WIRELESS EXPERIMENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 January 1920, Page 2

WIRELESS EXPERIMENTS.

VISIT OF FRENCH EXPERT. j TESTS IK PACIFIC OCEAN, ' The French war sloop Aldebaran, ■which is -being used by the French Government to enable Lieutenant Guierre, a wireless expert, to conduct a number of experiments in wireless telegraphy from various points in the Pacific, has returned to Auckland after a threeweeks' trip in the vicinity of the Chatham and Bounty Islands. These two places are'almost the exact antipodes of Lyons and Nante3. Lieutenant Guierre also made some experiments at the wireless stations at Bluff and Awarua. A great deal of scientific value is attached to the work of Lieutenant Guierre, who will submit the result of his experiments to the International Wireless Conference, to be held in Washington next April. The experiments are highly technical in character. Discussing the matter, Lieutenant Guierre stated that the wireless "reception" from French instruments in New Zealand was of special interest to Continental experts, as New Zealand was practically the antipodes of France. On the voyage to New Zealand Lieutenant Guierre measured, wherever possible, the strength of "reception." Experiments of the kind had been made previously by an American expert named Austin, but the present was the first time that a comprehensive system of measurements had been adopted. Lieutenant Guierre said his experiments in the Southern Pacific had been hampered to some extent by bad weather, and 'partly because of tho shortness of time at the disposal of the visitors. The receptive power of the wireless stations in the South Island was infinitely greater than that possessed by the northern stations. This was partly due to climatic conditions, and partly to magnetic influences. It was found that a spot near Antipodes Island had a receptive power equal to that of the Mediterranean. Lieutenant Guierre said he hoped the experiments he was carrying out would prove of value to New Zealand.

Probably the Aldebaran will proceed to Awanui to make tests at the wireless station nt that place. Subsequently Noumea and Tahiti will be visited, with a view to the construction of French .wireless stations there.

The chief engineer of the Telegraph Department at Auckland, and members of his staff, visited the Aldebaran recently, and were greatly interested in the work of Lieutenant Guierre. The latter was in charge of a large station near Oran, in Algeria, in pre-war days. During the war, he was attached to a submarine base in the Adriatic; near Brindisi. He is a graduate of a famous wireless and electrical school in Paris, from which he was drafted into the naval forces.