INTERFERENCE BY MORSE

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 10, 23 September 1927, Page 5

INTERFERENCE BY MORSE

QUESTION FOR WORLD CONFERENCE _ New Zealand listeners who are wor‘ried with ship’s murse while listening to broadcast programmes may obtain relief through the decisions at the International Radio Conference to be held at Washington, U.S.A., in October. News from Washington states that interference with land broadcasters by radio operators at sea will be the subject of negotiations at the forthcoming International Radio Conference, accord-ing-to an announcement by Orestes H. Caldweli, of the Radio Commission. Any adjustment of wave-lengths at sea requires ‘the co-operation of some forty nations, he said.

The interference cansed by radio transmission -at sea was dealt with in a letter addressed by Mr. Caldwell to Louis W. Southgate, of Worcester, -Mass., who complained of interference in that city. In his letter to Mr. Southgate, the Commissioner said that such interference was undoubtedly due to ships operation on a 600-meter wave-length, which was removed by only a_ short interval from the broadcasting band. Mr. Caldwell wrote in part:

Ship Wave-lengths. "Tt will be very desirable to shift this SOS and calling band to a new location further removed, but — such shifting will require the co-operation of some forty nations and actual re-equip-ment of 30,000 ships. The matter will be brought up at the coming International Radio Conference, but at best it will require some years before the transfer can be made. "The Commission has repeatedly pointed out to American broadcasters that the interference caused by ship transmitters on these high waves is very objectionable along the coasts, and that for this reason the best broadcasting channels are those near thie centre of the broadcasting band.

Clash With Broadcasting. "The kind of interference you frefer to is experienced all up and down the whole Atlantic Coast, especially at Boston, Cape Cod, Long Island, New York City, and Atlantic City, and has been the means of spoiling many wonderfui programmes put out by some of the leading stations operating in the 600 and 700-kilocycle range. "Transmission to ships and safety of life at sea is a paramount use for tadio, Hut it is unfortunate that the rapid development of broadcasting has not made it possible to further separate these services so that both broadcasting and ship commmnication might — proceed without mutual interference."