is used, the assurance of being able to 
effect communication with the remote 
station when desired is tremendously im- 
proved. This latter method is the method 
which apparently receives the most favor- 
able recommendation by the Canadian 
group. 
It is quite possible if such a 
system as proposed were used that it 
would involve substantial modifications 
in methods of licensing. This is con- 
sidered to be beyond the scope of this 
Giscussion and will not be further con- 
sidered. 
Whether we like it or not, the re- 
search institutions find themselves in- 
volved in the problem of obtaining space 
in the electromagnetic communications 
spectrum. Since we have not been notably 
successful in the past in obtaining suit- 
able radio frequency assignments for re- 
search programs, it appears that we 
should turn our attention to methods of 
operation which will not be conflicting 
with existing operations. 
The problem of non-interference with 
existing services is an extremely sticky 
one. An installation for the collection 
of oceanographic information now beingin- 
stalled in the Gulf of Mexico by Mr. Roy 
D. Gaul of the Department of Oceanography 
and Meteorology, A. & M. College of 
Texas, has encountered an entirely new 
series of headaches from the standpoint 
of the oceanographer. It so happened 
that the area in which it was planned to 
locate the telemetering system was phys- 
ically in an overlap area between Patrick 
Air Force Base Missile Range and Eglin 
Air Force Base Missile Range, and it ap- 
peared to be almost impossible to find a 
suitable means of using any radio fre- 
quencies which would be considered ac- 
ceptable by the Air Force. 
After considerable difficulty, Mr. 
Gaul has worked out a temporary arrange- 
ment for operation which meets with ap- 
proval of the Air Force representatives 
concerned. A significant point which his 
operations raise, however, is the problem 
faced in major buoy programs in both the 
Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans which un- 
doubtedly will run afoul the Atlantic 
Missile Range and the far more extensive 
Pacific Missile Range. We are already 
having problems in the San Diego area 
with respect to interference by trans- 
mitters in the San Diego area with the 
Pacific Missile Range operations. These 
are considered serious and they are by no 
means resolved at the present time. 
165 
Looking first at techniques which 
would permit buoy operation, we have con- 
sidered the possibility of systems which 
would permit the use of relatively low- 
power transmitting systems in the buoys. 
Perhaps the most available method at 
present to begin to solve the buoy-shore 
communication problem, and evolve a 
method which could be put into effect 
with existing technical facilities, is 
the use of high flying aircraft to serve 
as an interrogation platform for com- 
municating with floating buoys, etc. 
This would permit the use of relatively 
low-power radio transmitters in the buoys 
and a relatively simple information stor- 
age system. The high flying plane would 
transmit a suitable coded interrogation 
pulse which would insure the response of 
the desired buoy. Since the airplane 
would be carrying a suitable recording 
system, such as magnetic tape, the in- 
formation transmitted by the buoy could 
be recorded as desired. In this system 
1t would be planned to have the data pro- 
eessed at the conclusion of the flight. 
Difficulties with this system are not to 
be minimized since it requires the avail- 
ability of suitable high flying long- 
range aircraft, as well as the necessary 
operating bases. However, it would be 
possible to carry out some fairly ex- 
tensive programs with existing bases and 
aircraft. It should also be pointed out 
that suitable radio frequency assignments 
must be made if communications of this 
type are to be carried out. Unquestion- 
ably, a suitable long-range aircraft for 
our purposes would be the U-2, which sat- 
isfies many of our basic requirements. 
Whether the plane would actually prove 
adequate for such operations, remains to 
be seen. 
Another and most promising system for 
long-term operation is to be found in the 
various types of communication satel- 
lites. For practical purposes we may 
discard the passive satellites of the 
ECHO type, since this involves very large 
high power and highly directive antenna 
systems which are quite impractical on 
buoys, and, for that matter, even on 
ships the size of oceanographic research 
vessels. The active satellites, however, 
would appear to be useful. The satel- 
lites which are planned on being pro- 
grammed for orbits between 5,000 and 
6,000 miles will undoubtedly require 
powers that are not readily available to 
small floating buoys and instrument 
Stations. However, these satellites can 
be counted upon for communicating be- 
tween ships and shore bases using sta- 
bilized dish-type antennas. It would 
