TYPING BY WIRELESS BEAM

Evening Star, Issue 21714, 8 May 1934, Page 7

TYPING BY WIRELESS BEAM

Air officials at Lympne, in Kent, and at St. Inglevert, - near Calais, can now, speak to each other by wireless telephony as quickly and surely as if they had a private cable between them; Messages can be typed from one to the other across a wireless beam as fast as they can be typed in a city office. The beam keeps its secrets—the conversations cannot be tapped. It is not affected by weather or by atmospherics, and is not interfered with by the other wireless waves that fill the ether. This has been brought about' by tha micro-ray link, which was inaugurated by Sir Philip Sassoon, Under-Secretary for Air, at Lympne, and M. Delesalle,French Under-Secretary for Air, at St,Inglevert. The micro-ray, states the ‘Daily Mail,’ is the tiniest electrical ray ever put into service. It sets out from an' aerial only an inch long. It radiates less power than is required to light a pocket flash lamp. The inauguration consisted in Sir Philip Sassoon speaking a few sentences in French to M. Delesalle, and M. Delesalle, after regretting that he could hardly speak English, replying in his own language. The importance of the micro-ray i« in the reporting of aeroplanes crossing the Channel. ■ A small aeroplane without wireless might fall into the Channel without being observed. It is therefore arranged that every light aeroplane crossing the Channel should circle Lympne or St. Inglevert on departure. Its number is noted and word is at onco sent to the other side. If within a short while the aeroplane does not circle the airport on the arrival side measures of search and if necessary of rescue can bo prepared. Near its starting point the ray is so narrow and so weak that a person standing in front of the aerial stops .the message*