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1921 Spark Gap Transmitter / Ham Radio

This is an operating reproduction exhibit I built of a 1921 spark gap transmitter used by Amateur Radio operator John Westcott, W8AGA. It was built for a house museum where John once lived and operated his transmitter, but the museum reneged on its agreement with the radio club and the exhibit was never installed.

Uploaded by: kb8wfh
Tags for this video: spark gap ham amateur radio Morse transmitter

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not Norbert but I ... ( 2 years ago by Izgiftd1)

not Norbert but I wouldn't mind any info you could send on HAM radios, Im just seeing the usefullness of it and could use whatever info you have

this is cool i plan ... ( 2 years ago by jc4def)

this is cool i plan on building one of these for my senior project :]

now was the antenna ... ( 2 years ago by popeyeus)

now was the antenna capacitor to remove the dc current and pass only rf or was it straight high voltage modulated at rf frequencies like lightning static crashes?

was the antenna ... ( 2 years ago by popeyeus)

was the antenna capacitor coupled to remove the high voltage and pass only the radio frequency modulation of the spark gap or was the antenna hot along with the key?

Very good! ( 2 years ago by WA5MUF)

Very good!

It's a little hard ... ( 2 years ago by romeo9k)

It's a little hard to hear, but isn't the call sign W8AGL? Maybe that last dot goes with something else, but it sounds like part of the last letter of the call sign. Anyway, those sparks look way cool. Ham radio back in the day.

I had to splice ... ( 1 year ago by kb8wfh)

I had to splice some footage and the last letter did get a bit mutled. The call is W8AGA, that of John Westcott who operated the original SPT in a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright here in Springfield.

The capacitor AND ... ( 1 year ago by kb8wfh)

The capacitor AND the coil were used as a tuned circuit, but also removed teh direct current. The antenna is not directly in contact with the spark/capacitor/out coil circuit.

I would definitely ... ( 1 year ago by zker666)

I would definitely use this for a tesla coil!

I'd love to hear ... ( 1 year ago by AlienRelics)

I'd love to hear what it sounds like in a receiver. Wouldn't this be a "singing gap"? I think that is what it is called... essentially AM modulated CW, modulated by the rotating spark gap.

Array ( 1 year ago by w5txrmark)

Very Nice!
You must be a craftsman too.

Any schematics and ... ( 1 year ago by N5VAG)

Any schematics and measurements and things like that on building your own reproduction spark gap transmitter? I would like to build one just for historical purposes. It would also be fun to hear what they sounded like on the air on a special event if they have one since I missed the golden age of radio in the 1920s and 1930s by about 60 years hihi.
73 de N5VAG

Those Were the " ... ( 1 year ago by Quadsly100)

Those Were the "Good O'le Days. I think .. Just "not" for The Titanic!!

Looks almost like a ... ( 1 year ago by wackyvorlon)

Looks almost like a tesla coil.

couldnt you ... ( 1 year ago by zker666)

couldnt you possibly modernize this by bypassing the switch with a relay driven from a MOSFET driven from a digital circuit so you can program the calls?

Awesome! ( 1 year ago by wa1ufo)

Awesome!

@zker666 Sure, I ... ( 1 year ago by kb8wfh)

@zker666 Sure, I suppose you could. The key actually triggers a relay under the table to there is no direct linkage to the transformer current. So you could set up a digital circuit to turn the relay on and off as programmed

@N5VAG I do, but ... ( 1 year ago by kb8wfh)

@N5VAG I do, but they are all packed away. When I go through them, I will see if I an scna them in and post them sometime.

@kb8wfh i think ... ( 1 year ago by krimskrams)

@kb8wfh i think many people will be greatly obliged to you. i would love to have a showpiece like this! do please help us reconstruct these beauties! :)

this is back when ... ( 1 year ago by jsmythib)

this is back when communications and welding were not unlike animals :)

The iteresting ... ( 11 months ago by teslacult)

The iteresting thing is that the impulse wave that a device like this transmits tavels so much better than modern transmition wave forms.

What a great era in ... ( 9 months ago by emwavemhz)

What a great era in radio history! I find it interesting that ships at sea could hold QSO's out to as much as 1500 miles with spark transmitters and crystal diode receivers on long wave frequencies to be fantastic. I think we have missed a great time to have been radio operators. 73's

I love it. That's ... ( 5 months ago by essoterric)

I love it. That's CQ with real soul.