Better Service On Higher Power

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17409, 6 November 1930, Page 9

Better Service On Higher Power

JIIE tendency towards increasing the power of transmitting stations recently, received a marked illustration in tho case of the Swedish station at •Stockholm, which is now broadcasting with a. power of 75 kilowatts, and thus becomes the highest powered station in Europe. It is true that Oslo has simultaneously been reduced from 60 kilowatts to 0.75 kilowatts, 'but this alteration is only a temporary one pending certain technical rearrangements. Meanwhile several other European stations are contemplating increases which, though not so marked as in the case of Stockholm, will nevertheless mean a considerable difference. The same tendency is noticeable in the United States, .where as many as 25 broadcasting stations have obtained, or applied for, authority to increase their power to 50 kilowatts on cleared channels.

No Interference The Radio Commission which regulates tlieso matters in America has already granted a large number of these applications, and the remainder have been postponed until tho autumn. The maximum hitherto has been 25 kilowatts, though tho Westinghouse Co. has been granted 4GO kilowatts for an experimental station, and flic General Electric Co. has for some time been experimenting with 200 kilowatts.

The high-power doctrine has been somewhat severely criticised, chiefly by set owners living in tho immediate vicinity of' transmitting stations, but these constitute only a small proportion of those .who benefit by the better service given by the higher power. Radio engineers both in Europe and the United States'a re unanimous in declaring tha t higher Rower gives better reception over a wider area and almost completely eliminates the atmospheric disturbances which low-power radiation is unable to overcome. Local Stations

This is not to say, however, that tho just claims of set-owners living in the vicinity of a transmitting station should ho ignored. The principle 'of tho “greatest good for the grentes number” is one which can be carried too far, and though the advantages of liigbpower transmission are obvious’ enough, it is no less obvious that the grievances of the minority demand a remedy:

This difficulty has 'been met in the United States and Canada, and on-the Continent of • Europe ■ by the. establishment of low-power local stations on a different wave length.