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Tag Archives: telephone
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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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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The Strange Story of Phone Phreaking
During the 1960’s, the use of analogue signalling tones between telephone exchanges gave rise to a new phenomenon called “Phone Phreaking”. The word “phreak” is apparently a combination of “phone”, “free” and “freak”, so it’s rather a good name. Phone … Continue reading
Posted in Telecom Ramblings
Tagged Cap'n Crunch, communications, Joe Engressia, network, phone, phreak, signalling, telecoms, telephone, telephone exchange
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Who REALLY Invented the Telephone?
As any quiz enthusiast will tell you, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. He was awarded a patent for the telephone in 1876, and he and his fledgling telephone company successfully defended that patent against more than 600 legal challenges … Continue reading
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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