Communication systems development

Long ago men found it necessary to communicate at a distance. When the alphabet was invented, they began to use papyrus and something like the modern letter appeared. The first to send letter were the ancient Egyptians. A runner delivered them. However, the Romans organized the best postal system of ancient times.

From then on until the 19-th century, there were practically no advances in the means of communication. Even when Queen Victoria began to rule England in 1837, her means of communication with distant parts of her empire were no faster than those of Julius Caesar.

The first practical electromagnetic telegraph was invented by the Russian scientist Pavel Shilling in 1828, and in 1832 he established telegraph communication between the Winter Palace and the Ministry of Transport in St. Petersburg. Shilling’s work was continued in Russia by B. Yakobi, who made several improvements in the electromagnetic telegraph and linked St. Petersburg with Tsarskoye Selo. This 25 kilometer-line was the longest in the world at that time. Yakobi invented the telegraph sending key, adopted by the American Samuel Morse. Morse, however, invented the telegraph code of dots and dashes, which is used all over the world to this day.

The first transatlantic telegraph cable from Europe to America was laid in 1858 due to the great British scientist Professor William Thomson. He also invented the mirror galvanometer, the very sensitive instrument used at first to receive signals transmitted over very long cables. Three letters could be transmitted per minute over the first transatlantic cable. The present speed of operation of telegraph cables reaches 2, 500 letters per minute.

The telephone is a much younger invention than the telegraph. The French mechanic Charles Boursel first suggested the idea of transmitting speech electrically. The first telephone that found application was invented by the American Graham Bell in 1876. Russian inventors made several important improvements in the telephone. In 1879 the Russian engineer Mikhalsky made a microphone with powdered carbon, a prototype of the present-day microphone. Next year another Russian inventor, Golubitsky made a far sensitive receiver than the receiver of Bell. In 1880 the Russian military communication expert G. Ignatyev invented a device that made it possible to use the same wire simultaneously for a telephone conversation and for telegraph communication. Today the method of frequency modulation makes it possible to transmit several hundred telephone conversations over the same wire simultaneously.

The telegraph and the telephone were soon followed by an even more wonderful invention, which made possible communication without wires. Numerous scientists from different countries contributed to the appearance of wireless communication. Heinrich Hertz, constructed a primitive radio system capable of transmitting and receiving space waves through free space. In 1893, Nikola Tesla, in America, first demonstrated the feasibility of wireless communications. He proved that intelligible messages could be transmitted without wires and established a system which was composed of a transmitting coil (or conductor) and a receiving coil. At last, in 1895, the Russian scientist A.S. Popov demonstrated his first radio receiver. In March 1897 G. Marconi, an Italian inventor, transmitted wireless telegraphy signals over a distance of two miles and later he established the first transatlantic radio communication between Canada and England. For this achievement, he was awarded the Nobel Prize.

Early uses of communication were maritime for sending telegraphic messages using Morse code between ships and land. Radio was used to pass on orders and communications between armies and navies in World War I. Broadcasting became possible in the 1920s with the introduction of radio receivers in Europe and the U.S.A. Another use of radio was the development of detecting and locating aircraft and ships by the use of radar.

Today radio takes many forms, including wireless networks and mobile communications of all types, as well as radio broadcasting.

6. Look through the text. Answer the questions using the information from the text:

1. When and how did the first messages appear? 2. Where were the first letters delivered? 3. Who established the first telegraph and when? 4. Who continued and improved the achievements of P. Shilling? 5. What did B. Yacobi invent? 6. What is S. Morse famous for? 7. Who first suggested the idea of transmitting speech? 8. What Russian engineers perfected the idea of telephone conversation? 9. What scientists contributed to the development of wireless communication? 10. Who was awarded the Nobel Prize and what for?

7. Translate the following word combinations:

Postal system; from then on; to establish telegraph communication; communication system development; to make several improvements; the telegraph sending key; he telegraph code of dots and dashes; to lay the cable; due to; to invent the mirror galvanometer; at first; to transmit per minute; to reach the speed of operation; the idea of transmitting speech; to find application; powdered carbon; a far sensitive receiver; to use the same wire simultaneously; the feasibility of wireless communications; intelligible messages; a transmitting coil; at last; a radio receiver; to be awarded the Nobel Prize; to pass on orders; radio broadcasting; to become feasible; detecting and locating aircrafts and ships.

8. Memorize the words:

Information Communication Technologies (ICT) – информационно-коммуникативные технологии

the source output – исходный вывод

a sequence of binary digits – последовательность двоичных цифр

a storage medium – запоминающая среда, носитель ЗУ

distinguishing characteristics – отличительные свойства

the theory of probability – теория вероятности

an encoder – кодирующее устройство, шифратор

a decoder – декодирующее устройство, дешифратор

level of performance – уровень пропускной способности

random processes – беспорядочные, случайные процессы

additive noise – аддитивный (дополнительный) шум

prescribed delay – заданная задержка

software applications – прикладное программное обеспечение

installing applications – установка (размещение) прикладных программ

data management – управление (работа с) данными

networking – объединение в сеть

engineering computer hardware – конструирование аппаратного обеспечения компьютера

manipulate – управлять; обращаться с; обрабатывать; преобразовывать

disseminate - распространять

stem (from) - происходить

9. Read the text and tell what the information communication technologies

are: