The Continuous Wave: Technology and American Radio, 1900-1932

608 Pages·1985·30.496 MB·English

by  Hugh G.J. Aitken

The Continuous Wave

Hugh G. J. Aitken
The Continuous Wave:
Technology and American Radio,
1900-1932
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY
Copyright © 1985 Princeton University Press
Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street,
Princeton, New Jersey 08540
In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, Guildford,
Surrey
All Rights Reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data will be
found on the last printed page of this book
ISBN 0-691-08376-2 (cloth)
0-691-02390-5 (pbk.)
This book has been composed in Linotron Sabon
Clothbound editions of Princeton University Press books
are printed on acid-free paper, and binding materials are
chosen for strength and durability. Paperbacks, although satisfactory
for personal collections, are not usually suitable for library rebinding
Printed in the United States of America by Princeton University Press
Princeton, New Jersey
Contents
List of Plates vii
List of Figures ix
Acknowledgments xi
Chronology xv
ONE
Prologue 3
TWO
Fessenden and the Alternator 28
THREE
Elwell, Fuller, and the Arc 87
FOUR
De Forest and the Audion 162
FIVE
Radio, Cables, and the National Interest 250
SIX
"An American Radio Company" 302
SEVEN
The Formation of RCA. Part 1: Washington and New York 355
EIGHT
The Formation of RCA. Part 2: London and Jersey City 387
NINE
Expansion and Integration 432
TEN
RCA in Transition 480
vi Contents
ELEVEN
Epilogue 514
APPENDIX
Contract for Establishment of High Power Radio Service 563
Index 573
Plates
1, Alexanderson's 2 kilowatt alternator 81
2. Fessenden's rotary spark transmitter 89
3. Elwell's 100 watt Poulsen arc 109
4. Five kilowatt Federal arc 126
5, Two hundred kilowatt Federal arc 154
6. Five hundred kilowatt Federal arc 156
7. At the controls: Operating a 500 kilowatt Federal arc 157
8. Fuller and his associates 160
9, The Fleming valve 212
10, De Forest audions 221
11. General Electric's first successful high-vacuum triode 232
12, Alexanderson's 200 kilowatt alternator 313
13, Alexanderson inspecting a 200 kilowatt alternator 324
14. The military presence: GE's first 200 kilowatt
alternator installed at New Brunswick, N.J. 368
15, Twin 200 kilowatt alternators at the Marconi
Carnarvon station 423

Figures
1.1 A train of damped oscillations 5
1.2 Geometric generation of a sine wave 6
2.1 Fessenden's liquid barretter 56
3.1 Duddell's oscillating arc, with AC generator in
parallel 113
3.2 Duddell's oscillating arc, with series-resonant circuit
in parallel 114
3.3 Elihu Thomson's magnetic blowout 116
3.4 Poulsen's arc in hydrogenous vapor 118
3.5 Static characteristic curves of arcs in air and in
hydrogen 119
3.6 Basic arc transmitter circuit 127
3.7 Complete arc transmitter circuit 152
4.1 Standing waves on wires 162
4.2 Hertz's apparatus for locating standing waves 163
4.3 Lecher's apparatus: Capacitive coupling 166
4.4 Blondlot's apparatus: Inductive coupling 167
4.5 De Forest's responder 182
4.6 De Forest's two-electrode flame detector 199
4.7 De Forest's four-electrode flame detector 200
4.8 De Forest's two-filament audion 203
4.9 De Forest's two-electrode audion 204
4.10 Edison's two-electrode bulb 206