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Experimental tropospheric scatter station at Start Point: frequency 858MHz, power 10kW
Narrow-band ionospheric 'scatter' transmission, first reported some years earlier, had now been tested up to ranges of 1,250 miles on the VHF band. This year attention was turned to tropospheric UHF scatter, offering ranges up to 200 miles with a much wider bandwidth. Both systems called for highly directional aerials and, between them, were thought to have a useful future for communication at ranges too long for normal VHF and too short for reliable high-frequency working.
Electrostatic loudspeakers had hitherto been considered incapable of reproducing low notes. The description (by P J Walker (Quad)) of a wide-range electrostatic speaker, working from 40Hz upwards, caused great interest. 'Automation', the witch-word of the year, enjoyed a short-lived vogue. Though there was some uncertainty as to its precise meaning it did clearly signify more work for industrial electronic control devices.
In brief: Atlantic telephone cable laid; BBC started FM broadcast service.
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