A Mexican Radio Station 



By Stanley E. Hyde 



IN MEXICO at present there are eight 

 radio stations, situated at Vera 

 Cruz, Campeche, Obispo, Maria Madre 

 Island, Mazatlan, San Jose del Cabo 

 (end of Lower California) Santa Rosa- 

 lia and Guaymas. During the recent 

 troubles in Mexico the rebels destroyed 

 the station on Maria Madre, which is 

 one of a group of three Pacific Coast 



Fig. 2. Plan of counterpoise 



islands belonging to Mexico, situated 

 about ninety miles southwest of the 

 State of Tepic. These islands, ex- 

 tremely barren and practically void of 

 vegetation, are surely a most uninviting 

 place for a radio operator. 



The station illustrated is that of the 

 Federal government completed during 

 the present year at Mazatlan, Sinaloa, 

 the largest Mexican city on the Pacific 

 Coast. The station is on the top of a 

 hill back a little from the city, and over- 

 looks the ocean. On the side of the hill 

 are broken down barbed-wire fences in 

 great confusion, erected by the Federals 

 to hinder the advance of the rebel forces 

 which about a year ago tried to capture 

 Mazatlan by land and sea. Upon reach- 

 ing the station one is greatly surprised 

 to find a moderntsteel tower for support- 

 ing the antenna. It is square and grad- 

 ually tapers to the top, on which is an 

 observation platform which can be made 

 useful for military purposes. The 



whole, constructed of thin structural 

 steel, is 250 feet high, and guyed by 

 steel cables anchored firmly in the earth. 

 The antenna, which is illustrated in 

 Fig. I, has distinct features not found 

 in the ordinary radio station, and is 

 especially adapted to the tropic^ where 

 the static is troublesome. It consists of 

 four wires spread out umbrella style, 

 but not connected together at the bot- 

 tom. The four spans are brought to- 

 gether near the top and the leads run 

 down from the highest point, as illus- 

 trated in Fig. 3. 



On such rocky and dry soil it would 

 be impossible to obtain an efficient earth 

 connection so a counterpoise or artificial 

 serial is made use of. Fig. 2 shows a 

 plan of this, which consists of wires 

 supported 18 feet off the ground and 

 insulated from it. These wires are also 

 connected together at the tower ter- 

 minal and brought into the station 

 through a large lightning switch. 



The radio building is constructed of 

 brick and has a red tile roof. Two 

 rooms are used for the transmitting and 

 receiving instruments, while the other 

 three are for the use of the operator and 

 his family. 



The transmitter is a I14 kilowatt 

 Telefunken set, using a 500 cycle alter- 

 nator, belted to a ten horse-power dis- 

 tillate engine. Directly connected to the 



Antennas 



Fig. 3. Diagram of station at Mazatlan, Mexico 



307 



