Difference between revisions of "British Wireless Systems"

From The Dreadnought Project
Jump to: navigation, search
(→‎Short Distance Set)
m (→‎Short Distance Set)
Line 104: Line 104:
 
A low-power short distance set was desired to supplant flag signalling.  By the end of 1909, 11 sets had been purchased for installation and trial.<ref>''ARTS 1909 Wireless Appendix'', p. 2.</ref>
 
A low-power short distance set was desired to supplant flag signalling.  By the end of 1909, 11 sets had been purchased for installation and trial.<ref>''ARTS 1909 Wireless Appendix'', p. 2.</ref>
  
−
They were to be allocated to ''Dreadnought'', ''Bulwark'', ''Africa'', ''Bellerophon'', ''King Edward VII'', ''Vernon'', ''Lord Nelson'', ''Hibernia'', ''Agamemnon'', and ''Dominion'' with one set in reserve.<ref>''ARTS 1909 Wireless Appendix'', p. 25.</ref>
+
They were to be allocated to ''Dreadnought'', ''Bulwark'', ''Africa'', ''Bellerophon'', ''King Edward VII'', ''Vernon'', ''Lord Nelson'', ''Hibernia'', ''Agamemnon'', and ''Dominion'' with one set in reserve, to be installed behind armour and near the fore bridge when next the ships came in for refit.<ref>''ARTS 1909 Wireless Appendix'', p. 25.</ref>
  
 
==Airship Wireless Set==
 
==Airship Wireless Set==

Revision as of 20:48, 28 May 2012

The Royal Navy started using wireless telegraphy in a network of land- and ship-based installations starting around 1900. Their hardware evolved rapidly along a number of lines.

Tunes

The earliest sets in 1902 had a fixed single frequency. A second was introduced in 1903 which was dubbed "B" as the first was named "A".

By 1907, the following set of "tunes" was being supported variously by different hardware and doctrine of use:[1]

  • "A" (perhaps disused?)
  • "B" (perhaps disused?)
  • "D", 700 feet
  • "Q" (a commercial wave in less general use)
  • "R" 2,500 feet
  • "S", 3,300 feet
  • "T", 4,200 feet
  • "U", 5,000 feet

By 1908, the following changes were made:[2]

  • "P" 1,000 feet (a commercial wave in general use) was added
  • "V" and "W" 6,500 feet waves added, as provided in the International Convention
  • "X" ~10,000 feet, "Y" ~13,000 feet and "Z" 14,000 feet for high power stations

Service Gear Mark I

Developed by Captain H. B. Jackson, these early systems were functional but generally regarded as inferior to contemporary systems crafted by Marconi. They were known as "Jackson" equipment before the advent of Service Gear Mark II.

Soon after 1907, improvements allowed these to transmit between 700 and 6,500 feet wavelength, though 1,000 was generally the bottom end used, as the "D" tune at 700 feet required switching in additional condensers by one of two methods. The sets could transmit "Q", "R", "S", "T" and "U" tunes.[3]

Service Gear Mark I*

By 1908, these sets could transmit to the following vessels over the given ranges in miles at day/night:[4]

Receiving Ship Types "D" tune "P" tune "Q" tune "S", "U", "W" tunes
T.B.D. parent ships,
Battleships, 1st class Cruisers		 100/200 150/300 200/400 150/250
2nd class Cruisers 80/160 120/240 160/320 120/200
3rd class Cruisers 70/140 105/210 140/280 105/175
Scout Cruisers 60/120 90/180 120/240 90/150

Between 27 April and 8 May, 1909, Furious and Vernon tested and achived 300 miles by day and 500 by night on tunes "Q" to "W" at 2.4 Kw power. It was thought that small ships would do 200/400 miles.[5]

Marconi Gear

Signor Marconi's equipment was developed in a collegial competition alongside the early Jackson gear. When the two systems did not prove identical, the Marconi systems almost always proved superior.

Service Gear Mark II

By 1901, the early Jackson gear was refined in Vernon into a "Wireless Telegraphy Apparatus, Mark II" thought to be more nearly equal to the Marconi design. Fifty-two such sets were ordered, and known by their serial numbers.[6]

By 1908, these sets could transmit to the following vessels over the given ranges in miles at day/night:[7]

Receiving Ship Types "P" tune "Q" tune "S", "U", "W" tunes
Battleships, 1st class Cruisers 200/400 400/800 500/800
2nd class Cruisers 160/320 320/640 400/640
3rd class Cruisers 140/280 280/560 350/560
Scout Cruisers 120/240 240/480 300/480

The great virtue of the system was thought to be how easily its musical note overcame atmospheric interference. Indomitable steamed to Quebec soon after completion and this provided a good opportunity to test her radio communication to the matching Mark II set in Vernon. The longest ranges at night were 1,400 miles on "Q", "R" and "S", while by day "S", "T" and "U" delivered 730 miles. "S", "T", "U", "V" and "W" gave consistently greater ranges than "Q" and "R" by day, but by night "Q" and "R" carried further than the longer wave lengths. No tuning did as well during the day as the worst tuning did at night. The general conclusion was that 100 miles by night and 500 by day was assured.[8]

In 1909, ideas were being bandied about to try to afford a reduced range mode of use for the transmitters. The best solution found was to employ a "Full"/"Reduced" switch to introduce an additional impedance coil.[9]

"C" Tune Gear

There is mention in ARTS 1907 of "C Tune Sets", which may have shared some common traits with Service Mark II sets and which may not have referred to a frequency.[10]

By 1908, these sets could transmit to the following vessels over the given ranges in miles at day/night:[11]

Receiving Ship Types "S", "U", "W" tunes
Battleships, 1st class Cruisers 250/500
2nd class Cruisers 200/400
3rd class Cruisers 175/350
Scout Cruisers 150/300

There were only a few of these, at least given to just nine ships by 1908:[12]

All nine were replaced by Service Mark II systems in 1909, or were to be when they next came in "for large refit".[13] They could transmit on "S", "U" and "W" tunes at least.[14]

Destroyer Set

These generally could transmit on "D" (700 feet) and monitor "D" and other wavelengths up to 6,500 feet (through "U", at least).

By 1908, these were judged capable of sending on "D" to any ship over 50 miles by day and 60 by night.[15]

By the end of 1909, all new destroyers were being fitted with these and 45 sets were at sea.[16]

By the end of 1909, 43 destroyers were fitted. Those equipped in 1909 were Kale, Ghurka, Crusader, Colne, Amazon, Nubian, Coassack, Saracen, Mohawk, Tartar and Maori.[17]

Short Distance Set

A low-power short distance set was desired to supplant flag signalling. By the end of 1909, 11 sets had been purchased for installation and trial.[18]

They were to be allocated to Dreadnought, Bulwark, Africa, Bellerophon, King Edward VII, Vernon, Lord Nelson, Hibernia, Agamemnon, and Dominion with one set in reserve, to be installed behind armour and near the fore bridge when next the ships came in for refit.[19]

Airship Wireless Set

In 1909, one had been designed.[20]


See Also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1907, Wireless Appendix pp. 34-41, 44.
  2. ↑ ARTS 1908 Wireless Appendix, pp. 6, 13.
  3. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1907, Wireless Appendix pp. 36-7, 57-8.
  4. ↑ ARTS 1908 Wireless Appendix, p. 13.
  5. ↑ ARTS 1909 Wireless Appendix, p. 21.
  6. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1901, pp. 105-6.
  7. ↑ ARTS 1908 Wireless Appendix, p. 13.
  8. ↑ ARTS 1908 Wireless Appendix, p. 14.
  9. ↑ ARTS 1909 Wireless Appendix, p. 13.
  10. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1907, Wireless Appendix pp. 41-42.
  11. ↑ ARTS 1908 Wireless Appendix, p. 13.
  12. ↑ ARTS 1908 Wireless Appendix, p. 13.
  13. ↑ ARTS 1909 Wireless Appendix, p. 13.
  14. ↑ ARTS 1908 Wireless Appendix, p. 13.
  15. ↑ ARTS 1908 Wireless Appendix, p. 13.
  16. ↑ ARTS 1909 Wireless Appendix, p. 2.
  17. ↑ ARTS 1909 Wireless Appendix, p. 25.
  18. ↑ ARTS 1909 Wireless Appendix, p. 2.
  19. ↑ ARTS 1909 Wireless Appendix, p. 25.
  20. ↑ ARTS 1909 Wireless Appendix, p. 3.

Bibliography

Retrieved from "http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php?title=British_Wireless_Systems&oldid=34934"