The Romance of War Inventions: A Description of Warships, Guns, Tanks, Rifles, Bombs, and Other Instruments and Munitions of Warfare, How They Were Invented & How They Are EmployedCorbin, Thomas W.
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The Romance of War Inventions: A Description of Warships, Guns, Tanks, Rifles, Bombs, and Other Instruments and Munitions of Warfare, How They Were Invented & How They Are Employed
Corbin, Thomas W.
Inventions; Military art and science; Naval art and science
Certain specified wave lengths are always used in wireless telegraphy.
That is to say, the waves are sent out at a certain rate so that they
follow each other at a certain distance apart. In other words, it is
necessary to be able to adjust the rate at which the currents will
oscillate between the antenna and earth. Every oscillatory circuit
possesses two properties which are characteristic of it. These two
properties are known as Capacity and Inductance. It is not necessary to
explain here what these terms mean precisely. It is quite sufficient
just to name them and to state that the rate at which oscillations take
place in such a circuit depends upon the combined effect of these two
properties. Consequently, if we can arrange things so that capacity or
inductance or both can be added to a circuit at will and in any quantity
within limits, we can within those limits obtain any rate of oscillation
which we desire and consequently send out the message-bearing waves at
any interval we like; in other words, we can adjust the wave-length at
will.
Fortunately, it is very easy to add these properties to an oscillatory
circuit in a very simple manner. A certain little instrument called a
"tuner" is connected up in the circuit and by the simple movement of a
few handles the desired result can be obtained quickly even by an
operator with but a moderate experience. He has certain graduated scales
to guide him, and he is only called upon to work according to a
prearranged rule in order to obtain any of the regulation wave-lengths.
As a matter of fact, the instruments are not directly inserted in the
antenna circuit, the circuit that is which is formed by the aerial
wires, the earth and the inter-connecting wires. Instead, the two sides
of the spark-gap are connected together so as to form a separate circuit
of their own, the local circuit as we might call it, and then the two
circuits, the antenna circuit and the local circuit, are connected
together by "induction."
A coil of wire is formed in each, and these two coils are wound together
so that currents in one winding induce similar currents in the other
winding, and by that means the oscillations set up by the coil in the
local circuit are transformed into similar oscillations in the antenna
circuit. This transformation involves certain losses, but it is found in
practice to be by far the most effective arrangement. Both the circuits
have to be tuned to the desired wave length, but that is done quite
easily by the operation of the handles in the tuner already referred to.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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