After sighting the mirror at the place where the signals are to be received, set the mirror so that the reflected beam of sunlight shines directly on the place. To send signals in the Morse code all you need to do to make dots and dashes is to place a sheet of cardboard before the mirror and take it away; the length of time the mirror remains uncovered determines whether it is a dot or a dash. The heliograph complete is shown in [Fig. 44].
Fig. 44.—Heliograph Complete.
How to Make a Simple Sundial.—To make a sundial of the usual kind that will give the correct Sun time is not an easy matter, for the spaces marking the hours on the dial are not equal as they are on the face of the clock and this will make it hard to figure out.
A kind of sundial that will give the correct Sun time though, can be easily made and at little cost. Get a strip of tin 2 inches wide and 24 inches long; mark it off into 24 equal spaces like those on a two-foot rule, and beginning at one end with the number 1, number each space to 24, as shown in [Fig. 45]. This done, bend the strip of tin into a perfect ring with the numbers inside and solder the joint, as shown in [Fig. 46].
Fig. 45.—Numbered Strip for Sundial.
Fig. 46.—Tin Ring for Sundial.
Next get a strip of iron or brass ¼ inch wide, ¹/₁₆ inch thick and 13 inches long; drill a ¹/₁₆ inch hole through each end and a ⅛ inch hole 4 inches from one end; bend this strip into an exact semi-circle, as shown in [Fig. 47] and solder the tin ring, at the point where numbers 1 and 24 meet, to the middle of the brass semi-circle. Through the holes in the ends of the brass semi-circle fasten a wire, and this wire must run exactly through the center of the tin ring. Now screw the brass semi-circle to a baseboard ([see Fig. 48]), so that the angle made by the wire and the surface of the board will be equal to the latitude of the place where it is to be used; in other words, when the board is level the wire should point directly to the North Star and when this is done it will be adjusted to the proper angle. The board should be about 12 inches square and 1 inch thick.