Point to Point: A History of International Telecommunications During the Radio Years

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In the whirlwind of the modern digital electronic revolution the days of analogue electronics, when international telecommunications was conducted without satellites or fibre optic cables, are often forgotten if not unimagined. Yet for a substantial part of the 20th century this was the case, and the global telephone and telegraph services were carried through the medium of long wave and short wave radio.

This book tells the story, following the initial work of Marconi, of how radio technology developed from crude beginnings, into a reasonably sophisticated network, successfully competing against the cable network. Starting with electrical spark technology and evolving with valves, semi-conductors came late in the day for point to point radio. These systems were operated with minimal automation and a high degree of human intervention, managing and overcoming the limitations and difficulties of long distance radio propagation.

The relative efficiency of point to point radio and the cost of replacement satellite installations resulted in radio playing a part in international telecommunications up to the 1980’s, giving the author direct experience of this fascinating medium.