Count Dohna and His SeaGull ^©

Wireless

At the outbreak of World War I, radio communication was in its infancy. Morse code signals could be transmitted over distances of a few thousand miles from miles-long land based aerials. Ships at sea with smaller antennas communicated with other ships at distances of less than 250 miles.

Germans naval and merchant ships utilized the German made Telefunken wireless apparatus. This equipment produced a unique tone, an unmistakable sound identifying the source as German. British ships carried the Marconi system producing a quite different tone, distinguishable as an Allied transmission. Hence, German raiders carried Marconi sets.

RELATED TOPICS:
International Morse Code

REFERENCES:
THE ROMANTIC CRUISE OF A PHANTOM GERMAN RAIDER, by Robert Jones.
  Robert Jones was the wireless operator on the Appam.
SIGNOR MARCONI'S MAGIC BOX, by Gavin Weightman.

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