Wireless Radio

In 1873 Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell first advanced the idea that there might be electromagnetic waves that were similar to light waves, a startling concept to the scientists of his day. About 13 years later, German physicist Heinrich Hertz demonstrated in his laboratory that electromagnetic radiation did indeed exist. But it was not until after Hertz’s death that a young Italian named Guglielmo Marconi got the idea for a practical communications system based on Hertz’s work.
Marconi was surprised and disappointed that the Italian government was not interested in his newly discovered wireless communications system, and thus he took his equipment to England. From that point on, the wireless became identified with Britain. From these beginnings, wireless radio became the basis of a revolution that has resulted in the satellite communications of today. This history first looks at Marconi’s invention and then explores its many applications, including marine radio, cellular telephones, police and military uses, television and radar. Radio collecting is also discussed, and brief biographies are provided for the major figures in the development and use of the wireless.

Lewis Coe of Crown Point, Indiana, is also the author of The Telephone and Its Several Inventors (1995) and The Telegraph (1993).

Lewis Coe
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 204
Bibliographic Info: 48 photos, appendices, index
Copyright Date: 2006 [1996]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2662-1
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2146-3
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii

List of Illustrations      xi

Preface      1

1. They Called It Wireless      3

2. Marine Radio      15

3. The Broadcast Boom      26

4. Amateur Radio      40

5. Point to Point      52

6. Potpourri      70

7. On the Move      80

8. Military Radio      90

9. Cellular and Satellite Telephones      103

10. Wireless Transmission of Power      111

11. Television      119

12. Police Radio      127

13. The Morse Code      134

14. The Vast Continent      142

15. Radar      153

16. Collecting      161

Epilogue      172

Glossary      174

Appendices      175

1. Biographies of Radio Pioneers in the United States      175

2. Marconi’s Yacht      179

3. Radio Organizations      180

4. Radio Publications      181

5. FCC, January 9, 1942      181

6. FCC, January 9, 1942      181

7. Order Closing Amateur Radio Stations, April 1917      182

8. Phonetic Word List Used in Radiotelephony      183

9. International “Q” Signals Used in Radiotelegraphy      183

10. Radio Museums      184

11. Citizens Band Frequencies      185

Select Bibliography      187

Index      189

“this book has a special ring of authenticity about it that can be given only by one who was present as history unfolded…informative…recommended”—Choice; “interesting…a good read…well worth reading”—Contact Magazine.