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From: greg@utcsri.UUCP (Gregory Smith)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Tesla Coil - broadcast power
Message-ID: <3803@utcsri.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 16-Dec-86 16:28:10 EST
Article-I.D.: utcsri.3803
Posted: Tue Dec 16 16:28:10 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 17-Dec-86 06:57:52 EST
References: <4815@reed.UUCP> <823@A60.UUCP> <824@A60.UUCP> <904@sfsup.UUCP> <6204@mhuxu.UUCP> <324@csustan.UUCP>
Reply-To: greg@utcsri.UUCP (Gregory Smith)
Organization: CSRI, University of Toronto
Lines: 18
Summary: Broadcast power ??

It seems to me that the broadcast power idea wouldn't have worked.  If
you created a powerful oscillating magnetic or radio field, over the
whole earth, at whatever frequency, eddy currents would be induced in
any metal object.  Huge amounts of power would be required just to
drive all these currents, even if no 'antennas' (to tap the power) were
in use. Given the number of large metal objects on the planet (bridges,
battleships, skyscraper frames, offshore oil platforms, Cadillacs) it
seems that the amount of wasted power would vastly exceed the amount
put to useful work. Chopping these objects up using insulation would
reduce the losses significantly, but I don't think this is practical
and I don't think it would help enough anyway.

I'm not up much on the history of this. Was the eddy current phenomemon
unknown at the time?
-- 
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Greg Smith     University of Toronto      UUCP: ..utzoo!utcsri!greg
Have vAX, will hack...