WIRELESS TELEPHONE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2277, 17 May 1921, Page 4

WIRELESS TELEPHONE.

BARQUE WITH FULL EQUIP-

MENT.

INTERESTING DETAILS

The small barque Manurewa, 327 tons, which arrived at .Wellington on Monday of.last week with a load of timber from Grafton, Clarence River, New South Wales, is equipped with a wireless telephone which has created quite a lot of interest on the Australian coast. Recently Cnptain Holmes, entertained miscellaneous wireless operators in coastal stations and on other vessels at sea by sending gramaphone music through wirelgss waves to them.

The Manurewa is fitted with a short wireless aerial stretched between two of the masts, and snugly ensconced in the cabin nft is a complete telegraphic <nnd telephonic, installation,'with a childishly simple receiver and a wonderfully intricate transmitter, representing the latest, and one of the greatest departures of scientific progress. The entire plant, including coils, reserve batteries, and switches, could be covered with four square feet of cloth. There is a small switch, the turning of which transforms the instrument from telegraphic to telephonic. By the wireless telephone transmitter, an ordinarily-modulated human voice can be carried hundreds of miles through almost any atmospheric conditions, and received at the other end without any rasp, or distortion that is inseparably connected with the ordinary city wire telephone. One of the strangest facts about the invention is that any ordinary wireless plant can receive the voice.

Recently, when the Manurewa was proceeding up the New South Wales coast, from Newcastle to Clarence River, the barque passed the Klmaren, a big Swedish, steamer of about 10,000 tons, and the operator commenced talking to her over the wire. Although not able to reply with the voice, the operator, on the big boat sent messages back in Morse, expressing surprise and delight. Captain Holmes, of the Manurewa, then gave the Elnmren some music from his gramophone, and the listeners on the latter vessel said that the music had lost none of its richness or quality k when transmitted by wireless. Several other boats and station- were -imilarly treated.

Captain Holmes claims that the Manurewa is the first sailing vessel to have a wireless telephonic equipment. His particular plant is the invention of A. F. Pendleton, of San Francisco, and was installed on the barque last October. The complete cost of installing a wireless telephonic plant of the same type as the Manurewa’s in a town where an eleetrie fighting plant- exists would l>e about £4OO or £SOO. Inclusive of eleetrie apparatus tho cost would lie £I,OOO. On the Ma•uirowa the eleetrie plant is used, anart from the wireless, for lighting the vessel.