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Description
The first 50 watt Poulsen arc, brought back from Denmark by Cyril Elwell in mid-1909. (Rated 100w input, and 50w output.) Elwell obtained the U.S. rights to manufacture this invention of Valdemar Poulsen. The system used radio frequency energy generated by the arc to power a wireless transmitter to transmit either telegraphic signals or voice, and was considered superior to Marconi's spark transmitter. Its successful demonstration raised enough money from Palo Alto and Stanford investors to finance incorporation of the Poulsen Wireless Telephone and Telegraph Company (later reogranized as Federal Telegraph Company). As refined by Elwell and Leonard Fuller, the Poulsen arc was capable of transmitting a high power radio signal that could span thousands of mile. Ten years later, Federal's largest arc transmitter was rated at 1000 kilowatts.
Type
Image
Identifier
705C75E2-DEE6-4CC1-BE7C-853653657910 2003-1-236
Subject
Federal Telegraph Company Poulsen Arc Transmitter Electric arc (LCSH) Telegraph, Wireless (LCSH) Elwell, C. F. (Cyril Frank) Poulsen, Valdemar
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