[Lowfer] Rememberances or "I was a bootlegger too!"

[Ed Phillips]

Fun stories to read about spark transmitters, thanks.  I notice some  of the 
Tesla Coil builders are still advancing the state of the art for  spark 
transmitters, except they are just exciting a self-resonant secondary  coil by 
itself instead of an outdoor antenna. They have some good  articles on why rotary 
gaps work, using choke coils between the spark gap and  transformer secondary 
terminals, high Q primary RF transformer design and using  the newer small MMC 
capacitor banks for the primary high voltage capacitor. They  are getting the 
efficiency pretty high for a spark gap type transmitter circuit  these days!
73 Todd WD4NGG"

	You're right about the TC crew.  I made my first coil just under 70 years ago but got active again about 10 years ago with small coils - 3 foot sparks max which makes me a piker by today's standards.  You're right about the improved techniques and if you look at some of the stuff guys are building it's pretty unbelievable.  10 kW input is small by some people's standards!   Lots of work on Solid State coils too, both impulsive and CW.

	As for transmission experiments that's an interesting subject about which you may or may not familiar.  Several guys are trying to build wireless power transmission systems "a la Tesla", who proposed to transmit vast amounts of power worldwide and more or less lossly using a top loaded resonator with a big ground system.  He spoke of "pounding current into the ground" and his receivers were similar grounded resonators without antennas.  Right now the experiments are more aimed at proving there is ANY mechanism of far-field power transfer other than conventional radiation.  The most serious experimenter of which I'm aware is Gary Peterson in Colorado, who wants to perform experiments around 75 kHz and around 135 kHz.  He's already made a significant investment in equipment and is working to increase the power input to his "transmitter" above a few watts.  Although I didn't have any interest at the time I remember several reports here of commercial solid-state audio power amplifiers capable of several hundred watts of power at these frequencies and I suspect one of them might be of great interest to Gary.  Can anyone report on what's available now FOR REASONABLE PRICES, whatever they may be.  What's needed is RF power, not low distortion etc. etc.

Ed