Inventions of the Great War - A. Russell Bond

Carrying on Conversation by Radio with an Aviator Miles Away

The engineers now felt confident that they could talk across the Atlantic to Europe, and so in October of 1915 arrangements were made to conduct experiments between Arlington and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Although the war was at its height, and the French were straining every effort to hold back the Germans at that time, and although there were constant demands for the use of radiotelegraphy, the French showed such an appreciation of science that they were willing to lend their aid to these experiments. The Eiffel Tower could be used only for short periods of time, and there was much interference from other high-powered stations. Nevertheless, the experiment proved perfectly successful, and conversation was carried on between our capital and that of France, a distance of thirty-six hundred miles. At the same time, an operator in Honolulu, forty-five hundred miles away, heard the messages, and so the voice at Arlington carried virtually one third of the way around the globe. After that achievement, there was a lull in the wireless-telephone experiments because of the war.

But there soon came an opportunity to make very practical use of all the experimental work. As soon as there seemed to be a possibility that we might be drawn into the war, the Secretary of the Navy asked for the design of apparatus that would make it possible for ships to converse with one another and with shore stations. Of course all vessels are equipped with wireless-telegraph apparatus, but there is a decided advantage in having the captain of one ship talk directly with the captain of another ship, or take his orders from headquarters, with an ordinary telephone receiver and transmitter. A special equipment was designed for battle-ships and on test it was found that ships could easily converse with one another over a distance of thirty-five miles and to shore stations from a distance of a hundred and seventy-five miles. The apparatus was so improved that nine conversations could be carried on at the same time without any interference of one by the others.

Long Distance Radio Apparatus at the Arlington (Va.) Station, with enlarged view of the Type of Vacuum Tube used

When it became certain that we should have to enter the war, there came a call for radiotelephone apparatus for submarine-chasers, and work was started on small, compact outfits for these little vessels.