Television Image Reception in an Airplane

The reception of a self-synchronized cathode ray television image in an airplane demonstrated this type of television under conditions of far greater rigor than are to be met in practice. Employing the ultra-high frequency of 44,500 kilocycles, or 6 3/4 meters, images were received from the Don Lee television station W6XAO while traveling at the speed of 120 miles per hour above the city of Los Angeles. Continuous variation of signal strength was observed, occasioned by changing shadows cast by the plane on its antenna, changing pick-up of the polarized wave because of variation of the receiver antenna angle with respect to the oncoming wave, and change of absolute field strength because of the speed of travel through the transmitter field strength pattern.