Ian wrote:


I feel it is awkward to say that Marconi was wrong even though we now know
this is the case. Personally, I'd say that Marconi's opinion that "no
practical system of wireless telegraphy exists where the instruments are not
connected to earth" obviously related to his own use of wireless. As I
understand it, Marconi's aerials were not resonant at the frequency he was
using. They would therefore be a mis-match to his radios and this situation
was alleviated by using connections to earth.

Little of the technology in use today was known in Marconi's time.

Marconi knew nothing of resonance, impedance, or electromagnetic field
theory; it all came after his time.

Marconi would have been totally baffled if shown a helical, slot, yagi,
or any number of antennas invented after his time in common use today.

The only reference antenna Marconi had was a wire of some sort fed against
ground.

For that particular type of antenna, Marconi was correct, but his statement
is NOT correct for antennas in general.