Over The AERIAL

Waikato Times, Volume 116, Issue 19450, 14 December 1934, Page 5

Over The AERIAL

BY RHEOSTAT

THE COMING WEEK. Sunday. —lYA: 11, church service; '3.30, talk; 7, service from Pitt Street Methodist 'Church; 8.30, Municipal Band concert. 2YA—I.I, church service; 7, service from Trinity Methodist Church; 8.30, studio concert. 3YA—II, church .service; 7, service from St. Mary’s Anglican Churoh; 8.30, studio concert. Monday. —lYA: 3.30, home science talk; 8, studio concert; 10.30, dance music. 2YA—11.30, laying of new railway station foundation stone; 3, home scieice talk; 7.40, book review; 8, studio concert; 9.40, relay of Royal Ball. 3YA—2.30, home science talk; 8, concert by Woolston Brass Band; 1.0.30, dance music. Tuesday. —lYA: 7.30, book review; 8, recordings; 10, dance music. 2YA 1 —7.40, agriucltural talk; 8, studio ; concert; 10.30, dance music. 3YA — 1 Talks, 11 “Fashions,” -7.35 “Empire Service League’*’; 8, studio concert; 9.20, dance music. Wednesday. —lYA: 8, studio concert; 9.20, dance music. 2YA— 1 7.30, gardening talk; 8, studio concert; 10.30, dance music. 3YA—11.30, talk, “Diet”; 7.35, Addington stock market reports; 8, concert from 4YA, Dunedin. Thursday. —lYA: 3, home • science talk; 8,8.8. C. programme, “Pilot Station”; 8.26, radio drama, “Shadows Alive"; 10.30, dance music. 2YA—--7.40, talk, “War Graves”; 8, Gilbert and Sullivan hour; 9, radio drama, “The Mother”; 9.14, “Japanese Houseboy"; 9.28, radio drama, “The Winning Hand”; 10.30, dance music. 3YA—2.30, home science talk; 8, recordings; 10.30, dance music. Friday.— lYA: 7.30, sports talk; 8, studio concert; 10.30, dance musio. 2YA—Talks, 11.30 “Public Health Subjects,” 7.40 “Roads and Motoring," 8, studio concert; 10.30, dance musio. 3YA—*ll, talk, "Cooking by Electricity”; 8, studio concert; 10.30, dance music. Saturday. —lYA: 7.30, gardening talk; 8, Christmas carol concert Municipal Band; 10, sports summary;" 10.10, dance music. 2YA—11.15, home science talk; 8, studio concert; 9, dance music; 10, sports summary. 3YA—B, studio concert; 10, sports summary; 10.10, dance music. WIRELESS AND AVIATION. COMPLETE EQUIPMENT ESSENTIAL DIRECTION-FINDING STATIONS. In the past few weeks it has been shown that if long-range and night commercial air services are to become always reliable, wireless equipment of a complete nature is essential. Some of the competing machines in the air race were fitted with wireless, but, even so, they were at a loss; for example, the Dutch ’plane which landed near Albury. The trouble arose because, although there was equipment both in the ’plane and on the ground, its combined resources were not fully capable of fixing the position of the machine accurately and of enabling the necessary information to be conveyed to the pilot quickly. Perhaps the most highly organised air services from the wireless point of view are those which are in operation between England and the Continent. Part of the apparatus consists , of three direction-finding stations in England which can co-operate in fixing the position of any liner which may be in flight. The aeroplane sends out signals and the'bearings of the incoming signal are taken simultaneously at all three points. Two of them pass on their results to a third, and the operator in charge of the third station sets the bearings out on a map, and the point at which the lines intersect fixes the position of the aircraft at. the time its signals were received by the three stations. The observation is passed on to the machine. Value to Alroraft. Direction-finding stations such as these are of great value to the aircraft, because their positions can be traced continuously during the flight, so that in the event of any trouble the point at which they were forced down can be determined with reasonable accuracy, so that- effective steps can be taken to render assistance quickly. However, in order that the service shall be of maximum value the diection-flnding equipment must be of such a nature that it is equally useful not only in daylight, but at night time and at twilight and daybreak. Special equipment is, therefore, necessary, and what is known as the MarconiAdcock direction-finder performs the necessary operation with the required degree of accuracy. This apparatus requires a special kind of aerial which ignores everything but the direct ray. In addition to direction-finding gear it is also necessary to have ■ trans.mitters which can communicate reliably either in code or by telephony with other aerodrome and with aeroplanes that are in flight, so that the results of the directionfinding observations can be given to the aeroplane with as little delay as possible. Complete equipment of this sort is, perhaps, the most useful of all, as it enables the position of the ’planes to be always known at headquarters. It also tells the pilots all they want to know, but it is somewhat confined in its application, because the distances between observation points must be comparable with the length of the of the flight. In long-range flights the power of the aeroplane transmitter Is not always sufficient.to enable bearings to be taken accurately, so that the procedure can often be conveniently reserved, and the aeroplane carry direction-finding equipment which will observe the direction of powerful ground transmilter's. Types of Equipment. To meet these conditions various types of equipment, including what are known as homing devices, have been developed. These instruments give visual or aural indications when the 'plane is on.or off a course set for i a specified transmitter, 'which usually semis out distinctive signals irt a more or less confined beam, although any station, even as a broadcast transmitter, can he used. The trouble is that many of these devices are liable to error at long distances or at night time, but with suitable choice of equipment good results can ire obtained. All long distance commercial services are provided with some kind of wireless navigating and communication systems, and such facilities are being extended for the England-Aus-

tralia service. Complete equipment of the kina outlined will ultimately be necessary for all services, including those to Tasmania and those between States, if such .uncertainties as those that occurred when the Southern Cloud and, more recently, the Miss Hobart were lost, are to be avoided. Wireless beacons and co-operating devices on the ’planes themselves can be very useful, but well equipped and suitably situated ground i direction-finding stations seem to be essential foi the complete and proper supervision of aerial services which have to cross the sea of sparsely populated or dangeious country. ______