WIRELESS TELEPHONY.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 11930, 25 October 1919, Page 2

WIRELESS TELEPHONY.

MUSIC FROM THE AIR. London, August 13. A successful demonstration of wireless telephony was given on Monday by the Royal Air Force in one of the Committee Rooms of the Houses of Parliament. General Seely, who acted as i master of ceremonies, stated that the Air Force took up the subject early in 1915 and by March, 1918, the first two squadrons of aeroplanes had been fitted witn the apparatus, which gave them such an advantage that it was found that German aeroplanes took care to avoid them. The postal aeroplanes, such as those flying between Henley and France, are now so fitted. Ranges of 100 miles from an aeroplane and of 165 ! miles from an airship have been obtained, and could be increased by the use of larger aerials at the receiving stations, if any good purpose would be served thereby. Improvements still remain to be effected, such as the elimination of the trailing aerial on the aeroplane, and of the need of switching over between sending and receiving, which makes the interchange of conversation not quite so easy as it is with an ordinary telephone. It is noteworthy that no evidence has been obtained to suggest that the Germans had developed wireless telephony. A valiant effort was made to explain the rnystories of the thermionic valves, the use of which is the key of .success, b ut the members and others present listened with more attention to the actual results of the demonstrations. Usually the listener at such demonstrations has to use a telephone, but on this occasion two specially powerful valves were arranged to amplify the signals, with the result that they were literally bawled out through a trumpet and thus were audible all over the room. In the first place, some music played by the gramaphone was transmitted from Aperfield Court, some 20 miles away, an aircraft ground receiving station being employed for the purpose, with a temporary aerial erected on the roof of the Houses of Parliament. The first piece was from Tschaikovsky's "1812 Overture," and candour requires the admission that though there was plenty of noise, there was little of music, the gramophonic characteristics of the interpretation being apparently accentuated in the course of wireless transmission. In the second piece, "Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes,'' the solo air came through much more satisfactorily. Soma conversation was then interchanged with Aperfield, which concluded this part of the entertainment by reciting some alleged poetry. Communication was next established with aeroplanes sent up from Biggin Hill aerodrome. At first it was "jammed" by the Admiralty or some other intruder, but Inter the observer of a Nieuport machine was heard to state that he could hear everything sent to him, that he was then approaching the river, and that he could not yet see the Houses of Parliament. General Seely, who was informed from the air that his voice carried very well, then invited the observer and pilot to : dine with him at the House of Commons that evening, and asked that the same invitation might be coEumunicatod to other aeroplanes in the air, say, withiu 20 "miles, Another machine was then hailed, and requested to give his position and to sing a song. As regards the latter part of the request the observer was at first rather coy, though ho afterwards complied. Two machines gave their position, one of them being at a height of 8000 feet nearly above Buckingham Palace.