Antenna and ionospheric propagation analysis of Marconi's experiment in Newfoundland

The famous Marconi's transatlantic experiment from Cornwall, England to St. John's, Newfoundland proved the possibility of long distance wireless communication. Although Marconi's experiment was analyzed from the circuit theory point of view the antenna and ionospheric propagation side analyses were not done. In this article we address the latter. During his experiment Marconi reported that he used signals of long wave length i.e. 1800 m. From his antenna design and the ionospheric conditions at that time, we prove that other frequencies of 9.375 MHz and 12.5 MHz had a much higher possibility of reception at the destination, St. John's, than his 0.166 MHz signal.