Telegraph Sounder
date: label: date made
content: ca 1905
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. This sounder was made according to US Patent #678,395, issued 16 July 1901 to John J. Ghegan of Newark, NJ, and was assigned to Bunnell Company for whom Ghegan worked. The idea was to make adjusting the lever arm easier and more precise by the addition of a spring-loaded tuning mechanism. Part of the adjuster can be seen mounted on the base behind the arched yoke.
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.331501
label: model number
content: 15-C
label: accession number
content: 294351
label: catalog number
content: 331501
objectType: label: Object Name
content: telegraph receiver
label: Object Name
content: telegraph sounder
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 in x 3 in x 5 1/2 in; 10.16 cm x 7.62 cm x 13.97 cm