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Re: Arc Transmitter
Subject: Re: Arc Transmitter
Date: Sat, 10 May 1997 21:48:20 -0700
From: "Norman F. Stanley" <nfs-at-midcoast-dot-com>
To: Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
At 08:36 AM 5/10/97 -0500, you wrote:
>Subject: Arc Transmitter
> Date: Fri, 09 May 1997 20:58:25 -0700
> From: Gary Weaver <gweaver-at-earthlink-dot-net>
> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
>
>
>Has anyone every heard of an arc transmitter? An artical says,
>in the early days of radio they used high voltage arc transmitters.
>An arc transmitter transmits on a very wide band of frequencies.
>What is an arc transmitter? Could it be something like a modulated
>Tesla Coil? Or is it CW only? This makes me wonder if a Tesla
>Coil can be modulated? What if you modulate the 120 VAC line into
>the neon transformer? What if you modulate a 3rd coil on the
>ground end of the secondary coil? What if you modulate a TC with
>a carrier frequency and voice? Has anyone ever tried to use a
>Tesla Coil as a transmitter?
>
>Gary Weaver
>
This was known as the "singing arc" and, as I recall, consisted of a
carbon
arc and tank circuit. With the arc operating in air it was limited to
audio frequencies, hence the name. By enclosing the arc in a hydrogen
or
gaseous hydrocarbon atmosphere the frequency could be extended into the
long wave radio spectrum, and I believe this was used in commercial CW
transmitters way back when. An brief item in the Q&A column in one of
the
Gernsback magazines, "Everyday Science and Mechanics", back in the
thirties
showed a practical circuit. I happen to have a complete file of that
publication, and will see if I can locate the circuit for you.
Norm