Telegraph Sounder
date: label: date made
content: 1928
name: label: maker
content: J. H. Bunnell & Co.
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: Telegraph sounders convert electrical pulses into audible sounds and are used to receive Morse code messages. The message travels as a series of electrical pulses through a wire. Short pulses make a dot, slightly longer pulses make a dash. The sequence of dots and dashes represent letters and numbers. The pulses energize the sounder’s electromagnets which move a lever-arm. The arm makes a loud “click” when it strikes a crossbar and the operator translates the pattern of sounds into the original language. The type 1-B sounder was a very common model for main line use. This unit was rated at 400 ohms resistance. This particular sounder is mounted on a display plate from the Western Union Museum and gives a manufacturing date of 1928.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Electricity
label: See more items in
content: Communications
label: See more items in
content: Telegraph Sounders
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: from Western Union Corporation
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: EM.331937
label: accession number
content: 294351
label: catalog number
content: 331937
label: collector/donor number
content: 06-22
objectType: label: Object Name
content: telegraph receiver
label: Object Name
content: telegraph sounder
label: Other Terms
content: telegraph sounder; Telegraphy
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: brass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: rubber (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 4 3/4 in x 9 in x 7 in; 12.065 cm x 22.86 cm x 17.78 cm