[TenTec] In praise of older technology

[Ron Notarius W3WN]

Loomis was a quack.  I'd rather hang out with Reginald Fessenden


On 02/24/14, Rick - DJ0IP / NJ0IP wrote:

Doug, I think you've been hanging out with Mahlon Loomas too long!



And for those of you who can't remember who he was, it might be worth your
while to look it up.



I bet most of you didn't even know that wireless communications was invented
by a DENTIST!



Yes, he also invented the very first Aerial, although some might argue it
was Benjamin Franklin.

Franklin only used the kite wire to capture electricity; Loomas used it as
an Aerial to send and receive signals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahlon_Loomis 



Though his patent for a wireless telegraph was in 1872, as I recall he
discovered this about 4 years earlier. Hard to remember exactly. I was
just a young whipper snapper back then.



So guys, take it from me; next time you're having problems with your
antenna, don't ask an engineer, consult your dentist!

Hey, I oughta know... I work for an antenna company!

;-)



What does all of this have to do with Doug's comment?

Everything.

Mahlon discovered that if he made the length of the wire of the TX and RX
aerial the exact same length, communications was much more reliable. Thus
you might conclude that the length of wire was determining the frequency.



But that's not quite accurate.

Actually it was transmitting on (almost) all frequencies, but only
efficiently radiating into the ether on the wavelength associated with the
length of his aerial. So specifically, the aerial, not the transmitter,
determined the frequency being radiated into the distant ether. In the near
field, a broad frequency spectrum was being radiated.



... at least that's my understanding of what was happening. 

Then again, how would I know?

I'm neither an engineer nor a dentist!



73 - Rick, DJ0IP

(Nr. Frankfurt am Main)



-----Original Message-----
From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Doug Reid
Back when I started out, we used a spark generator and the frequency was
determined by the length of our antenna...... 

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