WIRELESS COMMUNICATION.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 15 May 1922, Page 6

WIRELESS COMMUNICATION.

♦— A MODERN WONDER.' (Contributed.) It is safe to say that no discovery ot modern times has so interested tho general public as that of wireless telegraphy. There is an undeniable fa*ci- , nation about a wireless station, where ! with the aid of quite a small amount ot apparatus, and using small amounts of electrical power, communication can be effected over immense distances without the aid of any connecting

< medium such as an undersea cable or overhead wire. The advancement of wireless telegraphy has been phenomenal. It was only in 1896 that Marconi, the vizard of wireless, lodged his first wireless patents. During that year Messages •were transmitted 50 miles, and the scientific world and the general public were alike amazed at such a result. ,' In 1902, after only five years or' research work, Marconi succeeded in bridging the Atlantic, and within a year from that date the commercial stations erected by him at Poldhu, in England, and Cape Cod, in America, were daily handling large numbers of commercial and news telegrams. The earliest and most odvious application of wireless telegraphy was in connection wjth shipping. Prior to i j ~inventioll communication with land from ships was usually impossible from the time of leaving port until' arrival. This meant that in the majority of cases It was quite impossible to summon help to a vessel in distress \\ ireless telegraphy effectually banished this isolation, and has already been directly responsible for savin" thousands of lives at sea. During recent years the distances obtained by wireless stations have been very materially

increased, until now the most distant parts ot the globe are within wireless ranf?t. °n ea* other" The Commonwealth Government has just entered into an agreement with Messrs Amalgamated Wireless (Asia), Ltd., for the erection of wireless stations capable of direct communication with the United kingdom and Canada. The wisdom of the Commonwealth Government in thus providing for uninterrupted communication with the Old Country has been very favourably commented on by the Australian business community and men on lub lunr!. The great distances over whicn communication can be maintained by wireless is due to the development of the wireless valve, which has been aptly ff* 20th century Aladdin's lamp, lhe production of the wireless S lVe*-yaVhe direct outcome o? the are £? J I?COVeiT that when ™*«3s are heated in a vacuum electrons are thrown off the heated body The fS-TzM*^ dectron are decid<^ Ifni 3 }£°i Oi tliem SO to make up an chemiofl dro^n' smallest of the frS tSI T' and ? et > notwithstanding their extreme minuteness, by th* aid of modern wireless apparatus streams of these electrons can be m i' pulated with absolute ease and pTeSThe incoming signals at a wireless station are made to ac fc upon the n^, r°n- s.tream emitted from a filament similar to that of an ordinal electric lamp, and readable si<mals can The^vafl^ extiao, rdi^ry di S ?anc? S lhe valve, as well as being useful Hsed Vlf e or SS • eC l eption ' can also be Utilised for wireless transmission and owing to the extreme mobility of tt»

tr, P, w«" a*? telephone set. ing to wireless, have now installed t*> ceivmg sets and listen regularly to the S rtff ontf rom stltlonfi^t! Stuart Inee'1 nee ' *nd Ensi«>d. sew S;; •■ i ydo not confine ther"seives to wireless concerts, but each throughout the oountry general news stock and market reporL^weaiherXS c-sts etc., are broadcasted for the benefit of. the many thousand resident m ,jie less densely populated areas who possess wireless receiving plants? In Fnsco every Sunday a prominent

minister preaches a wireless sermon whilst m the Eastern States a newspaper makes a speciality of good-night stones for children. The outfits on i which these wireless telephone messages

■ can be received are quite inexpensive, and very simple to operate. I What would probably appeal to Vie New Zealand farmer, stockowner, and I dairyman to a greater extent than anything else would be the ability to receive real up-to-date news, and also the j latest stock and market reports. By comparison with the distances effected by wireless transmission, New Zealand is a small place, and a central wireless telephone station, of very moderate power, installed in the centre of the North and South Island respectively, would suffice for transmission to any part of the Dominion. The benefit to be derived from such a wireless telephone service does not require stressing, and it is safe to predict that in

a comparatively short space of time such a service will be in operation in New Zealand. There is a movement afoot to establish this station in the North Island. Hundreds of stations for amateur use , are being established throughout the Dominion monthly. A concert is transmitted from Dunedin, Wellington, and shortly Auckland, which is being received by hundreds. The concerts are of about two hours' duration, and, with

a sound box in the room, all present are able to hear the concert. The cost of receiving apparatus is small, and includes all that is necessary to include concerts and messages from stations many hundreds of miles distant. The increase of the use of wireless in this country can only be judged by the number of permits granted last month in Wellington, approximately 80 new stations being erected. Although ' permits have to be granted and a strict supervision is made in regard to the users being British subjects, there- is

very little difficulty in securing perrnis- | sion to use such stations that will be ' used by the amateur. The sets made ' now need no expert to adjust them, and can be manipulated by the most inexperienced. The aerial, or antennae, which is limited to 100 ft. over all, including earth leads, is easily erected; sometimes it is possible to utilise two trees. With every set purchased there is a leaflet giving directions for erecting, which are simple, and can be done by the owner in his spare time. Only one company in New Zealand is permitted to sell complete sets under patent rights, but this company is progressive, and encourages the amateur! experimenter by supplying cheap but good amateur sets, bringing the pleasure and fascination within the reach of everybody.