THE PHONOFOR.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1134, 23 May 1911, Page 2

THE PHONOFOR.

AN INTERESTING LECTURE.

At a locturo iu tho Social Hall of ttifl Railway Institute, Air. J. '!• ■V.M.1.E.E., demonstrated the uses ot tlio plionoi'or, an instrument for long-distance telephony. This is an instrument very similar, in appearanco to the ordinary telephone, but possessing n particularly large -receiver. Air. Fahy explained that the phonofor is of valuable service in tho Railway Department because, by reason of its more powerful batteries, it enables long-distance communication to bo carried on with tho very best results as far us lha clearness of the articulation is concerned. It can be attached to an ordinary telegraph line, and communication carried on by that means Without tho expense of ,a special long-distance copper wire being necessary, tho usual telegraphic work being possible at the samo time without interruption. But though all this can be claimed for tho phonofor as far as the railway is concerned, tho instrument is not suitable for the usual uses of a telephone. It is a buMcr-call instrument of very high power, and experiments have -shown that it affects all instruments on the same- lints and others within a wide radius. If, for instance, tlio instruments wore used oil the tele, graph lims between Wellington and I'almerston in the same way as the lets powerful instruments at present in operation, the "bum" would affect nil the telephones in tho circuit and many beyond, since the sound would be transmitted along the wires. For this reason tlio phonofor has not come generally into use. It is, however, suitable for such purposes as are required by the Railway department, which has its lines devoted entirely to its own us?.