Re: 7.1Hz, how the heck did Tesla succeed?

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Ed Phillips <evp@xxxxxxxxxxx>

"You're assuming a pure capacitance, i.e. no earth resonance, like
transmitting a frequency far from any of the earth's resonance spikes.

But as with any resonantor, at resonance there is an inductor which
cancels out the capacitive reactance.   In that case knowledge of Q is
critical.  With immense Q the system could use a tiny contiuing input to
build up immense voltages.   But if Q is really low, then there are no
narrow resonance lines, and the earth acts like a capacitance as you
say."

	The resonator in this case is a very low order one, which would behave
in a manner similar to a simple L/C resonator; differences would be less
than an order of magnitude.  Note that a resonator of "immense Q" would
still have immense circulating currents which would have to flow in the
conducting walls, in this case the "conducting medium" and the earth. I
can't imagine any resonator mode which wouldn't have prodigious losses.

"THAT'S a really serious problem, along with small antenna impedance
problem. Maybe Tesla had a way to synch the transmitter, so he could
pump
up the earth resonance despite wandering frequency.  But all the
receivers
all over the earth would need to follow that changing frequency too."

	If he had such a solution he never mentioned it or the problem which
necessitates it.  Another reason I suspect he hadn't thought it through
very well.

" > f. Figure out how to bill correctly and how to disconnect non-paying
 > customers.  This one item alone could make the difference between a
 > practical system and one that was useless.

The Brits figured out how to charge for radio/TV receivers.  But Tesla's
device goes worldwide.  Foreign countries wouldn't like the USA to send
in
all those little white "detector vans" used in the UK to find illegal
receivers."

	They only tax the capability to listen, not the amount of listening.
In the case of the power user the quantity would determine the value of
the product delivered, just as the cost of the power at the transmitter
would be part of the cost of running the plant which the operator would
have to pay.

Ed