American Wireless and its subsidiaries primarily engaged in the florid promotion of stock sales at inflated prices to the unwary, and did only limited legitimate work toward its supposed goal of setting up a nationwide radiotelegraphic system.

At its founding A. Frederick Collins was the lead technical employee, but he soon left the firm and was replaced by Shoemaker as American Wireless' Chief Engineer.

Shoemaker developed an improved design, which used 120-cycle alternating current, which provided more power for stronger signals, and also produced a distinctive sound that made it easier for a transmission to be heard on congested wavelengths.

[8] By the end of 1906, the U.S. Navy had purchased three land and eighteen shipboard transmitters from the firm,[9] and the company's equipment was "regarded as the best of its time by naval radio operators".

[10] Shoemaker's company also produced high voltage transmitting and variable receiver condensers, and wave meters and other measuring instruments.

In late 1916, P. R. Mallory formed the Liberty Electric Corporation to manufacture radio transmitters and receivers for the U.S. government during World War One, and hired Shoemaker to be the company's Chief Engineer.

When P. R. Mallory moved the manufacturing activities from New York City to Indiana, Shoemaker resigned and remained in the east doing independent consulting.

In May 1932 he was again employed by P. R. Mallory and Company, to conduct research work on dry plate rectifiers at the laboratory of Samuel Ruben (the founder of Duracell Battery) in New Rochelle, New York.