Radio Transforms from Yesterday’s Ship-to-Shore to Today’s Smart Phones
From telegraphs to wireless connecting people around the world radio technology has come a long way. Amazingly wireless network data traffic has grown by about 400 percent since 2006. Yet almost 90 years ago, a ‘radio-phoning’ experimental installation on the Chicago elevated railroad produced predictions about being able to call home while in transit to ask about dinner. What once was a far-out idea is now a daily occurrence as many of us check in from the train or car on the way home from the office.
The radio and wireless communications that we know today come from roots in the military and government—still strong users leading today’s innovations.
The earliest communications used the telegraph to transmit Morse code and were used primarily for ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship communication. Proving perfect for sea-faring, wireless signals become the standard when in 1901 the U.S. Navy adopted a wireless communication system to replace visual signaling and homing pigeons.
