UNDER WHICH GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT DO SHORE RADIO STATIONS BELONG?
By Comdr. S.C. Hooper, U.S. Navy
In reviewing the subject of the utilization of wireless or radio as a medium of communication, with a view to possible modifications in the existing government policy as established by President Roosevelt in 1904, and having in mind the national interests, now and in the future, not only from the viewpoint of economics but also the national defense and our responsibilities from a humanitarian point of view, consideration should always be given to four aspects of the question which obviously are of primary importance, namely:
(a) The highly technical nature of the comparatively new radio art which is virtually in its infancy particularly as regards development, with the consequent necessity—especially in the interests of the national defense—for consistent investigational, research and development work, to insure that the most modern radio facilities, for the exchange of communications, and also defensive and offensive naval tactics, will be available for use, primarily by our Atlantic, Pacific, and Asiatic fleets in time of war, and for the safety of life and property at sea, and secondarily by the military service and for general public and governmental uses.
(b) Interference from atmospherics and interference between stations and the vital necessity of greatly lessening or entirely eliminating such interference. The growing seriousness of the problem of interference with the constantly increasing number and power of radio stations can be appreciated only by radio operators who are charged with the responsibility of getting their traffic through.
(c) The present use and potential possibilities of radio waves, and also sound waves, for other than communication purposes, i.e., as an aid to navigation for ships and aircraft (radio compass and radio piloting cable), location of enemy ship, shore or aircraft stations in time of war (radio compass), to assist aircraft in night flying and landing (radio beacon under development), radio control of ships, aircraft, torpedoes, in time of war, detection of submerged submarines (sound waves), etc.
(d) The fact that radio is the only known medium of communication available for use by ships at sea separated beyond visual distances, and between ships at sea and the land. This consideration is of prime importance from a humanitarian, as well as a naval point of view, and it vitally affects our merchant marine. Obviously the responsibility rests with our government to see to it that the establishment of radio services in the interior, where land line communication facilities are available—either by government or commercial interests—shall not impair the efficiency of the essential ship radio service.
Atmospheric interference caused by electric discharges between clouds during electric storms, and by other reasons which are not thoroughly understood, are a veritable nightmare to the operating personnel, as these disturbances are taking place almost continuously in some part of the world, and they manifest themselves in greater or less degree in the receiving operator's head phones. Interference between stations themselves is no less serious, and in fact, with the constantly increasing number and power of the stations, not only in the United States but throughout the world, the interference between stations is constantly being aggravated, notwithstanding the best efforts of all radio interests throughout the world to produce and employ more selective transmitting and receiving equipment.
The interference between stations can be appreciated when it is considered that, in the present stage of development of the radio art, and until the advent of vacuum tube transmitters in general service, not more than 300 separate wave lengths or "ether routes through space" so to speak, may be put in practical service use, although there are from 4,000 to 5,000 American radio ship and shore stations alone, including naval and merchant ship stations, government and commercial shore stations.
A radio transmitting station which has an effective daylight range of say 1,000 miles during the summer months, may easily have an effective range of 3,000 to 4,000 miles at night during the winter months. It is impracticable, therefore, to effectually limit the ranges of transmitting stations and stations established in the interior may seriously interfere with essential communications with ships at sea under varying conditions.
It has been suggested that it would be in the national interests to transfer the naval coastal radio stations to the post office department for maintenance and operation by civilian personnel, leaving the naval ship stations to be maintained and operated by naval personnel as at present.
There are nine potent reasons why the naval shore radio stations should not pass into the control of the Post Office Department.
Economy
(1) The navy must always have its radio organization—in Washington, in the navy yards and afloat—to provide, install, maintain and repair the radio installations on ships and aircraft and to operate the equipment.
The navy organization in the field, based on the various navy yards, now handles the shore stations with the ship and aircraft stations without any appreciable increase in expense or of personnel, due to the fact that the work at the shore stations can ordinarily be taken care of during times that ships are not in port, material and equipment is stored with general stores at the yards, shop facilities of the yards are available for repairs, etc.
If the coastal stations should be transferred to another department of the government the purchase, transportation and storage of complete apparatus, spare parts, and material would be handled by two separate departments instead of one, and two administrative and field organizations would be maintained with the consequent inevitable increase in government expenditures due to separate storage space rentals, duplicate stock carried on hand, increased personnel, overhead, etc.
In the event of the transfer of the coastal stations to the Post Office Department civilian personnel will be employed, replacing the naval enlisted and officer operating personnel, and additional technical and supervisory personnel will be necessary.
The naval enlisted operator's pay averages approximately $75 per month and $30 per month subsistence or approximately $1,260 per year. It is understood that the Post Office Department now pay their radio operators $1,800 to $2,000 per year. It is not known what they pay their supervisors in the field.
Present living quarters must be maintained at most of the stations regardless of which department operates them, as most of the stations are at isolated localities along the coasts and the personnel must live at the stations.
It is obvious from the foregoing that a change would inevitably result in greatly increased government expenditures.
Research and Development
(2) The navy organization must also be maintained to develop radio and sound equipment for naval vessels and aircraft. It should be borne in mind, in this connection, that radio, and also sound, are now extremely important mediums, not only as regards communications in connection with safety of life at sea and for general communications and navigational purposes in time of peace and war, but particularly as regards naval tactics in time of war (radio controlled ships, radio controlled torpedoes, location of submerged submarines, etc.).
It is essential, therefore, that our radio and sound research and development work at least keep abreast of the art and of developments in foreign countries, and this work must be carried on by the navy regardless of what other government departments become interested in radio.
Duplication
(3) Should the coastal stations, which must handle a large volume of military traffic, be placed under the Post Office Department, the inevitable tendency would be for the post office civilian personnel to give such preference to commercial traffic that the army and navy would eventually not only find it necessary to handle their own traffic through such special stations as they would retain with their own specially qualified personnel, but new special stations would be permitted to grow up and eventually we would have not only the army and navy special stations which now handle both military and commercial traffic, but also a separate chain of post office or purely commercial stations.
Our attempt to avoid duplication would inevitably result in duplication to an even greater extent.
The revenue derived from commercial traffic handled through coastal stations will not nearly pay for the maintenance and operation of the coastal stations and the primary justification for their existence is to afford safety to life and property at sea, to serve our Atlantic, Pacific and Asiatic fleets and for general military purposes.
The retention of the coastal stations, now used for both commercial and military traffic, under the department primarily interested in the maritime service, is bound to result in the least possible duplication of effort and governmental expenditures.
General Efficiency
(4) The radio communication service is vital to the interest of the mariner as outlined in the foregoing. The Post Office Department will never have the knowledge of these interests that the navy will always be in a position to have.
On account of technical difficulties, mainly through interference, the use of the radio is decidedly limited, and, being limited, must be safeguarded for the service which cannot have land wire facilities.
The uses comprise primarily, communications between ships at sea, for ships communicating with shore, for ships navigational use in thick weather, and for aircraft where absolutely necessary to make landings.
Secondarily, for competition with the cables overseas in order to improve the service and reduce rates. (This does not interfere with the land stations due to the long wave lengths adopted for oversea use, and the natural use of shorter waves for shorter distances on shore.)
If a maritime department has jurisdiction of the radio, the ships at sea, naval and merchant, will be assured of preference, also the military will be looked out for satisfactorily.
If, however, a non-maritime department has control, the inland service will become the strongest, and those which should really be given preference will pass into the background, and the prime use of radio will become its secondary one.
This is perfectly sure to happen as the politics of the interior have little regard for the demands of the ships which are not so strong in their representation.
Officers and enlisted men trained in naval problems at sea, when on duty at shore radio stations can visualize conditions at sea and give superior service to mariners than would ever be possible under a civilian department.
Special Stations
(5) There are special coastal stations which, it is believed, it would be impracticable for the Post Office Department to administrate and operate in any event and if this should prove to be the case there could at best be only a partial transfer of the coastal stations and this would likely lead to confusion as well as increased expenditures with inferior service.
Particular mention is made of our outlying stations established for the fleets and usually located within naval stations.
Peking, China (Asiatic Fleet).
Vladivostok, Siberia (Asiatic Fleet).
Cavite-Los Banos, Philippines (Asiatic Fleet).
Olongapo, Philippines (Asiatic Fleet).
Guam-Merizo, Marianas (Asiatic Fleet).
Pearl Harbor-Heeia-Wailupe, Hawaii (Pacific Fleet).
Tutuila, Samoa (Pacific Fleet).
Darien-Colon-Coco Solo-Balboa, C. Z. (Pacific and Atlantic Fleets).
Cape Mala, Republic of Panama (Pacific and Atlantic Fleets).
Puerto Obaldia, Republic of Panama (Pacific and Atlantic Fleets).
La Palma, Republic of Panama (Pacific and Atlantic Fleets).
Managua, Nicaragua (Marine Corps) (Pacific Fleet)?
San Juan-Cayey, Porto Rico (Atlantic Fleet).
Camaguey, Cuba (Marine Corps) (Atlantic Fleet).
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (Atlantic Fleet).
Port au Prince, Haiti (Marine Corps) (Atlantic Fleet).
Santo Domingo, D. R. (Atlantic Fleet).
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands (Atlantic Fleet).
St. Croix, Virgin Islands (Atlantic Fleet).
There are also ten naval radio stations located mostly at isolated points in Alaska in connection with which the U.S.S. Saturn makes annual radio expeditions from the navy yard, Puget Sound, to carry supplies, effect new constructural work, make repairs, etc.
Moreover, more than half of all the naval shore radio stations are located within navy yards and naval stations and with outlying marine corps detachments, under the immediate jurisdiction of the commandants or commanding officers.
It is obvious that the Post Office Department would require a very extensive organization in the field to cover this territory. At the present time the Post Office Department has no particular interests whatever in these outlying territories, whereas the navy has very particular interests and a complete field organization to meet its needs.
The army also has a few low power special stations in our outlying territories for military purposes in connection with the various army posts, but these special stations will always be required by the army for military purposes. Closer co-operation between the army and navy is possible to keep the number of these special stations at a minimum than would be possible with a civilian department such as the Post Office Department, as the army and navy sympathies and interests are similar.
Observation of Commercial Radio Activities in the Interests of the National Defense
(6) The radio art is just now in a state of transition and it is very necessary for the government to constantly watch the activities of the commercial interests and their development and relations with foreign interests. Should the Post Office Department take over the control of radio at this time it will require many years for this new department to become familiar with the ins and outs of radio practice and it will not be in a position to cope with the commercial interests until sufficient knowledge is obtained to do so, which will require years, and in the meantime the commercial interests will be at liberty to adjust matters to suit themselves. The navy keeps posted on radio developments in foreign countries through the offices of the naval attaches.
Radio Aids to Navigation Dependent on Naval Transmitting Stations
(7) Sixty-two radio compass stations have been established on shore along our coasts within the past three years as aids to navigation.
These stations have been located at harbor entrances to guide ships into port during fogs and thick weather, and at strategical points along the coasts as aids to navigation and for military purposes.
The importance of this branch of the radio service is shown by the fact that 35 stations during the fiscal year 1921 furnished 53,344 radio bearings to 21,622 vessels.
Most of these shore compass stations (receiving) are tied into the coastal traffic stations for transmitting service. A few of them are so located that they have their own transmitters. Most of the compass stations, however, use the nearby naval coastal traffic stations transmitters, thus avoiding duplication of transmitting stations, quarters for housing the operators, etc. Experience has shown that operators having sea service are required for the efficient handling of navigational radio stations.
It is obvious that the Post Office Department would not be interested in these compass stations in any event, although the operation of the majority of them is dependent on the nearby coastal traffic stations.
Labor
(8) If the coastal stations are manned by civilian personnel, it may be expected that these men will affiliate themselves with existing radio labor organizations with the consequent possibility of subsequent labor troubles in a service which is vital to the fleets and the merchant marine, not only in time of war but also during peace times.
Contentment of Naval Radio Enlisted Personnel
(9) It is generally conceded that a more intelligent class of enlisted men is required in the radio service than in other branches of the navy, and that these men be alert and absolutely reliable.
A large majority of navy radio operators are high school graduates. These men are given daily or periodical instructions in theory, operating procedure, naval radio tactics, etc., when off duty, both on shipboard and at shore stations and are kept informed of the latest developments in radio and sound.
The most deserving men in the fleets are given the privilege of two years duty on shore out of their enlistment of four years, and there are few operators who do not do their utmost to obtain this privilege, particularly the married men. Aside from the hardships entailed, especially to men of long years of service, the inevitable result of the withdrawal of this privilege from the naval radio operators would be less intelligent and reliable men in the communication service of the navy with the consequent detriment to this important branch of the service.
It has been suggested that the Post Office Department has better facilities for distributing traffic to the public than has the Navy Department, that the Post Office Department can mail radio messages to destinations, etc.
The commercial telegraph and telephone land lines have always had connections to the naval coastal traffic stations and all traffic is relayed to and from the coastal traffic stations over these lines. The Post Office Department would simply follow this same procedure. The argument that the Post Office Department can mail radio traffic is valueless, as this same service is open to the navy for the extremely small percentage of traffic which is subject to delivery by mail. Incoming radio messages are invariably delivered to their destinations through the commercial telegraph and telephone companies' facilities.
There seems to be an impression that the army is duplicating the navy's work by maintaining and operating a costly shore station plant. This is not the case. The navy has a practically world-wide radio service—stations ranging in power from a few watts to the super-high power shore stations of 500 kilowatts power, and practically all of the army radio traffic, other than purely local military traffic, is handled over the navy circuits. The only exception to this is the army's chain of low power stations located in the interior of Alaska with the connecting military cable between Seattle, Washington, and Valdez, Alaska.
The army system, other than the Alaskan system, comprises essential low power stations located at various posts and portable field equipment for use with troops on the march. The army Alaskan stations are all located at army forts but this circuit is used to provide Communications between the United States and the interior of Alaska in the absence of other means of communication. The other stations are used for local military purposes.
The navy can have no objections to the establishment and operation of shore radio stations by the Post Office Department in the interior for use in connection with their air mail service, provided these stations do not interfere with essential ship traffic. If these stations interfere with ship traffic then their retention is clearly unjustifiable, as the operation of the air mail service is not absolutely essential, whereas the operation of our navy and merchant marine is absolutely essential and the maintaining of communications with the ships at sea is equally essential.
The navy likewise can have no objections to the broadcasting of news by radio by the Bureau of Markets, or other similar unessential innovations provided this service does not interfere with the ships communication service, but it must be obvious that such additional services will inevitably increase the serious interferences in the already over-crowded radio field. Moreover, the inauguration of these various additional services simply means increased government expenditures and it is extremely doubtful if such services can be even moderately successful in the present stage of development of the radio art.
The navy stands ready to furnish such additional services as it may be desired to experiment with, through its existing stations, to such an extent as will not seriously interfere with the ship to shore service, and it has always advocated the use of its stations for the services of other government departments.
It is understood that the Post Office Department contemplates establishing radio stations in the interior to provide facilities for communication in competition with the existing land lines to some extent. The objections to this proposal from the viewpoint of interference, and in view of the fact that such a service is not essential, are indicated in the foregoing paragraphs.
As a matter of interest, in this connection, a very conservative estimate will be given covering the principal items in connection with the establishment, maintenance and operation of a medium power station with an effective range of approximately 350 miles. No estimate is given covering supervision and overhead.
2-200' Antenna supports $5,000.00
(guved pipe masts)
1-2-KVV Transmitter (arc) $3,000.00
Antenna and ground system $500.00
Receiving apparatus $300.00
Operating building $5,000.00
Land $200.00
Contingencies $500.00 $14,500.00
Maintenance—Light, heat, electric power, preservation of property, expendable supplies, etc $ 800.00 $ 800.00
4 Operators at $1,800.00 per annum $ 7,200.00 $ 7,200.00 Total $22,500.00
A comparison of the amount involved in connection with the number of stations contemplated and the tolls now being paid for the land line telegraph and telephone traffic will, it is believed, clearly indicate that such a proposed radio service would be uneconomical.
The navy has always advocated government ownership of the coastal radio stations with a view to lessening interference between stations as much as possible, both ship and shore, by having the control, administration and operation of all stations under one department of the government. This has not as yet been accomplished, however, due to the opposition of Congress, but it is believed this will eventually come about. Government ownership of radio stations in the interior would not appear to be necessary, provided regulation is exercised such that the uses of these stations are limited to those which will not interfere with the use of radio by ships at sea.
Marked improvements in the radio service are always the result of long and painstaking research, experimental and development work, and this work must be handled by skilled personnel of long experience. The naval radio organization has been consistently built up for the past twenty years and especially qualified officers, enlisted men and civilians have been engaged in the radio work of the navy in the particular interests of our fleets, with the result that today the naval communication service is foremost in many respects among the radio services of the world, and reliable service is available to the government between Washington and the Atlantic, Pacific and Asiatic fleets and their auxiliaries.
Any action which might result in the impairment of this service or retard its future development, either from the viewpoint of general communications and the safety of life at sea, or as regards defensive and offensive naval tactics, would be unfortunate.
It is believed that any division in the control, administration, and operation of the coastal stations and the ships stations would inevitably lead to serious impairment of the service and also future developments in the radio art.
The conclusions of the Inter-Departmental Board of 1904, as approved by President Roosevelt, which read, in part, "that the maintenance of a complete coastwise system of wireless telegraphy by the Navy Department is necessary for the efficient and economical management of the fleets of the United States in time of peace and their efficient maneuvering in time of war," are more applicable now than then as regards communications alone. Moreover, they are peculiarly applicable today as regards naval tactics and the broad question of the national defense as briefly outlined in the foregoing.