New Static Eliminator at Vancouver
Station of B.C. Police Network

LAUNCHED AS AN amateur effort in 1928, the B. C. Police
Radio Network has now reached a state of perfection com-
parable to commercial systems with similar coverage. The
twenty-two land stations, or “point-to-point” network, numerous
portable emergency stations used for rescue and emergency
work, and a number of mobile stations on police cruising vessels
and automobiles are all functioning one hundred per cent,
BIW So

For years the station located in the most populated centre of
the province, Vancouver, was exiled from the Divisional Head-
quarters offices of the Force situated in the Court House.
Readers who know Vancouver will recall that.the Court House
is located in a canyon of other buildings which have sprung
up during the past. twenty years. At one time the imposing
building, with domed roof, and lion-guarded front steps, was
considered a very large edifice. Since, however, buildings sur-
rounding it have become higher and higher. There are no less
than four hotels and a large office building on three sides. The
remaining side has buildings of a more modest type.

An aerial picture of the Court House now shows it at the
bottom of a bowl of masonry and steel. As far back as 1929,
attempts were made to install the police radio in the Court House.
In fact the early experiments were all conducted from a room
which the Forestry Department had vacated. That Department
had a transmitter to work the Forestry Station at Thurston Bay,
and some of the patrol boats. However, there had been con-
tinuous interruption from “man-made static’ which at times even
blotted out the local broadcasting stations. While the Forestry
had been able to work fairly well through it on 200 metres, the
Police were absolutely knocked out on 40 metres, and after

many trials had to abandon the location. The noise was due to
elevator motors, diathermy machines in numerous medical offices,
relays, switches, motors of all kinds, each contributing its share
of sparks in much the same manner as the old style spark trans-
mitters on shipboard.

Finally the police gave up, and-moved the entire transmitter
to Point Grey, where it was installed in the University Detach-
ment Office. For a number of years it operated there very satis-
factorily, free from all man-made interference. However, there
was one very great obstacle. Each message sent or received had
to be relayed by telephone to the Court House. This occupied
two peoples’ time and necessitated the transcription of the mes-
sage twice, once on being received and once when relayed. This
was not good enough, so repeated attempts were made to con-
struct a special receiver to eliminate the noise. None of them
met with any success.

The radio station was moved in about 1937, to the Motor
Vehicle Building on Georgia Street West. This location was
quite good from the interference point of view, and while it was
close enough to the Court House for important and lengthy
messages to be delivered by hand, nevertheless the bulk of the
traffic was over the telephone. During the war years this station
maintained 24-hour watches and gave an excellent accounting
of itself.

At the cessation of hostilities, consideration was again given
to the “problem child” of the police network. Radio Supervisor
W. F. Conlon, who is in charge of the entire network’s technical
branch, had an idea that with modern developments produced
during the war, something could be done to meet the problem.
He consulted with Inspector C. Clark, Radio Administrative

MACKENZIES LTD. Williams Lake

H Wholesale and Retail Merchants

Squamish, Williams Lake, Quesnel and
| Wells, B.C.

WILLIAMS LAKE

LADIES’ AND MEN’S SUITS TO MEASURE
CLEANING, PRESSING AND REPAIRING

AGENTS FOR TIP TOP TAILORS

THE MEN'S FURNISHINGS STORE

J. A. BORKOWSKI, Proprietor

Dry Cleaners

|
|

FULL LINE OF MEN’S AND BOY’S WORK
AND DRESS CLOTHES

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C.

MAPLE LEAF

LICENSED PREMISES

“THE MAPLE LEAF” offers every modern convenience to the traveller,
guesi or the long-term patron

HUNTING PARTIES ARRANGED FOR

WRITE, WIRE OR PHONE 25, WILLIAMS LAKE, BRITISH COLUMBIA

FOTEL In the Heart of

the Cariboo

(BENNY ABBOTT)

the overnight

GUARANTEED RELIABLE GUIDES

THE SHOULDER STRAP