WIRELESS WONDERS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 13 December 1924, Page 15

WIRELESS WONDERS.

ELECTRICAL POWER STATION

CONTROLLED BY RADIO WAVES

As the result of intensive research and experiment in the field of wireless, discovery follows hard upon discovery ■ —su fast, indeed, that tne wonder of to-day becomes the commonplace of tomorrow. The “Open, Sesame’’ which Ali Baba used to open the den of the Forty Thieves is rivalled in the use. of high frequency radio waves to control and operate from a distant point, entirely without attendants, a complete, electrical station at Tipton, near .Indianapolis, U.S.A., supplying all the light and power requirements of. a city of 10,0(10 persons. Through the special designing of a system of selector relays to operate with the automatic duplex carrier current telephone receiver already installed at the- station, the feat which makes new electrical and radio history was accomplished recently. John Ferguson, manager of operation of the Indiana Electric Corporation, cooperated with engineers of the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company in designing the apparatus and it was installed under the supervision of T Mr. Ferguson and C. A. Boddie; Westinghouse engineer, who is the inventor of the automatic duplex carrier current receiver and transmitter

The city of Tipton is served by the Northern Indiana Power Company’s transmission lines, connected to a. large transforming sub-station located at the western dtp limits. In order to insure that the electrical supply will be without interruption, two transmission lines from different sources of power are used—the Kokomo and Noblesville power plants respectively. If either of these transmission lines should become interrupted by reason of electrical storms, the supply can he resumed immediately from the alternative source. Heretofore, the operation of the oil switches to change over the source of supply has necessitated, the constant presence of sub-station’ attendants, who have received their instructions for operating the switches by a long distant telephone. Telephone systems, however, are even more vulnerable than, power lines to the action of the elenients, and power companies in the past 'have' been ’unable' sometimes to render continuous service during stprms. The engineers of the Northern Indiana Company have felt that present day requirements of electrical supply demanded standard? of-continuity higher than have " beer, possible heretofore. The present substation _at Tipton, the operation of, which is governed .entirely/ by Kish frequency waves, is the' result of thenefforts, and this new station marks a new era in electrical development. The station is controlled by two massive oil circuit breakers of 73,000 volt 400; amper e rating, and a rupturing capacity of one arid one-lialf kilovolt amperes. These circuit breakers are connected to the .transmission lilies, one from the. nor,tip and one from the south. If either of these lines develops any troiib]©, it is. instantly observed on the power house instrument at Kokomo. In this event, the Koxomo operator immediately sends out a series of high, frequency Waves, Avhich. opens up the oil switch at Tipton connected to the defective line, and closes the oil switch which is connected to tlje reserve line, the entire operation being completed in a few seconds'. r J be method by which this is accomplished is as follows: The operator at Kokomo dials a certain number on a telephone of special design, similar to' an automatic telephone. This telephone dial is connected to a radio transmitter, and. the action of dialing sends out a series pf modulated radio ■impulses to the antenna at Kokomo. Upon receiving these impulses the aritenant at the Tipton station leads them doAvn to a fiye-tu.be radio receiving set and amplifier, Avhere they are multiplied in volume ivhile still retaining their form characteristics. They are then carried to a. series of selector relays, which in turn operate the storage battery switches ‘which actuate the oil circuit breaker mechanism. A special Avave length, entirely outside the broadcasting range, is used and the series of impulses is as complex as the combination lock of a safe and in no way subject to extraneous influences. The tests just completed have demonstrated that the apparatus works Avith infallible .accuracy.

Notwithstanding the massive nature or the apparatus Avhich js controlled by this infinitesimal force, the tests lureo shown, that instead of dialing a number Avith the finger, the radio controlling apparatus is so sensitive that the oil circuit breakers could be actuated by the human Amice, and that the modulation could be so arranged that tlm feat of Ali Baba in opening the cave by the AA-ords “Open, Sesame’’ could b e duplicated. It would he possible actually to adjust the apparatus so that the operator at Kokomo need only say the Avords “Open, circuit breakers, and the breakers 25 miles away Avould open.