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The First Virtual Meeting Was in 1916

(spectrum.ieee.org)
116 points rbanffy | 3 comments | 13 Nov 24 15:38 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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camtarn ◴[14 Nov 24 02:29 UTC] No.42132546[source]▶
I was wondering how they managed such an impressive signal fan-out - I thought that telephones at that time were purely powered by acoustic energy moving the coil in the microphone. Turns out that the amplifying telephone repeater had just been invented a few years previously, enabling transcontinental phone calls and - in this case - splitting a signal to be played in many places.

It must have been an incredibly exciting time to be alive.

https://ethw.org/First_Telephone_Repeater

replies(1): >>42132627 #
1. Aloha ◴[14 Nov 24 02:44 UTC] No.42132627[source]▶
Bear in mind, before this there was a mechanical repeater as well, which was a transmitter and receiver which were mechanically coupled.

A carbon mic is somewhat self-exciting and does provide an amplification factor.

replies(1): >>42132776 #
2. camtarn ◴[14 Nov 24 03:12 UTC] No.42132776[source]▶
Aha! For some reason I had it in my mind that early telephones were moving coil type, and the carbon mic came along later. You're absolutely correct - thanks for setting me right.
replies(1): >>42133303 #
3. Aloha ◴[14 Nov 24 05:04 UTC] No.42133303[source]▶
Its really an ingenious device, I've wanted to build one, just because I'm a phone nerd, think its cool.