"Mike Terry" wrote in message
...

Mises.org - USA
... that field. Eminent mathematicians once claimed to prove logically
that short-wave radio was impossible. Government-controlled research ...
http://www.mises.org/fullarticle.asp?control=1514&id=68



I suppose the author was referenceing the Britain's plan to link the Empire
with high power longwave stations. At that time, the only confirmed way to
transmit long distances was using the groundwave. Propagation of the
groundwave decreases with ground losses. Ground losses increase with
decreasing wavelength.

Marconi said he could communicate cheaper with shortwave. Anyway, the
mathematicians proved that shortwave didn't have much of a groundwave.
Needless to say, the physicists and mathmeticians soon found the skywave
phenomena very interesting.

Frank Dresser