Identifier: annualreportofbo1908smitfo (find matches)
Title: Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution
Year: 1846 (1840s)
Authors: Smithsonian Institution. Board of Regents United States National Museum. Report of the U.S. National Museum Smithsonian Institution. Report of the Secretary
Subjects: Smithsonian Institution Smithsonian Institution. Archives Discoveries in science
Publisher: Washington : Smithsonian Institution
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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iber. If such means should be found it would be very con-venient to call up directly instead of through an exchange, but as Isee it there are no immediate prospects of this. Long-distance Lines. I believe, however, that there is a field for wireless telephony forlong-distance lines. The present long-distance lines are very expen-sive to construct and maintain, and a storm extending over anyconsiderable section of country inflicts considerable loss on the tele-phone companies. Moreover, the distance of transmission is limitedby the electrostatic capacity of the line, as I understand it. Wire-less telephony would have the following advantages: 1. The initial cost would be very much less than that of wire lines. 2. The maintenance would be practically negligible in comparison. 3. In case of any breakdown it would be right in the station andnot at some unknown point outside on the line. 4. The depreciation would be comparatively small. 5. The number of employees required would be smaller.
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WIRELESS TELEPHONY PESSENDEN. 189 6. The transmission is better, and as there is no distortion of thesi^eech the working distance is, it is believed, considerably greater. 7. The flexibility is greater. With wire lines a telephone companymay not be able to give a Boston subscriber a line to New York,while having lines from Boston to Chicago and from Chicago to NewYork free. Operating wirelesly the wireless circuit normally usedfor operating between New York and Chicago and between Bostonand Chicago could be used to operate from Boston to New York. 8. No right of way need be purchased, and franchises, it is believed,are not necessary. It will be noted that I have not mentioned any disadvantages ofwireless telephony for long-distance work. I presume this is becauseI am not a telephone engineer. I hope the defects will be discussedby the experts who are familiar with telejDhone operation and there-fore better able to point them out. Before leaving this part of thesubject I would say that

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