports. Therefore, we engaged Prof. Reginald A. Fessenden, a well known physicist, who had already done much work In wireless, connected with the Western University of Pennsylvania, to engage In this work for the Weather Bureau. He began those investigations Jan. 19, 1900, or a little more than a month after Marconi had succeeded in sending his message across the English Channel. ,Started Experiments “We established two experimental stations, one at Mateo, on Roanoke Islatd, the other at Hatteras, both in N >rth Carolina, forty-seven miles apart, the Intervening distance being practically all water, because it was tnen believed that the radio waves carried more easily over water than over land, which was probably a fact. But the Weather Bureau had been utilizing radio sinee the early part of 1900. In fact, by means of what was known as the hot wire receiver, or horoscope, Invented by Prof. Fessenden, we transmitted messages clearly between Hatteras and Mateo in 1901. "In 1902, successful demonstrations were made before representatives in the Army and Navy. In the meantime, the Navy and the Army also engaged in wireless work, and In the meantime it seemed likely other governmental agencies would be engaged in the work, and

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(us C. Edvards Gus C. Edwards, whose orchestra is one of the leading features on the programs of- the local station of the Merchants Heat and Light Company, has been playing at the leading hotels, clubs and dance halls throughout the United States and Canada for the past six years. For three seasons this organization was the fesiur; attraction of the Eppley ho. els. It also played for one year at the Alhambra Dance Gardens, Winnipeg, Canada, one of the largest Canadian dance hallo, and for two seasons was one of the leading dance orchestras of Chicago, where they played at the Trianon ballroom and the Rendezvous . a fashionable club. This orchesta has been at the Indianapolis Athletic Club since Oct. 18, where they have made a host of friends and admirers. Organization is composed of eleven members, who play a total of twenty-eight instruments.

there would be unnecessary and overlapping efforts. So in 190-v the President appointed a board from the Army and Navy, the Department of Agriculture, and then the Department of Commerce and Labor, to consider all questions relating to wireless In the Government service, and to report. That board made its report In July of that year, as a result of which the Weather Bureau ceased all operations and experimentations in wirelees. Under the terms of the report of the board, the Army undertook to do the work for us in the interior, and the Navy on the coasts and the Island areas. Ships Report “To give an idea of the extent to which that Is being utilized in connection with our storm warning work, I will say that during the past year, we received more than twentyfive thousand weather reports from ships at sea. By means of these reports we were able to chart the weather of the oceans, and locate the storm centers, almost as well over the oceans as over the and, thereby sending back to the sbi^ a rfeathe; ! forecasts, where the storm centers ; are, and enable them to avoid thorn, and to control their ships operations, giving the ships Information as to where the storm centers are, thus enabling the ships to avoid these centers. (Copyright, 1925, by Stevenson Radio _ Syndicate.) New Station WGI of the American Radio and Research Corporation, Medford Killside, Mass., will open a modern broadcasting studio In the Houghton & Dutton Bldg., corner es Tremont and Beaco l Sts., Boston, within the next sixty days. Arrangements have been made to obtain the most up-to-date transmitting apparatus, which will have a power of 500 watts. . Realize Possibilities Theatrical producers and some members of the. acting profession may disagree as to the ultimate effect of radio upon the stage. But many actors, especially those who travel widely, are going right ahead and enjoying radio sets, themselves, while the controversy rages. They have been quick to realize the entertainment possibilities of a radio set, especially when they are away from home and time hangs heavily on their hands. There may not be ICC per cent of truth in the quip, that whenever ax uctor has a day off, he goes to seea show, but it is assuredly a fact that ineJry of them are building sets to take with them on tour, and thereby keep in touch with thje entertainment world in the large citie*.

THO INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

The Latest in Aerials One of the simplest ways to provide an antenna for a receiving set Is to put a pie-tin under the usual lesk type of telephone and run a wire from the tin'Vo the aerial binding post on the set. The ground is connected up in the usual way—to a water pipe, radiator, etc. Putting the pie-tin under the telephone does not In any way interfere with the operation of the telephone, and no objection should be made by the phone company. A regular outside aerial, of course, is to be preferred, but there are times when a temporary aer.'al Is desired. Guises of Inaction ’ When n) signal can be heard on the detectxr and no other noises the trouble may be caused by a shortcircuit ol’ the phone condenser, rundown batteries, battery polarity reversed, broken connection in phone cord or set, poor socket contact, or poor contact, in phone plug or jack. Radio Uses for Shoe Eyelets Excellent bearing for shafts in vario-coupler and variometer tubes can be made with shoe eyelets. Two of them will make end connectors on a piece of cardboard for a grid leak. Holes drilled In pxnels for showing the light from the tubes may be embellished with the use of eyelets. Biggest Radio Clans Pupils In four States, Illinois, In dlana, Michigan ami Wisconsin, listen In each Friday afternoon to special lectures broadcast to them under auspices of the Chicago department of education. Programs are made up by the pupils for their own education.

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Arise, Stand By Who invented the phrase, “Stand by for one moment, please”? A reward will be paid for his scalp and a further reward is offered to any one who will suggest something In its place. Bombay, India, Hears KDK.V George Lea of Bombay, India, writes that he has been receiving KDKA concerts vrey clearly, although he has, on various nights, had some trouble with distortion. He attributes this latter fact to the hasty construction of his antennal howover, and has set about to rectify this so that in the future he will be

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able to get the program from the Westinghouse station at Pittsburgh more clearly. Static “Easy” to Solve The scientists now tell ua how to eliminate static. It's easy! All you have to do Is to construct two antennas ten miles long. Zithers on the .Air We've heard practically every known musical Instrument by radio. Yet there’s the zither, for Instance, that Is still to make Its debut. It is scheduled for appearance at WOC, Davenport. la.

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