Reginald Fessenden & the Physics of the First Radio Broadcast
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Date: 2022-12-27
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Comments and reviews: 15
Robert
Loomis claimed wireless sound transmission in 1877 using Bell's telephone equipment with his kite-and-spark-gap setup. I don't know if he demonstrated that publicly, nor do I know if it was replicated, but it could have worked, due to the nonlinear characteristics of carbon microphones. A carbon mic in series with a spark gap (powered by the sky-to-ground DC potential) could have generated both r. f. transients (tuned by the long wire of the kite and capacitance of the spark gap) and an audio frequency envelope. It wouldn't've had high fidelity -- nonlinear in, nonlinear out -- but then neither did Fessenden's first try.
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Loomis claimed wireless sound transmission in 1877 using Bell's telephone equipment with his kite-and-spark-gap setup. I don't know if he demonstrated that publicly, nor do I know if it was replicated, but it could have worked, due to the nonlinear characteristics of carbon microphones. A carbon mic in series with a spark gap (powered by the sky-to-ground DC potential) could have generated both r. f. transients (tuned by the long wire of the kite and capacitance of the spark gap) and an audio frequency envelope. It wouldn't've had high fidelity -- nonlinear in, nonlinear out -- but then neither did Fessenden's first try.
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vincent
Glad Lee De Forest is mentioned, especially re: his con artist aspect. The tendency of this guy to steal other people's ideas made Edison's own penchant for grabbing all the credit for other people's work look negligible -- and yet, even with his shifty ways De Forest was indispensable for his part in the development of electronic broadcasting and in transforming the once silent movie into the talkie era. Lee De Forest WAS a con artist, but he was a USEFUL con artist! Can't wait to catch the next video on him!
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Glad Lee De Forest is mentioned, especially re: his con artist aspect. The tendency of this guy to steal other people's ideas made Edison's own penchant for grabbing all the credit for other people's work look negligible -- and yet, even with his shifty ways De Forest was indispensable for his part in the development of electronic broadcasting and in transforming the once silent movie into the talkie era. Lee De Forest WAS a con artist, but he was a USEFUL con artist! Can't wait to catch the next video on him!
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VarahaMihira
The chemical rectifier is an interesting idea. No surprise that Fessenden, the former chief chemist of the Edison company, came up with it. When I was reading Edisons biography, I was surprised that the electric meters used by the edison electric company were electrochemical, not electromagnetic with slow motors and odometers. Edison himself once inspected and measured the current in JP Morgan's mansion, when the Morgan family complained that the meters were faulty and they were being billed too much.
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The chemical rectifier is an interesting idea. No surprise that Fessenden, the former chief chemist of the Edison company, came up with it. When I was reading Edisons biography, I was surprised that the electric meters used by the edison electric company were electrochemical, not electromagnetic with slow motors and odometers. Edison himself once inspected and measured the current in JP Morgan's mansion, when the Morgan family complained that the meters were faulty and they were being billed too much.
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George
I started to study this in 1950 and became facinated with electricity, I know almost all of the developments that you have now made available to all. I wish I had you in the 50's 60's 70's It would have made my professional life so much easier. I retired as a lecturer in the science 20 years ago. I wish I had you at that time with me You have so much knowledge as a product of research but most important a wonderful way of presentation. Thank You
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I started to study this in 1950 and became facinated with electricity, I know almost all of the developments that you have now made available to all. I wish I had you in the 50's 60's 70's It would have made my professional life so much easier. I retired as a lecturer in the science 20 years ago. I wish I had you at that time with me You have so much knowledge as a product of research but most important a wonderful way of presentation. Thank You
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Jim
Great show. I recognize an image in your program Passenger on vessel communicating with land as from Nathan Stubblefield s wireless voice demonstration on the steamer Bartholdi on the Potomac in 1902. Stubblefield may have used audio frequency conduction and induction rather than radio, but he has been called the Father of broadcasting because he said wireless would be used for the general transmission of news and entertainment.
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Great show. I recognize an image in your program Passenger on vessel communicating with land as from Nathan Stubblefield s wireless voice demonstration on the steamer Bartholdi on the Potomac in 1902. Stubblefield may have used audio frequency conduction and induction rather than radio, but he has been called the Father of broadcasting because he said wireless would be used for the general transmission of news and entertainment.
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NicleT
Thats some interesting stories. Funny how the invention of radio and telephone developed by the time. We often feels that it happened subito, but its rather a path of trials and errors with a lot of people involved.
Is it thru that Graham Bell made his research around the idea of creating a device to talk to dead? I heard that somewhere and always wonder. Thanks again for your work.
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Thats some interesting stories. Funny how the invention of radio and telephone developed by the time. We often feels that it happened subito, but its rather a path of trials and errors with a lot of people involved.
Is it thru that Graham Bell made his research around the idea of creating a device to talk to dead? I heard that somewhere and always wonder. Thanks again for your work.
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gpwgpw555
My father studied broadcast engineering in the late 1940's. He always called a capacitor a condenser. The name changed in the 1960's at the same time the tuning indicator on radios change from CPS to Hz. happy to see in this video the reference to both names.
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My father studied broadcast engineering in the late 1940's. He always called a capacitor a condenser. The name changed in the 1960's at the same time the tuning indicator on radios change from CPS to Hz. happy to see in this video the reference to both names.
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Ralph
I started reading about how radio works when I was about 9 years old, and have continued my interest in the subject throughout a lifetime. Now at age 70 I am learning things not found in any book I ever saw, thanks to your wondeful videos. Great work!
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I started reading about how radio works when I was about 9 years old, and have continued my interest in the subject throughout a lifetime. Now at age 70 I am learning things not found in any book I ever saw, thanks to your wondeful videos. Great work!
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John
Disputed or not, Fessenden's account of a radio transmission on Christmas eve is notable for the following. Radio broadcasting, apart from the technical, requires: a producer, a programmer, a director, a writer, and performers.
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Disputed or not, Fessenden's account of a radio transmission on Christmas eve is notable for the following. Radio broadcasting, apart from the technical, requires: a producer, a programmer, a director, a writer, and performers.
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Stig
Thans for good video. We have a fully function Alexandersson alternater i Grimeton here in Sweden, built in 1925, it has a big antenna 127m, and transmitting a couple of time a year, on I think 17. 2 kHz, sendind morse code.
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Thans for good video. We have a fully function Alexandersson alternater i Grimeton here in Sweden, built in 1925, it has a big antenna 127m, and transmitting a couple of time a year, on I think 17. 2 kHz, sendind morse code.
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John
Inspired and horrified by the tragedy of the Titanic Fessenden researched the propagation of sound in water with the goal of detecting and avoiding icebergs. He invented SONAR.
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Inspired and horrified by the tragedy of the Titanic Fessenden researched the propagation of sound in water with the goal of detecting and avoiding icebergs. He invented SONAR.
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Bill
These are great and remind me a bit of the Jame Burke series Connections, where one thing lead to another and often looped back on themselves often seemingly by happenstance.
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These are great and remind me a bit of the Jame Burke series Connections, where one thing lead to another and often looped back on themselves often seemingly by happenstance.
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marzy
Lot of intellectual ferment in the early 20th century. I wonder if had there been no ww1, would there have been that horrible little house painter.
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Lot of intellectual ferment in the early 20th century. I wonder if had there been no ww1, would there have been that horrible little house painter.
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Mark
Incredible history and knowledge of the early days of radio and Im a amateur radio operator and I did not know this. Thank you
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Incredible history and knowledge of the early days of radio and Im a amateur radio operator and I did not know this. Thank you
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Montader
i know how much effort you make to produce such a content, i raise my hat for you. thank you a million.
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i know how much effort you make to produce such a content, i raise my hat for you. thank you a million.
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