Re: Tesla Coil RF Transmitter

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "Dan" <DUllfig@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Hi Terry:

I have to disagree with you on this. Tesla never said he was 
transmitting out the topload, and this was not merely that he did not 
know what he was talking about. Trick question: what is the business 
end of a tesla coil? answer: the ground plate! Tesla was transmitting 
energy by pumping a charge into the ground itself. As a matter of 
fact, if you read his later writings, he was trying to keep RF losses 
to a minimum. He would usually say that his coils dissipated about 
10% energy in RF, and 90% energy through the ground.

Your assertion that if you put a 1230 foot antenna on the thing, it 
will transmit, is half right. The coil, all by itself, without an 
antenna, will transmit if it is properly grounded.

Dan

----- Original Message -----
From: <mailto:tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>Tesla list
To: <mailto:tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, September 09, 2005 12:46 PM
Subject: Re: Tesla Coil RF Transmitter

Original poster: Terry Fritz 
<<mailto:vardin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>vardin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Hi Miles,

Most early radios were basically Tesla coils.  At say 200kHz, the 1/4
wavelength is 1230 feet.  If you put a 1230 foot antenna on your
Tesla coil, it will transmit.  Although real transmitters are far
better matched to the 50 ohm antenna load...  But the key is our
coils have very poor transmitting properties due to being so small
compared to the length of antenna needed for our frequencies of operation.

Cheers,

         Terry


At 08:57 AM 9/9/2005, you wrote:

>Hey all,
>
>How does a Tesla coil actually function like a RF Transmitter?
>
>Is it due to the fact that at the secondary topload, the frequency
>of the output is very high - so much so that RF are produced?
>
>Can anybody introduce me a website that summarises the principles of
>Tesla Coil (in say, 10 lines or less)? Most of the ones I came
>across are really lengthy..
>
>Thanks!
>Sam