Wireless Telegraphy and Telephony Simply Explained / A Practical Treatise Embracing Complete and Detailed Explanations of the Theory and Practice of Modern Radio Apparatus and Its Present Day Applications, Together With a Chapter on the Possibilities of Its Future Development

by Alfred Powell Morgan

Wireless telegraphy is part of the established order of things. The wireless telephone is practical for limited distance, but is not a commercial rival of the telegraph. Great distances are claimed, but they are matters for proof and speculation.

There is no immediate possibility that wireless telephony will take the place of local exchanges. If the time ever does come that it in any way tends to supplant the line telephone for some uses, it is more than probable that each subscriber must have his own generating station and call up direct.

There is a very decided field of opportunity for wireless telephony for long-distance work. The present systems of long-distance wires are very expensive to construct and maintain, and are subject to the whims of storms and the elements.

Wireless telephones will not only transmit the speech more clearly and distinctly, but have the further advantages that the initial cost is very much lower than that of wire lines, the maintenance is almost nil in comparison, the depreciation is smaller, the number of employees required is less, and a break-down is limited to the inside of the station, where it could be quickly remedied by the substitution of a duplicate spare piece of apparatus.

Furthermore, no franchises or rights of way would need to be purchased. No serious difficulty would be encountered because of interference.

Wireless telephony, like wireless telegraphy, but to an even greater extent, is peculiarly suited for the conveyance of marine intelligence. Wireless telephony occupies a unique position in this regard-no operator is required. The additional expense of an operator is an objection to the wireless telegraph in many cases, and forbids its installation. Anybody can operate the wireless telephone. It is also much quicker-words can be spoken more rapidly than they can be put into Morse signals and translated.

FIG. 152.—--The curved lines represent the radius of the government high power wireless stations and show the zones over which direct communication may be had with ships.

FIG. 153.—The aerial system of a transatlantic station.