Wireless Giant of the Pacific

Table of contents :
Point Reyes National Seashore......Page 197

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Wireless Giant of the Pacific Written and Compiled by Eric P. Dollard

Published by A&P Electronic Media Liberty Lake, Washington

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Cover Layout: Book Layout

Aaron Murakami Peter Lindemann A&P Electronic Media Liberty Lake, Washington

Front Cover 3D Graphic: Interior Images by:

Copyright © 2013 Copyright © 2013

Aaron Murakami Various Sources

Eric P. Dollard (Author, copyright for content) A&P Electronic Media (Publisher, copyright for layout)

All Rights Reserved, Worldwide. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in an electronic retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, without the prior, written permission of the copyright holders or the publisher. Unauthorized copying of this digital file is a criminal offense and prohibited by International Law.

Digital Edition Published by:

A&P Electronic Media PO Box 713 Liberty Lake, WA 99019 http://emediapress.com/

Book Version 1.00 - Release Date: September, 2013

First Edition: First Printing: September, 2013 Digital Format: PDF File 50,000 Authorized Downloads

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Editor's Note and Disclaimer The author of this work is 100% responsible for its content. Most of the material presented here has been used as "camera ready" images as they were submitted by the author. When retyped, they have only been edited to the extent considered necessary for clarity. Therefore, the material is not entirely formatted as a new publication. It is presented as a collection of historic documents punctuated by the author's commentary, as well as the reproduction of a huge collection of the author's original, mathematical and technical analysis, as it was originally written in his research notebooks. The views and opinions expressed in this book are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or legal position of the editor or publisher. Some of the material presented here is controversial, and suggests misconduct by certain parties against the author and the historic site at Bolinas, California. We believe that the material that supports each party's position is of sufficient clarity for the reader to make up their own mind concerning their veracity. Our interest in publishing this material is related specifically to the historic relevance of the technical information and its relationship to the history of wireless communications technology and the development of commercial and military radio in its first 50 years. We also recognize that large corporations are in the business of "making money" and that in that pursuit, the technologies utilized can change in value over time. These fluctuations of "perceived value" by the various parties, concerning the site at Bolinas, California, are certainly well documented in this material. The author's technical evaluation of how these early "wireless" transmitters worked and upon whose patents they were based is a unique historic perspective that deserves publication. This has been our sole interest in being involved with the project. If there is sufficient interest, a fully formatted presentation of this material could be developed at some point in the future.

A&P Electronic Media

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Dedication: This book is dedicated to the remarkable crew of the Bolinas Radio Transmission Facility; Chief Engineer: Manager: Technician/Machinist: Chief Rigger:

Frank Spicer Gus Kouats Ivan Neilson Jim Bourne

These individuals created the legend of KET-KPH at Bolinas, California. Also to be noted are the efforts of District VicePresident Jim Hepburn, who facilitated the transfer of out-dated equipment to scientific endeavors, leading to the writing of this manuscript. Eric P. Dollard

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Preface

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Table of Contents Dedication

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Table of Contents .

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Introduction.

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Preface

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PART ONE

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The History of Electric Wireless and its Relation to the Bolinas, California Transmission Facility

Chapter One . The Bolinas Site

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Chapter Two . . . Marconi and His Wireless

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Chapter Three . . . . . The Radio Corporation of America

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Chapter Four . Dr. Alexanderson

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Chapter Five . . . The San Francisco Bay Area

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Chapter Six Nikola Tesla

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Chapter Seven . . . The Commonweal Question

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PART TWO

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Physical and Historical Reconstruction of the Electrostatic Wireless Section 1) Section 2) Section 3) Section 4) Section 5) Section 6) Section 7) Section 8) Section 9) Section 10) Section 11) Section 12) Section 13) Section 14) Section 15)

Historical Sequence . . . . . . The Initial Layout . . . . . . Marconi Aerial Dimensions . . . Aerial Electric Dimensions . . . The Alexanderson Layout . . Additional Structures . . . . . Ground Structure Details . . . First Section Compensator . . . Second Section Compensator . . End or Third Section Compensator Compensator Detail Input Section . Third Phase Development . . . Fourth Phase Development . . . Location of Artifacts . . . . . Photos, Illustrations, and Articles .

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PART THREE

Page 290 Alexanderson Aerial Electric Dimensions Section 1) Section 2) Section 3)

Aerial Electric Constants . Supporting Illustrations . Experimental Scale Model

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APPENDICES Appendix I Appendix II Appendix III

Experimental Networks . Complex Electric Theory . Historic Patents . . . .

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Introduction

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PART ONE The History of Electric Wireless and its relation to the Bolinas, California Transmission Facility

Chapter One The Bolinas Site Author Commentary: pages 14 - 16 Historic Documents: pages 17 - 49

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Chapter Two Marconi and His Wireless Author Commentary: pages 51 - 56 Historic Documents: pages 57 - 89

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Chapter Three The Radio Corporation of America Author Commentary: pages 91 - 103 Historic Documents: pages 104 - 130

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Chapter Four Dr. Alexanderson Author Commentary: pages 132 - 137 Historic Documents: pages 138 - 151

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Chapter Five The San Francisco Bay Area Author Commentary: pages 153 - 156 Historic Documents: pages 157 - 166

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Chapter Six Nikola Tesla Author Commentary: pages 168 - 169 Historic Documents: pages 170 - 185

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Chapter Seven The Commonweal Question Author Commentary: pages 187 - 195 Historic Documents: pages 196 - 221

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Marconi Power House Building, current condition 189

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The following citation was taken from the National Park Service website on September 18, 2013 http://www.nps.gov/history/cultural_landscapes/snp/725189.html

RCA Transmitting Station Point Reyes National Seashore Marin County, CA The Marconi/RCA Bolinas Transmitting Station is an approximately 422 acre designed landscape that is located on the southwestern side of the Point Reyes peninsula, around two miles northwest of the city of Bolinas on Mesa Road. Located on mostly level terrain at an elevation of roughly 180 feet above sea level, the property historically associated with the station extends from Mesa Road southwest to the Pacific shore with grazing pastures to the north and south. The area for the transmitting station was selected because of its level, low vegetation, elevated topography and its isolated location away from natural and man made atmospheric signals that could have interfered with transmission. The historic district is comprised of improvements dating from the Marconi and RCA eras, including the majority of the buildings and structures. The RCA/Marconi Bolinas Transmitting Station is within the Marconi/RCA Bolinas Transmitting Station and RCA Point Reyes Receiving Station Historic District that is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The Transmitting Station is significant at a national level under Criteria A and C with a period of significance from 1913 to 1973. Under Criterion A, the district is significant for being the location of events that have greatly contributed to the development of early wireless communications systems throughout the country. Under Criterion C, the district is significant for its highly designed Mission Revival buildings from the Marconi era and Art Deco buildings that date from the RCA era. The period of significance covers over half a century, beginning with the initial Marconi Corporation development of the Transmitting Station in 1913 and extending to 1973 when point to point radio service was discontinued due to advances in satellite based communications. This period encompasses the major development of the roads, buildings, structures, antenna fields, and fence lines within the station property.

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The Marconi/RCA Bolinas Transmitting Station operated without interruption as a radio transmitting station for over sixty years until its purchase by the National Park Service in 1979. It appears today much as it did during the period of significance and retains its historical integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. The Transmitting Station complex contains fourteen historic buildings and structures, organized in three clusters on the property. Contributing resources include the Antenna Field, Marconi Transmitter Building, Marconi Hotel, Marconi Cottage 1, Marconi Cottage 2, Marconi Tennis Court, Marconi Pedestrian Bridge, RCA Transmitter Building, RCA Garage, RCA Switching Building, RCA Cooling Tower Foundation/ Reservoirs, Marconi Cooling Tower Foundation, RCA Tuning Building, RCA Generator Building, and Historic Road Network. Non contributing resources include the Commonweal Meditation Hut, Commonweal Pump House, and Commonweal Sauna. The historic character of the Marconi/RCA Bolinas Transmitting Station is still evident in the following landscape characteristics: natural systems and features, spatial organization, land use, buildings and structures, small scale features, circulation, vegetation, and archeological sites. Based on the evaluation of these characteristics, the cultural landscape at the Transmitting Station exhibits key patterns, relationships, and features that convey the historical significance of the station.

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PART TWO Physical and Historical Reconstruction of the Bolinas Electrostatic Wireless Aerial-Ground Structure

Section 1) Section 2) Section 3) Section 4) Section 5) Section 6) Section 7) Section 8) Section 9) Section 10) Section 11) Section 12) Section 13) Section 14) Section 15)

Historical Sequence The Initial Layout Marconi Aerial Dimensions Aerial Electric Dimensions The Alexanderson Layout Additional Structures Ground Structure Details First Section Compensator Second Section Compensator End or Third Section Compensator Compensator Details Input Section Third Phase Development Fourth Phase Development Location of Artifacts Photos, Illustrations, and Articles

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PART THREE Alexanderson Aerial Electric Dimensions Section 1) Section 2) Section 3)

Aerial Electric Constants . Supporting Illustrations . Experimental Scale Model

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Preface In the study of the history of the Bolinas electrostatic wireless, the Alexanderson system is of important interest to the theoretical electrical engineer. Since the Alexanderson principle still may play an important role in radio antenna development, a detailed analysis is given for the electrical operating characteristics and the physical layout of the Alexanderson aerialground structure and associated compensator networks. While lacking in exactness with regard to the actual Bolinas aerial, it functions in the same manner, and can be considered a "re-invention" of the system. Analog and scale models are developed for analytical study and historic representation.

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Alexanderson Aerial Electric Constants

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APPENDICES APPENDIX I

Experimental Networks . . . Page 310

APPENDIX II

Complex Electric Theory . . . Page 321

APPENDIX III

Historic Patents . . . . . . Page 340

Tesla . . . Marconi . . Alexanderson Heising . .

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US Patent #1,119,732 US Patent #586,193 US Patent #1,360,167 US Patent #1,562,961

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Appendix III Historic Patents Nikola Tesla .

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US Patent #1,119,731

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Guglielmo Marconi

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US Patent #586,193

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Ernst Alexanderson

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US Patent #1,360,167

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Raymond Heising .

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US Patent #1,562,961

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Nikola Tesla

First Generation Electrostatic Wireless US Patent #1,119,732 Demonstrated Experimentally, but Unrealized Commercially (Colorado Springs Experiments and Basis of Wardenclyffe)

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Second Generation Electrostatic Wireless US Patent #586,193 Starting Place for First Commercial Development (First System at Bolinas)

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Third Generation Electrostatic Wireless US Patent #1,360,167 Fully Developed and Implemented Commercially (Second System at Bolinas)

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Adaptation of Third Generation Electrostatic Wireless (end of period) US Patent #1,562,961 Yet to be developed to its full potential

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