DescriptionMarconi first monopole transmitter 1896.png
English: The first
spark gap radio transmitter with a
monopole antenna invented by radio pioneer
Guglielmo Marconi in 1895 and patented 1896 (
US patent 586193, G. Marconi, Transmitting electrical signals, filed 7 December 1896, granted 13 July 1897) during his development of the first radiotelegraphy communication system. It is a modification of
Heinrich Hertz's
dipole transmitter to give greater range. The invention of the monopole antenna was the breakthrough that enabled Marconi to transmit long distances, making radio practical. The short horizontal
dipole antennas Marconi had been using, invented by Heinrich Hertz, generated radio waves in the
very high frequency range which were limited to line of sight propagation. Marconi replaced one side of the dipole with a connection to ground and the other side with a metal plate "capacity area" suspended high above the ground. The lower frequency vertically polarized waves which this antenna produced propagated as
ground waves which followed the contour of the Earth, so they could travel beyond the visual horizon. The four balls are called a Righi spark gap, invented by Marconi's mentor
Augusto Righi, which was designed to reduce the energy lost in the spark.
Public domain works must be out of copyright in both the United States and in the source country of the work in order to be hosted on the Commons. If the work is not a U.S. work, the file must have an additional
copyright tag indicating the copyright status in the source country. Note: This tag should not be used for sound recordings.PD-1923Public domain in the United States//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marconi_first_monopole_transmitter_1896.png
DescriptionMarconi first monopole transmitter 1896.png
English: The first
spark gap radio transmitter with a
monopole antenna invented by radio pioneer
Guglielmo Marconi in 1895 and patented 1896 (
US patent 586193, G. Marconi, Transmitting electrical signals, filed 7 December 1896, granted 13 July 1897) during his development of the first radiotelegraphy communication system. It is a modification of
Heinrich Hertz's
dipole transmitter to give greater range. The invention of the monopole antenna was the breakthrough that enabled Marconi to transmit long distances, making radio practical. The short horizontal
dipole antennas Marconi had been using, invented by Heinrich Hertz, generated radio waves in the
very high frequency range which were limited to line of sight propagation. Marconi replaced one side of the dipole with a connection to ground and the other side with a metal plate "capacity area" suspended high above the ground. The lower frequency vertically polarized waves which this antenna produced propagated as
ground waves which followed the contour of the Earth, so they could travel beyond the visual horizon. The four balls are called a Righi spark gap, invented by Marconi's mentor
Augusto Righi, which was designed to reduce the energy lost in the spark.
Public domain works must be out of copyright in both the United States and in the source country of the work in order to be hosted on the Commons. If the work is not a U.S. work, the file must have an additional
copyright tag indicating the copyright status in the source country. Note: This tag should not be used for sound recordings.PD-1923Public domain in the United States//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marconi_first_monopole_transmitter_1896.png