A practical Treatise on Wireless Telegraphy and Telephony, giving 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
14° WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY
little guidance and listen to a far-distant station, 1,500 miles
away, spell out its news.
Wireless telegraphy is part of the established order of
things. The wireless telephone is practical for limited dis-
tance, 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 advan-
tages 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 substi-
tution of a duplicate spare piece of apparatus.
Furthermore, no franchises or rights of way would need
to be purchased. No serious difficulty would be encoun-
tered 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