Spark Gap Transmitters and Receivers

Spark_gap_transmitter_diagramI was watching the Discovery Channel’s post-Apocalyptic show, The Colony-Season One, last night and was quite intrigued by the ‘Professor’s’ Spark Gap Transmitter project.  Both he and the lady who is a rocket scientist worked to complete both a transmitter and receiver from spare junk left behind in an 80,000-foot warehouse they now called home.

I began seeing the importance of such a completed project.   The transmitter immediately presented itself as a solution to communications needs for militias around the United States who might be able to communicate with one another by Morse code, if possible.  Such a transmitter would allow militia members to quickly switch stations using the old technology to avoid the bad guys from listening to their communications.

NOTE: According to the blogs I read while researching the subject, I discovered that it is illegal to use such a transmitter within the United States of America.  It is alright to build it, however it is illegal to connect it to an antenna and use the transmit key.  This, however, did not stop the show’s participants (All of this was done in California) from creating and testing it, as well as creating a flamethrower and other interesting contraptions for survival in additional episodes from the show.

Should the war begin, the option of being able to communicate without being discovered by the bad guys in more than one possible means will be necessary.  Legality will not be a question in the absence of law…anarchy.  The militias will work to restore U.S. Constitutional law and order and to alleviate government anarchy.

I have researched some great websites for information on how to procure plans for building one’s own transmitter and receiver.  The only thing left to do is for patriots to practice and learn the Morse code that will be needed to operate the transmitters.

Sources Cited

Websites for Transmitter Plans

http://www.qsl.net/ab0cw/sparktx.htm

http://www.qsl.net/ab0cw/index.htm

http://www.hammondmuseumofradio.org/spark.html

Transmitter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BG4jaQ6G1M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dx1sf2gVig

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED6s6-K65qk&list=PLC2ACEA7FAEB1846A

http://radios.no-ip.info/spark.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark-gap_transmitter

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.adventuresinhifiaudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/spark-gap.png&imgrefurl=http://www.adventuresinhifiaudio.com/02/08/2010/the-development-of-radio-dit-dit-dit-to-dab/&h=321&w=650&sz=25&tbnid=mO1y4SA8i2xAXM:&tbnh=62&tbnw=126&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dspark%2Bgap%2Btransmitter%2Bplans%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=spark+gap+transmitter+plans&usg=__RSaPxXmyK_Gy8ieDMAY7jGFesYE=&docid=CXl3u-6IbSv8YM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=WnQRUb-bCebziwKY7YCwAw&ved=0CE4Q9QEwBA&dur=2136

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Spark_gap_transmitter_diagram.png/220px-Spark_gap_transmitter_diagram.png&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark-gap_transmitter&h=217&w=220&sz=39&tbnid=vvkoFVvi78gjxM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=91&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dmarconi%2Bspark%2Btransmitter%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=marconi+spark+transmitter&usg=__D0zv0Yvul_UUmuv2wiS7CbbNdGY=&docid=FoCLamWZZ6We1M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=NHYRUav2HYbCigLl9oHIAg&ved=0CDoQ9QEwAQ

http://www.google.com/search?q=spark+gap+transmitter+plans&hl=en&tbo=u&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=WnQRUb-bCebziwKY7YCwAw&ved=0CEMQsAQ&biw=1301&bih=588#imgrc=Uhj9t3fnwwwaRM%3A%3BKdysPA1kCmyD6M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.telegraph-office.com%252Fpages%252Fimages%252FSchematic_Gap.gif%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.telegraph-office.com%252Fpages%252Fquenched_gap.html%3B326%3B248

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kb8wfh/106137726/

http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/tesla/esp_tesla_17.htm

Receiver

http://www.neazoi.com/xtalpage/index.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_radio

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Radio_receiver_1914.jpg

 

Morse Code (‘The Code’)

http://www.google.com/search?q=morse+code&hl=en&tbo=u&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=jp0RUZygFI3MigLYsIHYDg&ved=0CEUQsAQ&biw=1301&bih=588#imgrc=xs42Na3VBMBY7M%3A%3BsE2eVtKioyVenM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F4.bp.blogspot.com%252F-2EtLQSCdhKU%252FUD-qIwYg33I%252FAAAAAAAAI1I%252FchTMI1jxxNY%252Fs1600%252FMorsecode%252Bletters.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fang-enuity.blogspot.com%252F2012%252F08%252Fdiy-morse-code-jewelry.html%3B1600%3B885

© Sean T. Taeschner, M.Ed.

4 thoughts on “Spark Gap Transmitters and Receivers

  1. “NOTE: According to the blogs I read while researching the subject, I discovered that it is illegal to use such a transmitter within the United States of America. It is alright to build it, however it is illegal to connect it to an antenna and use the transmit key.”

    HAHAHA!!! Isn’t it great how it’s perfectly LEGAL if they can track you when you are using the device, but if they can’t then it’s ILLEGAL. Yet if we can track them, it’s ILLEGAL and if we can’t track them, then it’s perfectly LEGAL. So much for checks and balances. Our government is so pathetic, paranoid and one sided. I’m so sick of it.

  2. the reason they are illegal is because they are so wideband that the “spark” will show up on anything with an antenna.
    wifi, cellfones, tv, radio – everything.

    it’s the same as the interference you can get from a brush-ac motor in a drill for example – only much worse!

    if you want to make a short-range jammer on this principle,
    just get a dc relay, and wire the coil through it’s “normally closed” or NC contacts.

    when you put 12v (or whatever the voltage is) through it, it will constantly disconnect & reconnect itself generating a buzzing sound and a lot of RF interference from the constant sparking of the contacts!

    btw, morse is a bad idea – use a “word book” like spy’s did.
    so for example a morse code of 27-5 would mean the word at position 27 of page 5.

    the trick to this is not letting the enemy who will be listening from finding out what book is being used.
    you can go further by saying stuff like, add the day of the month to the word-value before transmission so the code changes each day.

  3. Havent we remained DOCILE and quiet long enough,quit being pussies and start acting like men instead of little scared children.Stand up !get off your knees! and quit begging like slaves! FEAR IS THE MIND KILLER. they have nothing to peddle but fear. I have found that a loud manly F U while looking them strait in the eye changes the conversation right now. Get Mad I mean mad dog mad the truth loves the light dont be scared fear is the mind killer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Steve

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