Alfred Traeger
Encyclopedia
Alfred Hermann Traeger, OBE
(2 August 1895 – 31 July 1980) was an Australia
n inventor, chiefly known for the development of the pedal radio
.
, and raised near Adelaide
, South Australia
.
He was instrumental in the establishment and early success of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
. Traeger had an interest in radio for much of his life. During the 1920s, he was contacted by Rev John Flynn
to assist in experiments which were to enable remote families access to medical treatment by using radio equipment. He also suggested the idea of the School of the Air
, which was later implemented by Adelaide miethke
. Since much of remote Australia had no access to electricity, the initial problem was how to provide reliable power to a radio. Traeger consequently developed a pedal generator to power a morse code
wireless set.
He made subsequent refinements to this system. A keyboard was developed which enabled unskilled operators to type their message in plain language and have it transmitted in morse. He later developed a voice-capable transceiver.
He was assisted by his younger brother Johann Gustav Traeger and his father Johann Hermann Traeger.
Due to the success of these inventions, the Traeger Transceivers company was founded, and radios were exported to a number of countries. Traeger was awarded an OBE
in 1944.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(2 August 1895 – 31 July 1980) was an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n inventor, chiefly known for the development of the pedal radio
Pedal radio
The Pedal Radio is a radio powered by a pedal-driven generator. It was developed by Alfred Traeger in 1929 as a way of providing radio communications to remote homesteads in the Australian outback. There was no mains or generator power available at the time and batteries to provide the power...
.
Biography
Traeger was born in VictoriaVictoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, and raised near Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
.
He was instrumental in the establishment and early success of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia is an emergency and primary health care service for those living in rural, remote and regional areas of Australia...
. Traeger had an interest in radio for much of his life. During the 1920s, he was contacted by Rev John Flynn
John Flynn (minister)
John Flynn OBE was an Australian Presbyterian minister who founded the Royal Flying Doctor Service, the world's first air ambulance.-Biography:...
to assist in experiments which were to enable remote families access to medical treatment by using radio equipment. He also suggested the idea of the School of the Air
School of the Air
School of the Air is a generic term for correspondence schools catering for the primary and early secondary education of children in remote and outback Australia.-History:...
, which was later implemented by Adelaide miethke
Adelaide Miethke
Adelaide Laetitia Miethke, , was an educator and teacher who was pivotal in the formation of the School of the Air using the existing Royal Flying Doctor Service radio network....
. Since much of remote Australia had no access to electricity, the initial problem was how to provide reliable power to a radio. Traeger consequently developed a pedal generator to power a morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
wireless set.
He made subsequent refinements to this system. A keyboard was developed which enabled unskilled operators to type their message in plain language and have it transmitted in morse. He later developed a voice-capable transceiver.
He was assisted by his younger brother Johann Gustav Traeger and his father Johann Hermann Traeger.
Due to the success of these inventions, the Traeger Transceivers company was founded, and radios were exported to a number of countries. Traeger was awarded an OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1944.
External links
- http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A120280b.htm
- http://www.4wdonline.com/News/1999/990210.Traeger.html
- http://www.wilmap.com.au/atts/114.html