The Introduction of FM Radio (A)

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Northeastern University *

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ENGLISH CO

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English

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Oct 30, 2023

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docx

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The text discusses the introduction of FM radio technology and its inventor, Edwin Howard Armstrong. In 1933, David Sarnoff witnessed Armstrong's "staticless" radio invention that eliminated the problem of static or clicking caused by atmospheric charges. Sarnoff, who was the president of RCA, had to decide what to do about the new technology, which was incompatible with the existing AM technology. The text also briefly covers the history of radio technology, starting with Guglielmo Marconi's wireless telegraphy invention in 1894. The text discusses Lee de Forest, his childhood, and his contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy. De Forest invented a receiver called the "responder" that allowed for more sensitive earphones, and he went on to found the De Forest Wireless Telegraph Company with Abraham White. However, there were allegations that the company was part of a scam to sell stock to the gullible public. De Forest lost a patent suit to Reginald Fessenden and resigned from his company, losing most of his patents. He did, however, retain one for a small incandescent tube to detect wireless waves, which was not an original invention and owed its origins to Thomas Edison and John Fleming. The text discusses Lee de Forest's invention of the audion, which introduced the use of a grid to regulate the flow of electrons and amplify them, marking the birth of modern electronics. De Forest sold the rights to the audion to AT&T for $50,000, not realizing that the anonymous purchaser was AT&T. The text also mentions Reginald Fessenden, who successfully generated continuous waves for voice and music transmission using an alternating-current generator from General Electric Company. Fessenden sued de Forest for patent infringement in 1903. The text discusses Reginald Fessenden's contribution to the concept of broadcasting, which involved sending words of a general nature to a broad audience. Fessenden also discovered the heterodyne principle, which allowed for the creation of an audible wave by mixing two high- frequency waves. The text then shifts to Edwin Howard Armstrong, who was inspired by books on science and engineering as a child and later enrolled in Columbia University to study electrical engineering. Armstrong became interested in understanding how Lee de Forest's audion worked and discovered that feeding the oscillating current from the plate back into the grid circuit could amplify it again, leading to the creation of the regenerative receiver. This text discusses the contributions of several inventors to the development of radio technology. Lee de Forest invented the Audion, which became the first amplifier of radio signals. Reginald Fessenden developed a high-frequency generator that allowed for the transmission of voice and music, as well as the heterodyne principle. Edwin Howard Armstrong improved upon de Forest's invention by developing the regenerative receiver, which allowed for the amplification of radio signals, and later discovered that the vacuum tube could be used to transmit continuous radio waves. However, Armstrong's failure to disclose the transmitting abilities of his circuit in his patent application would lead to legal disputes for the rest of his life. The text discusses the history of radio and the contributions of several inventors including Fleming, De Forest, Fessenden, and Armstrong. Fleming discovered that a vacuum tube could convert radio waves into an electrical current and De Forest later added a "grid" to the tube,

creating the audion, which could amplify signals. Fessenden created a high-frequency generator for transmitting voice and music, and Armstrong improved on De Forest's audion with his regenerative circuit, which allowed for amplification of signals. De Forest attempted to patent a similar circuit, leading to a patent dispute between him and Armstrong. Armstrong also developed the superheterodyne circuit, which allowed for more efficient signal processing and later improved it with the discovery of superregeneration. Finally, Armstrong and Houck simplified the circuit so that it could be mass-produced, and Armstrong received additional shares of RCA. The text provides information on David Sarnoff, who was born in Russia in 1891 and moved to New York's lower East Side with his family when he was nine. At 15, he began working as an office boy for the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America, and he quickly rose through the ranks. By 1913, he was the company's chief inspector in charge of equipment on ships entering New York harbor and held the title of assistant chief engineer. Sarnoff witnessed Armstrong's demonstration of the regenerative receiver in December 1913 and saw its potential. The text discusses the rise of David Sarnoff, who started his career as an office boy at the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America in 1906 and rose through the ranks to become the commercial manager of the company in 1917. Sarnoff was instrumental in the company's decision to pursue the idea of a "Radio Music Box," which he believed would make radio a "household utility" like the piano or phonograph. The Radio Music Box would be a receiver that could be mounted in one box, placed on a table in the parlor or living room, and receive music wirelessly through a single transmitter. Sarnoff believed that if the Radio Music Box were manufactured in quantities of 100,000, it could sell for $75 per outfit and yield a gross business of $75 million. Sarnoff's memo proposing the Radio Music Box was left unanswered by Marconi's top management, but he was promoted to the position of commercial manager in January 1917.  In 1919, the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America faced a problem in obtaining advanced technology such as powerful alternating current generators and vacuum tubes due to government concerns about foreign control over advanced technology.  The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was incorporated in October 1919 to protect and advance American interests in the world.  David Sarnoff played an important role in RCA's establishment and was promoted to commercial manager in 1917, overseeing government contracts and customer relations.  In 1920, Sarnoff proposed his vision for RCA to become the world's dominant radio company, including his proposal for a Radio Music Box that could bring music into people's homes.  RCA's Board granted Sarnoff $2,500 to develop a sample box, and Dr. Alfred Goldsmith adapted his design to a prototype for production, which he called the "radiola."

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