Glossary
Aerial Wire: A wire, pole, or other metal object used to send and receive wireless signals. Also known as an antenna. Go back
Antenna: See ‘Aerial Wire.’ Go back
Colony of Newfoundland: England established their first colony in Cupids, Newfoundland, in 1610. Newfoundland (including Labrador) became an official Colony of England in 1825. Go back
Curvature of the Earth: The Earth is round, which limits how far you can see in any direction. The areas beyond the horizon are on the surface of the Earth that has curved below your line of sight. Neither light nor radio waves, which both travel in a straight line, follow the curvature of the Earth. Go back
Direction Finding Service (DFS): DFS stations transmitted signals that ships could receive and use to calculate their precise location. Go back
Dominion of Newfoundland: The Colony of Newfoundland became a Dominion in 1907. The change gave Newfoundland more self-governance, although some of its affairs were still overseen by England. The Dominion of Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949 and became the Province of Newfoundland (later Newfoundland and Labrador). Go back
Funding: Money provided by a person or an organization to pay for a specific project. Go back
Generator: A machine that produces electricity. Many wireless stations had their own generators. Go back
Government of Newfoundland: The governing body of the Colony or Dominion of Newfoundland. Labrador was included within the area of both the colony and the dominion, but not by name until 2001. Go back
Ground: A ground (often a wire) is an electrical connection between an object and the Earth. Radio antennas are “grounded” for different reasons. Generally speaking, “grounding” helps send and receive clearer messages. Go back
Interference: Noise or a confusion of signals that prevent a radio signal from being clearly received or heard. Many things can cause interference, such as bad weather, some types of appliances, or even solar flares. Go back
Ionosphere: A layer of Earth’s atmosphere that is full of ions and free electrons. It exists between 50 and 1,000 kilometers above Earth’s surface and can reflect radio waves back down to the planet’s surface. Go back
Long Range Navigation Station: Long-range navigation transmitters (LORAN) send signals that help ships confirm their location. The transmitters send out a continual signal, which ships receive and from which they can calculate their location. Go back
Monopoly: A monopoly exists when an individual or business controls an entire resource or is the only provider of a product or service. In situations such as the AATC monopoly, which existed because of a contract between a company and the government, a monopoly can be legally enforced. Go back
Morse Code: A communications system used to send messages by transmitting letters and numbers into a series of dots and dashes. Go back
Patent: A license granted to an individual or business that gives them sole right to make, use, or sell an object. Go back
Ship-To-Shore Telephone System: A communications system that allows a person aboard a ship to connect to the landline telephone system and contact anyone with a phone. Go back
Telegraph Networks: A group of interconnected telegraph stations that can send messages to each other. Go back
Telegraph Recorder: A device that records incoming telegraph messages. It draws the incoming message on a strip of paper. While convenient, telegraph recorders required a clear message and a strong signal to work properly. Go back
Wavelength: Radio signals move in waves. The distance between a point on one wave and the same point on the next one is the wavelength. Marconi invented a device that could control thea station was sending or receiving and thus produce clearer messages with less interference. Go back
Wireless Telegraphy: The use of electronic devices to perform telegraphy through means that do not require a physical connection, such as telephone or radio wires. Examples include cell phones, Wi-Fi, or radios. Go back