WIRELESS WONDERS

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 15999, 30 May 1924, Page 5

WIRELESS WONDERS

COMPREHENSIVE SURVEY. A rapid but comprehensive survey of the present field of wireless com munication was given in a paper read before the technological section of the. Wellington - Philosophical Society by Mr A. Gibbs, Assistant Telegraph Engineer. Mr Gibbs, beginning with a brief statement of the principle of radio ■communication, touched on all the principal uses of this now very versatile method of transmitting intelligence, including long and short wave telegraphy, with the various methods of generating the waves i ladio-tclephony, including ship-to-chore communication, and broad-cast-ing, and direction-finding, with a brief reference to the recent work in "beam transmission," lately brought info prominence in connection with Hie Empire wireless scheme. Numerous iliagrams assisted in making Hie explanation clear. The speaker had the assistance of Messrs Smith and Mile 1 ?, of the Telegraph Department, who acted as demonstrators with a number of wireless appliances, including a short-wave, rcceiv'ng set, a longwave sot, and a frame aerial of Lh'..' Robinson type as used for accurate direction-finding work. Willi the short-wave set a local broad-cast concert was spread throujrh the hall with most satisfactory effect: and with the other, distant commercial slalinns (arc transmission) were, tuned in. Ineidonlally the two receptions introduced those who were no) awn re of Inch character to the nature and vagaries of "atmospherics." which happened to be very plentiful and strong. They were practically inandil.de at Ihc shorter wave-length, but al 000 metres and upwards they were very noisy, -and the listeners were probably impressed with the need for training and skill on the part of the operators before they could read 11m 1 thin sound of the signals through the disturbing clatter.' A very striking rien.onstr&t'km made during the evenins: showed how the ordinary leleDhono lines can be used in conjunction with wireless. Mr Gibbs called no the Government wireless station on the Tinakori Hills by telephone through Hip, exchange in the ordinary way. The operators there applied their telephone receiver to the, microphone of a radiophone transmitter, which sent out the speech into space, and a part of Mr Gibbs's lecture was thus delivered, picked up by the receiver in the lecture room, and sent out strongly by the loud-speaker.