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Comment by JoeAltmaier | Hacker News Reader

A terrible idea.

   "... it is conceivable that it could be restored to operable condition,” RMST said"

It was a spark-gap transmitter? Which broadcasts noise across the entire radio spectrum. It would be illegal anywhere in the world to operate it today.

Nonsense like that confirms that this effort is some circus act put together by a money-making shill of some kind. Not a sincere effort to preserve history.

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The Grimeton (SAQ) transmitter is based on an Alexanderson alternator and, hence, supplies orders of magnitude less harmonic energy than a spark gap transmitter, yet it still falls woefully short of current spectral purity standards.

It still goes live a couple of times a year, though - on Christmas Eve and on the inventor's birthday.

It is not inconceivable that a spark gap transmitter could operate under similar constraints - limited duration, schedule published well in advance &C.

However, I believe it would be a mistake to restore it to working condition - at that point it is no longer the wireless set from the Titanic, but a replica built using some original parts. Meh.

Somewhat contradicted by the Youtube videos of demonstrations of identical spark-gap transmitters in museums around the world.

Minimal power, no antenna, etc.

Couldn't you build a Faraday cage to operate it inside?

What is the point of putting a transmitter in a Faraday cage?

Then it's not illegal to operate.

Because you can have a recurving antenna in there with it? Better still, a £20 software defined radio so you can see the spectrum

Depends on the size of the cage, and what else is in it.

For a nice museum exhibit.

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