Transmitting a Message:
1. Telegraph Key: The sender uses a telegraph key, which consists of a lever or button. When pressed, the key establishes an electrical circuit.
2. Electrical Circuit: Pressing the key completes a circuit that includes a battery, the key itself, and an electromagnet. This electromagnet generates a magnetic field.
3. Magnetic Field: The electromagnet's magnetic field induces an electric current in a nearby coil of wire called a "receiver coil."
4. Signal Transmission: The electric current generated in the receiver coil is sent as a signal along a telegraph wire to the receiving station.
Receiving a Message:
1. Receiver: At the receiving station, the incoming electrical signals are detected by another electromagnet.
2. Magnetic Field: The magnetic field generated by the electromagnet moves a lever or armature in the receiver, causing it to click.
3. Sound: The clicking sound produced by the receiver's armature is interpreted as a series of dots and dashes, representing the Morse code.
4. Morse Code: The receiver operator listens to the clicking sounds and transcribes the Morse code into written words or characters, deciphering the message.
5. Decoding Message: The received Morse code sequences are translated back into their corresponding letters or numbers based on the Morse code chart.
This basic principle of sending and receiving electrical signals over wires allowed communication over long distances in the era before modern electronic advancements. Telegraph operators played a crucial role in relaying messages, leading to significant improvements in communication and information sharing during the 19th century.