Early Leakage Currents
Kirt's Cogitations #61

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Early Leakage Currents

The telegraph system, which performed remarkably well over long distances in the arid American west, was greatly limited in distance when installed on the humid east coast. Leakage currents through the water-impregnated wire insulation greatly attenuated the signals, especially when buried underground. To cure the problem, Sir William Thompson invented gutta-percha insulation, and in 1847 designed a screw-press for coating the wires with the gum rendered plastic by heat.

Copper Mountain Technologies Vector Network Analyzers - RF Cafe Website

RF Cafe began life in 1996 as "RF Tools" in an AOL screen name web space totaling 2 MB. Its primary purpose was to provide me with ready access to commonly needed formulas and reference material while performing my work as an RF system and circuit design engineer. The World Wide Web (Internet) was largely an unknown entity at the time and bandwidth was a scarce commodity. Dial-up modems blazed along at 14.4 kbps while tying up your telephone line, and a lady's voice announced "You've Got Mail" when a new message arrived...