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Tag Archives: 19th century
Noises in the Earth
The early telegraph pioneers encountered major problems with cables, so there was a strong incentive for them to minimise the amount of cabling required. Fortunately, the use of an “earth return” meant that one wire (rather than two) was sufficient … Continue reading
Posted in Telecom Ramblings
Tagged 19th century, Alexander Graham Bell, earth return, Samuel Morse, telegraph, telephone
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The Victorians were Rocked to their Socks
Methods of communicating over long distances advanced surprisingly little from the days of the Roman Empire to the start of the nineteenth century. Although beacons and semaphores were occasionally used, the speed at which information could be transmitted was typically … Continue reading
Posted in Telecom Ramblings
Tagged 19th century, communications, DOT-DASH TO DOT.COM, electric telegraph, history, telegraph
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Concerns about Copper
The high price of copper on world markets has led to a spate of cable thefts, and this has provided telephone companies with a strong incentive to find cost-effective ways of replacing copper telephone wire with optical fibre. However, this is … Continue reading
Posted in Telecom Ramblings
Tagged 19th century, cable, communications, copper, telecoms, telegraph, telephone
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The First Mobile Phone?
In 1879, Professor David Hughes noticed that a clicking noise occurred in his home-made telephone whenever he used his induction balance. Hughes eventually found that the induction balance had a loose contact, and that the clicking went away when the contact … Continue reading
Posted in Telecom Ramblings
Tagged 19th century, Alexander Graham Bell, David Hughes, mobile, radio, telephone
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If At First You Don’t Succeed . . .
The successful laying of a trans-Atlantic cable was one of the most extraordinary feats of engineering in the history of telecoms. The hero of our story is Cyrus Field, an American businessman who had made his fortune in the New … Continue reading
Posted in Telecom Ramblings
Tagged 19th century, Cyrus Field, telegraph, undersea cable
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The First Wireless Telephone
On 3rd June 1880, Alexander Graham Bell transmitted the first wireless telephone message using his newly-invented “Photophone”. The Photophone contained a flexible mirror that vibrated in response to the speaker’s voice. When sunlight was projected on to the mirror, the … Continue reading
Posted in Telecom Ramblings
Tagged 19th century, Alexander Graham Bell, history, photophone, telephone
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