Arrival in America

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 17, 8 November 1929, Page 12

Arrival in America

Elaborate Preparations Made RRAvr0 played an important part in the elaborate preparations which were made by the "Los Angeles Hxaminer" to secure, without a second’s delay, a newspaper "scoop" on the arrival of the Graf Zeppelin on the Pacific coast recently. Hight land and sea planes and an airship, all fully equipped with radio, composed the aerial fleet which was chartered by the "Hxaminer" for this purpose. One aeroplane flew out to sea to meet this monster dirigible, and, was able to broadcast through the station owned by the "HWxaminer," graphic deseriptions of the huge airship as she glided towards Los Angeles, Another ‘plane broadcast further descriptions, which were picked up by the "Wxaminer’s" short-wave station, and then rushed to the editors at their desks for preparation of special editions. After the landing of the Zeppelin, a telephony broadcast of the scene at the airport was transmitted by another *plane as she circled above the huge crowd below. Further aeroplanes were used- for dispatch work and for delivering bundles of the special edition at the airport. This was so packed by a dense crowd of spectators and automobiles that quick delivery by any other means would have been impossible. . Special arrangements were alse made by the National Broadcasting Company of America to broadcast a -deseription of the arrival scenes over their nation-wide network of stations. Profiting by experience gained on the occasion of the Graf Zeppelin’s first visit to America, the company’s engineers abandoned all efforts to place microphones at various vantage points around the field, Instead, the arinouncer was equipped with a portable short-wave transmitter weighing only 24lb,, which was originally developed for the use of a parachute jumper, who broadcast his sensations while falling through the air. © By means of a short-wave receiver installed inside the hangar, the announcer’s running commentary on the arrival of the airship was picked up and relayed to broadcasting stations situated all over the United States,