The Boy's Book of New InventionsMaule, Harry E. (Harry Edward)
History
The Boy's Book of New Inventions
Maule, Harry E. (Harry Edward)
Inventions
Thus, according to Tesla's plan, the electrical energy will be sent
into the earth and air by the high potential magnifying transmitter
or oscillator, the stationary electrical waves carry it through the
earth and the receiving instrument on the other side of the world
collects the energy to put it to a thousand and one purposes of
mankind. And do not forget that the oscillator and the receiving
instrument are so tuned to each other that there is no danger,
according to Tesla's scheme, of different oscillators and receivers
getting mixed up.
Before Tesla had discovered the stationary electrical waves he had
gone deep into the mystery of the "individualization" of electrical
impulses, and as a result advanced plans for sending a number of
messages over one wire without their interfering with each other.
This study was continued with even greater energy, after he had taken
the first steps toward the realization of his world telegraphy and
world telephony without wires. In wireless telegraphy as we know its
practice to-day, one of the serious drawbacks is the interference
of other operators, both amateur and professional, with important
messages. Tesla holds that the simple tuning of instruments to one
another as is done nowadays would not be sufficient, when there
were millions of currents passing through and around the earth.
For instance, he says that an instrument tuned to a single rate
of vibrations would be very apt to come into contact with another
instrument sending at the same rate. Of course the confusion so
familiar in modern radio-telegraphy would result. Moreover, it makes
it difficult to send messages that cannot be intercepted and read by
every wireless operator in hearing. "This can be avoided," continues
the inventor, "by combining different tones or rates of vibration.
In actual practice it is found that by combining only two tones, a
degree of privacy sufficient for most purposes is attained. When
three vibrations are combined it is extremely difficult even for a
skilled expert to read or disturb signals not intended for him. It is
vain to undertake to 'cut in on' a series of wireless impulses made
up of four different rates of vibration. The probability of getting
the secret of the combination is as slight as of your solving the
number combination on the door of a safe. From experiments I have
concluded that this individualization will allow the transmission of
several million different messages. It is interesting when you think
that one world telegraphy plant would have a greater capacity than
all the ocean cables combined."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account