Invention of radio 3800477 224705669 2008-07-10T01:26:16Z Hertz1888 4088632 /* SLF and UHF experimentation */ rmving spaces :'' This article covers the main arguments about who had what part in the early development of radio.'' : ''For the general history of radio, see [[History of radio]].'' {{Portal|Radio|Radio icon.png}} {{TOCright}} Within the [[timeline of radio]], many people were involved in the '''invention of radio''' transmission of information as we know it today. Despite this, during its early development and long after wide acceptance, disputes persisted as to who could claim sole credit for this obvious boon to mankind. ==Early wireless work== ===Scientific theory and verification=== [[James Clerk Maxwell]] performed the theoretical physical research that correctly predicted the existence of radio (and all other electromagnetic) waves. [[Heinrich Rudolf Hertz]] was the experimental physicist who created radio waves in a controlled laboratory manner. Neither Maxwell nor Hertz, though, devised systems for actual general use or described the application of the technology. Developments, parallel to these individuals and after, are engineering investigations that lead to the '[[invent]]ion of radio': the objects, processes, or techniques of information transception. Many individuals contributed to the art of [[wireless]], in the air, earth, and water; this includes the precursory work in [[wireless telephony]] and [[wireless telegraphy]] ===SLF and UHF experimentation=== [[David E. Hughes]], eight years before Hertz's experiments and nearly two decades before [[Guglielmo Marconi|Guglielmo Marconi's]] demonstrations, induced electromagnetic waves in a signalling system. Hughes transmitted Morse code by an [[Electromagnetic induction|induction]] apparatus. In 1878, Hughes's induction transmission method utilized a "clockwork transmitter" to transmit signals. In 1885, [[Thomas Alva Edison|T. A. Edison]] used a vibrator magnet for induction transmission. In 1888, Edison deployed a system of signalling on the Lehigh Valley Railroad. In 1892, Edison attained the wireless patent for this method using inductance ({{US patent|465971}}). From 1886 to 1888 inclusive in his classic [[Ultra high frequency|UHF]] experiments, [[Heinrich Rudolf Hertz|Heinrich Hertz]] had proved that the properties of radio waves were consistent with Maxwell’s electromagnetic theory. He demonstrated that radio radiation had all the properties of waves (now called [[Transverse wave|Hertzian wave]]s), and discovered that the electromagnetic equations could be reformulated into a [[partial differential equation]] called the [[wave equation]]. Of the three basic forms of wireless aerial launching structures, the [[Hertz antenna]] was a center-fed half-[[wavelength]] [[dipole antenna|dipole]] (with the other forms being the [[Marconi antenna]] and [[Tesla antenna]]). Hertz’s setup for a source and detector of radio waves (archaically called [[Hertz wave]]s in his honor) comprised a primitive radio system capable of transmitting and receiving [[space wave]]s through [[free space]].<ref>[http://www.tfcbooks.com/mainpage/glossary.htm#hertz_wave Hertz wave]</ref> His transmitter was not at all efficient and was severely limited in power output. Its dipole antenna differed from the vertical quarter-wavelength antenna that was subsequently adopted by Marconi and others in that it was not grounded.<ref> Peterson, Gary, "''[http://www.tfcbooks.com/articles/tws09.htm Comparing the Hertz-wave and Tesla wireless systems]''". Feed Line No. 9 Article</ref> Hertz used the damped oscillating currents in a dipole antenna, triggered by a high-voltage electrical capacitive spark discharge, as his source of radio waves. His detector in some experiments was another dipole antenna connected to a narrow spark gap. A small spark in this gap signified detection of the radio wave. When he added cylindrical reflectors behind his dipole antennas, Hertz could detect radio waves about 20 metres from the [[transmitter]] in his [[laboratory]]. He did not try to transmit further because he wanted to prove [[Electromagnetism|electromagnetic]] theory, not to develop wireless [[communication]]s. Hertz seemed uninterested in the practical importance of his experiments. He stated that "''It's of no use whatsoever ... this is just an experiment that proves Maestro [[James Clerk Maxwell|Maxwell]] was right - we just have these mysterious electromagnetic waves that we cannot see with the naked eye. But they are there''."<ref name="katz"> Eugenii Katz, "''[http://chem.ch.huji.ac.il/~eugeniik/history/hertz.htm Heinrich Rudolf Hertz]''". Biographies of Famous Electrochemists and Physicists Contributed to Understanding of Electricity, Biosensors & Bioelectronics.</ref> Asked about the ramifications of his discoveries, Hertz replied, "''Nothing, I guess''." Hertz also stated, "I do not think that the wireless waves I have discovered will have any practical application."<ref name="katz" /> Hertz died in 1894, so the art of radio was left to others to implement into a practical useful form. His discoveries would later be taken up by entrepreneurs looking to make their fortunes. Marconi's 1895 experiments followed Hertz's work (among others') by using a spark source in what became known as a [[spark-gap transmitter]]. ==Tesla's work== [[Image:N.Tesla.JPG|thumb|right|222px|[[Nikola Tesla]] : Serbian physicist, inventor, mechanical engineer and electrical engineer. According to [[Lord Kelvin]], Tesla "contributed more to electrical science than any man up to his time."[http://www.tesla2006.org/tesla_en.html] ]] ===Radio frequency generation=== [[Nikola Tesla]] was one of the first to patent a means to reliably produce radio frequency currents. Tesla's {{US patent|447920}}, "''Method of Operating Arc-Lamps''" ([[March 10]], [[1891]]), describes an [[alternator]] that produced high-frequency current (for that time period), around 10,000 cycles per second. (The term cycles-per-second was later modified to "[[hertz]].") His [[patent]]able innovation was suppression of the sound produced by arc lamps that were operated on alternating or pulsating current by using frequencies beyond the range of human hearing. The alternator produced frequencies in the [[Very Low Frequency]] (VLF) band. ===Continued research and patents=== Around July 1891, he established his [[New York]] laboratory and constructed various apparatuses that produced between 15,000 to 18,000 cycles per second. At this location, he also lit vacuum tubes wirelessly (thus providing hard evidence for the potential of wireless transmissions). Transmission and radiation of radio frequency energy was a feature exhibited in the experiments by Tesla and was noted early on to be used for the [[telecommunication]] of [[information]].<ref>"''[http://www.tfcbooks.com/tesla/1893-02-24.htm On Light and Other High Frequency Phenomena]''". Delivered before the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, February 1893, and before the National Electric Light Association, St. Louis, March 1893.</ref><ref>"''[http://www.tfcbooks.com/tesla/1892-02-03.htm Experiments with Alternating Currents of High Potential and High Frequency]''". Delivered before the Institution of Electrical Engineers, London, February 1892.</ref> In 1892, Tesla delivered a widely reported presentation before the [[Institution of Electrical Engineers]] of London in which he noted, among other things, that intelligible messages could be transmitted without wires. Later, a variety of Tesla's radio frequency systems were demonstrated during another widely known lecture, presented to meetings of the [[National Electric Light Association]] in [[St. Louis, Missouri]] and the [[Franklin Institute]] in [[Philadelphia]]. According to the [[IEEE]], "''the apparatus that he employed contained all the elements of spark and continuous wave that were incorporated into radio''".<ref>"''[http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/legacies/tesla.html Nikola Tesla, 1856 - 1943]''". IEEE History Center, IEEE, 2003.</ref> In late 1896 or early 1897 Tesla received wireless signals transmitted from the Houston St. lab in New York City to [[West Point, New York|West Point]], "a distance of about 30 miles." The transmitter consisted of an RF alternator and produced [[Continuous wave|undamped (or continuous) waves]] [[Low frequency|in the neighborhood of 5,000 cycles per second]]. The receiver consisted of a powerful electromagnet, two large condensers, and a taut steel wire. The wire was placed within the magnetic field, and in conjunction with the condensers formed a tuned circuit.<ref>"Nikola Tesla On His Work with Alternating Currents and Their Application to wireless Telegraphy, Telephony, and Transmission of Power", Leland I. Anderson, Twenty First Century Books, 2002, pp. 26-27.]</ref><ref>[[PBS]]: [http://www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_whoradio.html Marconi and Tesla: Who invented radio?]</ref> In 1899 Tesla established an "Experimental Station" in Colorado Springs where he continued his research into wireless transmission principles often using a form of electrical oscillator known as the [[magnifying transmitter]]. [[Image:TeslaCoil645576.PNG|thumb|111px|left|'''US645576 Transmitter'''</br>An early Tesla transmitter consisting of a flat-spiral quarter-wave resonator and an elevated terminal. This image is from one of [[List of Tesla patents|Tesla's patents]].]] Early on in his research Tesla used his high voltage resonance transformer—the [[Tesla coil]]—in radio-wave propagation experiments. The [[Antenna (radio)#Antenna parameters|aerial]] consisted of a top-loaded electrical conductor that was connected to a high-voltage terminal of the transformer. The opposing high-voltage terminal was grounded. The secondary winding was driven by a primary circuit consisting of a few turns of heavy wire, a capacitor bank, a circuit controller, and a power supply transformer. The launching structure radiated as a common "Hertz wave" antenna. In Tesla's own words, <blockquote>"The popular impression is that my wireless work was begun in 1893, but as a matter of fact I spent the two preceding years in investigations, employing forms of apparatus, some of which were almost like those of today. . . ."<ref>"''[http://www.tfcbooks.com/tesla/1919-05-00.htm The True Wireless]''"</ref></blockquote> After a while he began to favor another technique that he called the “disturbed charge of ground and air method.” Tesla's wireless system used the same basic apparatus, however instead of using electromagnetic space waves the energy is carried by the conduction of electrical currents through the earth and along with accompanying surface waves. In one form of the system the ‘return’ path closing the circuit is an electrical current flow established between two elevated terminals, one belonging to the transmitter and the other the receiver. These consist of conduction currents flowing through plasma and also electrostatic induction. Once again in Tesla's own words, <blockquote>". . . It was clear to me from the very start that the successful consummation could only be brought about by a number of radical improvements. Suitable high frequency generators and electrical oscillators had first to be produced. The energy of these had to be transformed in effective transmitters and collected at a distance in proper receivers. Such a system would be manifestly circumscribed in its usefulness if all extraneous interference were not prevented and exclusiveness secured. In time, however, I recognized that devices of this kind, to be most effective and efficient, should be designed with due regard to the physical properties of this planet and the electrical conditions obtaining on the same. . ."<ref>"''[http://www.tfcbooks.com/tesla/1919-05-00.htm ibid]''"</ref></blockquote> In other words, Tesla’s structure injected a large alternating current into the earth via the ground terminal. Tesla's discovery of importance was the "[[Surface wave]]" method. The production of surface waves as described by Arnold Sommerfeld and Jonathan Zenneck was partially the consequence of adding a deep ground connection to the transmitter. Tesla said in 1893 that "''One of the terminals of the source would be connected to Earth ''[as a [[Ground (electricity)|electric ground connection]] ...]'' the other to an insulated body of large surface''.<ref>"''[http://www.tfcbooks.com/tesla/1893-02-24.htm On Light and Other High Frequency Phenomena]''". Delivered before the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, February 1893, and before the National Electric Light Association, St. Louis, March 1893.</ref> A shallow buried ground plane or an elevated insulated counterpoise is commonly used in the construction of low and medium frequency 1/4-wavelength radio antennas. These lend to the development of the Norton Surface Wave. This method led to longer transmission ranges. Many AM stations use this same principle to boost reception of their signals.<ref name=bickel>[http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/bickel/daytime.html Why AM Radio Stations Must Reduce Power, Change Operations, or Cease Operations at Night] fcc.gov</ref> This also allows modern grounded AM 1/4 wavelength monopole antennas to be more practical in order to overcome the restrictions imposed upon designers by the large physical dimensions required for these structures. Radio antennas radiate electromagnetic waves that can reach the receiver either by ground-wave propagation or by refraction from the ionosphere, known as sky-wave propagation. The ground-wave component is the portion of the radiated electromagnetic wave that propagates close to the earth's surface. It has both direct-wave and ground-reflected components, and under certain conditions a tropospheric ducting component. The direct-wave is limited only by the distance from the transmitter to the horizon plus a small distance added by atmospheric diffraction around the curvature of the earth. The ground-reflected portion of the radiated wave reaches the receiving antenna after being reflected from the earth's surface. A portion of the ground-wave energy radiated by the antenna may also be guided by the earth's surface as a ground-hugging [[surface wave]]. [[Nikola Tesla]]'s rights to radio were based upon these patents: * Division of {{US patent|645576}} "''System of Transmission of Electrical Energy''", [[March 20]], [[1900]] ([[March 20]], [[1900]]; filed Sept. 2, 1897). In US645576, Tesla cited the well-known radiant energy phenomena and corrected previous errors in theory of behavior. Within this specification, Tesla declared, "''The apparatus which I have shown will obviously have many other valuable uses - as, for instance, when it is desired to transmit intelligible messages to great distances'' [...]". * {{US patent|649621}}, "''Apparatus for Transmission of Electrical Energy''" ([[May 15]], [[1900]]; filed [[February 19]], [[1900]]). In US649621, Tesla established a system which was composed of a transmitting coil (or conductor) arranged and excited to cause oscillations (or currents) to propagate via [[Electrical conduction|conduction]] through the natural medium from one point to another remote point therefrom and a receiver coil, or conductor, of the transmitted signals. Shortly after the turn of the 20th century, the US Patent Office also awarded Marconi a patent for radio. ==Popov's work== Beginning in the early 1890s, [[Alexander Stepanovich Popov]] conducted experiments along the lines of Hertz's research. In 1894 he built his first [[radio receiver]], which contained a [[coherer]]. Further refined as a [[lightning detector]], he presented it to the [[Russian Physical and Chemical Society]] on [[May 7]], [[1895]] &mdash; the day has been celebrated in the Russian Federation as "[[Radio Day]]". The paper on his findings was published the same year ([[December 15]] 1895). Popov had recorded, at the end of 1895, that he was hoping for distant signaling with radio waves.<ref> D.T. Emerson, "[http://www.tuc.nrao.edu/~demerson/bose/bose.html The work of Jagadis Chandra Bose: 100 years of mm-wave research]". National Radio Astronomy Observatory, February 1998.</ref> In 1900, Popov stated (in front of the [[Congress of Russian Electrical Engineers]]), : "[...]'' the emission and reception of signals by Marconi by means of electric oscillations ''[was]'' nothing new. In America, the famous engineer [[Nikola Tesla]] carried the same experiments in 1893''."<ref>"''The Guglielmo Marconi Case; [http://www.mercury.gr/tesla/marcen.html Who is the True Inventor of Radio]''".</ref> ==Bose's work== [[Image:J.C.Bose.JPG|thumb|[[Jagdish Chandra Bose]] in his lab.]] In November 1894, the [[Bengali people|Bengali]] [[Undivided India|Indian]] physicist, [[Jagdish Chandra Bose]], demonstrated publicly the use of radio waves in [[Kolkata|Calcutta]], but he was not interested in patenting his work.<ref>"[http://www.ieee-virtual-museum.org/collection/people.php?taid=&id=1234735&lid=1 Jagadish Chandra Bose]". ieee-virtual-museum.org.</ref> For more information see [[History of radio (more information)#Jagdish Chandra Bose|History of radio : Jagdish Chandra Bose]]. In 1894, Bose ignited [[gunpowder]] and rang a bell at a distance using [[electromagnetic]] waves, showing independently that communication signals can be sent without using wires. In 1896, the [[Daily Chronicle]] of England reported on his UHF experiments: "''The inventor (J.C. Bose) has transmitted signals to a distance of nearly a mile and herein lies the first and obvious and exceedingly valuable application of this new theoretical marvel.''" The 1895 public demonstration by Bose in [[Calcutta]] was before Marconi's wireless signalling experiment on [[Salisbury Plain]] in England in May 1897.<ref>"''[http://www.tuc.nrao.edu/~demerson/bose/bose.html The Work of Jagdish Chandra Bose: 100 years of mm-wave research]''". tuc.nrao.edu.</ref><ref>"''[http://www.ieee-virtual-museum.org/collection/people.php?taid=&id=1234735&lid=1 Jagadish Chandra Bose]''", ieee-virtual-museum.org.</ref> Though Bose did this demonstration, Tesla had performed radio communication earlier in 1892 and 1893. Bose was not interested in the commercial applications of the experiment's transmitter. He did not try to file [[patent]] protection for sending signals. In 1899, Bose announced the development of a "''iron-mercury-iron [[coherer]] with [[telephone]] detector''" in a paper presented at the [[Royal Society]], London.<ref>Bondyopadhyay, Probir K., "''Sir J. C. Bose's Diode Detector Received Marconi's First Transatlantic Wireless Signal Of December 1901 (The "Italian Navy Coherer" Scandal Revisited)''". Proc. IEEE, Vol. 86, No. 1, January 1988.</ref> Later he received {{US patent|755840}}, "''Detector for electrical distrubances''" (1904), for a specific electromagnetic receiver. Though he did not file any patents for transmission, he is recognized for contributing to the development of radio. ==Guglielmo Marconi's work== ===Early years=== [[Image:Marconi.jpg|thumb|right|222px|Guglielmo Marconi : Italian-Irish electrical engineer and Nobel laureate known for the development of a practical wireless telegraphy system.]] Guglielmo Marconi's proponents say that while he was on vacation in 1894 he read about the experiments that Hertz did in the 1880s, and about Nikola Tesla's work in the just-published book ''Inventions, Researches and Writings of Nikola Tesla''. It was at this time that Marconi began to understand that radio waves could be used for wireless communications.<ref>Henry M. Bradford, "''[http://www.newscotland1398.net/marconi100/marconi1.html Marconi's Three]; Transatlantic Radio Stations In Cape Breton''". Read before the Royal [[Nova Scotia]] Historical Society, [[31 January]] [[1996]]. (''ed''. the site is reproduced with permission from the ''Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society Journal'', Volume 1, 1998.)</ref> Marconi's early apparatus was a development of Hertz’s laboratory apparatus into a system designed for communications purposes. At first he used a transmitter to ring a bell in a receiver in his attic laboratory. He then moved his experiments out-of-doors on the family estate near [[Bologna, Italy]], to communicate further. He replaced Hertz’s vertical dipole with a vertical wire topped by a metal sheet, with an opposing terminal connected to the ground. On the receiver side, Marconi replaced the spark gap with a metal powder [[coherer]], a detector developed by [[Edouard Branly]] and other experimenters. Marconi transmitted radio signals for about a mile at the end of 1895.<ref>''Marconi's Three; Transatlantic Radio Stations In [[Cape Breton]]''.</ref> Marconi's reputation is largely based on these accomplishments in radio communications and commercializing a practical system. His demonstrations of the use of radio for wireless communications, equipping ships with life saving wireless communications, establishing the first transatlantic radio service, and building the first stations for the British short wave service, have marked his place in history. Marconi and his company were not alone in the field; his principal competition came from German scientists whose work would become the basis for the [[Telefunken]] company (which Nikola Tesla assisted in building). Marconi's {{US patent|586193}} ([[July 13]], [[1897]]) (and the reissued {{US patent|RE11913}}) disclosed a two-circuit system for the transmission and reception of "Hertzian waves" (though he would later acknowledge that in the early wireless systems the "''waves do not propagate in the same manner as free radiation from a classical Hertzian oscillator, but [[surface wave|glide along the surface of the Earth]]''"<ref>Marconi, "''[http://nobelprize.org/physics/laureates/1909/marconi-lecture.html Wireless Telegraphic Communication: Nobel Lecture], [[December 11]], [[1909]].''" Nobel Lectures. Physics 1901-1921. Amsterdam: Elsevier Publishing Company, 1967: 196-222.</ref>). The transmitter was an antenna circuit, with an aerial plate and a ground plate, and a spark gap. Induced signals in the circuit were caused to discharge through a spark gap, producing oscillations which were radiated. The receiver contained an antenna circuit, an aerial plate and a ground plate, and a [[coherer]]. Marconi's apparatus was to be resonant (commonly called by various researcheres at the time syntonic). This was done by the careful determination of the size of the aerial plates. ===The Poldhu experiment=== In 1901, Marconi claimed to have received daytime transatlantic radio frequency signals at a [[medium frequency|wavelength of 366 metres]] (820 kHz).<ref>Henry M. Bradford, "''[http://www.newscotland1398.net/nfld1901/marconi-nfld.html Marconi in Newfoundland: The 1901 Transatlantic Radio Experiment]''".</ref><ref>Henry M. Bradford, "''[http://www.antiquewireless.org/otb/marconi1901.htm Did Marconi Receive Transatlantic Radio Signals in 1901]? - Part 1''". Wolfville, N.S..</ref><ref>Henry M. Bradford, "''[http://www.antiquewireless.org/otb/marconi1901a.htm Did Marconi Receive Transatlantic Radio Signals in 1901]? Part 2, Conclusion: The Trans-Atlantic Experiments''". Wolfville, N.S..</ref> The early spark transmitters ''may have'' been broadly tuned and the Poldhu transmitter ''may have'' radiated sufficient energy in that part of the spectrum for a transatlantic transmission, ''if'' Marconi was using an untuned receiver when he claimed to have received the transatlantic signal at Newfoundland in 1901. When he used a tuned receiver aboard the SS Philadelphia in 1902, he could only receive a daytime signal from Poldhu, a distance of 700 miles, ''less than half'' the distance from Poldhu to Newfoundland. At night the signals were reported to have been received several times further, and his successful transatlantic transmissions from Glace Bay, Nova Scotia in 1902 were made at night. Marconi would later found the [[Marconi Company]] and would jointly receive the 1909 [[Nobel Prize in Physics]] with [[Karl Ferdinand Braun]]. Marconi’s 1901 [[Poldhu]] to [[Colony of Newfoundland|Newfoundland]] transmission claim has been attacked.<ref>John S. Belrose, "''[http://www.antentop.bel.ru/files/fam002.pdf Fessenden and Marconi]; Their Differing Technologies and Transatlantic Experiments During the First Decade of this Century''", International Conference on 100 Years of Radio, 5-7 September, 1995, ([[PDF]] file; ''ed''. accessed [[April 14]], [[2006]])</ref> Critics have claimed that it is more likely that Marconi received [[Signal noise|stray atmospheric noise]] from [[atmospheric electricity]] in the 1901 experiment.<ref> "Marconi's Error: The First Transatlantic Wireless Telegraphy in 1901"</ref> The transmitting station in Poldhu, Cornwall used a spark-gap transmitter that could produce a signal just below the medium frequency and with high power levels (a maximum time-averaged power of 35 kilowatts, but with a peak pulse power of megawatts). The message received was the morse letter 'S' - three dots. Dr Jack Belrose has recently contested this, however, based on theoretical work as well as a reenactment of the experiment; he believes that Marconi heard only random atmospheric noise and mistook it for the signal. There are various science historians who agree with Jack Belrose (in addition to being bolstered by Tesla supporters) that the Atlantic was not bridged in 1901, but other science historians have taken the position that this was the first trans-atlantic radio transmission. ==Court decision== In 1943 a lawsuit regarding Marconi's numerous other radio patents was resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court, who overturned most of these. At the time, the [[United States Army]] was involved in a patent infringement lawsuit with Marconi's company regarding radio, leading various observers to posit that the government nullified Marconi's other patents in order to moot any claims for compensation (as, it is speculated, the government's initial reversal to grant Marconi the patent right in order to nullify any claims Tesla had for compensation). The court decision was based on the proven prior work conducted by others, such as by Tesla, [[Oliver Lodge]], and [[John Stone Stone]], from which some of Marconi patents (such as {{US patent|763772}}) stemmed. The U. S. Supreme Court stated that, : "''The Tesla patent No. 645,576, applied for September 2, 1897 and allowed March 20, 1900, disclosed a four-circuit system, having two circuits each at transmitter and receiver, and recommended that all four circuits be tuned to the same frequency. ''[... He]'' recognized that his apparatus could, without change, be used for wireless communication, which is dependent upon the transmission of electrical energy.''"<ref>U.S. Supreme Court, "''[http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=320&invol=1 Marconi Wireless Telegraph co. of America v. United States]''". 320 U.S. 1. Nos. 369, 373. Argued April 9-12, 1943. Decided [[June 21]], [[1943]].</ref> In making their decision, the court noted, : "''Marconi's reputation as the man who first achieved successful radio transmission rests on his original patent, which became reissue No. 11,913, and which is not here [320 U.S. 1, 38] in question. That reputation, however well-deserved, does not entitle him to a patent for every later improvement which he claims in the radio field. Patent cases, like others, must be decided not by weighing the reputations of the litigations, but by careful study of the merits of their respective contentions and proofs''."<ref>''Wireless Telegraph co. of America v. United States''.</ref> The court also stated that, : "''It is well established that as between two inventors priority of invention will be awarded to the one who by satisfying proof can show that he first conceived of the invention''."<ref>''Wireless Telegraph co. of America v. United States''.</ref> ==Case of priority== [[Image:USPTOradio.png|center]] ===Case for Marconi=== Marconi supporters have stated that Marconi was not aware of the works of [[Nikola Tesla]] in the United States. It is impossible,<ref>in a US patent n°676'332 in 1901 (pag. 2, file 69) Marconi uses the words "Tesla coil" for a high frequency oscillator</ref> though, that Marconi was unaware of Tesla's presentations. Both ''On Light and Other High Frequency Phenomena'' (Philadelphia/St. Louis; Franklin Institute in 1893) and ''Experiments with Alternating Currents of High Potential and High Frequency'' (London; 1892) were reported on internationally. Tesla's 1893 presentation at the Franklin Institute was reported across America (such as in [[The Century Magazine]]) and throughout Europe.<ref>Ljubo Vujovi, "''[http://www.teslasociety.com/biography.htm Tesla Biography]; Nikola Tesla, The genius who lit the world''". Teslasociety.com.</ref> Tesla also performed public demonstrations of actual and related work, such as the remote-controlled boat in 1898 (which was protected under {{US patent|613809}}). The remote-controlled boat contained "rotating [[coherer]]s" that allowed secure communication between transmitter and receiver. ===Case against Marconi=== By 1895, Marconi introduced to the public a device in [[London]], asserting it was his invention. Despite Marconi's statements to the contrary, though, the apparatus resembles Tesla's descriptions in the widely translated articles.<ref> P.J.Papadopoulos, "[http://www.mercury.gr/tesla/marcen.html Nikola Tesla; The Guglielmo Marconi Case, Who is the True Inventor of Radio?]"</ref> Marconi's later practical four-tuned system was pre-dated by N. Tesla, [[History of radio#Oliver Lodge|Oliver Lodge]], and J. S. Stone. Tesla was the first, though, to expound the principles of the four-tuned system. The earlier two-tuned systems were not practical for commercial activity (as found in the United States court case). In addition, other prior work was conducted by others (such as by Hertz and Bruan, but not excluding others) from which many of Marconi's devices and methods were derived. Marconi's {{US patent|676332}} ''Apparatus for wireless telegraphy'' [1901], in which a more intricate system was disclosed than in his earlier patents, was filed after contributions made by other investigators. Marconi’s late-1895 transmission of signals was for around a mile. This was small when put against Tesla's early-1895 transmissions of up to 50 miles. ===Case for Tesla=== [[Nikola Tesla]] was first to hold the rights to radio: * {{US patent|645576}}, "System of Transmission of Electrical Energy", [[March 20]], [[1900]] ([[March 20]], [[1900]]; filed Sept. 2, 1897). * {{US patent|649621}}, "Apparatus for Transmission of Electrical Energy" ([[May 15]], [[1900]]; filed [[February 19]], [[1900]]). Tesla's system can produce a variety of wave propagations, pending the driving apparatus. Tesla believed that his wireless system would be better than most other radio systems because [[Transverse wave|transverse electromagnetic waves]] (whose behavior depends on their wavelength) would decay as they travelled from the transmitter, making the signals uselessly weak at long distances. Tesla advanced that [[Longitudinal wave|longitudinal electromagnetic waves]] (such as those that occur in [[waves in plasmas]]) through the medium would be used, as he theorized that they would be practically lossless. His devices can be driven to produce either transverse or longitudinal waves. There is also the relevance of Tesla demonstrations of the remote-controlled boat (with its internal rotating [[coherer]]) as well as Tesla's public lecture demonstrations. Besides his intention to transmit wireless signals of intelligence, he proposed to transmit [[electric power]] via [[electrical conduction]] through the earth and the upper atmosphere, as well as in between them both (in the earth-ionosphere region which is now known as a [[cavity resonator|resonant cavity]]). This power transmission was to be done not by "hertzian waves," but through [[standing wave|standing]] [[surface wave]]s. Tesla’s proposed wireless transmitter utilized a resonant transformer to apply a very high voltage of high frequency between the earth and a large elevated conductor, as discussed earlier. ===Case against Tesla=== Tesla never completed his "worldwide wireless system," primarily because of financial difficulties. Cost overruns stopped him from completing the [[Wardenclyffe Tower]] (a "wireless station tower") that he built in the early 1900s in [[Shoreham, New York|Shoreham]] on [[Long Island, New York]]. ==Timeline== {{main|Timeline of radio}} The identity of the original inventor of radio, at the time called wireless telegraphy, is contentious. The key invention for the beginning of "wireless transmission of data using the entire frequency spectrum" has been attributed to various inventors and researchers. Below is a selection of pertinent events and individuals related to the development of radio. <timeline> ImageSize = width:777 height:633 DateFormat = YYYY Period = from:1860 till:1960 PlotArea = width:665 height:600 left:33 bottom:25 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical order:reverse ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:10 start:1860 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1860 PlotData= at:1864 fontsize:S text:"[[James Clerk Maxwell]] predicts electromagnetic (EM) waves using a transmission medium. at:1872 fontsize:S text:"[[Mahlon Loomis]] and W. H. Ward (USA) file for U.S. Patents for a "wireless telegraph"." at:1878 fontsize:S text:"[[David Edward Hughes]] transcieves via induction transmission." at:1885 fontsize:S text:"[[Thomas Alva Edison|T. A. Edison]] uses a vibrator magnet for induction transmission. [[Heinrich Rudolf Hertz|Heinrich Hertz]] begins EM wave experiments". at:1887 fontsize:S text:"[[Heinrich Rudolf Hertz|Heinrich Hertz]] publishes his research in the journal Annalen der Physik. Edison installs signalling syetem at the Lehigh Valley Railroad." at:1891 fontsize:S text:"[[Nikola Tesla]] is granted U.S. Patents No. 447,920, and 447,921 (VLF generators) and 454,622 (RF power supply). Edison receives U. S. Patent No. 465971. at:1893 fontsize:S text:"Tesla demonstrates wireless techniques at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia." at:1895 text:"[[Alexander Stepanovich Popov|Alexander Popov]] presents his radio receiver to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society." at:1897 fontsize:S text:"[[Guglielmo Marconi]] is granted British patent No. 12,039 (Radio patent). Tesla is granted U.S. Patents No. 645,576 and 649,621 (Four-tuned circuit patents)." at:1901 fontsize:S text:"[[Wardenclyffe Tower]] is opened by Tesla. Marconi receives British patent No. 7,777 and reports transatlantic transmission." at:1904 fontsize:S text:"[[John Ambrose Fleming]] develops the "oscillation valve" (vacuum-tube diode). " at:1906 fontsize:S text:"[[Lee De Forest]] invents the [[Audion tube|Audion]], now known as the vacuum-tube [[triode]]." at:1909 fontsize:S text:"[[Karl Ferdinand Braun]] and Marconi receive Nobel Prize in physics, 'in recognition of their contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy'." at:1922 fontsize:S text:"[[BBC]] begins broadcasting from London." at:1928 fontsize:S text:"[[Julius Edgar Lilienfeld]] patents the transistor principle in Germany" at:1933 fontsize:S text:"[[Edwin Howard Armstrong|Edwin Armstrong]] patents FM ([[frequency modulation]])" at:1943 fontsize:S text:"Marconi's radio patents in the United States overturned due to prior art." at:1947 fontsize:S text:"[[William Shockley]], [[John Bardeen]] and [[Walter Brattain]] build the [[transistor]]." at:1956 fontsize:S text:"Shockley, Bardeen and Brattain receive the Nobel Prize in Physics for the invention of the transistor." </timeline> <noinclude> </noinclude> ==See also== * [[:Category:Radio pioneers]] * [[:Category:Radio people]] ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==References== * "Marconi Wireless Tel. Co. v. United States, 320 U.S. 1 (U.S. 1943)", 320 U.S. 1, 63 S. Ct. 1393, 87 L. Ed. 1731 Argued April 9,12, 1943. Decided June 21, 1943. http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/printer_friendly.pl?page=us/320/1.html * Anderson, L.I., "Priority in the Invention of Radio: Tesla vs. Marconi", Antique Wireless Association Monograph No. 4, March, 1980. * Anderson, L.I., "John Stone Stone on Nikola Tesla's Priority in Radio and Continuous-Wave Radiofrequency Apparatus", The A.W.A. (Antique Wireless Association) Review, Vol. 1, 1986, pp. 18-41. * Howeth, Captian H.S. [http://earlyradiohistory.us/1963hw.htm ''History of Communications – Electronics in the United States Navy''], published 1963, GPO, 657 pages. Free online public domain US government published book. * Wunsch, A.D., "Misreading the Supreme Court,” ''Antenna'', Volume 11 No. 1, November 1998, Society for the History of Technology http://www.mercurians.org/nov98/misreading.html * Brand, W.E., "Rereading the Supreme Court: Tesla's Invention of Radio", ''Antenna'', Volume 11 No. 2, May 1998, Society for the History of Technology http://www.mercurians.org/may99/rereading.html {{Morse code}} [[Category:Graphical timelines]] [[Category:History of radio]] [[Category:Nikola Tesla]] [[Category:Guglielmo Marconi]] [[Category:Discovery and invention controversies]]