CHAPTER VI. THE DIGNITY OF WIRELESS. ITS APPLICATIONS AND SERVICE. WIRELESS IN THE ARMY AND NAVY. WIRELESS ON AN AEROPLANE. HOW A MESSAGE IS SENT AND RECEIVED.Wireless telegraphy and that precocious infant, wireless telephony, have outlived all the speculative and tentative achievements of their early days and have established themselves in an important and settled position among our methods of conveying intelligence.The field has been so greatly enlarged in recent years and the apparatus and methods so improved that the broadest possible view of its future development and importance is justified. And there must inevitably come the time when our merchant marine and wireless service will come under such reasonable regulation that it will be removed from any dependence upon stock jobbing wireless telegraph and telephone companies.FIG. 100.—Special light weight wireless telegraph set for airship service.FIG. 100.—Special light weight wireless telegraph set for airship service.Official sources show that the equipping of sea-going vessels with wireless apparatus is progressing at a rapid rate and it is not difficult in the face of certain facts to appreciate the enormous volume of business that sooner or later will be handled by wireless. Three hundred and sixty-three United States naval vessels and about eight hundred merchant vessels are equipped at this writing. The large number of commercial shore stations, army forts and posts, and those used by corporations, isolated stations, etc., for various private purposes comprise a list which reaches an enormous total.FIG. 101.—Telefunken wireless cart, showing transmitter.FIG. 101.—Telefunken wireless cart, showing transmitter.Whatever may have been the status of wireless previous to the Titanic disaster, it now occupies a position far more important than that taken merely from any commercial standpoint, for it is no longer merely a convenience to business or a means of furnishing the latest news for the entertainment of passengers, but is a life-saving proposition taking its place with the elaborate and costly systems of railroad signals.FIG. 102.—Telefunken wireless cart for military service, showing receiving apparatus.FIG. 102.—Telefunken wireless cart for military service, showing receiving apparatus.FIG. 103.—Telefunken wireless wagon set in operation at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The aerial is of the umbrella type supported by a steel pole resting on a porcelain base.FIG. 103.—Telefunken wireless wagon set in operation at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The aerial is of the umbrella type supported by a steel pole resting on a porcelain base.It is a curious fact that many of the most startling and newest inventions find ready and peculiar application as an aid in modern warfare. The nerves of every war vessel and fort are the wires of the telephones, telegraphs, telautographs, dynamos, storage batteries etc., that transmit orders by speech or in writing, find the range, fire the guns, explode the mines and seek out the enemy with a powerful searchlight.Every battle-ship, cruiser, etc., of the United States Navy is now equipped and with the completion of the new ultrapowerful station at Washington the War Department will be enabled to issue instructions to a ship no matter where it may be on the ocean or in what harbor it may lie.The government maintains an elaborate equipment at the Brooklyn Navy Yard where the future wireless operators of the Navy are given a course extending from seven to ten weeks. The first few days are spent in mastering the theory. The second week usually commences alternate study and practice of the Continental Code which lasts throughout the entire course or until thoroughly mastered. Each week some special branch of study is given out such as repairing and overhauling certain instruments. At the end of seven weeks the student can usually send and receive 15 words a minute. He is then given two weeks to prepare for an examination which if passed rates him as an electrician, third class, and qualifies him for active work.FIG. 104.—Wireless room aboard the U. S. transport "Buford." It is certain that wireless telegraphy and telephony will be important factors in military campaigns of the future. For coast defense, wireless is as valuable as on the ocean.FIG. 104.—Wireless room aboard the U. S. transport "Buford." It is certain that wireless telegraphy and telephony will be important factors in military campaigns of the future. For coast defense, wireless is as valuable as on the ocean.FIG. 105.—The apparatus set up for operation.FIG. 105.—The apparatus set up for operation.This method of transmitting army orders is quite dependable. With the most recent developments and improvements it is now possible to direct the movements of a great army and navy simultaneously from a centrally located point.FIG. 106.—Wireless equipped automobile.FIG. 106.—Wireless equipped automobile.One of the most interesting and spectacular applications of wireless telegraphy in military service is the wireless telegraph automobile.The automobile is a stock pattern touring car of 30 H. P. provided with a special body arranged to carry six passengers. The seats are elevated so as to afford storage space below for the entire wireless equipment and a truly astonishing amount of miscellaneous supplies.FIG. 107.—Company D Signal Corps at San Antonio Texas, 1911, showing pack sets and telescoping pole carried by pack mules.FIG. 107.—Company D Signal Corps at San Antonio Texas, 1911, showing pack sets and telescoping pole carried by pack mules.The mast used to elevate the aerial is of light steel construction divided into eight sections which nest into one another with admirable economy of space. The socket for the foot of the mast is located in the center of the tonneau. Only a few minutes are required to raise the mast and aerial. The same gasoline motor employed to drive the automobile also drives a small dynamo which supplies the electric current for the transmitting apparatus.Two of these cars have been experimentally operated over a number of the old battle-fields of the Civil War.FIG. 108.—U. S. Signal Corps pack sets shown open and closed. Receiving apparatus on the left.FIG. 108.—U. S. Signal Corps pack sets shown open and closed. Receiving apparatus on the left.The tests were made under all sorts of road and weather conditions but no great difficulty was experienced in establishing communication over distances varying from 35 to 50 miles.There is probably no application of wireless telegraphy, however, quite as picturesque as the combination of wireless and an aeroplane and the idea of a double seated aeroplane carrying an aviator and a wireless operator hovering over a hostile country to keep the commanding officer informed of all conditions and movements of the enemy.FIG. 109.—The receiving apparatus of the airship "America" (Wellman expedition).FIG. 109.—The receiving apparatus of the airship "America" (Wellman expedition).The huge dirigible balloon Akron in which Melville Vanniman proposed to cross the Atlantic Ocean was fitted with wireless equipment in order to transmit news of the expedition en route to various of the daily newspapers of New York and London and also in case of an accident or emergency to summon aid.FIG. 110.—Interior of the N. Y. "Herald" (O. H. X.) press station.FIG. 110.—Interior of the N. Y. "Herald" (O. H. X.) press station.The equipment is interesting because of the peculiar conditions imposed upon instruments to be used under such circumstances. A three kilowatt transformer, the latest type of musical rotary gap and a valve detector were included in the outfit. It was proposed to obtain the necessary ground connection by trailing a 1200 foot phosphor bronze ground lead in the ocean. The frame of the balloon was to be used as the aerial. Should it have become necessary to take the lifeboat which the balloon carried, a kite would have been raised and by substituting a copper wire in lieu of a string an aerial provided, and once more a CQ D and its appeal for aid would have gone vibrating forth through the ether.FIG. 111.—Operating the U. S. Signal Corps airship wireless apparatus.FIG. 111.—Operating the U. S. Signal Corps airship wireless apparatus.Several enterprising newspapers have recognized the value of wireless telegraphy in collecting shipping news and have installed outfits for the assistance of their reporting bureau. This innovation in modern journalism has quickly developed into a useful feature of those publications which have seen fit to adopt it. When the baseball season is under way every steamship within calling distance wants the latest baseball scores or sporting results.FIG. 112.—The N. Y. "Herald" station, showing aerial.FIG. 112.—The N. Y. "Herald" station, showing aerial.FIG. 113.—Operator Jack Irwin overhauling the wireless apparatus for the dirigible balloon "America."FIG. 113.—Operator Jack Irwin overhauling the wireless apparatus for the dirigible balloon "America."Railroads have found an auxiliary wireless service to be of the utmost value in relieving the heavily loaded wire lines between important centers. During some of the winter storms and blizzards, when miles of wires were down in all directions, wireless has been the sole means of communication in certain instances.The process of sending a wireless message is very simple. The aerial switch is usually kept in such a position that the receiving instruments are connected to the ground and aerial so that the operator is always able to hear any one calling him. We will suppose for illustration that the land station at 42 Broadway, New York City, wishes to transmit a message to the steamer "Horatio Hall."FIG. 114.—Morse code.FIG. 114.—Morse code.Every wireless station on land or sea has assigned to it two or more "call letters," which distinguish it from all other stations, and serve as the key to messages intended for it to receive and when signed to a message as an indication of its origin. The "call" of the land station in this case is N. Y., and that of the steamer, J. H.FIG. 115.—Continental code.FIG. 115.—Continental code.In order to send the message to the ship, N. Y. throws the aerial into position for sending. This act also starts the motor generator set supplying current to the transformer. Pressing the key, the operator then signals in the telegraph code J. H., J. H., J. H.—M. S. G.–N. Y.—and gives the "finish" signal. M. S. G. is the abbreviation for message. The N. Y. operator then throws his switch back into the receiving position and waits for a reply. If one is not forthcoming shortly the calling process is repeated.FIG. 116.—Transmitting equipment of the high power station at Nauen, twenty-five miles northwest of Berlin, Germany, showing six induction coils (in the foreground) arranged to charge the Leyden jars (composed of 360 units).FIG. 116.—Transmitting equipment of the high power station at Nauen, twenty-five miles northwest of Berlin, Germany, showing six induction coils (in the foreground) arranged to charge the Leyden jars (composed of 360 units).FIG. 117.—Duplex receiving apparatus. The set to the left may be adjusted to receive short wave lengths and that to the right to receive long waves. When the handle of the "listening" key, shown in the center of the illustration, is in the center, the left hand phone of the head set is connected to the instruments on the left and the right hand phone to those on the right, so that the operator is always ready to receive either short or long waves if received. Swinging the key connects both phones to either set at will.FIG. 117.—Duplex receiving apparatus. The set to the left may be adjusted to receive short wave lengths and that to the right to receive long waves. When the handle of the "listening" key, shown in the center of the illustration, is in the center, the left hand phone of the head set is connected to the instruments on the left and the right hand phone to those on the right, so that the operator is always ready to receive either short or long waves if received. Swinging the key connects both phones to either set at will.As soon as the operator on board the steamer hears the call, he waits until the finish signal is received, and then responds in the following manner : N. Y., N. Y., N. Y.—J. H.—O. K., O. K.—G. A.—G. A.—N. Y., J. H.—and gives the "finish signal." O. K. is the abbreviation for "all right," and G. A. means "go ahead." Upon receipt of this, the land station transmits the body of the message, and signs its call and finish signal. If the steamer understands the message, she replies "O. K.," and signs.FIG. 118.—Breaking-in system.FIG. 118.—Breaking-in system.There are two Codes in general use for wireless telegraph purposes, the Morse and Continental. It takes about five per cent. longer space of time to send a message in Continental than it does in Morse, but the former has the advantage of not containing any letters requiring proper spacing in order to be recognizable. American coastwise steamers use the Morse code; transatlantic ships use the Continental code.One of the greatest disadvantages of most systems of wireless telegraphy lies in the fact that no arrangement is provided for simultaneously transmitting and receiving wireless signals. It is usually necessary for one operator listening to another to have to wait until the finish signal is given before he can reply or interrupt in case he cannot understand part of the message, because the receiving apparatus of the transmitting station is necessarily disconnected from the aerial and the ground during the period a message is being sent. If it were to be connected at this time the powerful currents of the transmitter would rush through the receiving apparatus into the ground without setting up any very powerful waves in the aerial and seriously injure the delicate receiving instruments.The Breaking-in-System is a method of simultaneously transmitting and receiving wireless signals. This is accomplished by providing the transmitting key with a second set of contacts, so arranged that when the key is released between the dots and dashes of the code the aerial and ground are automatically connected to the receiving apparatus. When the key is pressed the receptor is automatically cut off. The advantages of such a system are more or less obvious. When interference or a misunderstanding occurs the fact can be immediately signaled to the sending operator, and the message commenced over again.FIG. 119.—The receiving apparatus of the station at Nauen. The message is being printed on tape by a recording device.FIG. 119.—The receiving apparatus of the station at Nauen. The message is being printed on tape by a recording device.
CHAPTER VI. THE DIGNITY OF WIRELESS. ITS APPLICATIONS AND SERVICE. WIRELESS IN THE ARMY AND NAVY. WIRELESS ON AN AEROPLANE. HOW A MESSAGE IS SENT AND RECEIVED.Wireless telegraphy and that precocious infant, wireless telephony, have outlived all the speculative and tentative achievements of their early days and have established themselves in an important and settled position among our methods of conveying intelligence.The field has been so greatly enlarged in recent years and the apparatus and methods so improved that the broadest possible view of its future development and importance is justified. And there must inevitably come the time when our merchant marine and wireless service will come under such reasonable regulation that it will be removed from any dependence upon stock jobbing wireless telegraph and telephone companies.FIG. 100.—Special light weight wireless telegraph set for airship service.FIG. 100.—Special light weight wireless telegraph set for airship service.Official sources show that the equipping of sea-going vessels with wireless apparatus is progressing at a rapid rate and it is not difficult in the face of certain facts to appreciate the enormous volume of business that sooner or later will be handled by wireless. Three hundred and sixty-three United States naval vessels and about eight hundred merchant vessels are equipped at this writing. The large number of commercial shore stations, army forts and posts, and those used by corporations, isolated stations, etc., for various private purposes comprise a list which reaches an enormous total.FIG. 101.—Telefunken wireless cart, showing transmitter.FIG. 101.—Telefunken wireless cart, showing transmitter.Whatever may have been the status of wireless previous to the Titanic disaster, it now occupies a position far more important than that taken merely from any commercial standpoint, for it is no longer merely a convenience to business or a means of furnishing the latest news for the entertainment of passengers, but is a life-saving proposition taking its place with the elaborate and costly systems of railroad signals.FIG. 102.—Telefunken wireless cart for military service, showing receiving apparatus.FIG. 102.—Telefunken wireless cart for military service, showing receiving apparatus.FIG. 103.—Telefunken wireless wagon set in operation at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The aerial is of the umbrella type supported by a steel pole resting on a porcelain base.FIG. 103.—Telefunken wireless wagon set in operation at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The aerial is of the umbrella type supported by a steel pole resting on a porcelain base.It is a curious fact that many of the most startling and newest inventions find ready and peculiar application as an aid in modern warfare. The nerves of every war vessel and fort are the wires of the telephones, telegraphs, telautographs, dynamos, storage batteries etc., that transmit orders by speech or in writing, find the range, fire the guns, explode the mines and seek out the enemy with a powerful searchlight.Every battle-ship, cruiser, etc., of the United States Navy is now equipped and with the completion of the new ultrapowerful station at Washington the War Department will be enabled to issue instructions to a ship no matter where it may be on the ocean or in what harbor it may lie.The government maintains an elaborate equipment at the Brooklyn Navy Yard where the future wireless operators of the Navy are given a course extending from seven to ten weeks. The first few days are spent in mastering the theory. The second week usually commences alternate study and practice of the Continental Code which lasts throughout the entire course or until thoroughly mastered. Each week some special branch of study is given out such as repairing and overhauling certain instruments. At the end of seven weeks the student can usually send and receive 15 words a minute. He is then given two weeks to prepare for an examination which if passed rates him as an electrician, third class, and qualifies him for active work.FIG. 104.—Wireless room aboard the U. S. transport "Buford." It is certain that wireless telegraphy and telephony will be important factors in military campaigns of the future. For coast defense, wireless is as valuable as on the ocean.FIG. 104.—Wireless room aboard the U. S. transport "Buford." It is certain that wireless telegraphy and telephony will be important factors in military campaigns of the future. For coast defense, wireless is as valuable as on the ocean.FIG. 105.—The apparatus set up for operation.FIG. 105.—The apparatus set up for operation.This method of transmitting army orders is quite dependable. With the most recent developments and improvements it is now possible to direct the movements of a great army and navy simultaneously from a centrally located point.FIG. 106.—Wireless equipped automobile.FIG. 106.—Wireless equipped automobile.One of the most interesting and spectacular applications of wireless telegraphy in military service is the wireless telegraph automobile.The automobile is a stock pattern touring car of 30 H. P. provided with a special body arranged to carry six passengers. The seats are elevated so as to afford storage space below for the entire wireless equipment and a truly astonishing amount of miscellaneous supplies.FIG. 107.—Company D Signal Corps at San Antonio Texas, 1911, showing pack sets and telescoping pole carried by pack mules.FIG. 107.—Company D Signal Corps at San Antonio Texas, 1911, showing pack sets and telescoping pole carried by pack mules.The mast used to elevate the aerial is of light steel construction divided into eight sections which nest into one another with admirable economy of space. The socket for the foot of the mast is located in the center of the tonneau. Only a few minutes are required to raise the mast and aerial. The same gasoline motor employed to drive the automobile also drives a small dynamo which supplies the electric current for the transmitting apparatus.Two of these cars have been experimentally operated over a number of the old battle-fields of the Civil War.FIG. 108.—U. S. Signal Corps pack sets shown open and closed. Receiving apparatus on the left.FIG. 108.—U. S. Signal Corps pack sets shown open and closed. Receiving apparatus on the left.The tests were made under all sorts of road and weather conditions but no great difficulty was experienced in establishing communication over distances varying from 35 to 50 miles.There is probably no application of wireless telegraphy, however, quite as picturesque as the combination of wireless and an aeroplane and the idea of a double seated aeroplane carrying an aviator and a wireless operator hovering over a hostile country to keep the commanding officer informed of all conditions and movements of the enemy.FIG. 109.—The receiving apparatus of the airship "America" (Wellman expedition).FIG. 109.—The receiving apparatus of the airship "America" (Wellman expedition).The huge dirigible balloon Akron in which Melville Vanniman proposed to cross the Atlantic Ocean was fitted with wireless equipment in order to transmit news of the expedition en route to various of the daily newspapers of New York and London and also in case of an accident or emergency to summon aid.FIG. 110.—Interior of the N. Y. "Herald" (O. H. X.) press station.FIG. 110.—Interior of the N. Y. "Herald" (O. H. X.) press station.The equipment is interesting because of the peculiar conditions imposed upon instruments to be used under such circumstances. A three kilowatt transformer, the latest type of musical rotary gap and a valve detector were included in the outfit. It was proposed to obtain the necessary ground connection by trailing a 1200 foot phosphor bronze ground lead in the ocean. The frame of the balloon was to be used as the aerial. Should it have become necessary to take the lifeboat which the balloon carried, a kite would have been raised and by substituting a copper wire in lieu of a string an aerial provided, and once more a CQ D and its appeal for aid would have gone vibrating forth through the ether.FIG. 111.—Operating the U. S. Signal Corps airship wireless apparatus.FIG. 111.—Operating the U. S. Signal Corps airship wireless apparatus.Several enterprising newspapers have recognized the value of wireless telegraphy in collecting shipping news and have installed outfits for the assistance of their reporting bureau. This innovation in modern journalism has quickly developed into a useful feature of those publications which have seen fit to adopt it. When the baseball season is under way every steamship within calling distance wants the latest baseball scores or sporting results.FIG. 112.—The N. Y. "Herald" station, showing aerial.FIG. 112.—The N. Y. "Herald" station, showing aerial.FIG. 113.—Operator Jack Irwin overhauling the wireless apparatus for the dirigible balloon "America."FIG. 113.—Operator Jack Irwin overhauling the wireless apparatus for the dirigible balloon "America."Railroads have found an auxiliary wireless service to be of the utmost value in relieving the heavily loaded wire lines between important centers. During some of the winter storms and blizzards, when miles of wires were down in all directions, wireless has been the sole means of communication in certain instances.The process of sending a wireless message is very simple. The aerial switch is usually kept in such a position that the receiving instruments are connected to the ground and aerial so that the operator is always able to hear any one calling him. We will suppose for illustration that the land station at 42 Broadway, New York City, wishes to transmit a message to the steamer "Horatio Hall."FIG. 114.—Morse code.FIG. 114.—Morse code.Every wireless station on land or sea has assigned to it two or more "call letters," which distinguish it from all other stations, and serve as the key to messages intended for it to receive and when signed to a message as an indication of its origin. The "call" of the land station in this case is N. Y., and that of the steamer, J. H.FIG. 115.—Continental code.FIG. 115.—Continental code.In order to send the message to the ship, N. Y. throws the aerial into position for sending. This act also starts the motor generator set supplying current to the transformer. Pressing the key, the operator then signals in the telegraph code J. H., J. H., J. H.—M. S. G.–N. Y.—and gives the "finish" signal. M. S. G. is the abbreviation for message. The N. Y. operator then throws his switch back into the receiving position and waits for a reply. If one is not forthcoming shortly the calling process is repeated.FIG. 116.—Transmitting equipment of the high power station at Nauen, twenty-five miles northwest of Berlin, Germany, showing six induction coils (in the foreground) arranged to charge the Leyden jars (composed of 360 units).FIG. 116.—Transmitting equipment of the high power station at Nauen, twenty-five miles northwest of Berlin, Germany, showing six induction coils (in the foreground) arranged to charge the Leyden jars (composed of 360 units).FIG. 117.—Duplex receiving apparatus. The set to the left may be adjusted to receive short wave lengths and that to the right to receive long waves. When the handle of the "listening" key, shown in the center of the illustration, is in the center, the left hand phone of the head set is connected to the instruments on the left and the right hand phone to those on the right, so that the operator is always ready to receive either short or long waves if received. Swinging the key connects both phones to either set at will.FIG. 117.—Duplex receiving apparatus. The set to the left may be adjusted to receive short wave lengths and that to the right to receive long waves. When the handle of the "listening" key, shown in the center of the illustration, is in the center, the left hand phone of the head set is connected to the instruments on the left and the right hand phone to those on the right, so that the operator is always ready to receive either short or long waves if received. Swinging the key connects both phones to either set at will.As soon as the operator on board the steamer hears the call, he waits until the finish signal is received, and then responds in the following manner : N. Y., N. Y., N. Y.—J. H.—O. K., O. K.—G. A.—G. A.—N. Y., J. H.—and gives the "finish signal." O. K. is the abbreviation for "all right," and G. A. means "go ahead." Upon receipt of this, the land station transmits the body of the message, and signs its call and finish signal. If the steamer understands the message, she replies "O. K.," and signs.FIG. 118.—Breaking-in system.FIG. 118.—Breaking-in system.There are two Codes in general use for wireless telegraph purposes, the Morse and Continental. It takes about five per cent. longer space of time to send a message in Continental than it does in Morse, but the former has the advantage of not containing any letters requiring proper spacing in order to be recognizable. American coastwise steamers use the Morse code; transatlantic ships use the Continental code.One of the greatest disadvantages of most systems of wireless telegraphy lies in the fact that no arrangement is provided for simultaneously transmitting and receiving wireless signals. It is usually necessary for one operator listening to another to have to wait until the finish signal is given before he can reply or interrupt in case he cannot understand part of the message, because the receiving apparatus of the transmitting station is necessarily disconnected from the aerial and the ground during the period a message is being sent. If it were to be connected at this time the powerful currents of the transmitter would rush through the receiving apparatus into the ground without setting up any very powerful waves in the aerial and seriously injure the delicate receiving instruments.The Breaking-in-System is a method of simultaneously transmitting and receiving wireless signals. This is accomplished by providing the transmitting key with a second set of contacts, so arranged that when the key is released between the dots and dashes of the code the aerial and ground are automatically connected to the receiving apparatus. When the key is pressed the receptor is automatically cut off. The advantages of such a system are more or less obvious. When interference or a misunderstanding occurs the fact can be immediately signaled to the sending operator, and the message commenced over again.FIG. 119.—The receiving apparatus of the station at Nauen. The message is being printed on tape by a recording device.FIG. 119.—The receiving apparatus of the station at Nauen. The message is being printed on tape by a recording device.
Wireless telegraphy and that precocious infant, wireless telephony, have outlived all the speculative and tentative achievements of their early days and have established themselves in an important and settled position among our methods of conveying intelligence.
The field has been so greatly enlarged in recent years and the apparatus and methods so improved that the broadest possible view of its future development and importance is justified. And there must inevitably come the time when our merchant marine and wireless service will come under such reasonable regulation that it will be removed from any dependence upon stock jobbing wireless telegraph and telephone companies.
FIG. 100.—Special light weight wireless telegraph set for airship service.FIG. 100.—Special light weight wireless telegraph set for airship service.
FIG. 100.—Special light weight wireless telegraph set for airship service.
Official sources show that the equipping of sea-going vessels with wireless apparatus is progressing at a rapid rate and it is not difficult in the face of certain facts to appreciate the enormous volume of business that sooner or later will be handled by wireless. Three hundred and sixty-three United States naval vessels and about eight hundred merchant vessels are equipped at this writing. The large number of commercial shore stations, army forts and posts, and those used by corporations, isolated stations, etc., for various private purposes comprise a list which reaches an enormous total.
FIG. 101.—Telefunken wireless cart, showing transmitter.FIG. 101.—Telefunken wireless cart, showing transmitter.
FIG. 101.—Telefunken wireless cart, showing transmitter.
Whatever may have been the status of wireless previous to the Titanic disaster, it now occupies a position far more important than that taken merely from any commercial standpoint, for it is no longer merely a convenience to business or a means of furnishing the latest news for the entertainment of passengers, but is a life-saving proposition taking its place with the elaborate and costly systems of railroad signals.
FIG. 102.—Telefunken wireless cart for military service, showing receiving apparatus.FIG. 102.—Telefunken wireless cart for military service, showing receiving apparatus.
FIG. 102.—Telefunken wireless cart for military service, showing receiving apparatus.
FIG. 103.—Telefunken wireless wagon set in operation at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The aerial is of the umbrella type supported by a steel pole resting on a porcelain base.FIG. 103.—Telefunken wireless wagon set in operation at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The aerial is of the umbrella type supported by a steel pole resting on a porcelain base.
FIG. 103.—Telefunken wireless wagon set in operation at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The aerial is of the umbrella type supported by a steel pole resting on a porcelain base.
It is a curious fact that many of the most startling and newest inventions find ready and peculiar application as an aid in modern warfare. The nerves of every war vessel and fort are the wires of the telephones, telegraphs, telautographs, dynamos, storage batteries etc., that transmit orders by speech or in writing, find the range, fire the guns, explode the mines and seek out the enemy with a powerful searchlight.
Every battle-ship, cruiser, etc., of the United States Navy is now equipped and with the completion of the new ultrapowerful station at Washington the War Department will be enabled to issue instructions to a ship no matter where it may be on the ocean or in what harbor it may lie.
The government maintains an elaborate equipment at the Brooklyn Navy Yard where the future wireless operators of the Navy are given a course extending from seven to ten weeks. The first few days are spent in mastering the theory. The second week usually commences alternate study and practice of the Continental Code which lasts throughout the entire course or until thoroughly mastered. Each week some special branch of study is given out such as repairing and overhauling certain instruments. At the end of seven weeks the student can usually send and receive 15 words a minute. He is then given two weeks to prepare for an examination which if passed rates him as an electrician, third class, and qualifies him for active work.
FIG. 104.—Wireless room aboard the U. S. transport "Buford." It is certain that wireless telegraphy and telephony will be important factors in military campaigns of the future. For coast defense, wireless is as valuable as on the ocean.FIG. 104.—Wireless room aboard the U. S. transport "Buford." It is certain that wireless telegraphy and telephony will be important factors in military campaigns of the future. For coast defense, wireless is as valuable as on the ocean.
FIG. 104.—Wireless room aboard the U. S. transport "Buford." It is certain that wireless telegraphy and telephony will be important factors in military campaigns of the future. For coast defense, wireless is as valuable as on the ocean.
FIG. 105.—The apparatus set up for operation.FIG. 105.—The apparatus set up for operation.
FIG. 105.—The apparatus set up for operation.
This method of transmitting army orders is quite dependable. With the most recent developments and improvements it is now possible to direct the movements of a great army and navy simultaneously from a centrally located point.
FIG. 106.—Wireless equipped automobile.FIG. 106.—Wireless equipped automobile.
FIG. 106.—Wireless equipped automobile.
One of the most interesting and spectacular applications of wireless telegraphy in military service is the wireless telegraph automobile.
The automobile is a stock pattern touring car of 30 H. P. provided with a special body arranged to carry six passengers. The seats are elevated so as to afford storage space below for the entire wireless equipment and a truly astonishing amount of miscellaneous supplies.
FIG. 107.—Company D Signal Corps at San Antonio Texas, 1911, showing pack sets and telescoping pole carried by pack mules.FIG. 107.—Company D Signal Corps at San Antonio Texas, 1911, showing pack sets and telescoping pole carried by pack mules.
FIG. 107.—Company D Signal Corps at San Antonio Texas, 1911, showing pack sets and telescoping pole carried by pack mules.
The mast used to elevate the aerial is of light steel construction divided into eight sections which nest into one another with admirable economy of space. The socket for the foot of the mast is located in the center of the tonneau. Only a few minutes are required to raise the mast and aerial. The same gasoline motor employed to drive the automobile also drives a small dynamo which supplies the electric current for the transmitting apparatus.
Two of these cars have been experimentally operated over a number of the old battle-fields of the Civil War.
FIG. 108.—U. S. Signal Corps pack sets shown open and closed. Receiving apparatus on the left.FIG. 108.—U. S. Signal Corps pack sets shown open and closed. Receiving apparatus on the left.
FIG. 108.—U. S. Signal Corps pack sets shown open and closed. Receiving apparatus on the left.
The tests were made under all sorts of road and weather conditions but no great difficulty was experienced in establishing communication over distances varying from 35 to 50 miles.
There is probably no application of wireless telegraphy, however, quite as picturesque as the combination of wireless and an aeroplane and the idea of a double seated aeroplane carrying an aviator and a wireless operator hovering over a hostile country to keep the commanding officer informed of all conditions and movements of the enemy.
FIG. 109.—The receiving apparatus of the airship "America" (Wellman expedition).FIG. 109.—The receiving apparatus of the airship "America" (Wellman expedition).
FIG. 109.—The receiving apparatus of the airship "America" (Wellman expedition).
The huge dirigible balloon Akron in which Melville Vanniman proposed to cross the Atlantic Ocean was fitted with wireless equipment in order to transmit news of the expedition en route to various of the daily newspapers of New York and London and also in case of an accident or emergency to summon aid.
FIG. 110.—Interior of the N. Y. "Herald" (O. H. X.) press station.FIG. 110.—Interior of the N. Y. "Herald" (O. H. X.) press station.
FIG. 110.—Interior of the N. Y. "Herald" (O. H. X.) press station.
The equipment is interesting because of the peculiar conditions imposed upon instruments to be used under such circumstances. A three kilowatt transformer, the latest type of musical rotary gap and a valve detector were included in the outfit. It was proposed to obtain the necessary ground connection by trailing a 1200 foot phosphor bronze ground lead in the ocean. The frame of the balloon was to be used as the aerial. Should it have become necessary to take the lifeboat which the balloon carried, a kite would have been raised and by substituting a copper wire in lieu of a string an aerial provided, and once more a CQ D and its appeal for aid would have gone vibrating forth through the ether.
FIG. 111.—Operating the U. S. Signal Corps airship wireless apparatus.FIG. 111.—Operating the U. S. Signal Corps airship wireless apparatus.
FIG. 111.—Operating the U. S. Signal Corps airship wireless apparatus.
Several enterprising newspapers have recognized the value of wireless telegraphy in collecting shipping news and have installed outfits for the assistance of their reporting bureau. This innovation in modern journalism has quickly developed into a useful feature of those publications which have seen fit to adopt it. When the baseball season is under way every steamship within calling distance wants the latest baseball scores or sporting results.
FIG. 112.—The N. Y. "Herald" station, showing aerial.FIG. 112.—The N. Y. "Herald" station, showing aerial.
FIG. 112.—The N. Y. "Herald" station, showing aerial.
FIG. 113.—Operator Jack Irwin overhauling the wireless apparatus for the dirigible balloon "America."FIG. 113.—Operator Jack Irwin overhauling the wireless apparatus for the dirigible balloon "America."
FIG. 113.—Operator Jack Irwin overhauling the wireless apparatus for the dirigible balloon "America."
Railroads have found an auxiliary wireless service to be of the utmost value in relieving the heavily loaded wire lines between important centers. During some of the winter storms and blizzards, when miles of wires were down in all directions, wireless has been the sole means of communication in certain instances.
The process of sending a wireless message is very simple. The aerial switch is usually kept in such a position that the receiving instruments are connected to the ground and aerial so that the operator is always able to hear any one calling him. We will suppose for illustration that the land station at 42 Broadway, New York City, wishes to transmit a message to the steamer "Horatio Hall."
FIG. 114.—Morse code.FIG. 114.—Morse code.
FIG. 114.—Morse code.
Every wireless station on land or sea has assigned to it two or more "call letters," which distinguish it from all other stations, and serve as the key to messages intended for it to receive and when signed to a message as an indication of its origin. The "call" of the land station in this case is N. Y., and that of the steamer, J. H.
FIG. 115.—Continental code.FIG. 115.—Continental code.
FIG. 115.—Continental code.
In order to send the message to the ship, N. Y. throws the aerial into position for sending. This act also starts the motor generator set supplying current to the transformer. Pressing the key, the operator then signals in the telegraph code J. H., J. H., J. H.—M. S. G.–N. Y.—and gives the "finish" signal. M. S. G. is the abbreviation for message. The N. Y. operator then throws his switch back into the receiving position and waits for a reply. If one is not forthcoming shortly the calling process is repeated.
FIG. 116.—Transmitting equipment of the high power station at Nauen, twenty-five miles northwest of Berlin, Germany, showing six induction coils (in the foreground) arranged to charge the Leyden jars (composed of 360 units).FIG. 116.—Transmitting equipment of the high power station at Nauen, twenty-five miles northwest of Berlin, Germany, showing six induction coils (in the foreground) arranged to charge the Leyden jars (composed of 360 units).
FIG. 116.—Transmitting equipment of the high power station at Nauen, twenty-five miles northwest of Berlin, Germany, showing six induction coils (in the foreground) arranged to charge the Leyden jars (composed of 360 units).
FIG. 117.—Duplex receiving apparatus. The set to the left may be adjusted to receive short wave lengths and that to the right to receive long waves. When the handle of the "listening" key, shown in the center of the illustration, is in the center, the left hand phone of the head set is connected to the instruments on the left and the right hand phone to those on the right, so that the operator is always ready to receive either short or long waves if received. Swinging the key connects both phones to either set at will.FIG. 117.—Duplex receiving apparatus. The set to the left may be adjusted to receive short wave lengths and that to the right to receive long waves. When the handle of the "listening" key, shown in the center of the illustration, is in the center, the left hand phone of the head set is connected to the instruments on the left and the right hand phone to those on the right, so that the operator is always ready to receive either short or long waves if received. Swinging the key connects both phones to either set at will.
FIG. 117.—Duplex receiving apparatus. The set to the left may be adjusted to receive short wave lengths and that to the right to receive long waves. When the handle of the "listening" key, shown in the center of the illustration, is in the center, the left hand phone of the head set is connected to the instruments on the left and the right hand phone to those on the right, so that the operator is always ready to receive either short or long waves if received. Swinging the key connects both phones to either set at will.
As soon as the operator on board the steamer hears the call, he waits until the finish signal is received, and then responds in the following manner : N. Y., N. Y., N. Y.—J. H.—O. K., O. K.—G. A.—G. A.—N. Y., J. H.—and gives the "finish signal." O. K. is the abbreviation for "all right," and G. A. means "go ahead." Upon receipt of this, the land station transmits the body of the message, and signs its call and finish signal. If the steamer understands the message, she replies "O. K.," and signs.
FIG. 118.—Breaking-in system.FIG. 118.—Breaking-in system.
FIG. 118.—Breaking-in system.
There are two Codes in general use for wireless telegraph purposes, the Morse and Continental. It takes about five per cent. longer space of time to send a message in Continental than it does in Morse, but the former has the advantage of not containing any letters requiring proper spacing in order to be recognizable. American coastwise steamers use the Morse code; transatlantic ships use the Continental code.
One of the greatest disadvantages of most systems of wireless telegraphy lies in the fact that no arrangement is provided for simultaneously transmitting and receiving wireless signals. It is usually necessary for one operator listening to another to have to wait until the finish signal is given before he can reply or interrupt in case he cannot understand part of the message, because the receiving apparatus of the transmitting station is necessarily disconnected from the aerial and the ground during the period a message is being sent. If it were to be connected at this time the powerful currents of the transmitter would rush through the receiving apparatus into the ground without setting up any very powerful waves in the aerial and seriously injure the delicate receiving instruments.
The Breaking-in-System is a method of simultaneously transmitting and receiving wireless signals. This is accomplished by providing the transmitting key with a second set of contacts, so arranged that when the key is released between the dots and dashes of the code the aerial and ground are automatically connected to the receiving apparatus. When the key is pressed the receptor is automatically cut off. The advantages of such a system are more or less obvious. When interference or a misunderstanding occurs the fact can be immediately signaled to the sending operator, and the message commenced over again.
FIG. 119.—The receiving apparatus of the station at Nauen. The message is being printed on tape by a recording device.FIG. 119.—The receiving apparatus of the station at Nauen. The message is being printed on tape by a recording device.
FIG. 119.—The receiving apparatus of the station at Nauen. The message is being printed on tape by a recording device.