The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. MONDAY, JULY 14th, 1924. WIRELESS WONDERS.

Hokitika Guardian, 14 July 1924, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. MONDAY, JULY 14th, 1924. WIRELESS WONDERS.

An interesting lecture was given at Wellington last week by Mr A. Gibbs the assistant-chief telegraph engineer to the Post- and Telegraph Department. In the muisc of his address the SfCaker said matter was made up of atoms and molecules. Each atom was made up of n positive core, around which rotated negative electrons, so tlmt, each atom was an electric field jof its />wn. Surrounding every wire carrying an electric charge, there were fields of force, which was demonstrated hv the effect of a magnet on a needle. Passing the room in which they sat were the South Island telephone wires, and the magnetic field surrounding these had been disturbing the instruments in the room, and manifesting itself as a series of unpleasant sounds, until tuned out by careful manipulation. The telephone worked on the principle of a current of electricity of varying frequency, causing a diaphragm to vibrate, and thus transform electric waves into sound waves. Slow vibrations produced a low note, and the note became higher the more rnpid the vibrations. The human ear could not detect sounds below 16 vibrations to the second, nor those above 10,000 to the second, the highest note dislornible. Certain animals, cats. for instance, were able to detect notes of much higher frequency than was possible by the human ear. For purpose of radio transmission it was necessary to have an oscillating current sent put into space from an antennae or nerial. High fioquency power was essential, as in the case of low frequency power, the amount sent out into space varied in inverse ratio by the square of the distance from the source of power. The second requirement for transmission was a “medium” to convey the signals or electric impulses from the transmitting point

the receiving point. The existence of such a medium was assumed by scientists, and had been called “other”, the substance, which it was supposed conveyed the heat and light of tho sun to the earth. This substance possessed electricity and hv this means conveyed electrical waves in the same way as waves or ripples radiated from a central point of agitation in a |ool of water. In the ease of tho Wellington wireless station, it operated on a commercial wave length of GOO metres, and the freque.ncy of the electrons radiating from the antennae was about half a million per second. By this means the ixiwer or energy developed in the power plant of the transmitting station was released into space, conveyed by the ether to the point of reception, and thence transformed into audible sound waves. This work of transformation was performed hv a rectifyer. one form of which was the crystal which had the property of allowing electric currents to pass through them in one direction only. The electric waves, thus etif in two, as it were, then ] assotl through a condenser, and thence to the receiving telephone apparatus.